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Tern is a modern urban transport company which have always been known for creating non-electric high-quality bikes, but they started to transition to electric models in 2015.
They now have eight different lines of bikes available from their brand with the most notable ones being; GSD, HSD and Vektron.
In our review below, we will overview the popular bikes in the three lines above and review the Tern HSD P9 e-bike from their 2021 range in greater detail to see if the bike is worth the investment.
From commuter bikes to high-powered cargo bikes, the Tern HSD, GSD and Vektron line-up all come with differing motor systems and have tons of features for the daily driver.
The Tern HSD range is a compact folding range while the GSD range from Tern is a range of power cargo bikes with rear rack accessories. The Vektron line-up focuses on making a great electric commuter bike.
The Tern HSD P9 electric bike is a new high-quality cargo bike that is cheaper than the Tern GSD e-bikes but still comes with great durability for a heavy load, making it competitive with other electric cargo bikes in the range too.
We will break the features of this lighter cargo bike down below to see what it's made of.
For the motor, this HSD electric bike uses a 250W Bosch Active Line Plus mid-mounted hub motor, the bike can reach top speeds of 20mph. No throttle is included with the class one e-bike and it comes with five different PAS levels ranging between; Eco, Tour, Sport, and Turbo.
The motor and PAS levels on this HSD P9 electric bike gives ample pedal-power range, we find the absence of a throttle disappointing but understand many bike manufacturers are not including them due to regulations.
Battery-wise, the Tern e-bike is kitted out with an 11Ah 396Wh lithium-ion battery, this e-bike battery is said to give a range of up to 60 miles by turn and is fitted neatly behind the seat post of the e-bike.
We are a little disappointed by the battery set-up on this electric bike, its range is limited for a compact cargo bike and produces around 30 miles rather than 60. Its battery is also not integrated but the rear position does help balance the bike out and it has a quick charging time too.
In terms of design, this HSD e-bike from Tern is made from 6061 aluminium alloy with an SR Suntour MOBIE A32 Coil Suspension that has 70mm of travel.
The frame has an adjustable stem as well as a Bosch Purion display to show assistance levels and metrics like distance. Its whole frame can fold up too.
Overall, the suspension of the cargo bike is fairly good and we like the adjustability of the bike, especially that it can fold up to quite a compact size. Total weight of the bike is around 24kg with its rear rack which isn't too bad considering the cargo bikes huge accessories.
The whole bike can carry up to 375lbs too which is pretty impressive.
For brakes, this electric bike uses Shimano Hydraulic Disc brakes with front and rear 180mm rotors, it's gearing system runs with the 9 Speed 1x9 Shimano Alivio Shadow Long Cage Derailleur too.
We like the brake set-up on this bike which has adjustable levers and the Shimano gear set allows you to drop gears quickly and climb.
The Tern electric bike is full of accessories, whether you want to attach a baby seat, fenders, cargo rack, basket and more, some at an additional cost. Its wheelset consists of Schwalbe Balloon Big Apple tyres with a 20″ wheel e-bike size.
There are so many accessories you can fit with this cargo bike to make it exactly how you want, but you do have to factor in how expensive it makes the bike, the wheels are not bad but their size can still make the bike feel a little bit bumpy.
When riding the Tern HSD P9 you can tell how quiet the Bosch motor is and its swept-back handlebars with the suspension fork at the front make the cargo bike very comfortable to ride with. The mid-stepped frame overall feels very balanced too.
We did notice the range of this bike was very limited especially when riding on full assistance, the e-bike's motor did struggle on inclines too, so we feel as if it is more suited to city riding.
The Tern electric bike range is worth it if you are after a great range of cargo bikes that can carry heavier load types and assist you well, the Tern HSD P9 is an excellent beginner e-bike, but as a cargo carrier, we would recommend the GSD range instead of the HSD model with it's larger range.
