Since the birth of my son, my everyday life on two wheels has changed quite a bit. Previously, my bicycle was mainly a piece of sports equipment, but now it’s more of a combination of family logistics, everyday practicality and still that feeling of lightness, especially on our numerous excursions. I was given the Vello SUB to use for three months – and I was really excited to put it through its paces and see how suitable it was for families with small children.

The first thing I noticed was that the bike is incredibly light for a cargo bike. In Vienna’s old buildings, there are often no barrier-free storage rooms, and even in our building, the path to the courtyard is dotted with numerous steps and tight corners. Especially with a child and luggage, it’s a relief when the bike itself isn’t a monster weight – and in fact, the Vello SUB handles these tight corners well and, thanks to the push assist, also manages the steps easily. However, after it became a challenge to park the bike safely with a sleeping child, we decided to take out comprehensive bicycle insurance and can now simply chain the bike up outside.

The riding experience is very direct and agile, almost like a normal bike, but with the option of mounting a child seat with a significantly lower centre of gravity at the rear and still having plenty of storage space on the bike. Visually, it takes a moment to get used to the basket at the front, as it doesn’t steer with the bike because it’s mounted on the frame. Die-hard city cyclists will already be familiar with this, but for us it was still a brief ‘aha!’ moment. Now, however, this basket is one of my favourite features and you can even fit our prams, a scooter including a push bar AND bags or a huge rucksack on it. Both my husband, who is almost 2 metres tall, and I, who am almost 1.80 metres tall, use the bike, and it is super easy to adjust with quick-release fasteners, including a little reminder on the seat post.

Speaking of riding experience: the VELLO Sub is my first cargo bike, I still took the opportunity to test a few other cargo bikes, including another longtail and two bikes that transport children in the front. I’m really glad I did this test. None of the other bikes could even come close to matching the riding experience of a VELLO Sub, even when unloaded and without a toddler. The price of the Sub is in the upper mid-range segment of cargo bikes, but that’s partly due to the high-quality components that have been used, which contribute to the great feeling on the bike. From the belt drive to the continuously variable Enviolo gear system to the Bosch mid-drive motor, it’s simply a harmonious picture!

For me, however, the cargo bike scored most points on our excursions! And while a cheaper model would probably suffice for rolling back and forth between home, nursery and the office, you really get your money’s worth here. On the one hand, the battery is extremely efficient in eco mode and distances of around 45 km were no problem without recharging. On the other hand, because it is one of the few cargo bikes that you can also take on local transport, you can start bike tours around Retz or Wiener Neustadt, for example. This means that even with a small child, you can always discover new highlights. Our favourite outing, however, was on Saturdays to a pub near Lobau, where my son can run around and where they serve the world’s best roast pork once a week.

As for the battery, its capacity naturally depends on the load, riding style, motor assistance, use of lights and also the outside temperature. In everyday use, I fully charged the battery about once a week in summer, but now in winter it’s more like twice a week. Our daily journeys are between 5 and 10 kilometres per day.

After several months of intensive use, I can say that the VELLO SUB is the perfect middle ground between a cargo bike and an all-rounder for me. It doesn’t feel like a compromise, but rather like a new category – a super flexible bike that grows with you, thinks for itself and carries your load.

Attention, families: Austria is currently offering a cargo bike subsidy until the end of February 2026, which also applies to Vello folding bikes (500 euros) and the Vello SUB (900 euros)!

Transparency: I’ve got the bike for the duration of the test at no cost.