The ride, with the Burley attached to haul 25 pounds of discarded carrots, pumpkins, and coffee grinds, was impressively smooth and seamless even over rugged, patched-up side roads. Because the MG Doble isn’t an electric bike and might not be allowed on bike paths depending on the municipality, I rode it on the city streets as if I were driving a car.
That’s when I realized just how small the MG Doble is compared to a garbage truck. That’s also when I realized that, on a street, I had to be on the highest power level, moving at 20 mph, to keep up with the pace of traffic. When starting up again in power level three after a stop sign, I found that the twist-grip throttle was sensitive and would surge ahead.
On the way home, with an empty trailer, I took the MG Doble up the steepest street I could find, which happens to be near my house and is about a 16 percent grade. At full throttle, the digital speedometer topped out at about 12.5 miles per hour—enough to get me up the hill, but surprisingly slow for a bike that feels like a bucking bronco on the flats.
To test its dual-human capacity, I took Brian out for a joy ride after work one day. It took me a few blocks to get used to balancing another body on back. After a few miles I revved it up into High, stopping at a busy street crossing. When traffic was clear, I revved the throttle once more and the bike reared up into an accidental wheelie.
Brian slid off the back, while the bike kept moving forward until I lifted my hand off the throttle—a counterintuitive action because I was simultaneously trying to not fall off. It was funny at the time, because it was my first motorized wheelie and neither of us were hurt, but it was also horrifying because if I had done that in front of an oncoming car, we would have both been toast.
The Good and the Bad
Photograph: Steph Pearson
There are a lot of practical uses for the MG Doble that will make life way more fun, like hauling surfboards to the beach through un-busy streets; hauling picked apples through an orchard; riding across a bucolic school or work campus with few cars; or throwing it on your RV’s bike rack to use it as a campground vehicle.
But there are also a few reasons to pause before purchasing. If budget is an issue, the accessories that make this bike so functional add up quickly. With no pedaling involved whatsoever, the MG Doble doesn’t provide a shred of exercise. And since the Doble is not legally an electric bike, it’s a toss-up, in many cities, to ride it legally on a bike path. If you have to ride on city streets, it’s up to you to navigate the risks that come with them.
