Do you lug your kids along on your ebike?

[irl]

Hey all,

I'm eagerly awaiting my first ebike (Juiced CC S), which will be replacing a single-speed city bike now that I'm living out in the burbs. I've used a Thule RideAlong (seat tube mounted) child bike seat on my previous bike, and would like to know what people here are using to carry their kids - any special considerations due to the weight of the bike? Do you feel as safe as mounting on a conventional bike?

Thanks,
Ian

 

[Dewey]

I tow my 2yo in a 10 year old Chariot Cougar 1 trailer. It has an inch of travel on leaf suspension springs which helps stop their head from being jerked around over bumpy pavement. Thule took over the company and it was in production for about 10 years until the end of 2016 so parts are fairly easy to get. Two Wheeling Tots is a good website for child seat and trailer reviews. My class 1 350w BBS01 motor is able to cope with the trailer, kid, and weekly shopping. I tend to ride the brakes down hill and keep under 15mph. I bought a double kickstand and wheel stabilizer from Velo Orange to keep the bike upright and prevent the front wheel from flopping around while loading and unloading.

 

[irl]

Good point about the dual kickstand - I'll have to pick one up. I'm considering a trailer, especially since I found the rear-mounted bike seat brought the weight distribution too far back for my liking. Good to know that the class 1 motor handles the trailer. Anything will be better than climbing a hill on a single-speed with my toddler in tow

 

[Dewey]

Good point about the dual kickstand - I'll have to pick one up.

If you do, does your bike have a kickstand mounting plate between the chain stays near the bottom bracket? The bike I adapted does not have this but the VO Porteur kickstand came with a top plate and bolt - the trouble is the chain stays are too wide for the mounting plate so it twists every time I use it which has destroyed the paintwork, is grinding away at the chain stays, and obliges me to carry an adjustable wrench to tighten it up each ride. To attempt to fix this I am buying some hardware: these plastic clips, some rubber rim strip to use as padding, and a wider top plate in case I need it.

Another issue with a double kickstand is they sometimes raise the front wheel off the ground, mine does which is why I bought a VO wheel stabilizer, other solutions are a Shimano HP-NX10 headset lock, or tying a velcro strap or a bungee cord to stop the front wheel flopping to the side.

 

[christob]

@Dewey im curious about the VO spring/stabilizer... how much effect or impact do you notice or feel it has when biking? I saw in their write up that it has a subtle wheel centering effect in motion, and they suggest it gives some slight steering resistance (I read that as fighting steering "slop" on rougher roads)... I sometimes think that would be useful for a stretch I ride with a good number of tree root-buckled pavement ridges...

 

[flipper]

don't know about kids but my 24-lb lily rides on the back of my radwagon just fine. dual kickstand and spring/stabilizer are factory equipment. you can see the spring in the pic.

 

[Dewey]

The VO wheel stabilizer spring is made of narrow gauge wire and isn’t really strong enough to center steering when riding, although you feel a mild tug when you turn its function is to slow the front wheel tipping or keep the front wheel center aligned when stationary if you use a double kickstand which raises one wheel off the ground when deployed and as the rear is usually loaded down this invariably means the front wheel, this is particularly desirable when parked at the bike rack when you are loading the rear of the bike. Also the mounting hardware at the rear simply clamps around the down tube and will move forward over time unless you have a brazed-on frame lug onto which to bolt the spring as on the RadWagon pictured above. That being said I like mine, although it has developed a creak noise over time.

 

[harryS]

I tow my grand daughter with an In-Step child trailer. I had to get a rearview mirror so I could see that the trailer was still attached, as it rolls so lightly.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

My friend @Sina's family has gone car-less and both his wife and him use cargo E-bikes.