Specialized Globe Haul ST Review

The Haul ST is a Class 3 (or Class 2) electric cargo bike with a 772 Wh battery and 700-watt hub motor. The Short Tail aluminum frame rides on wide 20-inch wheels with high-volume 3.5-inch tires. With a low, 20-inch step-through height and wheelbase just shy of 43 inches, the bike is super easy to maneuver. The impressive carrying capacity of 419 lbs comes with a curb weight penalty of 80.5 lbs before adding accessories.

Ride

The ride quality of the Haul ST is surprisingly good; it handles predictably and doesn't falter when fully loaded. Its high-volume tires provide some shock absorption, but you can't escape the physics of rolling on 20" wheels. The bike reacts to uneven pavement and rough trails with no discernible flex coming from the frame and small wheels. The short wheelbase is incredibly maneuverable and easy to get around on, but also exacerbates the bumpy feeling when riding rough terrain, especially at higher speeds. It's more stable than any other 20" or 22" wheeled bike we've tested, and trading some bumps for its nimble nature feels worthwhile. The bike ships as a Class 3 e-bike, and the addition of a throttle, available through Specialized, gives it Class 2 capabilities. Installation is straightforward and requires checking a few boxes in the Globe App to activate.

The components spec on the Haul is superb, and we'd be surprised if other manufacturers aren't taking notes. The massive 1.5" quill stem seems like an odd throwback, but considering its 160mm of vertical adjustability, it makes perfect sense. 80mm of rise in the handlebar gives the Haul an upright seated position, while its telescoping seat post provides over 13" of height adjustability. Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, equipped with 203mm rotors, are smooth and effective, even when the bike is fully loaded or riding in wet conditions.

A Microshift drivetrain offers nine speeds to choose from, and its shifter is low-profile and ergonomic, featuring an under-bar trigger. 160mm crank arms stay off the ground in all but the sportiest situations, and the Haul's drivetrain is centered around a stout 100mm bottom bracket shell. The bike includes plastic fenders, an ultra-bright 1500-lumen headlight, a tail light, a rear rack, and a dual kickstand.

Super plush 3.5" Carless Whisper tires feature a raised, smooth center bead for quiet cruising with low friction, while the taller shoulder knobs engage while cornering or on softer terrain. The tires feature Flak Jacket flat protection and reflective sidewalls. These are our favorite tires amongst all that we've tested on cargo bikes.

The Haul ST is something of an urban ninja; it can fit in tiny spaces, has traffic-racing quickness, and can carry over five times its weight. Couple this with its impressive range and ability to fit such a wide range of riders, and it's easy to imagine the Haul being everywhere. Specialized recommends the bike for riders between 4'5" to 6'4", which is an impressive range. Our testers don't quite reach the extremes of this range; our shortest and tallest riders had additional adjustments available. Smaller riders should consider the strength and leverage required to handle a bike weighing over 80 pounds. The ergonomics of the bike are top-notch with handlebar grips and a saddle that feel well-designed. The bike's plastic pedals proved inadequate for our needs. We had broken both of them by the time we hit the 100-mile mark and would recommend most riders swap out for a quality pair of alloy pedals.

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As with other cargo bikes, the accessories you add have a huge impact on the bike's versatility. Most of the bike's features are fantastic and set this bike apart from a crowded field of quirky models that don't feel as well-designed. If we rated the bike with five stars, its accessories get three stars. Most of them felt less user-friendly from a design and installation perspective. The assembly of this bike was amongst the easiest of any bike we've ever put together, but adding the accessories was far more involved and somewhat frustrating.

Adding foot pegs and rear wheel covers requires removing the rear wheel, which is not a simple procedure, even with the included tools. Installation of the wheel protectors that partially integrate with the fenders utilize 14 velcro straps and 4 zip ties. It took us longer to install the wheel guards than it did to assemble the bike. The foot pegs are basic BMX-style and not designed specifically for this bike. Given its short wheelbase and the peg's proximal location to the back of your legs, riders need to be cautious not to let the pegs run over their legs when putting their feet down.

The passenger handlebar installation requires T-nuts in the rack, as there is no fixed mounting point. Utilizing T-nuts provides a bit of flexibility, but the size of the passenger seat restricts the range of mounting locations to a very limited extent. Once mounted, the handlebar functions effectively, but users should check for interference between the handlebar and the saddle. The flex in the telescoping seat post creates a pinch spot for little hands if you're not mindful of the clearance during setup.

The Coolcave Panniers are effective and useful, but because of their rigid shape, they extend the bike's footprint. Something we found very disappointing is that the panniers don't mount directly to the custom rack. Mounting panniers requires adding $100 pannier adapters, this feels like a huge miss on a cargo bike. The top of the rack can accept an MIK adapter plate to mount compatible baskets, or you can utilize the rack customization kit and mount your own basket, crate, or art piece. While we love the bike itslef and find it a compelling value, adding all the accessories we wanted added almost $1000 to the price.

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Range

The Haul ST really impressed us with its significant range. Our standardized range test includes rolling hills and uses throttle only to eliminate the variable of pedal assistance. In this test, we rode 31.9 miles with over 1500 feet of elevation gain without pedaling once.

