Tern unveils new HSD electric cargo bike with updated geometry, automatic shifting and new drive options

Tern has launched an updated version of its mid-size longtail cargo bike, the HSD. Designed to carry one passenger (or a whole load of shopping), the new HSD comes with an updated frame, bigger carrying capacity, automatic shifting and new spec options including the premium 3×3 NINE hub gear.

“Cargo bikes are incredibly useful for replacing short car trips,” said Josh Hon, Tern’s founder. “But a lot of cargo bikes are heavy, huge, and hard to handle. HSD was our challenge to design a heavy-hauling cargo bike, but to make it as easy to ride as a regular bike. We’re super excited to bring this new HSD – packed with improvements – to market.”

The HSD has been in Tern’s line-up for a long time now. We first rode it at the Eurobike show in 2019 and the last time we reviewed it, in 2024, the S00 with Enviolo’s continuously-variable hub gear, scored 9/10: it’s an excellent cargo bike for anyone that doesn’t have two passengers to get from A to B. Tern describes the HSD as “small enough for city streets, strong enough for everything you need to carry” and it’s a very versatile bike with a huge range of accessories, including some new ones for this launch.

At first glance not a lot has changed: if you saw the two bikes parked up together you’d probably struggle to tell which was the newer one. But there are changes, designed to make the bike both more accessible and more durable. The new bike has a stiffened and slightly beefed-up frame with a lower centre of gravity, and the maximum gross vehicle weight (bike plus rider plus cargo) has been increased to 190kg; you can carry a passenger up to 80kg on the Atlas rear rack and you can carry 20kg on a front rack attached to the mounting points on the head tube.

One change is the telescopic seatpost: the HSD uses the VLT seatpost that debuted on the latest GSD (the HSD’s big brother). It’s much better than the previous version, with bigger quick release handles that are much easier to use. The geometry has been tweaked too, and because of that Tern says it’s suitable for riders up to 205cm tall and weighing up to 130kg. At the other end of the rider scale, the step-through has been lowered to make the bike easier to use for smaller users. The HSD uses the same Andros stem as before which allows simple, tool-free adjustment of the handlebar position.

The HSD isn’t a folder but it is space-efficient for a big bike: you can fold down the handlebars and drop the saddle to minimise its footprint. It will also stand on its end thanks to four feet on the back of the rack, so if you have no outside storage you can hide it in the corner of a room. It also makes the bike easy to fit into the back of a car too.

Like all of Tern’s bikes, much of the versatility comes from the huge range of accessories that you can fit to the bike. It’s simple to fit a child seat and the Clubhouse Mini enclosure can be used to ferry larger kids; it’s been redesigned with a hinged bar on one side to make getting in and out easier. You can add a Rain shield too to protect your passengers from the elements. For shopping and general carrying, the Cargo Hold 37 panniers can swallow a weekly shop, and at the front there’s a new Hardshell Hauler case if you need a safe place for more delicate items. There are loads of other options too, including a Captain’s Chair for adult passengers, and a dog carrier for the front rack.

There are four builds of the new HSD. All of them use Bosch’s Smart system and Gen 5 mid motors. The top-of the range P9i bike (£5,800) gets the 90Nm Performance Line PX motor we first saw at Eurobike last year and that’s paired with the German 3X3 NINE hub gear. With nine evenly-spaced gears and a big 554% range from top to bottom, the 3X3 hub is designed to handle the torque of a powerful hub motor like the PX. The bike uses a Gates CDX carbon belt, and interestingly is equipped with Bosch’s eShift system, which allows you to set the bike up to change gear automatically to keep your legs moving at the speed you want. You can also set a standstill gear, so the bike will always be in the correct gear as you’re setting off. Both the P00 (£4,600) and the P5i (£4,400) also use a Gates CDX belt, with the P00 using Enviolo’s continuously-variable hub, and the P5i using the dependable Shimano Nexus five-speed unit. There’s a fourth build too, with TRP’s E.A.S.I. A10 derailleur system and automatic shifting through Bosch eShift, but at present we’re told there are no plans to bring that build into the UK. All four bikes use Bosch’s 545Wh battery and claim a range of 56km up to 107km depending on conditions, terrain, and system weight.

We’re excited to try the new HSD to see if the changes have improved what’s already a great bike, and we have a review bike on the way, so check back for that review as soon as we’ve put it through its paces.