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

John Ni

John Ni

New Member
Region
USA
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!
 
What kind of bike lanes do you have there? Sure hope you don't have to ride streets with that precious cargo! If you will have to carry two kids, a long cargo bike is the way to go.
 
The Tern GSD can be balanced upright on its back rack, the handlebar post folds, and the seatpost telescopes down, which is ideal for elevators or storage. It is expensive, so you might look at Tern's new Quick Haul model that doesn't have the folding features but can still be stored upright.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1172589834541531136
Tern-Quick-Haul-cargo-bike-Chelsey-Magness-review-09-e1646781765716.jpg
 
rich c said:
What kind of bike lanes do you have there? Sure hope you don't have to ride streets with that precious cargo! If you will have to carry two kids, a long cargo bike is the way to go.
Click to expand...
Its all bike lanes. Flat surface. Do you know of any short cargo ebikes? I looked at the redwagon 4, 78 inches wont fit in my elevator.
 
Dewey said:
The Tern GSD can be balanced upright on its back rack, the handlebar post folds, and the seatpost telescopes down, which is ideal for elevators or storage. It is expensive, so you might look at Tern's new Quick Haul model that doesn't have the folding features but can still be stored upright.
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1172589834541531136
Tern-Quick-Haul-cargo-bike-Chelsey-Magness-review-09-e1646781765716.jpg
Click to expand...
Thats cool. $3k is pricey. Living in NYC, there's always a chance it can get stolen, so I rather not invest so much into it. Also, it only holds one child in the back. Ideally, I can hold 2 kids in a year or two. Thanks.
 
Rome said:
^ stand it up for the short ride in the elevator.
Click to expand...
this might be a dumb question, but the radwagon 4 is 77lbs, is that doable? I'm 5 10, 165lbs, I think I can left it up. I guess I should measure the diagonal dimensions of the elevator.
 
John Ni said:
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!
Click to expand...
My vote is for one of the Tern models that can carry two kids , if it is in your price range. I would want the strongest motor for pulling three people. Another option is the Benno Boost CX step thru.
 
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I don't think any stretch frame cargo bike will roll in a 68" elevator. Personally I hate 20" wheels, but you might have perfect pavement in NYC. Blix packa & Eunorau Max are 24" wheel stretch frame bikes. Radwagon4 is 22" wheel.
You might get a surface werk which has a bracket in the front to mount a basket on that you don't steer. Small child seat goes up there. Another goes on the back. https://surface604bikes.com/products/2022-werk
FIts only 68" or above, and weight limit is 285 lb.
As the kid in front grows, you would have to buy a trailer or one of those half bikes that hitch to the back of the regular bike. I view trailers full of a child in traffic as a safety hazard. Plus the rough ride of 16" wheels. The half bikes at least have a 20" wheel.
there was a butchers bike sold in Arizona once, with a huge non-steering front basket. But the name butcher's bike has been taken over by a Denmark company that has a bike about 96" long.
You might cut the theft potential by avoiding electric power. I can pedal 330 lb gross 30 miles including 80 hills, some up to 15% grade, at 8-9 mph. I'm age 71 and weigh 160 lb. However, my special power is I don't sweat much. Then with two security chains or slings the bike might be too much trouble to steal. Use a gas meter or live 440 VAC conduit as tether, not a sheet metal bike loop bolted to the sidewalk. Power poles attract a lot of attention when they are sawed down, too. This is not NYC but I lock my bike up to one of those 2 or 3 times a week for shopping meetings or concerts. 6' of 1/2" SS steel cable https://www.mcmaster.com/8942T15 has bamboozled them every time so far. Abus 92/80 lock with 12 mm pin & 1" body. I use the superceded 3/8" SS sling on the power wheel too down by the Greyhound station.
 
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I had a similar case, but thinking about the safety of children - I changed my mind to take ebike. Also my wife was not happy with the idea. In general it was easier for me when the kids were in distance learning, but now everyone is back in school. My son wants to go to duke university and based on the information here on the resource with application essay examples, the requirements there are serious. I hope to start saving money by buying an ebike.
 
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Having lived in Stuy Town for 5 years, best bet is inside with battery and seat removed. If you can, lock it to something permanent, otherwise a good quality chain.
 
John Ni said:
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!
Click to expand...
I've been thinking about this for the last couple hours. I can't come up with a good solution. Between 2 tiny toddlers on an ebike, storage outside, tiny elevators, there's just too many things that can go wrong.
 
If something like that Tern folder don't work, you might need to consider a trailer. That could work with most any bike (Most), and could be taken inside separately.
 
Have you seen what a bike accident does to a child ?
At 14 years old we were riding bikes and saw the neighbor lady with one of these on the back because:
She was on the pavement screaming HELP my baby is trapped in the bicycle.
We bent parts to get the baby foot, ankle leg and knee unwrapped and they went to the hospital.
1653314672851.png
 
Mike_V said:
Have you seen what a bike accident does to a child ?
At 14 years old we were riding bikes and saw the neighbor lady with one of these on the back because:
She was on the pavement screaming HELP my baby is trapped in the bicycle.
We bent parts to get the baby foot, ankle leg and knee unwrapped and they went to the hospital.
Click to expand...
People ride bicycles to work literally all the time. In many parts of the world, they also take their kids with them. More and more, this includes the USA. If you think a bicycle accident is horrific, watch what happens when a pedestrian is run over while walking. Does that stop people from letting their kids walk to school? Sadly it does. And its a stupid overreaction that operates to the detriment of the child.

In dedicated cargo bike groups, I see parents universally enthuse about the quality time they get to spend with their kids. Particularly when riding a bike that lets the child face them (Bullitt or similar bakfiets). They aren't bad parents regardless of how much you want it to be otherwise.

@John Ni there as has been suggested above, the default urban elevator solution is a cargo bike than can be stood up on end. Usually that means a mid-tail or longtail. Something to bear in mind is you can add little casters onto the back of your bike with a little elbow grease that actually let you roll the thing around upright. If you want to do big casters to handle big pavement seams, there's certainly no rule against that.

Also, as you have discovered... cargo bikes are expensive. They just are. There is a lower-cost build-your-own solution but I don't think its for you. Still, I'm providing a link below. I'm thinking you can do a mid-tail or longtail with wheels on the back - especially one that is meant to stand up on its hind legs. Also, on that site look for the bike lock article in the Table of Contents. Lastly, you can insure a cargo bike against theft via one of the Markel Insurance Co. agents who sell bicycle/ebike policies (I use Velosurance).

For opinions from a veteran population of 14,000+ cargo bike riders the world over - many of them in dense urban areas and the majority in the USA - check out the Cargo Bike Republic discussion group on Facebook.

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m@Robertson said:
you can add little casters onto the back of your bike with a little elbow grease that actually let you roll the thing around upright.
Click to expand...
Hi Matt, it's funny I was reading today about a bakfiets owner here in DC who added casters to the sides of his box so he could minimize damage to the box when pedalling through a narrow 3ft wide pedestrian bridge path that has thankfully now been replaced. A similarly crap bridge path is on my commute home and I am so looking forward to the upcoming bridge renovations that will finally widen the path.
 
Standard bike with front and and rear child seats would be cheap place to start. Buy 2nd ebike. By time youngest needs to go on back you will know if upgrading to Tern GSD is worth it. The other option is one rear and another in trailer, if you can leave trailer at childcare.
If considering a Tern, do a demo ride and try it in the lift.

Unfortunately no bike left outside is theft proof anymore more thanks to battery powered grinder.
 
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