Estarli eCargo Longtail Review

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In the rapidly growing world of cargo bikes, and with more and more families on the hunt for one of the best cargo bikes for families, we were eager to review the new Estarli eCargo Longtail bike, to see how it fares in the growing, competitive, electric cargo bike market.

Whether you are a busy parent with young children, juggling the nursery run and food shop, or a parent to older children, the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike promises to transform your daily transport experiences.

In this review, we delve into the key features, accessories available, performance, and overall value of this eCargo Longtail bike, exploring how it stands up to the challenges of daily family cycling.

Still wondering if a cargo bike is right for your family? take our quiz to find out!

Disclosure: Cycle Sprog were sent the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike to review. We were not paid to write this review, and all opinions are our own. We do use affiliate links, so may get a small commission if you choose to buy through the links on this page. This funds the website, and we thank you for your support.

Estarli eCargo Longtail bike scores

Quality - 3/5 - A budget-friendly electric cargo bike, components are great for the price tag.
Weight - 4/5 - Lighter than most competitors. While e-cargo bikes are heavier than 'normal' bikes the motor does the heavy lifting for you.
Value for money - 4/5 - A competitively priced more budget friendly electric cargo bike with good spec.
Customisability - 4/5 - The range of accessories on offer is brilliant, to suit all stages of family life.
Resale value - 3/5 - A new bike brand name on the block, time will tell of their resale value.

Pros - Competitively priced electric cargo bike, good handling and powerful motor. Estarli offers a good warranty and has a large network of local service shops.
Cons - Lack of adjustment in the handlebars, heavy and awkward to get the bike off the stand, ineffective rear mudguard and a slightly 'cheap' feel to some of the accessories and components - all are easily upgraded though if they bother you.

Final verdict - The Estarli eCargo is a brilliant mid-range e-cargo bike, with lots of power, range and accessories available. We are really impressed with how much you get for your money - plus we loved the colour and cargo bike life.

You may not have heard about the bike brand Estarli before. They are a new brand in the cargo bike market but have been selling a range of electric bikes for a few years now.

The bikes are all built and distributed from Hertfordshire, with a large range of bike shops around the country available for test rides and servicing, we are impressed with Estarli's approach to building a large sales and service network around the UK.

With over 80 service centres in the UK, if you were to have any issues with your Estarli eCargo Longtail bike you will hopefully not be too far from in-person help.

About our reviewers

The Estarli eCargo Longtail has been ridden and reviewed by a family, mum and son, Ceci and Findlay, as well as Cycle Sprog's founder, Karen Gee and Reviews and Rides editor Emily Wormald.

Our review family are mum and son, Ceci and Findlay. Ceci started as a fairly avid road cyclist and now mainly (and much less often) enjoys gravel - getting off the roads and away from the traffic and onto the trails in and around the Lake District. Findlay, aged 2, loves his balance bike and can be found whizzing around the streets or at the pump track, he also enjoys the view on a rear seat on my bike or from his trailer- as long as there is a babyccino stop!

Findlay goes to nursery 5 km away, up and down some very big hills and busy roads. The family usually mix using the car and walking the drop-offs, as it is too hilly and busy on the road for a non-electric bike.

When the very large cardboard box turned up at Cycle Sprog HQ, we were very excited to get out and about on it (despite the horrendous rain) and see how it worked.

Our first impressions straight out of the box was the brilliant vibrant Hot Coral colour. Our second impression was a wonderful chat about cargo bikes when our Cycle Sprog office neighbours were wondering what this massive pink bike was for in the foyer! This bike, similar to other cargo bikes, catches people's eye, leading to many wonderful conversations about what cargo bikes are and how they can carry people and things.

When ordering the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike you choose your accessories and if you want it in 'family mode'. Estarli attach as many of these accessories as possible for shipping, meaning there is little construction needed when it arrives. We however asked for all of the different accessories to test the bike in many different modes, which meant we had a bit of tinkering with an Allen key to do, but it was all very easy to fit - something you'd need to do as your family grows.

Once the rear seat pads were fitted, Karen and Emily were straight out in the rain to give the bike a go!

First ride on the Estarli eCargo Longtail

Ceci and Findlay's first ride on the bike was the nursery run.

Riding it to nursery to get used to the handling, which quickly became intuitive. The bike felt big and heavy, but I loved the authority it gave me on the road and the more space car drivers seemed to give me.

