E-Bike for family fun at the beach

E

electricbikereviewrocks

New Member
I'd like to take my wife and our 4yo and 1yo out on e-bikes at the beach. Is there an ideal model for something like this? I'm thinking two bikes with some kind of carrier in the front for each kid but I'm open to ideas.

I have a Jeep with a roof rack. Am I best off putting the bikes up there instead of getting foldable ones?
 
For beach riding, you'll be better off with a fat tire e- bike. There are folding fat tire bikes available but the selection is limited especially if you want to carry kids.
E-bikes are heavier than standard models. Unless you are quite strong, lifting one up onto a roof rack can be a chore. A hitch style rack would be a better choice.
I haven't done any beach riding myself and I'm not sure of your budget but I have seen these bikes available for rent in a few beach towns:

https://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/product/stretch/

pedego-stretch.jpg
I have seen adults riding them with two kids on the back.

pedego-stretch-electric-cargo-bike3.jpg

A twin motor model is also available which may perform better in sand.

https://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/product/stretch-dual-drive-edition/

stretch-dual-drive-edition-1.jpg

These bikes weigh 74 pounds though and don't fold. They would definitely be a headache to mount on a roof rack.
 
The Pedego Stretch I mentioned above is the only kid friendly bike with which I've had any experience. I'm sure there are other brands out there that will suit your needs. Many bikes can pull mini trailers for kids but that might pose a problem on a sandy beach.

It can be bewildering when shopping for a bike due to all the factors involved. In my case, I went to a dozen different local bike shops and talked to people who know the business. Take some time and look at various possibilities. Try posting your question again here in the "Help Choosing an E-bike" forum. There are many experienced members here who can offer more advice.
 
Older stretch cargo bikes come from xtra-cycle.com and yubabikes.com Yuba electric bike has a 20" rear wheel which might be easier to load up. Yuba has kid friendly accessories like child seat mount recommendations, padded shelves for the 4-8 year olds and hand grips for same. Yuba sells a fairly serious stand as an accessory. (I own the yuba cargo bike left but have no children) I see pedego has got it right with the rear wheel covers which keep fingers from being pinched by the spokes.
Another option is bike trailers, but the drag would be multiplied on the beach.
A third option is bikes with a bin in the front for the children, carried low. These tend to be more expensive because the front steering is chain driven. Also the bin is a real drag in a high wind. But seeing what the kids are up to may be important with some children.
 
There is a riese & muller front cargo electric bike.
No fat tire bikes I know of are cargo bikes. 2.1" tires max usually.
 
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I don't know about wet sand but the Madsen Bike with e assist is a great bike with kids. They have great customer service and a great following with people who have bought them. We love ours, but don't ride on beach. I am sure they will answer your questions. https://www.madsencycles.com/
 
One thing about the Pedego Stretch -- like a lot of cargo bikes it is very long and it might not fit on a rear rack or any bike rack.

There are lots of child seats for bicycles that easily attach to a rear rack. One caveat about the Pedegos is that their rear racks use an odd-sized tube and have a plastic battery case in them that can make it problematic to mount a child seat (or often other bike luggage). You can generally (but not always) solve that problem with a little bit of engineering.
 
RAD mini’s or the like with a front seat for the 1yr old and a rear one for the 4 yr old. If you have a Jeep I don’t see getting a long type bike on there gracefully.

The hardest part about beach riding is usually the access. If really soft it helps to be able to get off and have a throttle/walk function to help the bike along, especially if there are kids aboard. Once on the darker sand even narrow tire use is possible. However there is still a good amount of rolling resistance involved and a good reason for the e.

Tip: Always ride out into the headwind, if any, and catch the tailwind back

Biking in general is a great family pastime!
 
I think my options are a long bike with cargo box like the Yuba Supermarché:

https://yubabikes.com/cargobikestore/bamboo-box-supermarche

or Riese & Muller:

https://www.splendidcycles.com/products/riese-and-muller/riese-muller-cargo-bikes/

or Madsen:

https://www.madsencycles.com/collections/2017-madsen-bikes

or a regular or even folding bike like the RadMini with a trailer like the Burley:

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/pages/2019-radmini-step-thru-electric-folding-fat-bike
https://www.burley.com/product/cub/

I'd prefer a long bike. It sounds fun to see my kids looking over the edge of the cargo box instead of being strapped into a seat. I think an e-bike would be too heavy to lift comfortably onto the roof of a Jeep. Could I put a long bike on a tailgate bike rack like this:

https://www.quadratec.com/p/quadratec/2-bike-folding-bike-rack

It looks like a strap is fastened between the handlebars and seat and that strap is then secured to the rack. I guess that would work for a long bike too? I won't be driving more than 30mph on the way to the beach. If that would work I'm leaning toward the Yuba since it looks like it has fatter tires than the others.

BTW that Bad Bike BEACH would be a lot of fun but no US dealer:

http://bad-bike.it/en/beach-vintage-fat-en/
 
Any of those long bikes will hang way over both sides of your Jeep no matter what rack you have. They would barely fit in a p/u bed with the tail gate down.

Kids don't mind the seat, I raised two boys and they were just glad to be along and never complained about being in a seat ever. Plus it also gets them used to being balanced on a bike which helps them later when they ride their own I found.

The trailer would also work but command space inside your Jeep that I don't think you have if you have a few kid seats in there also....

Still think the Rad Mini's with seats are the best way for you to go.
 
I've been doing a ton of research and I think the Butchers & Bicycles MK1-E would be perfect except for how heavy it is. I believe you're supposed to remove its battery to charge it so that must not be too difficult. I'm thinking I could remove at least the battery and cargo box before lifting it onto and off of the hitch rack and before lifting/dragging it across the dry sand at the beach. Then I could put it back together once on wet sand. Maybe I'll find more heavy stuff to remove or maybe the frame can be disassembled so that I have two medium-heavy things to lift instead of one super-heavy thing. Any thoughts?
 
For the rear rack most hitch mounts will not carry the weight of e-bikes. Check out the Rocky Mounts Backstage. It is costly but folds up and swings out so you can open the tailgate. I also have a Wrangler.
 
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