Xtracycle New Hopper Midtail Cargo Bike is a Much Needed Move
Xtracycle is arguably the founder of rear-loading cargo bikes. Ross Evans, creator of Xtracycle, didn’t invent the rear-loading cargo bike, but he did bring it to the mass market. For a while, they were the most popular mass-produced cargo bikes in the United States, but the market evolved, and their designs have gotten a bit outdated (though amazing bikes!) They have moved to a mostly direct-to-consumer model, but they still have the price tag of a more premium bike. The Xtracycle Swoop recently made our Best Cargo Bike list because it still is a fantastic bike, but Xtracycle just made a very big move to keep itself relevant in the entry-level market and hopefully open up that entry-level to more reliable options.
Enter the new Xtracycle Hopper Midtail Cargo Bike
This is a “budget-minded” cargo bike (anything under $4k is) with a hub-drive eBike motor and a Class 2 throttle, but looking at the details, you can see that it is still very much Xtracycle—except for the aluminum frame since they historically have used steel.
Xtracycle Hopper Key Details
- The price is $2,999 ($2,499 until Oct 13, 2024)
- This includes some key essentials like the front Porter rack and Hooptie rear railing
- Class 2 – comes with throttle and assistance up to 20mph
- 20″ wheels front and rear
- 1×8 Drivetrain
- Suspension dropper seatpost
- eBike System is a rear hub drive with torque sensor made by Xtracycle with UL 2849 on the system
- The warranty is 5 years on the frame and fork for defects (best for this price point)
Some finer details that stand out to me:
- This is Xtracycle’s 2nd midtail. The first is the RFA with steel frame and 24″ wheels. It has a unique modular rear rack that allows it to go from midtail to short-tail. The RFA was a great alternative to the GSD because of a smoother ride, but the step-thru was higher, and the passengers were higher off the ground, bringing your center of weight higher, too.
- Aluminum frame with a suspension fork
- A claimed 500 pounds, but I know several of those components are not rated to 500 pounds, so I’m assuming the mean only the frame, which is a bit misleading
- I can’t wait to get my hands on the eBike system for many reasons but the biggest is because the marketing is a bit confusing. They say a class 2 with throttle, but that it can go up to 28mph. Technically, a class 2 should cut off assistance at 20 mph, so I can only assume that the bike throttle cuts at 20, and the assistance to your pedaling cuts off at 28mph.
Why This Bike Matters
I haven’t had the opportunity to test this bike, but I hope to get my hands on it soon, so I can’t speak to the riding or eBike motor. What I can speak to is Xtracycle.
A handful of brands have dedicated themselves to cargo bikes and growing the family biking market. Xtracycle has been doing this since the beginning, originators, and they burned themselves out a bit. They were bought a couple of years ago by good people (Priority Bikes) and are working on reinventing themselves as a great direct-to-consumer option to get more people out of cars and onto bikes.
I tell you all this because you won’t find them in many dealers these days because their business model doesn’t give a ton of margin to make that happen (and unfortunately, they burned some dealers in the middle there, but hopefully, they are making that right.)
This bike is priced right, with the right parts and accessories compatible with their other cargo bikes that have been on the market for years. They have good customer service (hi, Marie-Claire!) that genuinely wants to help get people on the right cargo bike. If the bike rides decent, and the motor/battery can last 2-4 years, this will be a knockout of the park for folks looking to test out this cargo bike life on a budget or maybe don’t have a good cargo bike shop nearby.
To simplify, this is a dedicated cargo bike company offering a price-point bike with its proven accessory system and service.
I look forward to testing one out for a couple of hundred miles soon, and I’ll be back for a full review! If you want to save $500, preorder one before October 13th!