The impressive range is due to the bike's large downtube-mounted 772Wh battery, which carries an IPX7 waterproof rating. With a few pedal strokes, or riding in a lower pedal assist setting, you could easily hit the stated range of 60 miles.

Power

The 700W hub motor is technically less powerful than the 750W we find on most Class 2/3 bikes today, but that is the motors nominal power rating and we found the peak power to crest 1200 watts. Sit back and hit the throttle and you can hit 20 mph in less than 8 seconds. In our hill test, we were able to maintain 19.1 mph and slowed to only 16.8 mph as the grade kicked up to 9%. The Haul feels more powerful than many of the other bikes we've tested with higher-wattage hub motors.

Five pedal assist (PAS) modes allow you to customize the power output. Mode 1 gives a subtle assist that feels like a gentle tailwind, while Mode 5 utilizes can push even the fully laden bike to rapid speeds with very little effort reuirted. The Haul uses a large 50-tooth chainring, allowing you to pedal to speeds well above the 20mph assisted maximum. At 28mph, the screen displays an error message and stops registering speed, so if we reach speeds above that, the bike isn't telling us.

Cargo Carrying

Despite its small stature, the Haul can seriously, well, Haul. With a maximum load of 419 lbs, you can basically carry anything you can strap to the bike. The 15.5" long rear cargo rack was designed specifically for this bike, and it provides some versatility but mainly serves as a place to bolt accessories and adapters. T-Channel aluminum rails on the top and sides of the rack allow users to bolt not just milk crates to the top but get creative and bolt to multiple surfaces.

If you want to carry a child or passenger, the handlebar and seat attach to the top of the rack, with the handlebar using T-bolts and the seat using Velcro. To further expand your hauling capabilities, Specialized offers a front rack and basket that attach to the head tube, as well as a smaller basket that attaches to the handlebar.

As with other electric cargo bikes, potential buyers should consider the cost and availability of accessories. Most cargo bikes on the market today offer accessories separately to unlock their maximum potential or carrying capacity. Compared to other bikes and manufacturers, Globe accessories and upgrades are numerous, offering various ways to carry your cargo. The Haul ST's short wheelbase makes it feel less like a cargo bike than many others. The lenght of the bike will allow it to fit on a standard bike rack, but only a few can handle its 80-plus-pound weight. If you plan to move the Haul on a bike rack, look for one with a loading ramp. (Our bike rack review can point you in the right direction.)

Interface

The e-bike interface that Specialized chose for this bike is an all-in-one screen and control unit located next to the left handlebar grip. While we prefer a centered display, we found no issues getting the necessary info from the small display. The buttons to increase and decrease PAS levels are a quick thumb reach away. Powering the bike on and off requires pushing a tiny little power button nestled in the center of the control panel. This proved difficult for fat-fingered testers and those wearing gloves.

If you want the full dashboard experience, you can mount your phone to the handlebars and use the Globe app, which shows a wide range of info and controls. You can use the app to change PAS and headlight settings, view battery level, projected range, and view an odometer. You can also lock the bike with the app, it won't prevent someone from riding off on it, but it will prevent them from being able to use any of the powered functions. The power button in the app allows you to turn the bike off, but does not allow you to power the bike on.

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On the side of the display, a USB port allows you to plug your phone in and keep the Globe app dashboard running. On the handlebar's right side, you have an included bell and switch for the incredibly bright headlight. It has several modes, including a strobe and an impressive 1500-lumen high beam. This is hands down, the best headlight we've seen on an electric bike thus far.

Assembly

This process could not be smoother. Specialized did their homework to make consumer-direct bicycle assembly straightforward, easy, and non-intimidating. When purchasing the bike online, you can have it sent to a bike shop and assembled for an extra $100. For those even slightly mechanically inclined or able to follow directions, this is easy to do yourself, though mounting the accessories is far more challenging.

Assembling the Haul ST is an absolute joy. The large 100-plus-pound box arrived with clear instructions on the outside. Twist the lock knobs at the bottom of the box and lift the top off. Inside is an almost completely assembled bike with clear, easy-to-read numbered steps marked with big yellow numbered stickers. All tools, including torque wrenches, were included with the easy-to-follow instructions. Assembling the bike did not require lifting it out of the box; you simply roll it out onto its center kickstand. Our total assembly time was 17 minutes! As someone who has assembled thousands of bikes from boxes over the years, the consumer-friendly aspect of this bike very welcome.

Should You Buy the Specialized Globe Haul ST?

We highly recommend the Haul ST if you're looking for a user-friendly cargo bike that can do the heavy lifting of replacing some car trips with a small footprint. The bike offers great ride quality, tremendous range, and versatility; it's also fun to ride. If you need to haul more than one kid/passenger or need a bike, you can carry it up the stairs; the Haul will not be the right bike for you.

What Other E-Bikes Should You Consider?

If you need a little more passenger room, the Aventon Abound LR and RadWagon 5 both provide that extra real estate at a good value. Both bikes have significantly larger footprints as a tradeoff. If you like the size and versatility of the Haul ST but want something a little more value-oriented, check out the Lectric XPedition 2.0. The XPedition feels slightly less refined but does an excellent job of hauling kids and gear.