Surly Skid Loader is a capable all season commuter, family cargo bike, hunting and fishing approach vehicle, and long range touring bike.

It’s Cargo Christmas over here with the arrival of the first batch of Yuba Fastrack arriving. We were first alerted to this new bike almost a year ago but the covid-related shipping disruptions kept it from arriving until now.

It was worth the wait.

Imagine a cute but powerful, responsive, well appointed, customizable, 400+lbs of hauling whatever you can imagine electric vehicle that you can park in the same space as a coat rack? Oh, it will also fit people from 4’11” up to 6’1” and it only costs about 10 cents to “fill” too.

This bike falls into the cargo category commonly known as a midtail. Not as long as a longtail (think Yuba Mundo or Surly Big Easy) but just as capable. The rear rack can accept up to 2 Thule Yepp Maxi Seats for toddlers. Or set it up with a set of Monkeybars or The Ring for older kids. Lots of kid hauling potential.

Developed with experts at Williams Advanced Engineering, the electric system utilises Formula E car racing technology to deliver a 300wh lithium-ion battery in a lightweight 2.9kg package*. So, you are never weighed down. Remove and attach the battery pack bag with one quick click. Carry it and plug it in wherever suits. Fully charge in 4 hours, or boost for less if you're short on time.
*And we squeezed in an integrated USB port for charging your phone.

Well, this is pretty exciting news for us bikenerds. We’ve had our eye on this brand for many years now and the stars have finally aligned such that we’re now an exclusive dealer for OMNIUM’s amazing cargo bikes. Woop! Woop! Operator’s are standing by to take your order :)

If there is one critique of larger “bucket bikes” like Urban Arrow’s and Larry Vs Harry’s, it’s that even when ridden unloaded they are not super fun to ride and have a very unique “driving a bus” feel. Which is expected since they have huge cargo capacity. But maybe you’re a fan of cargo bikes and your kids have grown up and left the bucket - leaving you to roll around sad and depressed on a bike that is too big for your lack of human cargo. Maybe you don’t have kids and instead a big ‘ol drooling pooch that you want to take to their favorite off-leash areas. Or maybe you just want to pickup all the groceries and drop roadies at the same time.

OMNIUM’s bikes were designed with you in mind.

For some of us though, the lumbering handling characteristics of some of these beasts can take something away from the fun of riding nimble, fast-feeling, lightweight bikes. This is where OMNIUM shines. Light. Fast. Fun. Capable. OMNIUM is a cargo bike that doesn’t feel like a cargo bike. Even with a load onboard.

Can an OMNIUM work for bikepacking? You bet.

Here’s the deal: OMNIUM is setting up North American distribution - which is a huge deal - and as such are loading models in container by container. On the first few containers we’re expecting to see mostly framekits - no complete bikes quite yet. But wait - good news ahead. They are bringing in wheelsets and ‘parts kits’ (cranksets, seatpost, stem, bars, etc). With those availabel parts all you need to come up with is a suitable brakeset, tires, and shifting set-up. Break out the parts bin, steal parts off your buddy’s bike when they aren’t looking, whatever works for you.

Also, the first container is mostly the Cargo V.3 model which makes all kinds of sense at the Cargo is the best selling model in their line.

As time progresses other models with come available including the super cool Mini-Max, CXC, and we should also have access to the hand-made-every-so-often Titanium models - special order only obvs.

Anywho - we’re expecting our demo Cargo V.3 to be ready for test rides my mid-June. If you’re interested in getting one and live somewhere between Quebec and Vancouver Island, get in touch, and we’ll happily work to get you sorted with the faster cargo bike on planet Earth.