Yuba Kombi vs Tern Short Haul - Compact Cargo Bike Comparison

[@katladson5070]

Fantastic comparison, thank you so much! I was already leaning towards the kombi, and this seals the deal for me!

[@rouvenmaccario]

Good review! After watching this video I’ve ordered a yuba Kombi today ✌️

[@kostyafedot551]

Best video comparison on those two cargo bikes on YT! I'm 275 (after week of starving) 6'2'', so only Kombi would haul me with bag of potatoes.

[@ij2426]

Just an fyi, you can also store the short haul vertically if you have the clubhouse mini installed. That may be obvious to most of you but I know how some like to be extra sure about some things.

[@urbane-cyclist]

Yup! We covered that at 11:51 in the video - The Tern Short haul Works Vertically with the clubhouse installed while the Monkey Bars - when used on the Kombi have a rearward curve that protrudes beyond then end of the frame that disallow the vertical storage feature (same applies for a Yepp seat on the Kombi in the rearward position with or without Monkey Bars) -Owen

[@peters2817]

Wonderful review and comparison. Thank you.

[@urbane-cyclist]

Thanks for watching!

[@phatrickmoore]

The Kombi is a very interesting bike, strikes a good balance between compact and full size. Size leans towards compact, capability to full size. Nice!

[@urbane-cyclist]

Well said!

[@holland3g1]

Great review and break down. Have a Kombi on the way.

[@David-hi8wp]

How is it?

[@holland3g1]

@@David-hi8wp I've ridden only about 20 miles so far as we had a lbs assemble and it took a little while. It does well up big hills, but you still need to work a bit, on anything semi flat it is great and really provides good power. I am 6 feet 185lbs. My wife is 5 foot and I had to cut the seat post a few inches so it would go low enough for her to be comfortable. She can carry my two children aged 3 and 1 with no issues. The younger one is in a Thule seat and the older one holds on to the monkey bars. Both the kids absolutely love it and we are cruising around the property for short bursts. I am going to make a 25 mile round trip to the closest grocery store this week and will test it a bit more then! So far happy with it though and have no regrets. As an edit, the brakes that come with it are 20/30 dollar crappers and the LBS was not impressed, I ended up upgrading to some 4 piston Magura and have been happy, I didn't want to risk my wife sliding into traffic with the kids and felt the upgrade worth it.

[@David-hi8wp]

Magura are amazing breaks! I’d recommend a seat like this once the one year old can sit and hold his/her head

[@David-hi8wp]

Are the lights okay?

[@David-hi8wp]

They are in sale for 999 Euros here in Germany. Can I ask how much you paid, please?

[@nicolezhang7459]

I love my kombi bike. I wish more people would try biking for shorter trips. It’s fun

[@urbane-cyclist]

It's fun, it's great for you, it lets you enjoy your neighbourhood more, and does so many things that a car does, biking is awesome!

[@Stephen9o3]

Thanks for the video! Thinking about picking up the Short Haul from you guys this late winter/spring. I like the Yuba but my space to store is just a little too short for the length of it. Question about the Tern; do the smaller wheels make for a bumpier ride? I'll be adding a yepp mini seat and our Toronto roads in the Spring aren't always spectacular. And do the small wheels make for a noticably slower/less efficient ride? Just thinking about the trips on the longer end of the bike's intended use and if I'll be wishing I was on something with bigger wheels

[@urbane-cyclist]

Both of these bikes have a fairly comfortable tire size (width), but in short yes a smaller wheel *can* feasibly go into a pothole deeper/make it marginally more bumpy but the counterpoint is that the smaller wheels also feel very maneuverable so anyone with much cycling experience can usually avoid the worst bumps in the road so it is a tradeoff but not significant (or bad IMO). Best answer is always a test ride! I would suggest considering also looking at the Tern Quick Haul (with Bosch pedal assist) if you think it might there might be some longer rides in the mix. We often sell non pedal assist cargo bikes and people come back a year or so later wanting to upgrade or modify which in the end costs more in the end and isn't as reliable. The utility of a cargo bike is just amplified with a pedal assist system...and some days you might not really feel like riding so having a little extra help is worth it's weight in gold! I love both the Kombi and Short Haul but they are not my #1 choice for longer rides - these bikes both excel in shorter neighborhood trips - perfect for errands, groceries and school drop offs. Side note we end up being SUPER busy late winter/early spring so I would recommend (if the weather allows) to pop by sooner rather than later to test/chat and plan ahead for your ideal purchase window. As of right now we have the Kombi, Short Haul and Quick Haul all built to test ride (just bring a photo ID and credit card)!

