Mod Straightforward: A retro e-bike with a sidecar good for Indiana Jones cosplay

As some Ars readers might recall, I reviewed The Maven Cargo e-bike earlier this 12 months as a whole newb to e-bikes. For my second foray into the world of e-bikes, I took a completely totally different path.

The fashionable Maven was designed with utility in thoughts—it is protected, user-friendly, and sensible for engaging in all of the day by day transportation wants of a busy household. The second bike, the $4,299 Mod Straightforward Sidecar 3, is on the opposite finish of the spectrum. Only a cursory look makes it clear: This bike is constructed for pure, head-turning enjoyable.

The Mod Straightforward 3 is a retro-style Class 2 bike—full with a sidecar that appears prefer it’s straight out of Indiana Jones and the Final Campaign. Nailing this look wasn’t the preliminary objective of Mod Bike founder Dor Korngold. In an interview with Ars, Korngold stated the Mod Straightforward was the primary bike he designed for himself. “It began with me eager to have this basic cruiser,” he stated, however he did not have a sketch or last design in thoughts on the outset. As an alternative, the design was primarily based on what elements he had in his storage.

Step one was including a wood battery compartment to an previous Electra body he had painted. The battery compartment “seemed classic from the start,” he stated, however the last look got here collectively steadily as he added the sidecar and among the different motorcycle-style options. Right now, the Mod Straightforward is a modern bike harking back to World Struggle II-era bikes and is available in a classy matte end.

Once I confirmed my 5-year-old son an image of the bike and sidecar, he was immediately enamored and insisted I assessment it. How may I refuse? He completely loved using with me on the Maven, however using within the sidecar turned out to be some next-level enjoyable. He’ll readily inform you he provides it a 5 out of five-star score. However in case you desire a extra thorough assessment, my ideas are under. I am going to begin with some normal impressions after which talk about particular options of the bike and expertise.

The Mod Straightforward Sidecar 3 at a look

Basic impressions

Once more, this can be a fashionable, enjoyable bike. The bike alone is an easy and easy journey. Though it has the heft of an e-bike at 77 kilos (with out the sidecar), it by no means felt unwieldy to me as a 5-foot-4-inch rider. The torque sensors are fantastically built-in into the using expertise, permitting the motor to really feel like a delicate, pure help to pedaling fairly than an on-off enhance. In fact, with my restricted expertise, I can not touch upon how these torque sensors examine to different torque sensors, however I’ve no complaints, they usually’re an enchancment over my expertise with cadence sensors.

You could bear in mind from my assessment of the Maven that the doorway to a motorbike path in my space has a switchback path with three tight activates a hill. With the Maven’s cadence sensors, I struggled to undergo the U-turns easily, particularly going uphill, even after weeks of observe. With the Mod Straightforward’s torque sensors (and non-cargo size), I glided by means of them completely on the primary attempt. General, the bike handles and corners properly. The wide-set handlebars give the driving expertise a relaxed, cruising really feel, whereas the comfortable saddle invitations you to sink in and keep awhile. The sidecar, in the meantime, was a enjoyable, head-turning function, however it presents some sensible elements to think about.

Beneath, I am going to undergo key options, beginning with the headlining one: the sidecar.