Swinging my leg over a three-wheeled, 110kg bike isn’t the usual way I start a ride. But then this isn’t my usual kind of bike. Heavy tyres, a big metal frame holding a polystyrene-formed bucket, a roof with windows, a wide fat saddle, big flat bars and, thankfully, a whopping great battery down by my feet, this e-cargo bike is like nothing I’ve reviewed in more than 20 years of cycling journalism.
But the Raleigh Stride 3 (£4,499) isn’t just unlike the svelte carbon race bikes I usually test, it’s unlike any kind of bike I’ve ever ridden. But perhaps that’s because a) it’s a trike, and b) it’s not meant to be like a bike, it’s meant to be more like a car. These machines are designed for carrying little loads over short distances.
