The Tern GSD – perfect for hauling a couple of kids, your partner for date night, or a whole lot of stuff. She’s your true, blue second car replacement and, with 80% of our Good Movers rolling around on one, we know she’s a crowd favourite. With the hotly anticipated release of the Tern GSD Gen3, we caught up with Jordan from Tern Bicycles Australia to find out why it’s causing such a stir!
How did you land in your role with Tern Bicycles Australia, what inspires you about the work you do?
I’ve come from a background in Environmental Engineering, so a little different than the cycling world. Transitioning into working with Lug+Carrie and now directly with Tern Bicycles has been fantastic and still allows me to advocate for sustainability in cities and lifestyles.
A Tern GSD is at the premium end of cargo bikes on the market, what car would you compare it to and why?
Sometimes it’s helpful to make the car comparison because these bikes, well, they’re not really ‘bikes’. You can carry passengers and a lot of stuff and you can ride further and faster than on a regular bike. I’d compare it to a compact SUV like the Volvo XC60. It’s premium, but with a strong focus on utility and practicality. It’s incredibly safe and reliable. And, while it carries A LOT of stuff, it’s compact enough to fit in tight spaces and zip you and your passengers around the city.
You ride a Tern GSD yourself…what’s your all time favourite riding memory?
I sure do. I don’t have young kids but the GSD is still such a great bike for plenty of my daily life – nights out with my partner, lugging my dog to work or down to the river in his trailer, or just getting home a bit easier and safer if I’ve had a late evening at the office. I’m also lucky enough to be able to represent the Tern Bicycles brand by riding our entire eBike range. I can tell you my favourite memory riding the GSD, the HSD, the Orox, the Quick Haul, the Quick Haul Long, the Vektron, and even the NBD but I think we’ll run out of room.
The cargo bike community is pretty excited about the Tern GSD Gen3 launch, why do you think that is?
It speaks to how well loved the first and second Generation GSD models are here in Australia. There are more and more GSDs on the street and GSD owners love to rave about their bike to anyone who will listen, so the interest keeps growing. The GSD Gen 2 was launched in early 2021, so there’s also a lot of excitement about what’s new.
For those that already ride a GSD (Gen1 or Gen2) how would their riding experience on the GSD Gen3 be different?
The Gen 3 is the same functional GSD design that people love – compact, shareable, foldable, customisable, reliable. But, it is now more stable and can carry more (including accommodating a larger rider). It’s more connected with smart features for theft protection, ride customisation and navigation. And it is safer with a built-in Bosch Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). Also, bound to be popular, is the USB charger for your phone…or fairy lights!
The Tern GSD Gen3 models will begin at $9,595. There are a number of long tail cargoes priced around $5000, why such a difference in price?
Pricing on our GSD platform does reflect the reliability, durability, and safety built into the design. The Bosch motor and battery systems are safe and certified and the bike is designed and tested to recognised cargo bike standards. The fact that it’s practical and functional as well as bloody good to ride (and look at) are all factors that come into the final price point.
Features aside, we like to keep it simple when communicating value for new cargo eBike families. Invest in something that’s safe to carry your passengers and that you can trust will still get you home in years to come.
Tern has increased the carrying capacity of the GSD by 10kg to 210. What does this actually mean and what could you actually carry?
This extra 10kg doesn’t sound like much but it was really important to us. A key design aspect is the accessibility and shareability of our GSD. Widening the height range to cover 150-200cm riders and increasing the maximum rider weight to 130kg means more riders can enjoy a GSD. But it also means the overall loading capacity of the bike has increased to 210kg total.
To break this down – my sister plus two nieces would make up around half that cargo capacity, a bit under a quarter goes to the bike and accessories, leaving around 60kg of free cargo space. That’s two weeks worth of groceries according to ChatGPT. Get Stuff Done.
Tern are known for their mix and match accessories, are there any new ones with this release?
Our accessory ecosystem is one of the most popular features of the Tern cargo eBike range. Ensuring the existing passenger and cargo accessories are compatible for new models is important to us and there’s no exception with the Gen 3 GSD.
Some exciting new ones that have launched with GSD are the Tern Sun Shield, the Tern Rain Shield and the Tern Mudshield. We’re looking forward to making these available for customers to view and try out a couple of months before the GSD lands.
We’re proud to be working with Lug+Carrie to offer Australian families up to five different GSD models with the choice to purchase on a weekly subscription, buy refurbished for value, or buy new if it suits you.
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Lug+Carrie’s GSD Gen3s will land this Spring and we we’ll have two different models. The GSD S10 in Beetle Blue is for you if want the newest Tern and Bosch features, including the Bosch Smart System. The GSD P00 in Satin Beige is for you if you’re after a belt drive and internally geared hub (IGH). The Enviolo drivetrain on the P00 is popular for being easy to operate, quiet, smooth, clean, and low-maintenance.
Find out more and pre-order now:
