Review of the Trek Fetch 4+ Cargo Bike

Have you ever considered ditching the car in favour of a more environmentally-friendly mode of transport? Do you have precious cargo to bring with you? Then read on to find out about the Trek Fetch 4+!

This is not a sponsored or affiliate post, just my own experience and opinions of the Trek Fetch 4+ which I purchased with my own money in March 2023.

As a keen cyclist, for health and environmental reasons, I was determined to continue travelling on two wheels with my little one in tow. I did a great deal of research about the different cargo bikes available in the UK before settling on the Trek Fetch 4+.

Why I Chose the Trek Fetch 4+

There were many facets to this decision making process!

Firstly, I wanted to get out on two wheels as soon as possible with the baby, which made a bakfiets (box bike) the obvious choice rather than a long tail cargo bike.

Safety was a top priority for transporting my precious little bundle. A secure mount for an infant car seat was a must.

I had previously converted a bike to an ebike with a Swytch kit. These conversion kits use a pedal sensor to activate the motor; so you have to get the bike moving a little before the motor will provide any assistance. This works well enough for an ordinary bike, but for the size and weight of a cargo bike, I knew a mid-mount motor with a power sensor would be essential, especially for hill starts!

We live approximately 15 miles from our nearest supermarket, so the bike needed to have a decent range.

After comparing the specifications of various cargo bikes, the Trek was the clear winner.

Positives

1) Carrying capacity – I have been incredibly impressed with the amount I can carry on this bike. It can manage a total combined weight of 250kg (including the bike, rider and any cargo). I can comfortably transport the baby in a car seat, changing bag, pushchair and a week’s worth of shopping.

2) Dropper seat post – the “one size fits most” frame does not allow for a great deal of adjustment in the set up geometry of the cockpit. Instead, the height of the seat post can be easily adjusted to suit the rider using a thumb lever on the handlebars. This makes for a seamless transition between riders. I find this feature most useful when starting and stopping; the geometry and weight of the bike does not allow the rider to push off and gracefully sweep their leg over as the bike starts moving! Nor can you easily hop down out of the saddle when the bike comes to a stop. But toggling the seat up and down at the push of a lever works just as well.

3) Continuous gearing – the Enviolo continuous gearing hub is so intuitive. Once you’ve set the level of assist you want from the motor, it is effortlessly easy to adjust the gearing according to how hard you want to work.

4) Sturdy centre stand – this feature adds so much peace of mind when loading and unloading. Pulling the bike up onto the stand can be a little challenging, especially when fully laden. But once the bike is resting on the stand, it is definitely secure!

5) Closeness to your children – I love being able to see my baby (and vice versa) as we ride along. I chatter away, sing songs and generally provide a smiley face and reassurance that we’re safe. Now we have upgraded to the forward-facing toddler seat, I can still see exactly what is happening in the box, and we can still chatter and sing along. I much prefer this to journeys in the car.

6) Belt drive – This bike has a belt drive instead of a chain. The belt drive is protected by a guard. This makes for low-maintenance riding; no need to degrease the chain after each ride to remove debris from the roads, and no need to oil it either.

7) Rain fly – I live in south-west Scotland and would consider myself to be an all-weather cyclist. I always say, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing!” So a waterproof cover to protect the wee one and any luggage in the box was an essential accessory. The rain fly has not disappointed. It is very easy to take on and off the bike. I like that it is open at the back to allow communication between the rider and child(ren) in the box. The clear panels allow my little passenger to enjoy the scenery whilst staying warm and dry.

Areas for Improvement / Challenges

1) Rear wheel lock – This is a handy feature which provides a little extra peace of mind when parking the bike for extended periods. Essentially the locking mechanism passes between the spokes of the rear wheel, preventing the wheel from turning. The only downside is that, by the time I have loaded up the bike and removed any additional locks, I have often forgotten about the rear wheel lock. And have then been reminded about it as I’ve tried to push the bike off the centre stand, only to find that the rear wheel cannot turn. At which point, I cannot pull the bike back onto the centre stand. Cue a frazzled mummy, anxiously trying to balance the heavily laden bike against one leg while reaching into the bucket, fumbling around for the key to unlock the rear wheel. It would be helpful to have an icon or reminder about the rear wheel lock on the display.

2) Rear light – The bike comes with front and rear lights which run off the battery. The rear light unfortunately is not as bright as I would like, so I have taken to attaching a second light.

3) Recycle/refurbishment scheme – In 2023, Trek published a sustainability report and committed to reducing the carbon footprint associated with their bikes and other products. I had therefore hoped that I could sell my infant car seat adapter, used but in very good condition, back to Trek to be refurbished and sold on to another Fetch 4+ owner. Unfortunately I have not had any joy in organising this.

4) Spokes – I recently suffered a broken spoke on the rear wheel, and took the bike to a local mechanic to have this replaced. They commented that the spokes appeared to be of low quality, with evidence of paint flaking off. We were all quite surprised that a spoke had perished after only a year of reasonable use. I am looking at getting the wheel rebuilt with better quality spokes.

5) Gears – It would be helpful to have a better range of lower gears. There are a few hills in my area that I dare not attempt as I do not have a low enough gear to make it to the top!

6) Bosch Flow App and Smart Phone Mount – Instead of an inbuilt computer with a heads-up display, the rider is required to download the Flow app and use their smartphone as the dashboard for real-time statistics, such as speed and range. The phone mount is equipped with wireless charging capabilities, but sadly my slightly older smart phone is not, so I had to scour the internet for the correct cable to connect my phone to the bespoke USB jack on the mount. Unfortunately the bike can only be linked to one phone, so our intention for the bike to be for communal use has fallen by the wayside, and it is predominantly my main mode of transport.

The Bottom Line

I have so enjoyed this bike. The minor niggles are far outweighed by the positives. It was a big purchase, but has been worth every penny. I very rarely even consider using the car at all (in fact, the car stayed on the driveway for a full 6 months after buying the bike!)

I hope this has been helpful to you! Do you have a cargo bike already, or are you in the market for one? Leave me a comment to let me know!