Oxford has presented an impressive range of e-bikes in recent years, from city bikes to speedpedelecs and now also a longtail: the Cargo Plus. Longtails are essentially regular city bikes with a longer back. Whether this type of e-bike suits you depends strongly on your lifestyle.
Do you often go shopping by car and would you rather do this by bike? Then a cargo bike such as the Cargo Plus is definitely worth considering, especially if you purchase the Oxford bicycle bags. There is certainly room for two bags full of groceries. If that is not enough, you can store some extra luggage between the ‘monkey bars’, as Oxford calls them. That is actually an extra (open) luggage compartment on top of the luggage rack. The Monkey Bars also serve a different role: you can mount a seat in it to transport children. This makes the Cargo Plus ideal for parents with children. Is the Oxford Cargo Plust the longtail e-bike that you need? After having been on a step with it nearly 300 kilometers, we dare to say ‘yes’ carefully.
No typical e-bike
Outside the battery, the mid-engine and the screen of the Oxford, you would not immediately say that it is an e-bike. For example, the frame tubes are a lot thinner than with most electric bicycles, which ensures a unique appearance. That is also determined by the luggage rack at the front and the Monkey bars on the back. It is certain that you attract the necessary attention when you drive around with the Cargo Plus. The sound of the e-bike does not play a role in this. It happened regularly that people watched us when we drove along with this e-bike. Some even asked us about the model type: they were clearly charmed by the appearance and the transport options. So the bike gets a lot of attention, but the design will certainly not be appreciated by everyone. That of course applies to all e-bikes, but the design of the Cargo Plus (with its long back) may be slightly more controversial. What appeals to us is the focus on practical use, with many places to bring things.
In addition, the e-bike is also very sturdy. After weeks of use, he still looks like new and that’s how it feels to drive on it. What is also striking is how scratch -resistant the blue paint layer is. After a few weeks we regularly see scratches through our loose bicycle lock, but that is not the case with the Cargo Plus. Also other parts that you already come across with your shoes still look like new. As it should be, we should actually add. Practical use and build quality are therefore paramount, although Oxford still has some work to do with the cables. They form a true ‘cable spaghetti’ at the steering wheel, which can linger behind other bicycles if you put the e-bike in a bicycle shed. Elsewhere, the cables are fortunately tight in and along the frame.
The chance that the cables are damaged because the e-bike falls into the parking facility is also relatively small. Unlike many other e-bikes, the Cargo Plus has a two-legged standard that is right under the frame. As a result, the bike is very firm in the parking, but that has some disadvantages. On the one hand you need a lot of power to put the longtail on its standard and remove it. On the other hand, this type of standard can cause damage to your floor, especially if there are ceramic tiles in the bicycle shed. When folding out, the weight of the bike shoots ‘suddenly’ on the standard. With a concrete floor you will not be bothered by that quickly.
Also for long journeys
Unfortunately, we have to disappoint sporty cyclists: the Cargo Plus is anything but a bike for people who like to sail and want to drive very sporty. Taking a turn quickly with this e-bike is simply not possible, if only because it is a bit longer and heavier. The relatively small 24-inch wheels also ensure that you have to kick more often to get up to speed, while the Nexus 5-speed hub is not really set up. In our opinion, acceleration four and five are the only usable gears. If you switch to three or lower, you just turn your legs around the pedals. Relatively speaking, the two highest gears are quite heavy. Under the line, the Nexus gear hub actually offers just a little too little resistance and gear range to find a resistance that fits perfectly with your personal driving style and situation on the road.
The fact that the bike is not very sporty does not really matter in this case. With a heavily loaded e-bike you will usually not travel a cycling race. The comfortable, straight sitting position fits perfectly with this type of e-bike, with which you go out a bit quieter. We are even pleased with the Selle Royal Nuvola saddle, which also feels comfortable with long bicycle rides. Oxford has forgotten one important ingredient for comfortable journeys: a suspended fork. Belgium is the leader in terms of vowel roads, but you should avoid them with the Cargo Plus. After a longer bike ride you simply feel on your wrists and shoulders that you have to absorb the blows yourself. Fortunately, the Belgian bicycle brand did choose thicker tires that already offer some suspension, from the Schwalbe Big Ben series. In addition to the suspension, the tires are also leak -resistant, so that you can drive off carefree city and country. Under winter conditions, as far as we have been able to test, they also hold up well. With snow and ice, it will continue to pay attention of course, but for smooth, wet vowels, the tires contain sufficient profile.
