The Moustache Lundi 20 – The French brand’s first E-cargo bike in review

The Moustache Lundi 20 is the French brand’s first E-cargo bike and it’s bristling with clever details. Our review of the E-cargo bike proves it to be more than just an eye-catcher with innovative cargo carrying solutions, a clean design, good handling on asphalt and only minor flaws.

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With a handlebar shaped like an oversized moustache, the Lundi 20 stays true to the French brand’s name, founded in 2011 and specialising in ebikes. Their first E-cargo bike should grace city streets by January 2022. Thanks to the electric motor, the only thing you’ll find steaming on your weekend trip to the market is the hot cup of coffee and freshly baked bread in the front basket.The large basket up front allows you to relish the smells of freshly baked bread and lightly roasted single-origin coffee beans on your weekend trip to the market. SoThanks to the electric motor, you don’t have to break a sweat as you cruise along, waving to your neighbours and whistling a happy tune. When you arrive back home with a big smile on your face, you can simply lift your luggage from the rack and… Wait, can someone please turn down the chanson playing on the radio?

The Lundi 20 is meant to be far more than a stylish accessory on two wheels. Lundi means Monday, and Monday means getting to work, which this bike seems perfectly capable of with its versatile passenger and cargo-carrying solutions and robust motor. But how does the Moustache fare when you grab it by the whiskers and put it to work? Read on to find out!

The Lundi 20 in detail

With a short front end and an extended rack behind the saddle, the Moustache Lundi belongs to the category of long-tail cargo bikes. However, it’s relatively compact and light for a cargo bike and can still be lifted over obstacles if necessary. The rear rack relies on the MIK HD standard and is Ortlieb QL3 compatible, whereas the front rack only fulfils the regular MIK standard. Why? Because children are better off sitting on the back of the bike, according to Moustache. Beneath the racks, you’ll find small 20″ wheels fitted with high-volume balloon tires supplied by Schwalbe. Hugging these are mudguards and lights. Thanks to an integrated accelerometer, the rear light shines brighter when you hit the brakes – a nice safety bonus.

Simplicity instead of complexity

Your only sources of comfort aboard the Lundi are the voluminous tires and integrated air shock in the seat post. The air shock can be adjusted to suit different body weights by adjusting the pressure, offering around 15 mm travel to absorb bumps. However, the aluminium frame and fork themselves are fully rigid. Moustache’s reasoning behind this is that it’s simpler, requires less maintenance and is more reliable. It also contributes to the fact that the Lundi 20 weighs just 33 kg, which is half as much as the KETTLER Cargoline. Nevertheless, the Lundi 20 meets the DIN 79010 standard, relevant when transporting goods and children. With a maximum permissible weight of 200 km, an 85 kg rider would be left with a whopping 82 kg carrying capacity, with the rear rack limited to 70 kg of load. What you transport depends on the task at hand and the chosen setup. As standard, the Lundi 20 comes fitted with the rear luggage rack and railing, which protects your luggage and children as you ride. Moustache’s catalogue offers a vast range of options to tailor the Lundi 20 more specifically to your needs, including a child seat with a belt, a minimalist shell for taller passengers, and various bag solutions. We’ll get to the Lundi’s handling in a moment. First, let’s take a look at the motor that gets this E-cargo bike going even when loaded to maximum capacity.

Bosch Cargo Line with one or two batteries

Sitting between the cranks of the Moustache, you’ve got an 85 Nm Bosch Cargo Line motor to support you on your daily errands through Paris or wherever you live. The external 500 Wh Bosch PowerPack battery is attached to the down tube of the Lundi’s aluminium frame, where it’s nicely protected by the top tube just above it. If you choose one of the recommended DualBattery variants, you’ll have a second 500 Wh battery hanging on the back of the seat tube, providing a total of 1,000 Wh. That would allow you to make several trips around town before recharging, though it depends on your riding style and the weight of your cargo. The Bosch Intuvia display shows you how much range is left, though it’s somewhat outdated and doesn’t have a colour display. Here too, simplicity is Moustache’s trump card. On the handlebar, you’ll also find the very intuitive twist-grip of the Enviolo hub offering a 380 % gear range and the dropper post remote with which you can adjust the saddle height. The dropper post makes climbing on and off the bike and sharing Lundi 20 with others a whole lot easier!

Belt instead of chain

On the Lundi 20, the conventional chain is replaced by a reliable, low-maintenance GATES belt. It’s a neat solution with no derailleur hanging off the back of the bike, which adds to the Moustache’s clean look. In addition to this, the plastic cover over the rear wheel also adds a level of safety. That way, you’re unlikely to get anything stuck in the spokes. It’s not just convenient when hauling goods but a necessary protective measure for children’s feet when they let their legs dangle off the back seat. When necessary, the hydraulic disc brakes from MAGURA can bring the E-cargo bike reliably to a halt. Performing just as convincingly is the stand on which the Lundi 20 rests, becoming more stable the heavier your cargo.

