Benno RemiDemi XL Review: a cool cargo bike that largely delivers on its core purpose, but can it really replace an SUV?

For three months last year, I found myself carless, for a number of reasons: my son started school, and my better half was in-between jobs, all good reasons, thankfully. However, given that this would be my first time living with a cargo bike full-time, my experience with general cargo bike use did influence my impressions of the Benno RemiDemi XL. So I've been very strict on myself with this review, separating the practicalities of being carless from the bike's specific performance and value.

There will be a broader piece to follow this week, where I dig into the real-world experience of living car-free and cargo biking. For now, here is an in-depth look at the Benno RemiDemi XL electric cargo bike's performance and overall value.

Matt Ischt-Barnard

While my first love is riding off-road, I have been commuting by bicycle for as long as I can remember. From my paper-round and getting to school to being halfway around the world, jumping between convention halls at bicycle industry trade shows. The bicycle is still my go-to form of transport, even now with my son in tow.

Testing Logbook

• Duration of testing: 3 Months
• Temperature: Freezing 0°C/32°F, through to plus 20°C/66°F
• Weather: From freezing rain and brutal headwinds to warm & sunny
• Road surface: Urban British A and B-roads
• Route: Tarmac, and light unpaved, short & sharp hills, long flat sections
• Rides: 40+
• Mileage: 500km/310miles

Design details

The RemiDemi XL longtail cargo bike design is by no means original; however, the bike's aesthetic certainly stands out and offers much greater form over these usually very practical bikes. In fact, it's Benno's compact design and appealing aesthetic that drew me to it in the first place.

To maximise cargo capacity while maintaining a compact design, Benno has utilised a 6061 aluminium frame around small-diameter but very wide 20” x 3.6” tyres. This not only gives it an SUV, urban utility aesthetic that is very on-trend, but also keeps the wheelbase in check and the payload's centre of gravity low.

Speaking of payloads, the RemiDemi XL has a very generous overall weight-carrying capacity of 420lbs/190 kg, which, of course, must be distributed well between the rider and the payload. The rear rack has a capacity of up to 132lbs/60kg, and if you have the front utility tray (as on my test bike), it can carry up to 45lbs/20kg. Leaving around 240lbs/110kg for the rider fully loaded. This extra cargo capacity and strength mean the bike weighs a rather hefty 36.5kg/80.4lbs, with the smallest 400 Wh battery option and 'urban' tyres.

Benno completes the bike with a very ‘Dutch’ style, upright riding position, a step-through frame, and easy-access external battery mounting. A large part of Benno’s practicality comes from the ‘bolt-ons’, which are additional purchases depending on your needs and usage; they are helpfully compatible with Thule and Racktime seats and accessories. I'll get into those a little more when I discuss the ‘value’. My test bike was fitted with the passenger kit, front utility tray, front wheel stabiliser kit, and kickstand.

Specifications

Let's start with the basics: the RemiDemi comes equipped with a Bosch Performance Line motor, which is Bosch’s mid-level motor and attempts to balance power output with efficiency without adding cost or weight. It outputs 75nm, with a peak output of 600W or 340% support output. On my test bike, this was supplied with Bosch’s smallest 400Wh battery and controlled by their latest LED Smart system remote.

On to the ‘bicycle parts’, and Benno equips the XL with Shimano Acera/Sora 9-speed gearing with an 11-32t cassette and Magura MT Thirty four-piston brakes. All bikes are supplied with lights front & rear, fenders and a wealth of own-brand parts like saddle, handlebar and stem.

It's worth noting at this point that the RemiDemi XL’s price is £4099. This is based on the smallest battery option, a performance-line motor, and no add-ons (kids' seats, racks, etc.). This puts Benno pretty close to the premium end of things, and while it saves £500 compared to the market leader, Tern's Quick Haul Long P9, the Tern has a Bosch Cargo Line motor and a 500Wh battery, which offers a bit more punch, bringing 85Nm of torque, a max support level of 400%, and, of course, a bit more range.

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In use, I found the specification lacked attention to detail, of which there are unfortunately, many examples. The motor, an older version of Bosch's system, is underpowered for a nearly 40kg bike. This means that when engaging the lower support modes, it feels heavy, like riding through thick mud. The highest setting, 'turbo,' is your only real option. The knock-on effect of this is that you drain the relatively small battery rather quickly. At best, I was getting around 30km of charge, with a mix of turbo and auto.

The hodgepodge of Shimano gearing components, including a Sora rear mech and Acera shifter, works perfectly well but could be more refined. Both Microshift and Shimano now offer groupsets designed for small wheels, which include wider gear ranges that could offset the underpowered motor.

The RemiDemi comes with lights as standard, but they are nowhere near bright enough. Given that the bike’s battery powers them, there's really no excuse for not having something more powerful. While the kickstand is an extra, it hangs too low and sticks out too far from the bike, so when you are filtering alongside a curb in traffic, it's very easy to clip it, as I did several times.

One area Benno has got right is the Magura brakes. The MT Thirty brakes, married to 180mm rotors, are exceptional stoppers and saved our bacon on more than one occasion - once when I clipped the curb with the kickstand, which sent us towards the rear corner of a stationary car. They also just offer excellent reliability and modulation.

