Description
What the Orox actually is
Tern built the Orox for people who want to take a cargo bike past the end of the tarmac. Same idea as the GSD, carrying kids and luggage under electric power, but on proper off-road wheels with the clearance and the geometry to cope with gravel, fire roads and mud.
It is rated to 210 kg all in. That is you, two passengers and a week of camping kit, on ground where a GSD would be out of its depth.
What the R14 adds over the S12
One thing, and it costs £3,200: the drivetrain.
- Rohloff E-14 electronic hub gears. Fourteen speeds, all sealed inside the rear hub. You can change gear while stopped, which matters when you have misjudged a hill with a loaded bike.
- Gates carbon belt drive. No chain to oil, no chain to replace, and nothing to mark your leg.
- No derailleur. This is the real argument. A rear derailleur is the part that gets torn off by a rock or a stick, and it is the part that fills with grit. The Orox is a bike designed to go where that happens, and the R14 removes it from the equation.
Everything else, the frame, the motor, the brakes, the load rating, is shared with the S12.
Who should buy one
Honestly, not many people. If your riding is the school run and the shops, a GSD does that better and cheaper. If you want an adventure cargo bike and you are going to use it, the S12 is the sensible buy.
The R14 makes sense if you are going somewhere remote with a loaded bike and you do not want a derailleur to be the thing that ends the trip, or if you simply want the version with no maintenance and are happy to pay for it. Both are decent reasons. Neither applies to most people, and we would rather say so than sell you the wrong bike.
Wheels and sizes
The R14 comes on 27.5" wheels only, as the Rohloff hub is built into the rear wheel. It comes in M and L frames.
If you are not sure which size, come and ride one. We have the hill outside for exactly this.
Seeing one
We are an official Tern Platinum dealer. Ring us on 020 8347 5534 before you come for this one specifically, so we can make sure the bike you want to ride is built and charged.
Cycle to Work is accepted. Plenty of schemes have no upper limit, so ask us and we will tell you whether yours covers it.
