DesertTortoise
New Member
- Region
- USA
Hi all! Having been on bikes continuously for 45 years, I'm new to the e-bike world. Never thought I'd want/needed one, but with the summer approaching here in Southern Arizona, I have set my eyes on a cargo e-bike, in hopes of continuing to bike-commute with my 3-year old son to his day care in the mornings. We've been using the Mac Ride top tube seat on my regular, muscle-powered commuter bike, and the little guy has enjoyed it so much more than being confined in his rear-facing child seat in the car.
Money is definitely an issue, since my wife is not very supportive of an e-bike and doesn't want to co-sponsor it. The only options available locally are Tern and some other brand whose name I'm forgetting (Yuba, I think....) but those cost like $6,000, and I didn't even look at them in the store, because the cost is completely out of the question. The Terns seem to be well made, but the $3,300 price tag (plus tax) is incredibly unattractive. Plus, from reading reviews, I understand that pedaling a mid-drive motor with a drained battery is next to impossible, so I'm tempted to rule the Tern out based on that reason alone.
Looking at a Rad Wagon 4 as a very attractive option. Downsides seem to be the weight (oh well) and the unusual tire size, which I don't think will be much of an issue. In decades of bike commuting, I can count my flats on one hand, plus, I'm old-school, and I fix tubes with patch and glue, so I don't really care if the 22-inch tubes are a little bit harder to come by.
Some don't like the Rad Wagon because it's more difficult to store upright or carry it up and down stairs. Again, those are non-issues in my case, as the bike will live in the garage just like a car (One thing we can't complain about here in Arizona is lack of space). ;-)
The only other concern is with regard to range, where the Rad Wagon isn't the best, but then again, our commute is 4 miles one way, and there are zero hills in the Tucson metro area. Apart from very slight, very gradual inclines, the terrain is pretty much flat.
Specifically, I'd like to hear about experiences from others regarding the following:
Certain accessories that I definitely want are currently out of stock (seat cushion for the little guy in the back, kid enclosure railing, kid handlebars for the back, running boards), and I wonder how big the risk might be that these items may simply never be in stock again. This scenario would leave me stranded with a cargo bike for which I'd have to jerry-rig kid-hauling accessories.
Pedaling unassisted in case of battery drain: This seems to be no problem with the Rad Wagon, and that would be very attractive. I'd love the idea of not having to call a tow truck just because I went to a playground just outside of our range.
It's probably a long shot to find anyone using the Mac Ride kids seat with the Rad Wagon, but hey, on the off-chance someone reads this, please let me know if that works, because it would greatly help knowing I can I haul my son until the rear-seat child accessories become available.
Finally, I'm trying to get an idea of how people with these cargo bikes manage to carry a kid in the back AND groceries at the same time?
Money is definitely an issue, since my wife is not very supportive of an e-bike and doesn't want to co-sponsor it. The only options available locally are Tern and some other brand whose name I'm forgetting (Yuba, I think....) but those cost like $6,000, and I didn't even look at them in the store, because the cost is completely out of the question. The Terns seem to be well made, but the $3,300 price tag (plus tax) is incredibly unattractive. Plus, from reading reviews, I understand that pedaling a mid-drive motor with a drained battery is next to impossible, so I'm tempted to rule the Tern out based on that reason alone.
Looking at a Rad Wagon 4 as a very attractive option. Downsides seem to be the weight (oh well) and the unusual tire size, which I don't think will be much of an issue. In decades of bike commuting, I can count my flats on one hand, plus, I'm old-school, and I fix tubes with patch and glue, so I don't really care if the 22-inch tubes are a little bit harder to come by.
Some don't like the Rad Wagon because it's more difficult to store upright or carry it up and down stairs. Again, those are non-issues in my case, as the bike will live in the garage just like a car (One thing we can't complain about here in Arizona is lack of space). ;-)
The only other concern is with regard to range, where the Rad Wagon isn't the best, but then again, our commute is 4 miles one way, and there are zero hills in the Tucson metro area. Apart from very slight, very gradual inclines, the terrain is pretty much flat.
Specifically, I'd like to hear about experiences from others regarding the following:
Certain accessories that I definitely want are currently out of stock (seat cushion for the little guy in the back, kid enclosure railing, kid handlebars for the back, running boards), and I wonder how big the risk might be that these items may simply never be in stock again. This scenario would leave me stranded with a cargo bike for which I'd have to jerry-rig kid-hauling accessories.
Pedaling unassisted in case of battery drain: This seems to be no problem with the Rad Wagon, and that would be very attractive. I'd love the idea of not having to call a tow truck just because I went to a playground just outside of our range.
It's probably a long shot to find anyone using the Mac Ride kids seat with the Rad Wagon, but hey, on the off-chance someone reads this, please let me know if that works, because it would greatly help knowing I can I haul my son until the rear-seat child accessories become available.
Finally, I'm trying to get an idea of how people with these cargo bikes manage to carry a kid in the back AND groceries at the same time?
If there are plug-and-play conversions available that would allow me to convert my Fuji commuter bike into an electric bike for little money and using off-the-shelf products, I would consider that. If such conversions involve a lot of DYI'ing and tinkering, though, I'm afraid that won't be an option. To me, the idea of an e-bike really is 100% utility, like buying a soccer van, a means to an end, not a means in itself. I feel differently about my mountain bike and my single speed bikes.
But again, I'd be all over that if I didn't have kids, a full-time job and a generally hectic life already... 
