Hands-On With Mod’s New Easy Sidecar E-Bike

Mod Bikes' Easy Sidecar 3 is probably the coolest bike I've ever ridden.

It looks like one of those old World War II motorcycles, with its "gas" tank (where the battery is) and delightfully retro sidecar, complete with a little seat, seatbelt, and easy on-and-off hardware.

It took me, a newbie to bike assembly, about 4 hours to put together the bike and sidecar. The directions came in both written and video form, and they were fairly easy to follow.

Once put together, I took the Easy Sidecar 3 out for a quick jaunt and found out quickly that riding a bike as cool-looking as this was going to take some practice. Even with a little weight put into the sidecar (I dropped my paddleboard in like I might go to the lake), the way you ride a sidecar bike is very different than you do a typical two-wheeler.

Making a left turn pushes you into the sidecar, which is great for balance but a little tricky to get used to. It's the right turns that really need practice. When going that direction, inertia pushes you to the left, which also pulls the sidecar up a little, sometimes into the air. While other reviewers feel this is a fun feature, it just did not feel safe to me, especially if I were to put a child in there (the weight limit is 150 pounds). With a quick video consult with designer and founder Dor Korngold, I learned that going slow and having some weight in the sidecar is the best way to feel safe when riding with it attached.

The Origin of Mod Easy Sidecar 3

Designer Dor Korngold created this bike in his garage, taking time to get it just right.

"The sidecar actually started as a matching trailer for my bike so I could carry stuff around," he told Lifewire in an email. "Later, it evolved into the sidecar, which completed the classic design, and it has evolved a lot since the company was founded."

Regardless of how you want to use the sidecar, you're gonna look amazing while doing it.

"We have customers who do a lot of cool stuff with the sidecar; some parents with disabled kids use the sidecar to help them to enjoy riding bicycles," Korngold said. "We have a customer who carries her pigs in it, and we have a customer who converted the sidecar into a mobile coffee shop.”

Carrying Dogs in the Mod Easy Sidecar 3

The use cases for this bike are pretty amazing (pigs!), so after some practice, I braved the world with my two dogs, one at a time, in the sidecar. There are two D-rings in the bottom of the sidecar itself which can be used to attach a short leash to keep the dogs from hopping out. I have two dogs, a beagle and a tiny chihuahua, and they both were fairly uncertain about the whole experience. A few treats and some distance later, and they were chilling out in the sidecar on the soft blanket I had set in there.

Our beagle, Gus, truly loved the wind in his face, his ears flying back when we hit the straightaways. Lil Su, our chihuahua, eventually settled down into the blanket and took the ride from inside the nose of the sidecar. Both animals had a pretty good time of it, and as long as I took any right turns slowly, it felt like a great way to take them along to places like the weekend market or a local parade.

Using the Mod Easy Sidecar 3

The bike itself is pretty fantastic. It's got a torque sensor pedal assist system and a throttle. There are four modes of assist, too: Eco, Fit, Cargo, Sport, and Turbo.

Fit mode has a slow, 5A current assist and will limit your speed to 20 mph (pedal assist only—no throttle). It's slow to start, and the torque assist sensitivity is low. The Eco mode limits you to 20 mph but gives you 10A of current to the motor and can start a little faster off the line with a higher sensitivity than Fit mode. Cargo mode gives you more current, 17A, and has a faster start but a low sensitivity for torque, while Sport and Turbo modes provide 17A and 20A assist, respectively. All modes besides Fit have the throttle available, which allows a speed of 20 mph. Cargo, Sport, and Turbo modes all allow 28 mph when using pedal assist.

Flying down the bike path at 28 mph is a delight, as is speeding in the bike lane at near car speeds. Of course, you'll want to use your helmet, and the Mod Easy pairs with a Lumos smart helmet. You can use the bike's turn signals and brakes, and the helmet will match, making for an even safer ride in traffic.

When the sidecar is attached, pedaling can be a little tricky on the right side, as my right foot kept hitting the mounting hardware. A simple adjustment to pedaling with the middle of my foot took care of that, but of course, you can always just use the throttle. Speeding at more than 20 mph with a sidecar makes very little sense unless you're some sort of daredevil.

Is the Mod Easy Sidecar 3 Worth It?

Let's be super clear, this e-bike isn't cheap. The $4,190 price tag might scare some off, but to be honest, this is a lot of bike for the cost.

You'll get an amazing, solid cargo-style e-bike with killer software features and lovely little extras like a trunk bag, folding lock, phone holder, and smart helmet, that can carry up to 400 pounds across the bike and sidecar. It's got a powerful 750 W motor, a huge battery that just lasts and lasts, a fantastic disc braking system, and a torque-sensing pedal assist that feels like its best in class.

Add to that the coolest-looking sidecar for your kids and canine friends (not to mention porcine!), and you've got an amazing setup that will garner envious looks from everyone you ride past.