It took a while to get used to the gear shifting and different power modes. Being new to riding an e-bike, I was often reaching to turn up the power when really I just needed to change gear! I quickly learnt to just leave it in boost mode for all of our hilly nursery runs, and the little mountain that got steeper or flatter when I changed gears meant it was simple to know which gear I was in.

Findlay was eager to get on board and enjoyed the new experience. The kickstand felt stable while loading him on and off the bike. It's a bit of a knack to get the bike on and off the stand, and was harder and heavier to get on and off when the bike was very loaded.

We loved all the friendly, inquisitive looks we got riding a big pink bike, and it was really confidence-inspiring to be able to pull out at junctions with speed from boost mode.

The bike is large to manoeuvre when not riding, and we were pleased to have a large shed to store it in. We quickly got used to which gaps we could and couldn't fit it in or corners that were too tight to make. For someone new to cargo bikes this is something to consider, as they are much larger to manoeuvre and store than a normal bike.

We used the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike most days for three weeks on our hilly nursery run, as well as leisure rides at the weekends.

One thing that appealed to us about the Estarli eCargo Longtail is that Estarli says it is capable of being ridden off road, on smooth gravel trails. This is something we do regularly together at the weekends with our rear seat or trailer, so we were excited to test it out with our cycling groups family ride. The electric assist made riding hilly off-road terrain really enjoyable, other than the fact I didn't pack enough coats for myself on a drizzly day - I wasn't working as hard as I usually do so had to turn down the e-assist to work a bit harder and warm up!

The front suspension made it really comfortable for me to ride, but with narrow handlebars and an upright position I wouldn't have wanted to take it off the smooth and undulating gravel trails. Findlay would also say 'ow' over the bumps. As there was no rear suspension, and the Urban Iki rear seat isn't particularly squishy, he was getting a sore bottom on the bumps. We removed some air from the rear tyre, which helped a little bit, but again, the bike isn't optimised for bumpy terrain.

The bike comes fitted with mudguards as standard, which is brilliant. The rear one could have been a tiny bit longer as without the plastic rear seat offering Findlay protection, he would have got wet and muddy.

We were eager to put the motor to the test. While it isn't a well-known brand, it provides a lot of power, which we were really impressed with.

The main reason we don’t cycle the nursery run usually is that it is very hilly and very busy. I don't usually feel confident riding in the traffic with Findlay on the back of my non-electric bike.

The Estarli eCargo Longtail bike is a game changer for hilly, busy riding. I felt much more confident navigating the traffic riding on a large bike, the caboose felt like it offered some more protection and safety and the motor meant I could get up to speed quickly and confidently and move at a similar speed to the traffic.

The mid-drive motor kicks in with your pedal stroke, and we put it to the test on some hilly terrain. One day after nursery I popped up the bottom of Kirkstone Pass (a very famous big hill in the Lake District, with gradients of 1 in 4 in some places!), loaded up with the stove and picnic supplies and cooked dinner by a river - not something I would have done without the cargo bike!

The drive belt was so much easier than a chain - both for cleaning and putting it away wet and not having to worry about rust.

The Enviolo gearing was brilliant for easy shifting. It meant I could change gear when stationary, ready for setting off, but also changing gear as I pedal and the best thing- no gear slippage on steep hills which really worries me when I have a child on the back!

I personally would switch out the saddle, for something a little less large and padded. It is a good sit-up and take-in-the-view saddle but got a bit uncomfortable on longer rides.

The pedals that come supplied with the bike fold, which might be useful if you have fewer accessories on the back and want to store the bike in a tight space. For us, especially riding in the wet they lacked grip, so would be another thing we'd look to switch if the bike was ours as we wouldn't need the folding function.

Motor and battery

Electric bike motors and batteries are a complex topic, we recommend reading our e-bike motor and battery options guide first if you are new to this jargon.

The Estarli eCargo Longtail bike comes with a 250 Watt mid-drive motor with 110Nm torque, which is very powerful. These numbers are much higher than most other electric cargo bikes on the market and we were interested to see how they performed in the hilly Lake District. The motor felt powerful and kicked in almost immediately when pressure was put on the pedals, resulting in easy hill starts and being able to pull out into traffic confidently.

The battery is 840 watt-hours, which boasts an impressive maximum 120km range (the range may vary though depending on things like the load, terrain and the e-assist setting used). We found the battery gauge to be useful to remind us to charge the battery, but didn't find that the bike got anywhere near this range in the Lake District riding on hilly terrain. The bike enters 'battery save' mode when it has 30% left, which is good for battery health, but less than ideal if you rely on the electric assist and running low on battery. This is an unfortunate reality with electric bikes, so not a criticism, but something to learn about your bike and the range it has, so you make sure to keep it charged and don't get caught short!

