The 5 Best Family Cargo Bikes in 2025

The cargo bike market is exploding in 2024! It is so amazing to see so many people replacing car trips with cargo bikes. There are many cargo bike options, but I wouldn't put my kids on many. Here are my top 5 family-focused cargo bikes for 2024 that I've tested and worked on.

BOOK A CONSULT:

TOP 10 ARTICLE:

PURCHASE:

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Introduction
01:34 Aventon Abound
03:46 Tern Quick Haul
06:18 Xtracycle Swoop
07:52 Tern GSD
09:20 Urban Arrow Family

ABOUT ME:
Ex-bike shop owner helping families get on the bike to leave the car at home ❤️

I owned an electric bike shop and have worked in the bike industry for 20 years. On this channel, I mainly cover e-bikes, cargo bikes, cycling tech, and general bike maintenance.

DISCLAIMER:
This bike was provided for review, and I may earn a commission from some links if you purchase through them (affiliate links).

[bqz]

I bought Lectric xpedition and have put 1.5k miles on it. Can’t beat the value. So far I like it a lot and customer service is great.

[ianbarr]

I own a Tern HSD with the gates carbon drive. One I took me about 250 ft of test riding to decide to buy it. Smooth as silk.

[daveyoil]

This is such a great roundup. Your frame of reference is so helpful, and your open mind is a gift to the rest of us!

[sharadbhatt]

I been a grandad since 2013, but a recovering alcoholic. I enjoy your video and learn. thank you

[garyt]

Thanks! Thoughtful, concise, informative. I live in Minnesota. I'm retired. I'm car free to have more disposable income. I ride all year. Being retired I can wait for bike routes to be safely cleared after snow. We have a great street maintenance organization too. Also a great public transportation which in my small town is mainly buses but we also have heavy rail commuter into the Twin Cities. Anyway, I'm in an apt. Storage is limited. I have 2 trailers. A Burley Travoy (folds up, stores in a closet) and a DIY flat bed for big heavy stuff (always outside).
I always wonder how those long cargo bikes would do on a packed snow trail. I also wonder why trailers are always left out of the conversation? There's a lot of flexibility with them.

[BradGillespie]

I’m riding a Gen 1 GSD, and we love it! With my two kids on the back, it honestly rides pretty well considering the lack of suspension and small wheels, but it does get choppy when riding solo. Even with a 400wh battery, I can realistically get close to 30 miles of range with 2 kids on the back and in tour mode (which I find offers the right amount of power for commuting around town). If I lived in a really hilly area, I might want a bit more torque for large inclines, but it has plenty of power for our needs. We have Tern’s large panniers and the bigger front rack, and even with two Yepp seats on the rack we’re still able to pick up a week’s worth of groceries for our family. Cargo bikes are great!

[Rileybobdude]

Thanks for the videos. I’ve been deep in research land and think I’m going to purchase the Tern GSD S10 LX in the spring. I like that the S10 LX’s come with the 500wh battery.

[fbaqueda]

I have the Aventon Abound. Amazing value for the price. It true is a car replacement. I had a rad wagon 4 but sold it as it felt really unsafe do to the brakes. I also wasn't sold on a quick release system. The rad power wagon 5 seems to have fixed these issues. I'm surprised the rpw 5 didn't make the list. But if you want to see if the cargo bike life is for you, you can't go wrong with Aventon. I bought it through my awesome bike shop.

[aday]

Tried the QuickHaul and ended up with an HSD because of the difference in fit. The new smart system and GPS was also nice and the suspension forks didn't hurt but it was mostly a fit thing at the end of the day. I prefer the upright posture when on an e-bike.

[bradfordgoeppner]

Hi Carly, I met you in May of 2022 while you were in Portland at Cleaver Cycles! I had just picked up my HSD, it’s still going strong! Nice to see you.

[kevinwhited]

I purchased an Urban Arrow in March of this year and it has become my favorite bike. I’ve already put a little over 2k miles on it. My only complaint is that it could really use front suspension and I’ve heard the 2025 model comes equipped with one.

[joegalka]

Great review! I know it may not be considered comparable in relation to theses 5 cargo bikes but what are thoughts on the Orox? Are you going to do any more videos on the Orox?

[MarcHedlund-ugnr]

Thanks as always for all your great work, Arleigh.

I rode a Larry vs Harry Bullitt for about four years and then traded it in for a Bullitt X (same bike but about 11" longer). I remember seeing that you rode a Bullitt a long time ago and switched away from it. It's been fantastic for me—I usually ride it everywhere, in preference over a non-cargo bike. I was in Portland recently and was boggling over how many of them are on the streets there—I assume because Splendid Cycles, their West Coast distributor, is there. I think your recommendation of an Urban Arrow is probably right for most people, and the listing the Riese & Müller Load bikes on your top 10 list makes sense, too. But for people who like a zippy, fun-to-ride cargo bike, where carrying one child at a time is workable for them, I think the Bullitt is worth a try.

[scotthuxtable]

I’m riding a new Tern HSD Gen 2 p5i. Newly retired, my plan was to stay active and to leave the car at home. Two months in and I love it. I’m discovering a totally new side of my home city of Canberra. And meeting some really interesting new people with different views on how cycling and city infrastructure can be improved!

[gungfuriceboy]

great suggestions indeed! ..but the 1 i'm currently looking @ is The Yuba Kombie, the Hase Gravities Dust...& Omnium Mini Max. ( All E-driven Kombie 'makes the Most 'sense to me'! ( MGVW is 440 pounds...Respectable Indeed! ). cheers from Toronto, Canada!

[sherryt]

Thank you, timely article with a lot of insight. As always, another wonderful episode!

[GM_____]

Thank you so much for coming out with this video and being so informative and honest. I really appreciate seeing options at different price points because I think that’s going to make the difference for a lot of people that would like to get a cargo bike but feel intimidated by some of the more expensive models.

[bobavontanelorn]

Kind regards from Germany. Out family has an Yuba Longtail. But my wife and me own three bikes each and our kids have their own. We commute to work, school shopping and visiting friends every day and our car is used once a week or so when distances are more than 30 miles.

[jbartnik]

I wanted an Urban Arrow, but my wallet made me get the Abound. It's a great bike! The entry level brakes are a little noisy, but i plan to upgrade once its tome to replace parts. We've hooked up our Burley dog trailer, and once our first kid arrives this fall we will start adding on the kid-friendly attachments. In the meantime it's been my daily commuter, grocery getter, and scrap hauler!

[BuckleFever]

Loved your video, it's packed with information, something I'm looking at while shopping for a cargo bike.