The Big Bike

This is my Big Bike, an electric cargo long tail bike I've had since 2011, and was likely the first electric cargo bike in my hometown of Melbourne Australia, it is the OG. Over the years it has been through many iterations, it started as a normal cargo bike and was electrified in late 2011 with a 48V front drive 9C motor.

It ran for many years as my work vehicle of choice, it is amazing how many place it gets into, no need to find a park, just ride to and roll up exactly where the job is. There is even a built in work bench! And it carries everything.

It was also one of the first Kid movers, and my three boys would ride on the back, those were some amazing days with memories we all remember as they grew up with school pickups and drop offs and trips here and there. When they were big enough to ride the Big Bike would often double duty as the kids bike hauler, they would ride and then have a rest with the Big Bike hauling their rides. Not long ago my youngest boy rode it!

It has also been a regular contender in the #carryshitolympics its always fun to see how much stuff can be packed aboard! An interesting not is he bigger the load, the more stable it is.

It has been through a few iterations, and not much remains apart from the frame and saddle bags that are original. In January 2025 the Big Bike underwent a modernisation process re-powering it with a Grin fitout. I am a fan of the hub motor for this application, in terms of general reliability, less moving parts and in this application the heavier front wheel balances the overall bike better - an experience observed which hasn't been widely documented for long tail bikes.

The overall electrical spec is:
- 60V 20Ah LifePO4 battery built with headway 38120S cells and Daly Smart BMS
- Grin All axle standard wind front hub motor laced into an Alex DM18 rim, it uses a V brake on the front
- Phaserunner
- Cycle Analyst with MFS switch and rotary pot control
- ERider T17 torque sensor
- AYUP Quad front light for illumination and SUV repellant, runs a step down DC/DC converter from the CA

I am overall amazed at the quality, documentation and support Grin has for a product range that is overall spot on for the seasoned bike builder. The little things have all be thought of, such as the wire quality, the extras the hardware, the connectors, pinout documentation, how to videos, the software to diagnose and adjust settings etc etc.

One thing about the All Axle that was the thing that sold me was the Torque Arm engineered into the design. No more flat spindle spin out.

Riding the bike for the first time I was blown away, apart from being silent, I could hear the rubber clawing up the first hill! The torque was just delivered to conquer the local hills.

Then add the torque sensor and configuration in the Cycle Analyst and for the first time since the bike was new it became a bike that could be ridden, because pedalling was now responsive and could be enjoyed. It was the start of a journey that I hadn’t seen coming and learning to love pedalling the Big Bike has changed my life almost completely.

I’d watched Justins videos and read the writings however the experience of the regen is fantastic. Back pedal for brakes is like the old days in the 70’s, squeeze the ebrake and it kicks in – victory! Control a decent with clicking the assist down – this is incredible. And then there is the maintainable impact, before I’d be changing brake pads every 700-900km, now I have done nearly 5000km on one set of rear pads.

There is also another thing with the regen which I haven’t seen or read much about and that is how it helps with interval training. Its possible to keep the speed low for an effort for safety and also to preserve the available trail, something I would never have thought.

These days the bike runs lots of kms, with generally 50km in the daily commute that includes 550m of elevation gain from the hills at the beginning and the end. It carries everything including all winter inclement clothing, tools, water, food, charger groceries anything that may be needed on the day day.

It is the true car-replacement and a core part of my life.

Thank you to Grin and all the team for letting us have the nice things.