Perhaps it sounds like there are quite a few disadvantages to the riding experience of the Oxford, but that is not too bad. It really depends on how you act when you go out by bike. If you prefer comfortable journeys above speed and sportiness, the e-bike fits perfectly within your street. That is exactly how we (with pleasure) went out with the Cargo Plus in recent weeks. That the front fork is not suspended is a missed opportunity, but to determine whether that is something you would miss, you should actually go out by bike.
Support and reach
Oxford equipped the Cargo Plus with the now somewhat older Steps E6100 mid-engine from Shimano, which we already met in the E-Mozzo Pro in E-silent because of from Cortina. The engine offers a capacity of 60 Nm, with a choice of three support positions. In terms of power, the E6100 has nothing left; Certainly in situations with a lot of headwind, you should go a bit to stay on speed. Even in the highest position, there is no ability to help you to the 25 km/h. If you do not have an extremely strong headwind and if you drive on flat roads, you can easily choose the lowest or middle position to get the 25 km/h. We can only say about the engine that the switching of support at that speed does not feel very flexible. We regularly quoted this with other e-bikes with Shimano engines: it feels like a kind of shock in the powertrain. Fortunately you get used to that fairly quickly and after a few weeks with the Cargo Plus we actually didn’t feel it anymore.
We also noticed that the E6100 from Shimano is a bit older. According to the factory specification, the 504Wh battery of the Cargo is good for a range of 145 kilometers. You may get such figures if you continue to cycle around in the Ecomodus, but you will not get that far in the middle or highest position. In the highest support position you get, depending on how much strength you are put, a range of 40 to 60 kilometers. By handing in on support and choosing the middle position, you get 20 to 30 kilometers. A coronation up to ‘mileage king’ is not forthcoming, but keep in mind that we regularly drive around with heavy groceries and other items. Moreover, the range of an e-bike is highly dependent on your cycling behavior. If you kick up firmly, the battery will last longer anyway, while you get less far if you rely on the motorcycle more often. We drove almost exclusively on flat roads, which means that the range can differ from your own results.
Unfortunately you cannot expand the range of the Oxford with a range extender or larger battery. Why it was not chosen is actually a mystery to us. Oxford does not even have to adjust the design. The battery is mounted separately on the frame. Perhaps a different mounting system is needed, but for a longtail with which you sometimes also transport heavier luggage, a larger battery capacity is not a superfluous luxury. You can possibly solve this by buying a second battery. You can easily remove the battery with the key.
Serving via Shimano-app
As you can expect from an electric bicycle, the Cargo Plus can easily be operated. In most cases you only have to use the power button on the SC-E6100 screen and the separate control buttons. With those buttons you set the desired support position. On the screen you will find a button in addition to the power button to operate the lighting. For more operating options you can use the Shimano e-tube Ride app for Android and iOS. You let that app view and adjust the settings of the engine, but you can also capture ride statistics in it, view real-time information such as linking speed and ant-accessories, such as your sports watch. This allows you to link the data from the bicycle computer to the health data of ant-sports accessories. That coupling process works relatively easily, and the e-tube Ride app is basic, but you can ultimately read all the desired information with it. In the case of a brand like Oxford and at this price point you cannot expect extensive smart functions. It is not even talked about on the product page of the Cargo Plus: it was therefore an unexpected extra.
Final verdict
The Oxford Cargo Plus is a nice e-bike for relaxed journeys where you want to transport a lot of cargo or children. If you are looking for an e-bike to just get from A to B without too much fuss, we would personally skip this bike. You simply pay a ‘Longtail-Taks’, so you have to return to step support, reach and comfort. On the other hand, if you explicitly opt for a cargo bike, the Cargo Plus is an affordable option with a unique design and sufficient storage space to transport things and children.
With the R500E, Decathlon offers a strong competitor who is also a few hundred euros cheaper. However, it has a rear -wheel motor, which usually cycles less fine than a mid -engine. The Oxford Cargo Plus also has a larger range: in Ecomodus the bike would reach 145 kilometers, compared to 90 kilometers with the R500E. Whatever copy you choose: Always go on the road with the bike before you make the decision.