[@damiangonzalez7876]

EXCELENT COMPARISON. THANK YOU!

[@urbane-cyclist]

Thanks for watching!

[@roisingough2516]

Great video! Thanks! I'm wondering about how a bigger child gets on and off, and safety if it were to topple over?

[@urbane-cyclist]

Good question! The Yuba Kombi comes with a double-leg kickstand, making it much more stable. Tern also has the option to add a double-leg kickstand to their cargo bikes. The bikes are not likely to topple over without any reason, given their length and low centre of gravity, but once your passenger is on the bike, it's certainly best not to leave it unattended, especially with rowdier riders or heavier passengers. For larger passengers, the seating area also doesn't have anything to strap them in place, so in the event of any toppling, they would be easily able to get on or off, similar to how you might get off the saddle in the same event as the person who is pedaling. All told, with the cargo-specific geometry involved with these bikes, they're much less likely to fall over than a person with a childseat on a regular bike, since those are going to have a much higher centre of gravity and only one point of contact on their kickstand, and with the childseat on a regular bike, the child is strapped in, with no choice but to fall with the bike.

[@natureshamy]

I settled for a Kombi after watching this video (Love the bike) and thought it'd be a bummer to not be able to stand it with Monkey Bars as per this comment: 11:50 however, I don't know if my Kombi (just got it a week ago from the manufacturer) or the Monkey Bars, or both, are different from the ones tested here, because I can still stand it up vertically with the monkey bars installed. 09/2024 EDIT: I bought the sideboards and those do prevent me from standing it upright.

[@urbane-cyclist]

There are definitely ways to park it upright with the Monkey Bars on there, but because the Monkey Bars are adjustable, it's not going to be universally true, or something we can always recommend! If you've got them a little shorter or longer, it can affect the balance! Great to hear yours are the perfect length though! :)

[@michaelkulman7095]

I'm happy to learn of the possibility. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@TheBikeLife]

It's very cool how the Tern's front rack stays straight even when you crank the front wheel/fork. I guess the Yuba as well. I wonder how that feels when you turn it fully loaded!

[@urbane-cyclist]

the biggest challenge is the initial learning curve- it feels a little strange at first to not see your front wheel and the front rack not following your handle bars but once you get used to that (honestly only takes a few minutes) it handles the weight surprisingly well!

[@gungfuriceboy]

for both bikes...can front & back brake lights be installed 'easily'???

[@urbane-cyclist]

You can put front and rear lights on any bike easily! Lights that correspond to whether or not you are braking are going to require more complex electrical wiring, so if you're not particularly skilled with wiring or electronic work, that might be best left to the experts. Or look into normal lights!

[@3dmagix]

Great review! How do they compare regarding quality and the electronics?

[@urbane-cyclist]

The models showcased in the video are both "Acoustic" aka non-electric standard pedal powered only bikes BUT both DO have pedal-assisted electric counterparts! The Tern Short Hauls electric counterpart is the Tern Quick Haul which uses a Bosch electric assist system. The Yuba Kombi's electric counterpart is the Yuba E-Kombi which uses a Shimano electric assist system. Both systems are "pedelec" or pedal assisted, meaning they use a mid mount motor and are engaged by a torque sensor in motor behind the cranks. Honestly not a huge difference in my opinion- I would always suggest going to your nearest retailer and try a back to back test drive to see if you can feel a difference!

[@phiphi70]

Very interesting What is the kombi actually weight ? About 28-30 kg

[@maksymvinyarskyy2813]

great review

[@urbane-cyclist]

Thanks!

[@cristhianserpa]

Hey, just wondering if you could elaborate a bit more on the experience of carrying an adult on the rear of the kombi. I want to get a longtail bike both as my daily driver and also to take my girlfriend places. I don't want to get an electric model because I prefer regular bikes on my day to day (less maintenance, lighter, burns more calories). I'm just a bit concerned that riding with a passenger might make the bike too sluggish and potentially unsafe, like especially when taking off. Also the kombi is sooo much cheaper than any electric model.

[@urbane-cyclist]

I mean...its not particularly fast off the start with another passenger, but this also comes down to how you ride and your strength too. Tandem bikes are also a thing and SUPER fun, faster, easier... and only marginally bigger. But you can often find them second hand. But If you DO intend on riding around with your partner on the back of a Kombi, I wouldn't want to go too far or up too much elevation!

