Riese & Müller Carrie Compact Front Loading Cargo Bike: Initial Review
The Riese & Müller Carrie compact front loader is one of the most exciting cargo bikes of 2024. It takes all the advantages of a front loader, but it is more compact than anything else on the market in North America and has a very sleek aesthetic that will appeal to a new market.
Is this 20” wheeled, folding boxed cargo bike precisely what the North American cargo bike market needs? In this article, we will review the 7 things you should know about this bakfiets style cargo bike as I finish my review, which will be out in a week or so.
Unique Features of the Carrie Cargo Bike
This compact cargo bike has many stand-out features. It has 20” wheels front and back, while the other Riese & Müller bakfiets only use 20” in the front with a larger rear wheel. This allows the bike to be shorter in length and keeps the weight lower to the ground. It is 83″ long, compared to 66.9″ of the Tern HSD.
There is a front suspension fork to help cushion the ride and a unique “Flex Box” that folds open and can be locked on one side.
The Riese & Müller Brand
An essential detail of a cargo bike is the brand itself. Do they have good dealers, have a good warranty, test their bikes properly, and keep parts so this bike can be serviced for years to come?
Riese & Müller is a very unique eBike brand in the bike industry as they focus on premium, high-tech electric bikes but with the goal of sustainability and fantastic quality. They make every bike to order in their German factory and then ship it fully built to your local bike shop. They are big on sustainability, and their dealers are typically well-vetted but also hard to find, depending on where you live in North America. I don’t get very excited about bike brands these days, but I would love to visit the Riese & Müller factory in Germany!
They offer a 5-year warranty on the frame. If you need a small part and don’t have an excellent local dealer with parts, it must be ordered from Germany, which can take some time.
Carrie Cargo Bike Dimensions and Weights
I measured the length of this bike at 83 “, compared to the 97.6” of the Load 60 or 101.5” of the Urban Arrow. With the compact design, you also have the folding stem that can fold backward, and if you loosen the adjustment of the up and down, you can twist the handlebar sideways. This fit well into the back of my Honda Odyssey Minivan with 3 car seats installed.
Max gross vehicle weight is 440 lbs
Max rider weight is 242 lbs
The bike weight starts at 75.6 lbs for the base model without any accessories.
The front box max weight is 176 lbs
The optional rear rack max weight is 60 lbs
It can hold 2 small kids up front, and an optional rear rack can take a child seat.
How does the Carrie Cargo Bike Fit?
The bike is advertised to fit someone 5 feet to 6’5″. I will say it has a pretty tall step over 24.5”, so make sure to utilize the kickstand to hold your cargo up as you get on and off. This adjustable stem moves up and down and fore/aft some, so you have some basic handlebar adjustment. It certainly feels more upright than the Load 75 and Packsters I have ridden.
Carrie Cargo Bike Flex Box
Besides the compact size of the Carrie, the other most unique part of this bike is the Flex Box. The foam sides are like wings that fold out and can carry Eurocrates or 1-2 small children with an adjustable fabric bench. The advertising claims it is a locking box, but I can easily pull it open since the lock is only on one of the flaps. I am not impressed with the child seating unless you have 2 kids around the age of 3 or 1 child from 3 to 6. They sent the headrest with the bike to review, but I ultimately left it out after my initial test rides because it limited the Flex Box folding when we were out, and it seemed to push my kids’ heads uncomfortably forward. I’ll save my gripes for the full review, but if you have kids, test ride with them and imagine your life in 2-3 years to ensure it will grow with you.
I do love where Riese and Müller are headed with the Flex Box. It was so nice to store and lock this bike since the box doesn’t take up more room than the handlebar width. I also loved being able to throw my bag or take out food into the box and fold it up to keep it more secure.
Pricing
Riese and Müller don’t make mid-level cargo bikes. They make premium, long-lasting bikes one by one, with sustainability and reliability at the heart of everything. I say all that because the bike is expensive compared to other cargo bike brands that don’t focus on that bespoke sustainability model.
The Carrie cargo bike’s starting price in the US is $8,239, and the review bike I’ve been trying is $9,639.
If this were my bike, I would outfit it exactly as my review bike with the enviolo hub and Gates belt drive, but with a front rain cover, and add in the Bosch’s connect module for GPS and alarm.
Buying the Riese & Müller Carrie Cargo Bike
The last important part of all: How do you buy or test ride a Carrie? Your local Riese & Müller dealer.
Last Thoughts
This fall, launch events are happening with top-level Riese & Müller cargo bike dealers across North America, and it is really inspiring to see the new wave of customers taking a look at cargo bikes because of this stylish and functional compact front loading cargo bike.
What do you think of the Carrie, and what would you like covered in the full review? Thanks so much for reading this far. Please do leave a comment so I know you were here!
I also want to thank eBike Central in Greensboro, NC, for helping me arrange this cargo bike demo. This review bike is now with them for you to test ride if you are in the Southeast.
Would it be fair to say Yuba’s front loader is probably the closest competitor? If so, how’s the handling compare between the two?
Thanks.
Hey Keith!
In the US, yes it would be the “closest” due to the 20″ wheels but I personally can’t recommend the Yuba due to their cable steering.
Arleigh, you initially thought this would be a competitor for the Tern HSD, but it sounds like it’s considerably larger – isn’t that right?