Description
Built for hills, heavy passengers and daily mileage
The Tern HSD S9i is a compact electric cargo bike that carries one passenger, child or adult, on an 80kg-rated rear rack, with 190kg of total capacity, on a frame about the length of a normal bicycle.
The Bosch Performance Line PX motor produces 90Nm, and you notice it most pulling away uphill from a standstill with a heavy passenger on board. That’s exactly the moment a cargo bike either convinces you or doesn’t.
A nine-speed hub with a 554% gear range
The 3×3 NINE hub gives a very low bottom gear for climbing fully loaded and a tall enough top gear to keep pedalling usefully on a fast, empty ride home. Shifting is electronic, and the bike drops down a gear by itself as you slow to a stop, so you’re never trying to start uphill in the wrong one. Like every HSD here, it runs a Gates belt: silent, clean and effectively maintenance-free.
This suits regular steep routes, a consistently heavy load, or high daily mileage.
We service these hubs, and Gav rides one
The 3×3 hub is rare in the UK, and most shops selling it have never lived with one through a winter. Gav has ridden a 3×3 on his own Muli for well over a year, and Butternut is a registered 3×3 service centre.
So if you want to know what servicing involves, how it copes in February, or whether the shifting quirks people mention on forums are a real-world problem, ask. You’ll get an answer from experience.
Carries your child now and your teenager later
Tern’s seat, handrail and footrest system fits the HSD from toddler age and adapts as your child grows, up to a heavy older child or an adult passenger. The S9i’s torque and gear range are what let it take that heavier end of the scale in its stride.
Comfortable enough for a long commute
A Cane Creek suspension seatpost takes the edge off London road surfaces, which is worth having on a longer solo ride. Empty, the S9i is a quick and comfortable bike in its own right. The ones that get ridden most are the ones people enjoy without a passenger on board.
Fits riders most cargo bikes leave out
The HSD suits riders from about 4’11" to 6’9" and up to 130kg on a single frame size, adjustable without tools. Paired with the S9i’s extra torque and gear range, it copes with a heavy rider and a heavy passenger at the same time, which is the combination that finds the limits of a lot of cargo bikes.
An accessory system that does half the work
Tern’s HSD ecosystem is one of the better reasons to buy one. Captain’s Chair, Clubhouse Mini rails, Storm Shield Mini canopy, Storm Box Mini, Transporteur front rack, Hauler Rack, Duostand. They’re designed to work together and to swap over as your passenger grows, so one bike covers a lot of ground.
We’ll help you work out which of them you actually need, fit them for you, and we hold them in stock here in Crouch End.
Book a test ride
We keep an HSD built up and ready to ride, so you can come and try one any day. Bring your passenger, load it up and take it up something steep. Riding one is the only way to know whether this is the bike for you, and we’d far rather you found that out in Crouch End than from a spec sheet.
Book a test ride, or drop into the shop and talk to us.
Cycle to Work and ordering
Most of our HSDs go out on Cycle to Work, and at this price the saving is substantial. We work with all the main schemes and we’ll explain exactly how it works for you. Come and see us.
You can also order online in Basalt. We normally hold Tern stock, and a bike we haven’t got is usually a day away from the distributor. Gen 3 is the exception at the moment. The S9i is due into the country in September, and every dealer is waiting on that same shipment whatever their website says. Order or reserve one now and yours comes off it.
