Review: Urban Arrow FamilyNext Pro

How time flies. I first reviewed the original Urban Arrow in 2020, when my kids were 3 and 5. Back then, nothing delighted a couple of preschoolers more than strapping into a big, motorized cargo bike and scooting around town, shrieking, with the wind blowing in their tiny faces. Alas, they are now 8 and 10. When I picked up my 8-year-old two days ago, he crouched down in the box while sitting on the padded seats (with seat belts!) so that none of his friends would see him.

All this to say: My Tern GSD and I are great friends, but I wish my kids were five years younger so I could’ve bought the FamilyNext Pro instead. Urban Arrow's new electric cargo bike has a lot of great upgrades, is easier to ride than ever, and is even more useful as my kids have gotten older.

Bounce House

To the naked eye, the two biggest upgrades to the FamilyNext Pro are a newly redesigned cargo box and suspension on the front fork. (It also comes in a very classy, new sage green, but unfortunately, my demo bike was in black.)

The box looks totally different—my friend asked if my bike had gotten longer somehow. It’s longer and slimmer, with rounded corners instead of square ones, and there are now headlights on the bike. It has shorter sides, so it’s easier to get in and out. Unlike other bakfiets, or box bikes, that I’ve tried, the box sits much lower to the ground. I can confirm that in my testing, both adults and kids had an easy time climbing in and out.

The box is made from expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, which is initially disconcerting—it shows dings and bumps very easily. However, Urban Arrow describes it as “an upside-down helmet,” and the foam cushioning did reassure me that even if I let the bike tip over, my kids or friends wouldn’t just immediately hit the pavement. You can also replace the foam easily in the event of a crash or some other unsightly event.

The front cargo box now has a front fork with 60 millimeters of travel. I truly love this. It really is a safety issue when you’re going fast with 60 to 150 pounds in the front box. I was cruising along at 20 mph and hit a pothole, and I just boinged right out of it.

Photograph: Adrienne So

This cargo ebike uses a by-now-typical Gen 4 Bosch Cargo Line smart system, with a 250-watt motor, a 545-Wh battery, and four assist modes—five if you include walk assist, which you can toggle on by pressing the down button as you’re pushing the bike. (I can definitely feel the assist, although it’s a little less helpful than you might expect.) I got about 20 miles of moderate riding with and without cargo on one charge, but that’s fine, as there is room in the frame for a double battery. I would definitely recommend getting a double battery if you want to put serious miles and cargo on this bike, and are not just going a mile back and forth from school with giant cardboard dioramas in it.

My test unit also has the Enviolo CVT hub, which is a pretty common shifting system on ebikes where balls rotate in a hub for stepless shifting. As someone who regularly carts heavy, fragile things around, I think it's indispensable, especially if you are often starting and stopping around cars. You just downshift at a standstill and up the assistance to get some momentum going; it supersedes the need for a throttle if you’re smart about it.

I find 250 watts to be adequate for my needs of transporting stuff and kids on mostly flat ground, and I did test it by carrying 160 pounds of human and biking it up some steep 10 to 15 percent grade hills in my neighborhood. However, it does seem worth noting that Oregon is one of several states that allows 1,000-watt motors, and many here prefer a less natural-feeling (i.e., a more powerful) ride.

Pure Biking Bliss

Photograph: Adrienne So

As befits a high-end bike, the Urban Arrow FamilyNext Pro is a pure delight to ride. I was a little scared to ride with a 160-pound adult in the box. (It’s a matter of physics; I am always a little nervous when my cargo outweighs me.) But the Bosch motor took off with enough power to make it easy. The box has enough room for both a medium-sized adult and a few backpacks.

The upright seating geometry is comfortable when I’m waiting at a stoplight with four kids around me. The ergonomic handles are a positive pleasure to hold. It’s pretty easy to lock it up on a bike rack if you lock it on the frame by the rear tire, and it also has an included Abus wheel lock for a little extra peace of mind if you’re just waiting in front of the school for pickup.

Considering that many commuter direct-to-consumer bikes weigh 50 to 60 pounds without a cargo box, I found it pretty astonishing that this enormous bike itself only weighs 112 pounds. It was relatively easy to move (as long as you don’t forget when you actually have cargo in it) and easy to store, now that my garage door works again.

Photograph: Adrienne So

I happen to live in an area with parents who are addicted to cargo biking. Every morning, dozens of people set off with kids sitting on rear racks or come home with bikes strapped in Tow Haulers. Every morning, an extremely fit dad passes by my house at around 25 mph with his kid under a rain cover in an older Urban Arrow, and r/CargoBike has a ton of different tips and tricks to turn your cargo bike into your own personalized hauling machine.

If you’re a more experienced parent and cyclist who has a good place to store it and lock it up, I can’t recommend the Urban Arrow FamilyNext Pro enough. Just an hour ago, as I was biking with my kid downtown for his haircut, an (ahem) blue-collar gentleman shouted at me, “Hey, you hauling gravel in that thing?” I could if I wanted to, sir! It’s $9,000, and I can already tell you it’s worth every penny.