Handling

To ride the Moustache, you must first swing your leg over the low top tube. Doing so doesn’t require any ballet training, though the paintwork of the top tube scratches quite easily. Cover it with a transparent strip of protective tape and you’re good to go. Once aboard the bike, fine-tuning the saddle height is easy using the dropper post remote. If the dropper post doesn’t extend or drop far enough, you can further adjust the seat post height in the seat tube. According to Moustache, the Lundi can comfortably accommodate anyone measuring between 155 cm and 190 cm tall. Indeed, “comfortably” is the correct term, as the riding position is very upright and relaxed. The moustache shaped handlebar is swept back, putting the grips right in front of you. Time to get it off the stand and go for a ride!

The motor – A smooth affair

The Bosch Cargo Line motor kicks in inconspicuously, gently and predictably easing the rider’s load until it smoothly cuts out at the 25 km/h limit. In contrast to the Bosch Performance Line CX motor, it isn’t its liveliness that immediately stands out but its supreme suppleness. On asphalt, the Lundi rolls exceptionally well on its wide balloon tires, making you yearn for the DualBattery version, giving you a total of 1,000 Wh to keep on cruising through the city. The contact points on the handlebar feel comfortable, and the Enviolo twist-grip shifter is as intuitive to use as the throttle on a motorcycle. The Bosch remote is simple and easy to use. However, the Intuvia display is slightly too simple for everyday use. It doesn’t just lack a navigation function but also has to make do without other smart features. Since you can’t easily attach a smartphone to the angular handlebar, we felt a bit disconnected aboard the Lundi 20.

However, this helps you concentrate fully on the ride, which pays off aboard the Moustache! No matter your skill level, you’ll have fun riding the Lundi 20! The Moustache is agile and manoeuvrable, though it never feels nervous. We had a blast weaving back and forth through corners. When you feel like going fast, the reinforced front triangle and the well-chosen fork rake provide for a smooth flight.

Intuitive handling thanks to a relatively short wheelbase

Unlike some other cargo bikes we’ve tested, the handling of the Lundi 20 remains good-natured even when hauling a heavy load, which is excellent. Even with 70 kg (Clément) on the back seat, slow corners and steep climbs were no problem. Despite the long-tail construction, the Moustache’s rear wheel doesn’t trail far behind. The reason for this is the comparatively short 1.85 m wheelbase. On cargo bikes with a significantly longer design, you’ll occasionally find yourself accidentally riding through a hole with the rear wheel even though you gave it a wide berth with the front. The compact Lundi 20 makes it easier to predict the rear wheel’s path. That’s a good thing because the Moustache doesn’t cope well with rough terrain due to the low profile tires and rigid frame. As the rider, you have the benefit of the suspended seat post. However, we recommend grabbing the powerful MAGURA brakes and bringing the Lundi down to a more manageable speed before your passengers, your luggage or the weekly shopping bounce off the bike. Considering this, the Moustache isn’t suitable for riding off-road.

Off-bike handling

Some of the Lundi 20’s best features only come to light when you’re standing beside it instead of riding it. For example, this cargo bike can stand. Not just on the aforementioned stand, but also upright! To do this, you must lift it onto the specially designed bumpers of the rear rack. When standing upright, it occupies a patch about the size of a doormat, and the handlebar stays straight.

The Lundi’s turning circle is nice and small, which is particularly beneficial when pushing the bike, parking it or navigating busy streets. If you’re going to park the Moustache outdoors, you’ll have to take the external batteries inside to protect them from theft. Since they’re readily accessible, doing so is easy enough. Thanks to the wraparound bar, loading the Moustache with cargo is child’s play. Crates of drinks fit on the Lundi almost as well as they do on top of each other. Generally, the MIK system makes adapting the rack for different purposes an absolute pleasure. It’s unbelievable how quickly you can switch back and forth between having a kid’s shuttle, shopping trolley and beverage truck! As such, the Lundi 20 is an excellent E-cargo bike for the whole family.

Our conclusion about the Moustache Lundi 20

The Moustache Lundi 20 is a charming E-cargo bike packed with clever features and workhorse qualities. On asphalt, the cargo bike convinced us with its neat simplicity, sophisticated transport solutions and excellent handling even when fully loaded. That said, it turns its nose up at bumpy terrain, but that doesn’t do much to cloud the otherwise positive impression the Moustache makes.

Words: Moritz Geisreiter & Benjamin Topf Photos: Thibault Linossier, Moustache