It's not easy to load the amenities of a camper van onto a bicycle, but the outside-the-box thinkers at Spacecamper have managed to do it. They played with the idea two years ago in showing the Spacecamper Bike concept and have now launched the slick, inventive two-wheel tiny camper. Cyclists can now enjoy a unique means of pedaling, camping and even remote-working their way across counties, countries and continents.
Some readers may be hovering over the comment button ready to unload on us about how there's nothing at all stealthy about an elongated e-cargo bike with a pile of camper equipment bulging high. Fair. But while the Spacecamper Bike might not be particularly sleek and stealthy for a bicycle, it is simpler and more neatly packaged than the average bike or ebike camper.
Virtually every other bike camper we've looked at uses a larger, more permanent camping pod structure, either towed behind the bike or built atop it. Spacecamper integrates the bike more naturally into the camping experience with a lighter tent-top design. That frees the bike to commute like a regular e-cargo bike with front-loaded payload – not quite the equivalent of a strategically packed and balanced bikepacking rig but not a broadsided mini tractor-trailer, either.
The production Spacecamper Bike moves to the Riese & Müller Load4 75 electric cargo bike, successor to the Load 75 that underpinned the concept. Spacecamper cofounder Markus Riese is also a cofounding partner of Riese & Müller.
A fairly standard front-loading full-suspension cargo bike, the aluminum-framed Load4 75 comes powered by a Bosch pedal-assist mid-drive with a 725-Wh battery pack upgradeable to a 1,450-Wh double battery pack. Spacecamper estimates up to around 80 km (50 miles) of range on flat roads with the single battery and 160 km (100 miles) with the double, based on its own internal Bike camper testing.
The Load4 75 can be specced with a 25- or 45-km/h (15.5- or 28-mph) top speed, and the latter requires the rider to be 16 years or older and in possession of a Class AM driver's license (included in a standard Class B driver's license). The former model does not have an age or license requirement. The base model comes with a Shimano Deore XT 11-speed drivetrain, but belt drives with hub gears are also available.
The camping kit comes by way of a specially developed box fitted to the Load4 75's front-loader. A two-level design, the lower half features storage compartments for carrying camping gear, tools, food and supplies, while the upper level is the multifunctional camping platform. The production model looks largely the same as the concept when all packed up below its triangularly peaked weatherproof cover, but it does have a few notable differences when set up.
The heart and soul of the camper kit, and source of that triangular packed form, the three-piece folding lounge chair creates several different modes. It folds out into a suspended lounger with a seat back that adjusts into several positions. It features a rugged Cordura top material on a zero-gravity-style frame for added comfort.
When it's time for bed, the bicycle handlebars fold out of the way to allow the lounger to fold completely flat, stretching back to the seat post to create a 195 x 56-cm (77 x 22-in) sleeping platform. If you fold the handlebars out of the way before sitting on the chair, you can even transform the rig from lounger to bed from the comfort of your seat, no need to get up.
The platform looks pretty comfy on its own, but Spacecamper can also top it with an optional inflatable sleeping pad that secures in place with a Velcro attachment system. The hard armrests on the sides of the lounger look like they should also help prevent the camper from rolling clean off the narrow bed.
Spacecampers can set the lounge chair to upright position for working on a laptop and having a meal, but a more formal workspace/dining area is available on the other side of the seat back. The flat seat works with a folding tabletop that straps to the folded handlebars, creating a solo office space and dining area. Campers can also use the worktop to prepare and cook meals, coffee, etc.
Spacecamper has evolved the design of the removable worktop from the solid board it used on the Bike camper concept to an expandable polypropylene surface that folds in half to become a weatherproof lid for the rearmost part of the bicycle's lower cargo bin. The lid even includes an integrated lock so that the compartment becomes something of a bike safe. We probably wouldn't trust it for hours upon hours, but it's definitely a good way of hiding and protecting valuables (like that laptop) when running to the bathroom or into a shop.
Another evolution of the Spacecamper Bike design, the tarp now extends down all the way to the ground for staking, delivering fuller protection from wind and weather. The sil-nylon fabric pitches directly over and around the bike, supported by two telescoping side poles, the saddle and a front frame component at the foot of the lounger.
The tent's dual split-opening side doors roll up to turn the protective tarp into a breezy, open-air sunshade during the day and provide extra versatility in creating just the right balance between weather protection and ventilation. Left and right vents at the rooftop provide airflow when fully battened down.
When it's time to break camp, the tent fabric packs up into an oversized stuff sack that hangs on the U-frame component at the front of the camper setup. The sack then flips over onto the top of the lounge chair, which can be left in place for a passenger or folded up into the triangular mass shown in the photos. When folded up, the weatherproof cover secures over top to keep everything dry and protected and boost the rider's visibility with its light color. There's also plenty of extra storage space below the cover on top of the folded lounger.
For now, Spacecamper is offering the Bike for sale and installation at its headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, not far from Frankfurt. The company says it's also working on making the kit available for installation at select retailers. The Spacecamper Bike starts at €9,549 (approx. US$9,900) for the full turnkey ebike RV, and Spacecamper also offers just the €2,544 (US$2,650) RV kit (multifunctional lounger, lower foundation/cargo box, tent kit, table) for those who want to have it installed on their own Load4 75 or older Load 75 ebikes.
The newly released short video below shows a fun look at a Spacecamper Bike micro-adventure, while this thorough 24-minute walkthrough provides a good up-close look at the pre-production model and its various features and transformations – it's in German so flip on the "auto-translate" in the closed captioning section for English.
Source: Spacecamper
