section iii. · frontloader decision
Choosing a frontloader.
Pending. The Load4 decision narrative isn't written yet. This page will follow the same shape as choosing a longtail: forcing function, what the bike has to do, alternatives considered, the wider tombstone, the honest framing.
Forcing function
Pending
What triggered the original Load4 purchase: the family-biking math, the move to Grand Rapids, the moment we decided to drop a car-trip a day.
What this bike has to do
Pending
The use case the Load4 was bought for: three kids in the cabin, a week of groceries, all-weather school runs, replacing enough car trips to justify the cost.
How we narrowed the field
Pending
Deep-dives on Long John alternatives (Bullitt, Urban Arrow, Babboe, Tern Orox), trike alternatives (Bunch), and the Multicharger3 as a longtail crossover. Why three-child capacity and Class 3 Speed-Pedelec drove us toward the Load specifically.
The wider tombstone
Pending
Full survey of US-shipping frontloaders at the time of purchase: Larry vs Harry Bullitt, Urban Arrow Family / Shorty, Babboe (now under recall), Bunch The Original, Tern Orox, and the R&M Load lineup itself across trims.
The honest framing
Pending
What the R&M Load4 75 Rohloff HS premium bought us, what it didn't, and the honest map of what someone with different constraints (smaller family, lower budget, EU residence, less garage space) should be looking at instead.