Advice. Looking for an ebike to bring my 4.5 yo to school 1 mile away in NYC

[mschwett]

Hi all, new member here. I'm 50 yo been biking to and from work daily during the pandemic.

I will need to drop the 4.5 yo to school in the Fall. Then bike to work 3.5 bikes away. I would need to pick up after school.

I also have a 2.5 yo who may need to be part of the drop off and pick up in the same school in a year or 2.

the elevation is pretty flat in downtown Manhattan, NYC. The winter is cold, so thus an ebike.

I worry about the bike being stolen as I will need to lock it either in front of my work or bring it into the building, but the elevator is pretty small, maybe it can fit 68 inch length bike.

I looked into radwagon, but its way too long. Maybe the radrunner 2 for the older one and a mod seat for the younger one in front of me.

I also heard about KBO cargo bike, but have not read any reviews on it.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you!

how heavy is the 4.5 year old currently? one child in the 40lb range is really no big deal for almost any e-bike with a rack or frame mounted seat, especially since manhattan is flat. many such bikes will fit diagonally in your elevator - although I don’t do it regularly I roll my commuter/kid drop off bike into our very small 1920s elevator from time to time, no problem. measure, of course.

two kids, on the other hand, with one 6 years old and likely closer to 50lb, is definitely dedicated cargo bike territory. an upright-storing tern would work great. many, many, many moms and dads here ride mid or long tail cargo e-bikes with two kids on the back. of course, we don’t have winter really.

I take my 4 year old to school on this just about every day, in hilly San Francisco - but my 10 year old rides her own bike or scooter. Never had them both on the same bike, just too much weight and would need too big a bike.

 

[mschwett]

if you’re willing to go for a more $$ bike, this is a unique option that carries two kids of the sizes you’re talking about and is close to the length of a “regular” bike…

WorkCycles Fr8 RWD Family - smooth and sophisticated electric assist

WorkCycles Fr8 RWD Family a deluxe electric assist version of our versatile and sweet riding Fr8 transport bike with Neodrives rear wheel motor

workcycles.com

 

[Babonk]

Hi all, new member here. I'm 50 yo been biking to and from work daily during the pandemic.

I will need to drop the 4.5 yo to school in the Fall. Then bike to work 3.5 bikes away. I would need to pick up after school.

I also have a 2.5 yo who may need to be part of the drop off and pick up in the same school in a year or 2.

the elevation is pretty flat in downtown Manhattan, NYC. The winter is cold, so thus an ebike.

I worry about the bike being stolen as I will need to lock it either in front of my work or bring it into the building, but the elevator is pretty small, maybe it can fit 68 inch length bike.

I looked into radwagon, but its way too long. Maybe the radrunner 2 for the older one and a mod seat for the younger one in front of me.

I also heard about KBO cargo bike, but have not read any reviews on it.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you!

i'm transporting a 4.5 year old and sometime a friend on my Benno boost, which im loving. the tern hsd might be a good option too, especially with its vertical standing storage possibility.

 

[John Ni]

Thanks all for the response!

I'm hoping to purchase a bike by August to start dropoff for my 5yo. She will probably be around 45+lb by then. The drop off is 1 mile on flat bike lane in Manhattan. Then I will bike 3 miles to work. I was thinking of a longtail b/c in 1 or 2 years later, I will have to drop off my 3yo. They will both be 7 and 5 in two years. No point in buying another bike then.

I currently bike every day except when it rains and snows to work on my dahon folding bike. I could probably get a non ebike but may be cutting it close getting to work also, since I'll be biking daily, I dont want to be tired for work.

I should be able to store it in the building's basement and lock it right outside of work. I'll probably need to get a kryptonite lock and chain it to the back and an airbus ulock for the front wheel. I'll check out the list of recommended locks someone shared. Maybe I'll get the velosurance. I'll look into that.

I'm thinking of the radwagon 4 w tax and accessories, it should come out to $2500. Hoping there will be a sale soon.
I'm also open to the blix since the price is similar.
Maybe a KBO ranger for $1700, but don't think the bike can really carry two kids.

The tern looks nice, but I can't justify paying over 5K for a ebike.

Thanks all!

 

[ColeWorld]

Thanks all for the response!

I'm hoping to purchase a bike by August to start dropoff for my 5yo. She will probably be around 45+lb by then. The drop off is 1 mile on flat bike lane in Manhattan. Then I will bike 3 miles to work. I was thinking of a longtail b/c in 1 or 2 years later, I will have to drop off my 3yo. They will both be 7 and 5 in two years. No point in buying another bike then.

I currently bike every day except when it rains and snows to work on my dahon folding bike. I could probably get a non ebike but may be cutting it close getting to work also, since I'll be biking daily, I dont want to be tired for work.

I should be able to store it in the building's basement and lock it right outside of work. I'll probably need to get a kryptonite lock and chain it to the back and an airbus ulock for the front wheel. I'll check out the list of recommended locks someone shared. Maybe I'll get the velosurance. I'll look into that.

