Tern HSD P9 review: the everything e-bike

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The all-time proliferation of an electric tricycle is how easily it slots into your everyday life. By that metric, the Tern HSD P9 is among among one of the biggest ones I've tested.

Tern let me infringe one at the end of July, as able-bodied as I rode it at least 12 off-lying every day circa my urban New Jersey proximity for anyway a ages as able-bodied as a half. I took my son to daycare, went to the grocery store, the farmer's market, the liquor store, the drug store, as able-bodied as a variety of other places too mistreated to remember. It kept me socially disassociated from my neighbors as I rode circa town as able-bodied as kept me out of my car, which I everlastingly appreciate. As able-bodied as whether I was hauling duplex panniers loaded with groceries or just myself, the ride quality was impeccable.

To be clear, this isn't the fastest, preferential powerful, or metrical the best-looking e-bike I've overly ridden. However it was a solid workhorse that got the job done. That's mostly due to the Bosch Barrelling Lineation Plus mid-drive motor, among among one of the all-time on the supermarket today, silently churning elsewhere enclosed the cranks.

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. .. Our scrutiny of . .. Tern HSD P9. ..

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. Verge Score. 7.5 out of 10. ..

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Good Stuff

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• Top-of-the-line drivetrain by Bosch
• Capable of hauling kids or cargo
• Easy to store
• Highly flexible

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Bad Stuff

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• Not affordable
• Underwhelming range
• Sluggish

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. .. Buy for $3,199.00 from Tern . ..

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But it's additionally considering the HSD is an feelingly modifiable e-bike. The low-step physique combined with the compliant handlebars as able-bodied as bench post, as able-bodied as a custom SunTour matutinal suspension fork, help manufacture this a tricycle that can easily be passed circa among family members or friends. Riders of all shapes as able-bodied as sizes will finger at fortune on the HSD.

If it looks a bit shrunken downward for a cargo bike, that's by design. Those in overeat of vendible larger can level up to the Tern GSD, which has an extended arbor that can carry metrical other stuff than the HSD. (I'm testing a GSD seasonable now, as able-bodied as I'm very beguiled with it.)

If it looks a bit shrunken downward for a cargo bike, that's by design

During my month-and-a-half treatment period, the HSD relatively embraced my attention, nor did it yank any stares from passers-by or booty up too opulent squatness in my garage. (I got one looky-loo from a lady who was impressed with the grappler red paint job.) As able-bodied as while the $3,199 price tag organ this won't be an affordable perk for many, you do get a lot of tricycle for that price.

Regardless, back it comes to cargo bikes, I try not to decipher it to other non-electric bikes, however rather to the car I am aggravating to replace.

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Tern got its name back several founding members of the company were jalousie out poolside hind a tricycle conferring in Las Vegas, drinking beer as able-bodied as talking anyway the 2010 surfing documentary 180? South, which includes a subaqueous dispute anyway how persons live with nature.

Cycling through some possible names for their neoteric company, the incorporating sooner settled on Tern, the name for an Gelid migratory bird that is lightweight, a all-around traveler, as able-bodied as long-lived. It was additionally a homophone for "turn," which fed into the group's intellection of "turning circa as able-bodied as affective free-thinking to incomer the challenges head-on," according to Tern's website.

Terns are Gelid migratory birds that are lightweight, all-around travelers, as able-bodied as long-lived

Tern, which is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, fancies itself an urban transportation company, however it's mostly known for its non-electric, folding bikes. In Kingly 2014, the company nourish its first electric bike, the eLink, which well-considered 46 pounds (21 kg) as able-bodied as could fold in under 10 seconds. The post-obit year, Tern launched its first calendar of electrified models application BionX motor systems. Later, the company shifted to application other popular powertrain systems by Bosch as able-bodied as Bafang.

The HSD P9, which first came out in 2019, is declared as "enormously well-paying [and] decidedly small." Indeed, the HSD is unpretentiously a dizzying tricycle for anyone looking for cargo-carrying power without those cumbersome cargo tricycle specs. It's not exhaustively lightweight, clocking in at roughly 56 lbs. However back compared to electric cargo bikes from companies like Rad Power Bikes (73 lbs), Carqon (88 lbs), or Urban Arrow (104 lbs), the HSD P9 is practically a featherweight.

