Description
A cargo bike that rides like a normal bike
Most family cargo bikes ask you to accept that you now ride a small van. The Multi does not. At around 1.8 m it is barely longer than an ordinary town bike, it steers like one, and with nobody on the back it looks like one.
We bought one ourselves. Not a demo the distributor sent us, an actual family bike we paid for. That is the most honest thing we can tell you about it.
How many children fit
Up to three, realistically. Two on the rear rack and a third on a front seat. We have several customers doing exactly that.
Veloe’s own literature says “up to 2 children on the rear rack”, which is a statement about the rack rather than the bike, and is where the confusion comes from. If three is your normal every day rather than an occasional squeeze, the Multi Lungo has the longer rack and is the better tool. If three is now and then, the Multi does it.
It fits in a council bike hangar
This is the detail that sells it in Crouch End. The Multi fits inside an on-street Cyclehoop hangar, which most longtails simply do not. No garage, no side return, just a hangar space? That single fact can decide the whole thing.
Why we sell these
It doesn’t announce itself
Park a Veloe outside school and it reads as a bike. A lot of cargo bikes do the school run then sit in the shed all weekend, because nobody fancies riding a van to the pub. This one actually gets used.
Steel, not aluminium
Chromoly takes knocks, can be repaired rather than written off, and rides noticeably better on bad tarmac, which is most of Crouch End. It is why it feels planted when loaded rather than nervous.
Made properly, in Italy
Veloe design, weld, paint and assemble near Milan. Unusual at this price, and it shows in the finish.
It grows with you
Child seats front and rear, footrests, feet covers, rain covers, loadspaces, panniers, safety bars, family packs. Start with a bare bike and add as the family changes.
Builds and prices
Hub gears need almost no maintenance. The Gates belt instead of a chain means no oil, no rust and nothing on your trousers. Every build is the same price on the Multi and the Lungo.
| Motor | Gears | Drive | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shimano EP5 | Nexus 5E hub | Chain | £3,299 |
| Shimano EP5 | Nexus 5E hub | Gates belt | £3,599 |
| Shimano EP5 | Nexus Di2 electronic | Gates belt | £3,849 |
| Bosch Cargo Line | Nexus 5E hub | Chain | £4,499 |
| Bosch Cargo Line | Nexus 5E hub | Gates belt | £4,799 |
| Bosch Cargo Line | Enviolo HD stepless | Chain | £4,699 |
| Bosch Cargo Line | Enviolo HD stepless | Gates belt | £4,999 |
| Bosch Cargo Line | Enviolo AutomatiQ | Gates belt | £5,499 |
Swipe the table sideways for the full list.
Which motor? The Shimano EP5 is the sensible default and saves around £1,200 over the Bosch. It is not underpowered, even loaded, on our hills. Choose Bosch Cargo Line if you want the bigger battery, the Bosch app and that service network behind you, or if you are carrying three kids up a hill every single day.
Which gears? Nexus 5E is the low-maintenance default. Enviolo is stepless, with no gear steps at all, and AutomatiQ changes gear by itself, which is genuinely lovely on a loaded bike in stop-start traffic.
One left from the old range. We have a single Shimano EP6 in green, Nexus 5E with a chain, at £3,750one only. Previous motor generation, replaced by the EP5. Good bike, and when it is gone it is gone. Pick it from the motor options above.
Any colour you like, for £100
This is the bit people fall for. Veloe will paint your frame in any RAL colour you choose, at the factory near Milan, for £100 and about a week of lead time. Not a sticker pack and not a respray, an actual factory paint job.
Bring us a colour, a Pantone, or a photo of your front door.
Multi or Lungo?
Same frame design, same ride, same price for the same spec. The only question is how many people are getting on the back.
Buy the Multi if storage is tight or you carry one or two. Buy the Lungo if the back of the bike is always full. Genuinely torn? Come and sit both outside the shop with your kids on the back. Settles it in about five minutes.
Come and ride one up the hill
There is a hill directly outside the shop. Ten minutes on a loaded bike going up it tells you more than any spec sheet, and far more than a lap of a flat car park. We keep a Veloe in for test rides, and we own one ourselves, so we are not guessing about how it lives day to day.
143 Crouch Hill, Crouch End, N8 9QH. Available on all the usual Cycle to Work schemes.
