Update 23rd September 2021
It looks like the Convercycle is attracting a lot of interest on the market. At least the makers are still very busy and are now presenting the first accessory for the cargo bike. It is a folding box. According to Convercyle, it is made of a special plastic that is resistant to all weather conditions and therefore does not lose any of its resilience in the long term.
With a footprint of 60 centimetres in length and 40 centimetres in width, it fits exactly on the loading area of the Convercycle. Anything else would be very surprising ? As the name folding box suggests, the box can be easily reduced in size when you don’t need it. The manufacturer includes a few tension straps with the box. With their help, you can lash the accessories to the edge of the loading area.
In contrast to a simple folding box that can be found in the boot of many cars for bulk shopping, this box can be completely closed at the sides and top. This means that nothing should get lost during the journey.
You can now order the box online in the Convercyle shop for 65 euros. The website also gives you a foretaste of what other accessories you can expect soon. Another, even larger transport box and a wall mount for the bike are announced there.
Update 1st July 2021
Convercycle has been shipping the first bikes for a few days now. This was announced by the manufacturer yesterday. The long-awaited freight has arrived at the location in Frankfurt/Main. Usually, the shipment to the buyers starts from there. However, it would also be possible to pick up the cargo bikes on site.
Convercycle plans to deliver more bikes on a weekly basis from now on. The crowdfunding campaigns so far have resulted in around 400 pre-orders. When asked, the manufacturer says that 75 per cent to 80 per cent of these are e-drive variants.
“We are aware that some people have been waiting a long time for their Convercycle Bike. We are always in touch with our community and are very grateful for their patience, support, and backing. Now we look forward to delivering everyone their bikes as quickly as possible,” said David Maurer-Laube, co-founder and inventor of the Convercycle Bike on the multiple postponed delivery start.
Testing at the brand ambassador next door
Now that the first Convercycle Electric are actually rolling on the roads, the manufacturer is simultaneously launching a previously rather unusual form of test ride. Within the framework of a programme called “Ambassador”, interested parties can get in touch with people who are already riding such an e-cargo bike. Convercycle has set up a special page on its website for this purpose. At the moment, it only lists an e-mail address to which you can send your request. In future, this will be done via a separate tool. Currently, test drives will be possible in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Leipzig and Aachen. In the future, this list will grow as the delivery of the bicycles progresses. With the “Ambassador” programme, Convercycle hopes to be able to better meet the high number of requests for test rides. The team itself is too small to handle this alone.
Original post 29th March 2021
A normal folding bike offers two modes: unfolded means ready to go and folded means ready to park. Not so the Convercycle. But hardly any of you would describe this bike as ” normal”.
Folded it’s a city bike, unfolded it’s a cargo bike – that’s the Convercycle’s clou. Whether this idea actually catches on with interested parties worldwide will soon become clear. After about two years of start-up time, the project received the green light to begin series production a few days ago. The standards EN ISO 4210 for bicycles, DIN 79010 for cargo bikes and DIN EN 15194 for electric motor assisted cycles (EPACs) have been passed. This means nothing stands in the way of the market launch any longer.
Urban mobility today
Many bicycles today want to serve more than just one purpose. Every additional talent on the one hand enlarges the potential target group and on the other hand ensures that the bike consolidates its place in people’s everyday lives. The team around designer David Maurer-Laube also followed this direction. The focus was on city dwellers who travel even short distances by car, even though they are travelling alone. Why? Because they want to transport things. Things for which no car would be needed. Not even a cargo bike. At least not every day, on every occasion.
So, Maurer-Laube has designed a bike that meets precisely this need. To put it bluntly: to the supermarket with an ordinary bicycle and back with a loaded cargo bike. And with the Convercycle “Electric”, it also has electric assistance.
Transformation in seconds
As clever as the idea sounds, it could easily fail. Much stands and falls with the question: Can this transformation between the two types of bicycle be carried out comfortably and safely? From everything that has been seen of the bike so far, the answer is yes. To fold and unfold the bike, take hold of the saddle and pull it upwards. At the same time, press one foot against a catch on the rear wheel axle. At that moment, the rear wheel is magically pulled back under the frame and slides into a holder. With a little practice, this can be done within three seconds.
