Germany's Hase Bikes is exploring what would happen if a cargo bike was merged with a gravel bike, resulting in a versatile ride called the Gravit Dust that's equally at home on city streets, gravel roads or dirt trails.
"Cargo bikes usually aren’t the first choice for sports or touring," said Paulo Mesquita, product designer at Hase Bikes. "The Gravit Dust is different. It’s both a cargo bike that’s easy to transport and a gravel bike that can carry a whole lot of luggage. The perfect mix for anyone who wants a cargo bike with sporty performance."
Hase is of course the company behind the novel Pino telescoping cargo ebike and more recently and electric-drive flavor of its Lepus trike, and its new Gravit Dust can also be optioned with a motor/battery setup that shares much with the standard non-ebike version detailed below.
The cargo gravel bike has also been treated to a telescoping 6061 aluminum alloy frame, with a 50 x 82-cm (19.68 x 32.28-in) cargo platform mounted above the Spinner 300 suspension fork and front wheel.
This sizable aluminum platform can accommodate up to 40 kg (88 lb) of gear atop the webbing, which is secured in place with a cargo net fastened down to 10 heavy duty mounts – negating the need for a heavy cargo box. All in, it tips the scales is at just 20 kg (44 lb) but is rated for a maximum load capacity of 200 kg (440 lb).
If not needed for a bikepacking or shopping trip, the Cargo Board can be removed and the frame shortened for regular riding on roads or trails as a 174-cm (68.5-in)-long bike, or for easy of storage.
"It’s the perfect bike for not only transporting stuff, but also enjoying off-road trips, covering long distances, hurtling down hills, and really pushing your limits," added Mesquita.
Elsewhere, the frame has been designed to accommodate folks between 1.5 and 2 meters (4.9 - 6.5 ft) in height, and the rider gets to lean in courtesy of an Ergotec drop handlebar.
There's a 20-inch wheel at the end of the fork and a 26-inch wheel behind the seatpost, each wearing Schwalbe Billy Bonkers tan-wall rubber, stopping power is provided by Shimano mechanical disc brakes with a 203-mm rotor up front and 180 mm at the back, and an 11-speed Shimano Deore gearset with microshifters offers flexible ride options.
The Gravit Dust is available in "candy purple" for a starting price of €3,790 (about US$4,250). A bunch of optional accessories are also available, including a fabric box, low-rider carrier for panniers and a child seat. The video below has more.
As mentioned earlier, the company reports that it can also be had as an ebike version, which is tricked out with the same 250-W Shimano Steps E6100 and 504-Wh battery as the new Gravit City E model.
Product page: Gravit Dust
