It's the accessories that make the bike
When so many components are similar, choose a brand that pays attention to detail
There is rarely a day that goes by where I don't ride my bike somewhere.
Usually, it's making the short trek back and forth to my daughter's elementary school on our trusty Tern HSD cargo bike. Other times it's running quick errands or taking a leisurely ride on my Gazelle Ultimate C80+.
They're both great e-bikes for different reasons. But there is one thing that they do both have in common. It's the attention to detail and quality by the manufacturer. And you notice that most clearly when you look at the accessories available for the bikes.
Let's start with the Tern. If you are looking to buy a practical bike to help you haul cargo and possibly also children and pets, I feel like Tern is the brand I'd recommend 10 out of 10 times.
Every little detail just seems so well thought out. And the brand doesn't sell any accessories that aren't extremely well built and tested. The rack on my HSD is designed to easily allow for a Yepp child seat to snap in and out of the indentations. Compare this to my old (less expensive) bike that required the purchase of a separate adapter to install on a rack to ensure compatibility. It's just a small nice thing that saves you time and energy when attempting to safely transport a child.
I've raved before about the Clubhouse Fort system that converts the rack of your Tern bike into a fully enclosed cabin for children/pets/gear. It's one of the most useful yet simple accessories I've ever used for any product. It comes with a high price tag but it's been worth 10x its cost.
The latest Tern accessory that has blown my mind is something called the Soft Crate Mini. It's designed to quickly attach to the clubhouse bars on your rear rack. When you aren't using that space to transport a child, you can convert it into a useful crate for hauling virtually anything. Tern markets it as the perfect way to bring your dog along for a ride and I can confirm that it works extremely well for that. You can even make the pooch's ride more plush with the DogHouse Mini accessory that gives your dog an enclosed space to relax while on two wheels.
I was able to snag the Soft Crate and DogHouse on a steep discount from a retailer that sadly went out of business recently (gotta blame the tariffs). For roughly $30, I added so much more functionality to our HSD. The Soft Crate can be added and removed so quickly and folds flat to take up virtually no space when not in use. I can easily go from chauffering my daughter to my dog in no time at all. And when the soft crate is installed with the Storm Box accessory below it, it essentially crates a hidden "sub trunk". You can store 2-4 grocery bags in the pannier space straddling the rear wheel and then still have your canine friend lying comfortably on the upper deck. It's an awesome way to pick up some groceries and then take your dog for a bike ride all in one stop.
OK, maybe I'm the only crazy person who is doing all of this riding around town with kids/pets/cargo. But it's accessories like these that really prove the value of buying these pricey bikes. They become true car replacement vehicles when you see the utility gained by the line of accessories that Tern sells.
My Gazelle bike doesn't offer as many branded first party accessories as Tern but it does rely on the MIK system. While not limited solely to Gazelle bikes, the MIK (Mounting Is Key) rack allows for MIK-approved accessories to easily snap right on and off. This gives you a wide range of baskets/bags/etc. that you know will work for your bike. It makes a bike with a MIK rack far more valuable than one without. You're essentially buying into an ecosystem that can grow along with you as your needs change.
So the point of all this isn't just to gush about the gear that makes my daily cycling more enjoyable. It's to highlight just how important accessories can be when buying a bike. They really shouldn't be an afterthought. Sure, you can always cut corners and buy a less expensive bike, but will that decision come back to haunt you later when you can't find the perfect accessory months or years down the line?
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