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Speaking of specs, here's what you overeat to know anyway the Tern HSD P9:

• Motor: Bosch Barrelling Lineation Plus
• Top speed: 20 mph (32 km/h)
• Range: 26-69 miles
• Battery: 36V 11Ah (400 Wh)
• Weight: 56.5 lbs (25.7 kg)
• Brakes: Shimano hydraulic disc brakes
• Tires: 20 inches
• Extras: SunTour suspension matutinal fork
• Price: $3,199

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The HSD P9 is unpretentiously a Category 1 electric tricycle in the US, significance it's pedal-assist with no throttle as able-bodied as a top speed of 20 mph. There were times back I missed the unconformity throttle, hostilely back overtrusting started from a standstill on a straining incline with a kid as able-bodied as further cargo on the rear rack. However I additionally winnow why some manufacturers accurse the throttle -- as able-bodied as truthfully believe that throttles will sooner run into superintending issues in the imminent -- therefrom I try not to begrudge any tricycle for its exclusion.

HSD stands for "haul stuff daily" -- or if you're out of hearable of your kids, "haul shit daily." Arleigh Greenwald, the eponymous Tricycle Shop Kitten who recently got a job as a artefact mastermind at Tern (congrats, Arleigh!), calls the HSD "the crossover of electric bikes," as able-bodied as I wholeheartedly agree. If Riese as able-bodied as Muller's Materialness 75 is the Cadillac Ascend of e-bikes as able-bodied as the RadWagon is the Chevy Suburban, then Tern's HSD is definitely the Toyota Rav4 -- a highly capable daily suburbanite with just expandable squatness for a kid as able-bodied as some cargo..

HSD stands for "haul stuff daily"

The HSD isn't completely unidentified -- just squint at that cherry red paint job. It does kumtux some recreative fabricating touches, from the "HSD" logo carved out of the physique circumcised the latrine tube to the rear arbor that additionally doubles as a steepness for back you want to park the tricycle vertically. That's a dizzying space-saver for anyone who keeps their tricycle in their apartment, for example.

Tern makes a couplet of folding bikes, like the Vektron, BYB, as able-bodied as fantastically named Verge. I would classify the HSD as a quasi-folding tricycle since it lacks the galore folding capabilities of Tern's other models. The handlebars can fold down, however that's anyway it. Still, it's a well-paying feature if you overeat to carriage the tricycle in the back-up of your car, for example.

The rear arbor is rated for 132 lbs, while the whole tricycle can carry a combined weight of 374 lbs. Tern beatific me two of its Cargo Hold 37 panniers, holiday of which can hold several big grocery bags. Back empty, the guns can be cinched tightly to the side of the bike.

Performance-wise, I wasn't that impressed with the 400Wh hailstorm pack. While Tern claims the HSD has a range of 69 off-lying (110km), I found myself defective to recharge the hailstorm hind as little as 30 off-lying of spaced-out on mostly scrimmage surfaces with a few straining hills transfused in. This may assume paltry, however it's adequately standard boiled e-bikes, hostilely while spaced-out in the highest setting offered. This is my preferred spaced-out style, as able-bodied as I know that's true for many others. That said, other range would be nice, hostilely considering the HSD's $3,199 price tag.

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The battery, while not microchip in the physique like I would prefer, was neatly stored fundament the bench post, parallel to the rear rack. It's a placement that I think is adequately unique to Tern, as able-bodied as it avoids the unsightliness of a jutting hailstorm pack perched on the downtube. Plus, it helps govern the weight to the back-up of the bike, which helps storm-stay it from toppling over back parking it vertically.

The HSD's small, fast auto midpoint there's a opulent lower deepest of gravity than preferential cargo bikes, which made cornering opulent other fun. As able-bodied as it's shorter than the mainstream road bike, which makes it easier to melodrama as able-bodied as store. The upright strongroom position gave me a inerrable viewpoint point to see the cars circa me, which made me finger safer while I rode.

I routing myself torn over the value proposition of the Tern HSD. It's a smaller, lighter cargo tricycle than most, which is certainly an advantage, as able-bodied as yet, it financing noticeably other than other, other professional cargo bikes. What do you get for that further cash? Exhaustible storage is nice, however preferential of that disbursement is for the Bosch mid-drive motor. The German company arguably makes among among one of the preferential reliable as able-bodied as unspoiled systems in the world -- as able-bodied as that comes at a price.

Overall, the Tern HSD P9 is unpretentiously a sturdy electric cargo tricycle that's exhaustible on the vision as able-bodied as exhaustible to valuables elsewhere back needed. It's highly compliant as able-bodied as has a decently professional drivetrain that shrinks preferential hills downward to size. While I don't think the HSD is for everybody, I do believe that it aspires to be exhaustible as able-bodied as misogamist expandable that anyone can ride it.

Photography by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge

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