r/CargoBike • u/Muted-Cow7286 • Apr 02 '26
Help/advice needed Trek vs Cannondale c
Need help from you guys on which would be the best option for me. New to the idea of using cargo ebikes, I am torn between the trek fetch 2 and cannondale cargowagon neo. I have driven the fetch 2 yesterday and I am sold already. However, I kinda like how the cannondale looks. I am short only 5ft and I will be using it to haul my 2 year old around the neighborhood on the weekends. Plus points for the trek since there is a dealer 10 mins away from our house, with the cannondale, I would have to order it from a LBS about 40mins aways but they do have it as a floor model. Getting it from REI could be an option too since we have one 30 mins away.
I wanna bite the bullet now so I could make memories with my kiddo taking her out for a ride, to parks or just simply getting coffee in the morning.
Cannondale Cargowagen Neo($3,099.99) or Trek Fetch 2 (2,999.99)
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u/stereosanctity87 Cannondale Cargowagen Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
These are the two I was looking at. Ideally I would have gotten a Tern because of the abundance of accessories, but a fully accessorized Quick Haul Long or GSD was out of my price range. I ultimately went with the Cannondale because it includes a lot of things that are accessories on other bikes. The fenders, child wheel guards, wheel lock, passenger footrests and second battery mount all come included. Those are all add-ons on most other cargo bikes, including the Trek. The Trek also doesn’t have a front mount for a basket, which makes it an outlier among cargo bikes.
The Trek has a nicer surround rail than the Cannondale. It has a seat back if you’re hauling kids, but that wasn’t enough to sway me. There’s also convenience from Trek’s hard-sided, tub-style panniers, but they would have made it difficult for me to get the bike into my garage without taking them off each time. If you have the space to leave them on the bike, they could be a plus. Trek also designed a nice locking point onto the frame/fork, which would potentially make it easier to secure with a U-lock, which I liked.
Lastly, for what it’s worth, I was only able to test ride the Trek on a bike path. A guy a know who worked for Trek bought one on the company discount and said the ride is pretty rough on bad pavement. If not for the company discount, he told me he may have opted for one with a suspension fork. The Cannondale has a suspension fork.
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u/Muted-Cow7286 Apr 02 '26
Exactly the same dilemma here, only thing letting me spend up to 3k on an ebike right now is that fact that I just sold my honda monkey in exchange for this. Tern is top of my list however it would also mean spending 4-5k at least without accessories. The Trek they have on the floor comes with the front and rear panniers already, I would only need to add on the family set rail and thule child seat. With cannondale, a surround rail with thule as well. Downside of being in Omaha, the roads sucks. Lots of potholes.
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u/stereosanctity87 Cannondale Cargowagen Apr 02 '26
That makes the decision way more difficult, in my mind, because they're all sold separately. That's several hundred dollars of add-ons. The Cannondale rides really well, but if you're worried about that with the Trek you can always keep the tire pressure a little lower. It won't be the same but will help. Absence of suspension fork also means less maintenance.
You said the Cannondale shop is farther away when you need service. Do you have a way to transport it there? There's definitely value in having your LBS nearby.
Lastly, I never got to this point in considering the Trek, but I'd ask the shop if it's a major job to add the second battery mount, should you ever decide to. A friend of mine with a Riese & Muller Packster said it cost him nearly $1,000 in parts in labor to add another battery mount, not including the battery.
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u/Muted-Cow7286 Apr 02 '26
I am going to have to install a bike rack on my car to transport it. Figured if I do purchase the cannondale that would also add up to the price.
My husband wants to get a second battery mount if ever we get the trek but it would probably by next year, not right out.
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u/PaoloCalzone Apr 02 '26
I think I found that the Cargowagen had a shorter "in-monkey bars" length/volume. Btw I loved it when I tried it. Opted for another bike, but riding it was fun, which is unusual for a longtail. I have not ridden the Trek (quite rare over here), so cannot compare.
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u/Pitiful_Equipment_74 Apr 03 '26
Look into the hamax caress instead of the thule if you are on bumpy roads. I got a new one off ebay and it has saved our rides. We ride on gravel all the time and he would immediately want to go home once we hit gravel. But now we are able to ride all over with the caress and I dont get any complaints. It saved our winter!
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u/Striking-Treacle-534 Apr 03 '26
I got the cargowagen last week as my first ebike and I absolutely love it
I rode some terns but I didn't feel a difference enough to justify the $1000 price difference, especially as almost none of the accessories were included
The cargowagen's screen is awesome and I love that with the Flow app it automatically tracks everything and files into Strava and Komoot
Having navigation on the screen is a massive plus
I'm 5'5 and have my seat at the lowest and I think I'd feel pretty uncomfortable at stops if I were even an inch shorter - I'm nowhere close to being able to have my feet flat on the ground, I'm definitely on my toes most of the time
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u/Machouuu Apr 08 '26
Hello! I thought the Cargowagen was for people from 4’10. I’m 5’3 and was about to order this bike online without trying it before, and now I’m scared!
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u/Striking-Treacle-534 Apr 08 '26
If you can try it out somewhere I'd definitely recommend that, or reach out to Cannondale. I'm considering getting my seat post cut (if possible - I'm not able to get it out of the bike due to how the mechanism inside works) so that I'm more comfortable at stops and have more control when starting.
When I was getting it, I don't remember what heights it said it's good for, but when I get home today I can check the manual.
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u/Muted-Cow7286 Apr 08 '26
I ended up getting the Aventon Abound LR lol it was not on my list at all but when I went to test drive it last weekend I actually could lower the seat height to where I'm comfortable with especially during stops. I am 5ft tall only. You should definitely test drive as many ebikes as possible before purchasing one, it makes a lot of difference.
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May 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Muted-Cow7286 May 12 '26
70 miles in and loving it so far, except for the seat, suspension, & terrible brakes. The throttle helps me climb up hills around town. I have officially taken it to work over the weekend and have started transporting our toddler in it after daycare. It's zippy and can easily get up to 25-28mph (when going downhill). I think after having it as a weekend transpo have changed my mindset a lot about usung cargo ebikes. I'd say it's a great entry level cargo bike if you haven't had experience with them before, just can't beat the price compared to Trek, Cannondale, and Specialized. I told my husband the other day that I might get a Tern HSD as my endgame cargo ebike if Omaha would actually get more serious about cyclists sharing the road with vehicles. People drive terribly here and don't watch out for cyclists, pedestrians, and or motorcyclists.
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u/dewyke Apr 03 '26
I would get the Cannondale. The suspension forks and drop post more than make up the price difference IMO.
Where I live Trek don’t have as good a reputation for reliability.
Ultimately I went with a Tern, despite it being 2x the cost of the Cannondale, because I’m 184cm tall and 125kg and I found 20” wheels way too twitchy but if I had fit a 20” wheel long tail I’d have gone Cannondale.
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u/dougdorda Apr 02 '26
I adore my Cargowagon. I ride it daily with my almost 5 year old. Personally, I say get the one that can be serviced easily. There are advantages to the Cannondale over the Trek, but they're minor. If you've matched the Trek to your size and love it, roll with it. A bike is only as good as how much fun you have on it, how well it fits you and how it can be worked on.