I've got about 100 miles on my new Packa, mixed commuting and big hills (I live on a giant hill, so the return trip is very steep). It's a great bike, very solid and well designed, especially the frame and rack. I have it set up now with Arkel panniers and a Thule basket, and have been using it for grocery runs, riding around town for errands, etc. Attachment points are many, varied. I should add that I've owned other cargo bikes (electric and standard), and find the Packa to be a pretty great deal. It's definitely not as refined as an Xtracycle or Benno, but for the price it does exactly what it should and does it well. I don't have small kids anymore, but I imagine it would be fantastic as a kid hauler. I won't say much about the drive system as it's very standard, not much different from what you'd get on comparable bikes. It's not a mid drive, so there's no point in comparing the two. The adjustable stem is great, and the bars and grips are comfortable. Frame geometry is spot on, especially for a one-size-fits all. Now for the weak points. Brakes are adequate, but on the cheap side. I had to take the bike to my local shop to adjust out the rub on the front brake, which was the result of a warped rotor that I wasn't able to true myself (I used to be a mechanic, and this was actually the first time I've ever had to bring one of my bikes to a shop). Blix promptly reimbursed me for the $15 repair bill. The kickstand was garbage and gave out after a few uses. It came loose during a ride, then the threads stripped out before I hit max torque. The guy I talked to at Blix (who was great, by the way), gave me a link for a better one on Amazon, which I ordered, and then Blix reimbursed me for that, too. It works great, and hopefully they'll start to spec this one on new Packas. My only other issue is the seat post, which has clamps that are a little too narrow for the Brooks saddle I intended to use on this bike. I haven't experienced this before, but the seat isn't bad, and it proved a good excuse to order a thud buster suspension seat post, which isn't a bad idea anyway as my city has more potholes and cracks than smooth sections. All in all, a great bike that's proving to be well worth the initial hiccups.
Dual / Teal