Drivetrain, gears and handlebars

The bike is fitted with a Carbon Gates belt drive and Enviolo CVT hub gear. A belt drive is different to a chain you'd usually find on a bike, meaning less maintenance, no oily chain to get dirty and rusty. The Enviolo hub gear offers stepless shifting, which means you can change gears without pedalling, even when stopped, making being in the right gear a breeze.

Shifting gears, and which way to turn the grip shifter takes a bit of getting used to by the display on the handlebars shows a hill, which flattens or gets steeper to reflect which gear you are in which we think is clever!

The stem on the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike lacks adjustment, which we are pleased to hear is something Estarli is looking at offering as an added accessory. The stem folds, meaning it can be more compact for storing or transporting, but we found it limited in terms of adjustability for different-sized riders.

The grips the bike comes fitted with are simple rubber grips. We found these to spin over time while we were using the bike. While it was easy to spin them back, this was frustrating and reminded us that it wasn't a top of the range bike. However, this would be a low cost upgrade if it were our bike long term.

Wheels, suspension and brakes

The bike has 20 inch wheels, which means the weight of the bike is kept low to the ground, meaning easy mobility and increased balance. It does however mean the bike won't roll over bumps as easily as bikes with a larger front wheel. That being said, the wheels come fitted with Schwalbe Super Moto X tyres which are 2.4 inches wide and are durable, puncture-resistant, multi-terrain tyres. The generous width means they offer good cushioning over rough terrain.

The front of the bike is equipped with suspension which works brilliantly in smoothing out the terrain and making for a more comfortable ride for the rider. The suspension makes it easy to ride up and down curbs, and even off-road on gravel terrain.

The bike has front and rear Tektro hydraulic disk brakes, which offer good stopping power. These are single-piston brakes on the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike, do the job of stopping very well on the hilly nursery runs and with adults on board. For bikes with high load capacities, you will often find high-end cargo bikes equipped with a little more stopping power, hydraulic disc brakes with 4 pistons offer the best stopping power when loaded and in all weather conditions, so this is something you may wish to upgrade.

Our review family used the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike in family mode, with the caboose (metal enclosure) and one child seat.

Findlay loved having the caboose to hold on to and the Urban Iki rear seat was easy to attach.

The Cycle Sprog team spent time switching the bike between different modes and was really impressed by the range of accessories on offer and the ease of installation. The bike will adapt as your family grows, enabling you to carry your kids until they hit the 90kg rear rack weight limit.

However, the fabric accessories, specifically the seat pads, rain cover and basket felt slightly cheap, and we can't comment too much on their durability as we only had the bike for a month and a half. There was some wear to the fabric of one of the rear benches and we managed to rip the rear waterproof cover slightly while fitting it. The front basket and net felt particularly cheap and the basket very flimsy, but are priced at £49.95 for the two items.

The bike comes fitted with front and rear lights, which are powered by the main battery. It is brilliant to have these fixed to the bike and it is one less thing you have to remember when you're heading out for a ride!

Twins thoughts on the Estarli eCargo Longtail

Another Cycle Sprog review panel family were keen to try the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike. The family have two 3-year-old twin girls, and struggle to get around town on a bike, as they don't have a set up, other than a trailer hitched to a mountain bike, to transport both children together.

Mum Emma took the bike out on a ride around the local parks. She was impressed with the power of the motor, and ease of carrying two children.

A fab way to transport more than one child!

It's so easy to use and love the diagram of the person riding up or down a slope on the gears.

I didn't have to fear getting out of a junction due to responsive pedals and powerful motor.

It was such a smooth ride one of the girls was even lulled to sleep!

Emily's thoughts on the Estarli eCargo Longtail

Emily, Cycle Sprog's Reviews and Rides editor shares her thoughts on the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike

I really enjoyed using the bike. Being new to electric bikes, and cargo bikes, this really was an exciting bike for me to use!

I used it for a trip to the veg market before work, locked it outside coffee shops and enjoyed just how many balance bike and cycling accessories I could carry with it for my usual Cycle Sprog equipment drop-offs and pick-ups.

I also appreciated how much more confident the bike made me feel when cycling around traffic. Being able to pull out and get up to 16mph very quickly meant I could own my space in the road, and I think because the bike looked so different drivers were more cautious overtaking.