[@cristhianserpa]

@@urbane-cyclist a tandem would be a great option, but wouldn't want to use one for commuting 😅 Anyways, thanks for the input! My city is pretty much flat, but I think it's a safer bet going with an E-Bike for that extra peace of mind.

[@IrisHdd-bq8uj]

Thanks you for your video, so cool! What's the difference about weight?

[@urbane-cyclist]

The listed weight without any additional accessories would be 50.7 Lbs (~23 Kgs) for the Kombi and the listed weight for the Short Haul would be 35.4 Lbs (16.1 Kgs).

[@IrisHdd-bq8uj]

Thank u for your answer

[@michaelkulman7095]

Will either of these fit on a bus bike rack?

[@urbane-cyclist]

I actually have never taken any bike on a bus. So sadly I am not well versed in the compatibilities of bus racks and these bikes! Seeing as these are cargo bikes - the would likely be relatively heavy once fully accessorized and its likely that the accessories would also limit compatibility with a bus bike rack. So I think the effort to lift any cargo bike onto a bike rack is often a non-starter but this could vary depending on the buses and racks in different areas.

[@michaelkulman7095]

​@@urbane-cyclistFirst, thanks for the reply. I was thinking the compact cargo bikes might be an exception. Tern says theirs is the length of a regular bike in their advertising. I was thinking of bags or it's contents being removed from the bike and carried onto the bus. For me it would open up more possibilities, destinations, farther than I'd ride. I'd just not add much width via racks although I think one could pull off a centered "milk crate" or just a wide bag on a narrow rack. The length and weight of these makes me think it may be possible, especially the Tern. I was just curious if anyone has tried it. If someone has please tell us about it.

[@adventure235]

Can the Tern fit two Yepp seats on the rear rack?

[@urbane-cyclist]

The Tern Short Haul is only suitable for a single passenger. If you're looking to Carry 2 Kids the Yuba Kombi would likely be a better fit. That being said- you could also consider the Tern GSD if you are considering a pedal assisted option- it's one of our best selling models. But if you are really set on the Tern Short Haul you could still combine this with a Burley Child trailer or similar to carry more then one child!

[@alfonsodiz-lois3226]

I guess you pay a price for that extra loading capacity in the kombi when you have to carry the additional 10 kg uphill

[@urbane-cyclist]

If you have a lot of hills...that is where I might suggest a Yuba E-Kombi or perhaps the Tern Quick Haul in lieu oif the "acoustic" variants shown here. These are both cost competitive models but if you are using them as you would a car (trying to cutdown or replace a car altogether) a mid-drive pedal assist motor would quickly pay for itself in the efforts you save hauling cargo (or kids) up hills!

[@enriquesaez1996]

I wonder if the Kombi fits in a regular elevator

[@urbane-cyclist]

I'm not sure I've ever heard of a "standard" sized elevator but that being said, the bike isn't THAT large and you can stand it vertically to fit in smaller spaces. The bike does get a little harder to fit depending on accessory choices such as monkey bars/yepp seats/ bread basket/running boards which end up "squaring" off the overall shape and being a little harder to sneak into small spaces along with limiting it's vertical storage potential.

[@enriquesaez1996]

@@urbane-cyclist Thanks. My elevator (standard, to my knowledge) fits 2 persons, 3 crowded. Taller buildings tend to have bigger elevators. I guess I will have to sacrifice 100 pounds (cargo) and go for the Tern Short Haul. I really like the Yuba, but carrying it to a second floor in Miami would be a suicide. All that without counting my weekly groceries.

[@urbane-cyclist]

I suppose my idea of a standard elevator is much bigger then that! In Toronto buildings that require elevators tend to be very tall so they usually have no problem fitting bikes, or they also have freight elevators or a dedicated bike room adjacent a parking area so its not usually a consideration. I would probably lean towards the short haul in that case if it works for you otherwise.

[@enriquesaez1996]

@@urbane-cyclist You are absolutely right. I remember visiting Toronto a few years ago viewing the skyline from the TD tower. Here in Miami you only see tall buildings in the Brickell area (downtown) and some residential buildings in Miami Beach. Other than that, 5 floors is quite standard. By the way, very very few people use bikes are their main mean of transportation.

[@britafilter123]

Don't buy the short haul, its a lemon.

[@urbane-cyclist]

Care to elaborate?