To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Basel-based bike shop Obst & Gemüse have collaborated with the Dutch frame builder Elian Cycles to build what they say is the ultimate cargo bike… and fittingly, they’ve called it the Ultimate e-Cargo. 

Review: Riese and Muller Load 75 Touring

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ultimate cargo 2 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
ultimate cargo 2.jpg, by Jack Sexty

Aiming to make a lightweight and well-handling machine that can also carry plenty of cargo, the bike is based on the Elian Veltman’s Classic Cargo Tour model, with a hand-built steel frame. Being based in mountainous Switzerland, 95% of bikes Obst & Gemüse sell are electric, therefore it was the natural way to go for this special edition build. The Maxon rear hub has been modified to fit a MX25 Boost motor, with the 250 watts of power/assist up to 25kph as is standard on EU e-bikes.  This slick motor will give pedal assist up to 25 km/ph. 

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ultimate cargo 3 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)
ultimate cargo 3.jpg, by Jack Sexty

Elian say they design their cargo bikes to be less jumpy and more fluid than the competition, lowering the centre of gravity and pairing with a unique central steering system to further improve the handling. The tyre clearance is up to 45mm to take on rough roads and paths, and as you can see the load-carrying ability looks to be huge. 

The components are also very high spec, with a SRAM GX Eagle 1x 12 speed groupset, an ENVE cockpit and seatpost and custom made wheels. 

Only 20 bikes are available, and the price is (wait for it) a snip at £9,800! To be fair it’s a custom build and the spec is suitably high-end, and it’s still way cheaper to run than the car and probably loads more fun to ride… more info and ordering options on the landing page here