We used the bike for a full food shop, and the waterproof cover doubles up really well as panniers when there aren't any children on board.

My only criticism was getting a wet and muddy bum when riding on the back. The rear mudguard could do with being a few inches longer, and without a rear child seat to deflect the moisture, I got a soggy bum!

Karen's thoughts on the Estarli eCargo Longtail

Karen Gee, Cycle Sprog's Founder shares her thoughts on the Estarli eCargo Longtail bike.

My only previous experience of riding a longtail cargo bike here in hilly Kendal was the Mycle Cargo about 18 months ago. Whilst it was an impressive bike for the price, it did struggle with hill starts, due to having a rear wheel hub motor. I was therefore keen to see how the Estarli compared, as it's got a 110Nm mid-drive motor plus Enviolo hub gear but is only about £500 more expensive.

I took the Estarli Cargo up an even steeper hill close to home called Underbarrow, down the other side and turned around and came back again.

I have to say I was overwhelmed by how well it got up the hill - I did an average of 8.5 mph up the steep side, which I really struggle to get up on my lightweight road bike.

The Enviolo gearing is excellent for people like me who frequently end up with the wrong gear at junctions or when setting off. Again this took the hard work out of hill starts, although you do need to remember to be in the right gear as even in "Boost Mode" it doesn't like hill starts if you're in the wrong gear.

When we had the Mycle cargo bike it struggled to do hill starts with my teenager on the back, so I was keen to see how the Estarli eCargo Longtail compared.

The difference in the mid-drive motor of the Estarli compared to the Mycle’s rear wheel motor was immediately obvious. The motor kicked in immediately rather than having to do a rotation of the pedals first. This meant we were away straight away, even on a really steep hill start.

The teenager allowed me to accompany him on his paper round (although strictly no photographs allowed!). I had worried that at 6’3” tall his long legs would not be comfortable, but he had no complaints beyond being seen in public with me.

My final ride was bringing it back to the office. I thought I'd make sure of its cargo capacity and loaded it up with various boxes and other bits and bobs I needed to transport. What would have previously necessitated a car journey was easily done by bike – so much more fun!

The Estarli eCargo Longtail has made me realise how much more local cycling I'd do if I had an e-bike with some storage space - mainly for shopping and for leisure rides where I don't want a huge workout on the hills, but want the enjoying of getting out on two wheels.

Estarli's features that are better than the Mycle:

The Estarli eCargo Longtail has a mid-drive motor, compared to the Mycle's rear hub motor. This means it's more responsive and you get electrical assist straight away, rather than after a few pedal rotations. This is a huge benefit if you live in a hilly area, carrying a heavy load and want to get moving in traffic quickly.
The Estarli uses a belt drive, meaning there is no chain to go rusty.
The Estarli has a hub gear system, meaning you can change gear when stationary.
Estarli has a large group of service and sales centres around the UK, meaning you can get in-person support if anything was to go wrong with the bike.
The Estarli has a higher power output and a battery with a larger capacity.
2-year standard warranty, compared to 1-year on the Mycle with the option to purchase an additional extra year.

What we prefer on the Mycle:

Prices start at £2,499 for the Mycle, compared to £2,995 for the Estarli (without accessories).
Comparing the cheapest 'family modes', front rack plus, footrests and caboose, the Mycle is currently £768 cheaper.
Mycle offers a full waterproof 'storm shield' style canopy.
The handlebars and stem on the Mycle are more adjustable but don't fold.
Choice of two different battery options, which means you can save some money when buying the Mycle if you're not planning long rides and are happy to charge them more often.
The Mycle has a higher maximum rear rack weight limit (125kg compared to the Estarli's 90kg), so a better choice if you're planning to carry lots of stuff or a couple of older children/teens.

Overall verdict of the Estarli eCargo Longtail Bike

Versatile, affordable and visually stands out, makes everyday cycling with a sprog easy and achievable, with the potential for longer and bigger adventures!

Would Cycle Sprog recommend it to others? YES, it was brilliant to test a more budget-friendly electric cargo bike, that still had a powerful motor and brilliant components.

We hope some of the negatives we've mentioned, such as the lack of adjustability in the stem/handlebars, infective rear mudguard, heavy and awkward stand and a slightly cheap feel to some of the accessories and components will be worked on and improved over time. But if they aren't, or you're considering purchasing the bike now, these are all small issues that are easily upgradable if they bother you.

We are really impressed with how much you get for your money!

Estarli eCargo Longtail Review

Estarli eCargo Longtail Review