I'm thinking of the radwagon 4 w tax and accessories, it should come out to $2500. Hoping there will be a sale soon.
I'm also open to the blix since the price is similar.
Maybe a KBO ranger for $1700, but don't think the bike can really carry two kids.

The tern looks nice, but I can't justify paying over 5K for a ebike.

Thanks all!

I’m surprised there haven’t been more recommendations to use a bike trailer. A Burley Bee trailer is $330 and can hold up to 100 pounds. You could then pair that with whatever ebike meets your needs and budget. If I were you, I’d ask the daycare if you can fold up the trailer and store it there while you’re at work. Then you bike to daycare, take 30 seconds to unhitch and fold it, and bike the rest of the way to work without a trailer.

Trailers are also safer than bike seats according to the AAP.

 

[TrevorB]

Look for 2nd cargo bike and fit ebike kit to it. Try it for few weeks first before committing to kit.

 

[mschwett]

I’m surprised there haven’t been more recommendations to use a bike trailer. A Burley Bee trailer is $330 and can hold up to 100 pounds. You could then pair that with whatever ebike meets your needs and budget. If I were you, I’d ask the daycare if you can fold up the trailer and store it there while you’re at work. Then you bike to daycare, take 30 seconds to unhitch and fold it, and bike the rest of the way to work without a trailer.

Trailers are also safer than bike seats according to the AAP.

trailers are really sketch in dense urban environments. the bike/trailer combo is much too long for manuevering and the trailer is so low that high vehicles can't really see it. while i see them riding through the city to get to more open/rural/suburban locations, i don't know anyone personally who uses them for inter-city transport of kids. there's also zero chance an urban daycare/preschool/k-12 would keep your folded up trailer for you! i actually asked once if i could leave my toddler's bike seat there and you'd think i asked if i could club baby seals!

 

[ColeWorld]

trailers are really sketch in dense urban environments. the bike/trailer combo is much too long for manuevering and the trailer is so low that high vehicles can't really see it. while i see them riding through the city to get to more open/rural/suburban locations, i don't know anyone personally who uses them for inter-city transport of kids. there's also zero chance an urban daycare/preschool/k-12 would keep your folded up trailer for you! i actually asked once if i could leave my toddler's bike seat there and you'd think i asked if i could club baby seals!

Good point, the dense urban environment does make it tougher. With only a mile to the daycare, it really depends on the specific route.

Also, my experience with daycares has been different than yours. We had two daycares in downtown Chicago and both allowed us to leave a folded up stroller during the day when needed.

 

[mschwett]

Good point, the dense urban environment does make it tougher. With only a mile to the daycare, it really depends on the specific route.

Also, my experience with daycares has been different than yours. We had two daycares in downtown Chicago and both allowed us to leave a folded up stroller during the day when needed.

that’s very kind of them! they are seriously sticklers for any kind of rule you can imagine out here …

 

[dpw]

Glad this discussion is here. I’m starting to see the end of my 40lb bike seat, and looking for a solution.

Something like this from Amazon could do the trick. I’d like monkey bars for it ideally for extra safety. Anyone seen monkey bars for a regular sized rear rack? (My rack is very heavy duty)
Also, a skirt rack to keep little feet out of wheels is very important!

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B071CKQ3YW?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_JM7AH5KGNCT1S4NREVPP

I’m quite bummed Thule isn’t shipping their Yepp Junior to Canada anymore. Looks very trust worthy.

Thule Yepp Junior Budget rear child bike seat, Black | Bikeinn

Get Thule Yepp Junior Budget in Black Grey for 0 $. Ideal for bike with fast delivery. Buy Child bike seats at Bikeinn!

www.bikeinn.com

 

[Bicyclista]

@John Ni, have you taken a look at the Bike Friday Ever-E-Day Electric Cargo Bike? It has a compact 43 to 47-inch variable wheelbase so it would probably fit in an elevator and you could bring it inside for security. However, by the time you add everything you need to carry passengers you are probably looking at spending around $4,000. I only mention it in case you can afford it but were unwilling to spend that much for fear it would be stolen if left outside. Since this is a compact bike that you could bring inside, the security issue would be addressed and you might feel better about spending more.

 

[John Ni]

Thanks Bicyclista. I love how compact the bike is, but a bit flimsy and pricey. I saw a guy on the street tonight with a rad power pike and welded the monkey bars from Black Friday brand and was able to bring his 9 and 4 yo around. The tires on the rad power bike looks sturdy. Now, I'm reconsidering getting such a long bike like the radwagon all together for a shorter bike.

 

[Bicyclista]

Thanks Bicyclista. I love how compact the bike is, but a bit flimsy and pricey. I saw a guy on the street tonight with a rad power pike and welded the monkey bars from Black Friday brand and was able to bring his 9 and 4 yo around. The tires on the rad power bike looks sturdy. Now, I'm reconsidering getting such a long bike like the radwagon all together for a shorter bike.

My daughter has a Radwagon that she uses to ferry her 2-year-old to day care. She likes it a lot. Fortunately, she does not have to deal with elevators nor with security. She lives in Seattle. Rad makes good, entry-level bikes.