I bought a Charger 4 Vario Automatic back in April and have since covered more than 1,350 miles. My use case was a utility bike to reduce my dependence on the car for shorter journeys.I was a keen commuting and leisure cyclist in my younger years, but I as pretty sure I wouldn’t manage all the journeys I had in mind on my old, but very good, Thorn touring bike.Most days I hitch up a trailer to the bike and take my two dogs up the hill to the local wind farm. A round trip of 12-15 miles depending on the exact route I take. The trailer weighs 9Kg, and the dogs a further 9Kg each; so a total towing weight of around 27Kg. The total climb for the ride is 250m – 275m, again depending on the exact route taken. At weekends I also do two 14-mile round trips to the church where I minister.The Charger has been a revelation in that I can do both journeys in a predictable and consistent time, regardless of how tired I am. Sometimes I put in more effort, other times I let the bike help more. In practice, this means I cycle far more often than would be the case with an ordinary bike. I now go out in all weathers and positively enjoy exercising. I feel fitter and healthier as a result.I did wonder if the Enviolo hub (Vario) would have enough range for my needs, but it turns out to be perfect. If I extend my cycling to longer and more challenging routes, I may feel the need for a wider range of gears, but hopefully I’ll be fitter and stronger by then which will compensate.The automatic gear box works well. Most of the time I leave the Bosch motor in ”Auto” mode and just pedal. It is nice to be in the right gear every time. There is, however, a lack of involvement in managing the bike, which I do miss. Despite finding the Vario Automatic more than adequate for my needs, if I were buying again, I’d get the Touring or Rohloff model instead.When buying the Charger I did look briefly at the Load60 as alternative to a trailer for the dogs. I was very taken by the videos of Rufus and Alba on the EDEMO website but decided that being able to transport the bike on the car was more important. In retrospect, having used the bike and trailer extensively, I think I made a mistake. I can count on one hand the number of times I have put the bike on the car and the convenience of a single, albeit slightly longer, bike would easily outweigh the ability to transport the bike occasionally.Knowing what I now know, I would ideally have a cargo bike for dog walks and future tours, together with a lighter commuting e-bike for other trips, and perhaps a nice folding Birdy bike to take on holiday – I’ll need to start saving!The team at EDEMO were very helpful during the purchasing process, especially AJ who patiently answered all my questions. Their post-sale support has also been very good.I highly recommend EDEMO and Reiss and Muller bikes in general.
Response from the owner: Thank you so much for sharing your detailed experience with the Charger 4 Vario Automatic! We're thrilled to hear how it's transformed your journeys. If you ever decide to explore a cargo bike in the future, we’d love to help you find the perfect one. Thanks again for the recommendation and we'll let AJ know your kind feedback!