PETALUMA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Yuba Bicycles has signed with eLastenrad, a German online seller of electric cargo bikes, as its new European distributor, selling direct to both consumers and dealers.
“Yuba has popularized cargo bikes in North America, which had no tradition of this type of bicycling when we launched in 2006, so we know that our bikes will be popular in Europe, which has a long history of using bicycles for work,” said Yuba founder Ben Sarrazin. “What sets our bikes apart from other European cargo bikes is that they ride like normal bicycles and are affordable.”
The founders of eLastenrad, Philipp Walczak and Thilo Gauch, bought their first cargo bike in 2012 — a Yuba Mundo. Based in Heidelberger, Germany, the company has grown from a two-person operation in 2009 to more than 20 employees today.
The company started by selling e-bike conversion kits but now sells a range of pedal-powered and electric cargo bikes and accessories. Lastenrad translates as “cargo bike” in German.
“We are excited about the potential for Yuba in Germany, the Netherlands and U.K.,” Walczak said. “Immediately after we got our Mundo in 2012 we were using it for shopping, carrying our friends and all kinds of things you can’t do on a normal bike.”
