If you're hauling kids, boxes or groceries around, a cargo ebike is a great way to go. That said, do you really want to buy a whole other smaller, nimbler, conventional ebike for everyday commuting? With the Urbanisto, you get one transformable bike that plays both roles.
Made by a Dutch startup of the same name, the Urbanisto was the recent recipient of an award at Eurobike 2025 in Frankfurt, Germany.
It can be used as a regular ebike when there's nothing to haul, but it can also be converted into either of two types of cargo ebike as needed. The transformation is performed by hand, without any tools, in a matter of seconds.
In its "commuter bike" configuration, the Urbanisto utilizes a mid-mount 75-Nm (55-lb-ft) Bosch Performance Line motor to augment the rider's pedaling power up to a top speed of 25 km/h (16 mph). That motor is powered by a 400-, 545- or 725-Wh seat-tube-mounted lithium battery, which is claimed to deliver a range of up to 110 km (68 miles).
Some of the steel-framed bike's other features include an Enviolo continuously variable gearbox, a belt-drive drivetrain, Magura MT5 hydraulic disc brakes, Schwalbe Big Ben Plus city tires, and an integrated rear rack.
When it's time to switch to "cargo bike" mode, you start by loosening a wing nut on the side of the head tube, and releasing a coupler in the front brake hose. Doing so allows the fork and front wheel to be pulled out. You then just insert the cargo module's connector into the head tube, pushing down on the latter until it clicks into place. From there, it's simply a matter of reconnecting the brake hose.
Buyers can choose between a closed-sided module for transporting up to two small children (seated side-by-side), or an open-sided module that's more conducive to loading large cargo items such as boxes. Both modules come with a Suntour Mobie34 CGO-Boost suspension fork, which uses 100 mm of coil-sprung travel to help smooth out rough roads.
It should be noted that with either cargo module in place, battery range drops to approximately 80 km (50 miles).
Pricing starts at €6,499 (about US$7,638) for a package that includes the open-sided module, ranging up to €6,999 ($8,227) for a setup with the child-carrier module. Potential buyers might also want to check out the similar French-designed Frolic transformable ebike, which goes for €5,950 ($6,994).
Urbanisto founder/inventor Benjamin Declercq demonstrates his bike's transformation process at the 35-second mark in the following video.
Source: Urbanisto