Specialized has added to its Turbo (electric bike) line-up with the Porto cargo bike. It’s a longtail by design, and looks to be pretty family friendly. It comes with a carrying capacity of 200kg, a one-size-fits-all frame, and a 90Nm Specialized motor to boot. It’s got some pretty stiff competition at the £5,500 price point if it's to earn inclusion in our guide to the best electric cargo bikes, but let’s dive into the details and see what it has going for it.
 

The Turbo Porto

Visually, the Turbo Porto looks almost basic – its all-black exterior giving off no-nonsense vibes. It’s here to do a job, and that job is to carry a lot of stuff around in an efficient manner. The Porto uses a longtail design, which means the majority of the carried weight sits behind the rider, over the rear wheel.

The rear rack can be used to affix accessories like child seats, a cargo base, and even large pannier bags. The full carrying capacity of the bike is 200kg, including rider and bike, so it’s on par with most other e-cargo bikes. There’s also a front rack which can take some of the lighter bits of gear you need to transport.
 

Impressive components

In terms of what drives the bike, Specialized has used the 2.2 Cargo mid-drive motor, which puts out a claimed maximum torque of 90Nm. That, paired with the 710Wh Specialized battery provides an estimated five hours of run time.

What that means in miles, we’re not sure, but theoretically somewhere around 75 miles based off of a 15mph average. Of course, there are so many variables at play with cargo bikes it’s difficult to accurately assess range without having a go first.

For the drivetrain, Specialized has gone for an Enviolo gear hub and a Gates Carbon Belt drive. Presumably this is for ease of use and reduced maintenance. Interestingly, it also comes with a Garmin Radar already fitted. This can notify you of cars behind or about to pass, and also acts as a rear light.

There’s just the one size frame on offer, but Specialized suggests it’s suitable for riders between 155cm and 195cm. At just shy of 40kg, it’s not a bike you’ll want to be lugging around the house, so it's more for those with accessible storage space.

There is just the one model of Turbo Porto on offer, and it costs £5,500. There are several accessories you can buy, however, as the bike doesn’t come with things like child seats as standard. It's available to buy from ‘select Specialized retailers’. More information can be found on the Specialized website.