Idit Cargo Box: Alaska or nearest city? As long as it’s adventure.

Who wants to cycle 1,600 kilometres across Alaska? In February at a cosy minus 20 degrees. All the way from the south-east to the north-west. No one? Maybe you’d prefer a cycling holiday with family or friends through the Fläming or towards the Oderbruch? At the time of year of your choice. Now you can have a bit of both. A little of the first and a lot more of the latter.

Yes, it sounds a bit weird. It’ll make more sense after the break-up. Hopefully. So, Alaska and Brandenburg – both come together in Idit. Behind the name is a very special build for the high-end Load 75 cargo bike from Riese & Müller. The folks who created the Idit apparently love adventures. For one thing, they named their product after the Iditarod Trail Invitational, one of the toughest self-supported endurance bike races in the world. And for another, they’ve given their love of adventure a shape that has four corners and one heck of a handle.

From tour operator to manufacturer

More Cargobike is the name of the company that drew attention to itself in the summer with the presentation of the Idit. Obviously, it gathers people with an apparent enthusiasm for cargo bikes. Since 2020, it has been renting bikes to interested people from all over Germany. You can take them on a cycling holiday lasting several days. Or go on a day trip. Or manage your move. Or simply ride a cargo bike.

But the focus is clearly on what More Cargobike calls “sustainable road trips with e-cargo bikes”. You shouldn’t take the word “road” too seriously. Part of the concept is to be off the road. However, managing director Johannes Weyers felt that none of the e-cargo bikes on the market were 100 per cent suitable for this purpose.

Special requirements = special features

The problem was less with the bike itself, but rather with its loading area or loading box. Anyone setting out for a few days of camping, climbing, fishing, photography or similar has very special requirements. Protection from water and dirt, safety for expensive and cherished equipment and sufficient electric power far from any socket are some of them. Basically, they largely describe the requirements profile for what More Cargobike had in mind and has now realised with the Idit.

Although the colour of the Idit contrasts with the frame of the Load 75, the box nevertheless grows organically upwards out of the cargo area of the e-cargobike. Its upper edge is dominated by a kind of massive railing. This projects forwards beyond the box – approximately up to the height of the axle of the front wheel. Another 50 centimetres and it could almost pass for a kind of bull catcher. Who knows, maybe in a future Alaska edition. In its current form, the bar serves to lift the bicycle. If you get stuck in the mud or just want to turn the bike around its vertical axis while standing still, it can actually prove very useful. In addition, a lot of gadgets like lights and cameras fit on it.

Practical and self-sufficient

Taking a closer look at the outside, you notice several more slits worked into the plastic parts of the build. Some of them simply let some fresh air into the closed interior. Others at the back are part of the Molle system, which allows you to easily attach accessories to the outside.

On the opposite side, i.e. at the front, the manufacturers have placed interfaces for power supply. One of them can be used, for example, to recharge a battery attached to the underside of the Idit. The battery supplies power to the indicators on the left and right of the box. It can also be used to charge your smartphone or a cool box if you connect the devices to the USB fast charging port.

Safe as in the boot

If you want to reach inside the Idit, you need the corresponding remote control. The cargo is not only reliably protected from unwanted moisture by the waterproof box, but also electronically from unwanted access. As with a car, nothing works without pressing the remote control. After pressing the right button, the box can be opened via the two-part lid.

Inside, everything looks extremely tidy. The Molle system is again used on the two narrow sides. Two lamps provide the necessary overview even in the dark. You can switch the interior lighting on and off via the remote control. There are also a few pockets for odds and ends. A first aid kit is also included. Attached to the inside of one of the lids is a high-visibility waistcoat. And the rest is free space, which you can fill with chairs, tents, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, food and other things. The interior is lined with a thin fabric cover. This inlay is removable and washable. This is another of those small details that show how thoroughly More Cargobike have thought through the Idit.

The effort has its price

By the way, the body is made by hand. This includes mounting it on the Riese & Müller Load 75. With a small series of 100 units, as in this case, there is probably no other way. Should the project reach other dimensions in terms of quantities, Johannes Weyers has already announced that individual production steps could also be automated. Whether it ever gets that far will probably be decided not least by the price. As a starting point, you can expect to pay at least 6,500 euros for the full-suspension e-cargo bike. Together with the Idit, the total price will be in the five-digit range. The exact figures depend on your individual wishes. At least the manufacturer has promised that extra wishes are very much negotiable.

Let’s see what happens next year with the Idit. The idea originated in Berlin and Brandenburg. However, it is not hard to imagine a holiday with such a bike in other regions as well. At most, we still have a few doubts about Alaska.

 

Pictures: Elektrofahrrad24; More Cargobike GmbH