In the space thus created between the seat tube and the rear wheel, a 40 x 60 centimetre cargo area opens up. Low frame triangles border the sides and form a basket-like structure. It can hold a euro standard box, a beer crate, a baby car seat, a sports bag with your ice hockey equipment, etc. There is also some leeway in terms of weight. The bike is approved for a total of 180 kilograms. A maximum of 80 kilograms may be carried on the loading area. However, the bike itself weighs around 38 kilograms. According to Hoyle, that leaves 62 kilograms for the riders. Probably only a few of you will be able to use the maximum load.
Even the mudguard turns
When unfolded, the Convercycle is 2.75 metres long. Folded, it is almost exactly two metres. Since the load is behind you in cargo mode, the e-cargo bike should ride pleasantly unobtrusively in this mode. The steering behaviour, for example, is not affected at all. Another advantage is that the rear mudguard can be swivelled. As soon as you have unfolded the cargo platform, it can be released with a quick release and rotated 180 degrees to the rear.
And the folks at Convercycle have come up with something else. You can park the bike vertically. Only when folded, of course. This saves space, for example, when you take it with you on the train or park it in the bicycle cellar or garage. In this case, the Convercycle rests on parts of the rear frame construction. From a distance, this looks quite confidence-inspiring. Only the preparatory fitness programme to lift the 38 kilograms buoyantly causes us some concern.
Play it safe with steel
The frame of the Convercycle Electric takes it all in its stride. Made of commercially available chrome-molybdenum steel, it can take a lot. For the manufacturers, this was the best choice to ensure the necessary stability for all the tubes, some of which are quite long. In the early development phase, Convercycle probably also tried its hand at aluminium. In the tests, however, the material did not achieve the desired results.
Currently there is only one size of frame available. According to Convercycle, it fits people with a body length between 160 and 200 centimetres. The cargo bike rolls through the urban environment on 28-inch wheels with Schwalbe Marathon tyres. You will benefit from this decision especially in the folded version, because this is very close to the nature of a city bike.
Asian power unit in the front wheel
Nevertheless, the Convercycle Electric will hardly feel particularly lively when you ride it. The aforementioned 38 kilograms of total weight first have to be moved. Fortunately, there are electric drives ? This ad features a front wheel hub motor from Bafang. Its greatest advantage is clearly its gentle handling of the other drive components. Chainring and chain, for example, are subject to much less wear than is the case with e-bikes with mid-mounted motors.
Another plus point: due to its weight, the motor ensures that the balance of the entire bike is somewhat more level. The cargo structure already means a larger mass in the rear. With its position on the front wheel, the motor compensates for this somewhat. Due to the decoupling of the motor and the rest of the drivetrain, there are also suddenly many more hub gears that can be fitted. With a mid-motor, the choice would be limited to a five-speed hub gear from Shimano. Only this is approved for e-bike operation. But this gave Convercycle more freedom. In the end, the choice fell on the Shimano Nexus with eight gears and a 307 per cent gear ratio.
Do not plan tours that are too long
As usual, the Bafang motor has an output of 250 watts and a torque of 45 Newton metres. Its power can be regulated over five support levels. The battery, made by Phylion, is also from China. Together, this package will take you about 50 kilometres. At least that is what Convercycle calculates. The basic assumption is that the riders weigh 85 kilograms and carry a load of 60 kilograms. Without a load, the range should increase to about 60 kilometres.
The bottom line is that the Convercycle Electric certainly arouses curiosity. The approach to switching between a normal bike and a cargo bike clearly sets the bike apart from the crowd. With a view to the components, we could also imagine somewhat higher-quality solutions. However, given the price of 3,199 euros for the e-drive model and the fact that this is a small company in its infancy, that’s perfectly fine.
From what we hear, this is by no means the end of the story. A separate child seat, a child seat bench and a lockable crate are in the planning stage. There are also ideas for an off-road version and a model with smaller wheels.
Pictures: Convercycle Bikes Ltd.
I wish I could buy it from you. But I live in Kazakhstan, so not much familiar with shipping costs. Can’t wait till they start shipping these bikes worldwide.
Hello,
Unfortunately, the Convercycle website says, the company only ships withing the EU and Switzerland. So, Kazakhstan is probably not available, at least for the moment.
Cheers, Matthias
hello,
I bought a electrical convercycle and it’s almost new (less than 100 km). it is in switzerland.
didn’t get adapted to it as my dog don’t want to ride in it.
am interested in selling it….. would you know who would be interested on it?
Hello,
Try a second-hand ads website, or ebay, or https://upway.fr/pages/sell-your-e-bike.
Goodphotod and descriptions help.
Cheers,
Luca