Handling Performance

While the specifications presented some missed opportunities, the RemiDemi XL is, in contrast, genuinely fun to ride. The small wheels keep things agile when loaded, while the long wheelbase, low centre of gravity, and comfortable upright position make for a relaxing and composed ride. Even when loaded with kids moving around on the back, craning to see a digger or a pigeon with one leg, it's easy to balance and correct. It's a bit like a van with a loading suspension setup; it actually rides much better when there's weight on both wheels.

That said, the massive 3.6-inch tyres, which appear purely aesthetic, undermine stability and control. On arrival, they had been pumped up to the ‘minimum’ recommended pressure (30 psi), but when combined with the stiff, heavily engineered frame, it was worse than riding a stiff carbon road bike. Several times, I nearly bucked my son and myself off. After playing with the pressures, I found a middle ground at 20 psi, where suppleness was dramatically improved, and there were no detrimental effects on handling. I attribute this mainly to the tyre casing lacking the suppleness and additional material needed to support its large volume. Had the bike had suspension, running higher pressures would have been less of an issue. Benno would benefit enormously by dropping to more conventional bicycle sizes, such as a 20×2.4 or even to a 24-inch wheel like those found on the Benno Boost. This would likely fit the space vacated by the 3.6-inch tyres, offer a better balance, and increase overall comfort and handling.

On the topic of comfort, I struggled with two Benno-branded components: the first was the enormous saddle. While I am not used to sitting so upright on the bike, the Benno saddle is extremely wide, and because I was using the bike every day, I experienced some saddle soreness. After a few adjustments, this went away; however, the position took some getting used to for a cyclist. Also, the handlebars' high rise and back sweep made getting the controls in the right place a little tricky; this was particularly true as the Bosch remote left no room for a bell.

Hauling Performance

Now, for the most critical part. What was the RemiDemi like for hauling?

Given its primary function for the duration of my testing was to get my son and me about, and mostly on the school run, the Benno did this flawlessly. The bike made things so simple, with no need to park outside the school. Also, my son loves being out on the bike, so, it was a win-win for us. Only once during testing did I have two kids on the back, when my nephew visited, but there seemed to be plenty of space for both boys.

On test, we had the rear passenger seat and the front rack, which I supplemented with a cargo net and a pannier bag I already owned to handle the rest of the cargo-carrying duties. A lot of the time, I just found ways to carry things: like my trips to the DIY store, a bag of cement fit perfectly in the front rack, and some long planks of wood fit nicely along the length, strapped to both racks. If I were going down the route of purchasing a RemiDemi, I would consider the front bag and some panniers. Given I only have one child, I'd likely get two that fit better in front of him, which leads me nicely on to the value and ‘bolt-ons’.

Value

As I already mentioned, the RemiDemi sits very much on the boundary of premium electric cargo bikes, and is slightly more than its direct competition at £4099/$4600 for the lowest specification. That is before you start adding on the ‘bolt on’s’. What I will say is that this is an issue with all Cargo bikes: having to customise them with a plethora of expensive, proprietary extras to make them work for you and your family. In this regard, Benno’s bolt-ons aren’t unaffordable, but they aren’t cheap either. To get the set-up I had on test, which was basically somewhere for a child to sit safely, and the front rack, will set you back an extra £700/$1000. In the UK, you can get the RemiDemi already equipped for child carrying for £4799.99 minus the front rack, which means it is still cheaper to buy the raw bike and add the extras yourself. However, if you then need to carry groceries, the front rack bag is the most useful one, and that's another £300. Together it means you are nearly at £5100/$7000 for a bike that isn’t all that well-equipped to start with.

Conclusions

I acknowledge that a detailed dive into the bike's value and specifications may paint the RemiDemi XL in a negative light. However, it is crucial to focus on the bigger picture: the bike largely delivered on its core purpose; School run, check! Recycling centre and DIY store, check! Some grocery shopping, check!

This is where the general utility of cargo bikes and the RemiDemi's performance merge: once moving, in well-paved, flat-to-gently-hilly urban environments, it does a reasonable job of replacing a car.

The detailed issues highlight substantial holes, but because the bike is a viable car replacement, these fixes could be viewed as an investment. For example, the range limitation can be addressed by opting for Benno’s 500Wh or Dual-Battery option. This would simultaneously increase range and afford the power necessary for an easy upgrade to more powerful lights. The drivetrain issues can be corrected by upgrading the gearing components as they wear out (which, given the long chain length, may be sooner rather than later). Benno looks to be offering a Performance CX option (Bosch's top-tier motor) soon, which would address many of the support issues, though it's currently labelled 'Europe only.' My primary fear is that this superior motor option will push the RemiDemi into an unaffordable price point, putting it out of reach of even more people already grappling with the cost of living and bicycles.

In short, the RemiDemi XL is a cool bike; it certainly turned a lot of heads at pick-up. It largely delivers as a car replacement and covers most of family life. However, it lacks value and attention to detail, and while many of the issues can be be fixed, at these prices, should we have to consider making so many upgrades?

Tech spec