RIDE > Vello Sub – World’s Lightest E-Cargo Bike

Cargo bikes are a bit like a pack horse, they are not designed to go fast, rather they are designed to efficiently help the rider carry a significant load. By their nature they are heavy, stable and fairly slow, but all that changes with the new ‘SUB’ an E-Cargo bike from VELLO.

Vello is an Austrian bike manufacturer who started in 2013 with the first folding bike with a clever design was established using a crowd funding campaign. Over the last 10 years the company has grown and now there is a range of folding bikes, e-bikes and clever accessories all released under the Vello brand.

The VELLO SUB (which stands for smart utility bike) is extremely light 24kg (though if you want the model with gears, and you do its 26kg) it is capable of carting unto 210kg which is a lot for any bike.

Like many cargo bikes there is both a front and rear carrier system with the rear system designed to carry a payload up to 100kg.

The SUB gets clever with the Bosch electric system which supports two batteries (enabling a range of up to 250km) the Gen 4 Performance Line CX Electric Engine and a GPS tracking smart system. The Bosch Smart System App puts you in control of your cargo and SUB has a mount specially designed to keep your smartphone right in front.

Strong Cargo Mode – designed for eCargo bikes it delivers up to 400% of your own power
Auto Mode – provides additional assistance including smart braking and ABS to bring you more safely to a halt
Smart Push Assist and Hill Hold – stops the bike rolling back when you are stopped on a hill
eBike Alarm – with an an audible and visual alarm as well as tracking on your smartphone
eBike Lock – a digital key on your phone to unlike the bike
Navigation and more

Like many E-Bikes the VELLO SUB has integrated lights front and back, hydraulic disk brakes and in line with its folding heritage the VELLO SUB is designed to easily reduce its foot print with quick release to drop the seat and rotate the handle bars.

So after all that, I know you are thinking wow how much and where do I get one? Well there are a few variations but this kind of innovative bike tech does not come cheap, the Titanium SUB starts at €6,498 and goes up to €7,798 if you want gears (you do) and to upgrade to the larger 545Wh battery.