njmkw

I have two kids, 4.5yo (~40 lbs.) and 15mo (~25 lbs). I live in a flat area and mostly bike them on short trips (rarely more than a mile, but I'd like to extend that!).

At the moment I'm riding the ancient single-speed cruiser my husband bought for $50 when we moved to the Bay Area and weren't sure if we wanted to bike. He's since upgraded to commuting on a Breezer Downtown, which he loves, and I inherited this one. I put the kids in a Burley Bee and they're happy as clams. But I'm ready for something a little nicer!

I'm not in love with the trailer, because it's hard to hear when they're talking to me, it's unwieldy, and because I'm always worried about it in traffic (we have a lot of bike lanes but not everywhere). On the other hand, it's cheap relative to other solutions, and it's stable. I'm new to cycling and I worry about dumping them if I had them in bike seats.

I like the upright posture and wide handlebars of my current bike. I think I'd like internal hub gearing, since everything is so flat that the main use for gearing would be getting started from a dead stop, but our bike shop told us they couldn't attach the Burley hitch to his bike because of its internal hub gearing.

I rented a Madsen for a test ride after seeing one at the park, but I freaked myself and the kiddos out by nearly dumping them. On the other hand, we'd like to have a third kid before too much longer and that setup would scale...

What would you recommend I try?

ETA: I am short (sub-5'4" though only just, since I know that matters).

fietsbob

I like the Danish long john design, load platform in front, low, front wheel extended out further, on frame, steered by linkage

the CETMA and Harry Vs Larry Bullitt, and one made by an old friend in Eugene, 'human powered machines' are good examples of this type.

Dutch call them Bakfiets or Box Bike... room for 2 to sit facing each other,
then when they're too big you have a useful cargo bike.


...

ocsawdust

Not sure what the internal hub gearing limit is but if it has disc brakes as well then I understand. I prefer the mountain bike platform with it's wide range of gears. Not huge hills here in so cal but enough where back in the day always having my dog with me the gears made it very easy. Sadly she left me but for almost 15 years she was a constant companion. You on the other hand will be moving away from trailering the kids in what will seem like a month after it happens. Bikes and all the goodies get pricey and fast. I always joke with friends and visitors new to the area on how it's amazing what a million dollars won't buy these days. Barely a condo in some places around my area and only a few areas. Nowadays it's like it amazing what 2.5 mil won't buy....

Bikes seem to be following that trend with the carbon fiber and high end do-dads. A friend mentioned to her neighbor about the bike I was riding which was a used trek transport and how it was a 1300 bike new.... I told her there is a used trek right now on Craigslist for 7800. So basicly if you have the cash to burn have fun. But it is amazing what can be found for cheap used that might be 10 years old ( or less!) But very nice and comfortable. What happened to the schwinn days? Getting a 30 year old schwinn was real common . Now people whine about their bike being 10 years old and needing a new one. I've bought many bikes for less than $200 that were 10 times the price new.

Just remember tho in ( that month!) you will be adding a couple new bikes to the lineup. Then ( another month!) Later another change out!

mackigator

Try everything that you can - it is amazing how differently they all ride.

In my town, very hilly, two bikes keep coming up as durable and great kid haulers:
Yuba Mundo disc with Bafang BBS-HD electric assist
Surly Big Dummy with Bafang BBS-HD electric assist

I've also ridden a Yuba Spicy Curry, a Radwagon, a Larry Vs Harry Bullit, MTB with Extracycle, an Xtracycle Edgerunenr, and a CETMA Largo. If your area is truly flat, you might like the box-in-front style bikes (bakfiets), but they are longer, heavier, less maneuverable and cost more. That's part of the reason we've ended up preferring longtails. I own both a longtail (Mundo) and a box bike (CETMA).

Best wishes!

Stadjer

I rode my neighbours bakfiets.nl a while ago, without E-assist, and it's a heavy bike of course. But after the first few yards it rode much more like a normal upright bike than like a classic 3-wheel cargo bike. It has a low centre of gravity and doesn't tip over in sharp corners. It was one like this:


I don't have kids, but if I had I would like them in front of me and it's nicer for them too. This long version can have two benches and seat four kids. It's not cheap, but it's really very well made and I wouldn't mind buying a used one. Might be hard to find one, but given the fact that kids grow up not impossible.

mel2012

Are you still in the Bay Area? If so, check out Vie Bikes (Vie | Let's Roll!), they have a variety of cargo bikes you can test ride for up to a week. Regarding the hitch, if you swap out the hitch for the "classic" hitch option, you should have no problem putting it on the Breezer Downtown: https://burley.com/product/burley-classic-hitch/ (I've done that on multiple internal gear hub bikes)


I have and love a Bike Friday Haul-a-day, which is a good option for short riders, due to the adjustability of the frame size and the low stepover, but that's going to be less than ideal for a new baby set up. You can pick from a variety of different handlebars to get a more upright ride.

Nightdiver

For my money, nothing beats a front box bike for kid hauling, barring any circumstances that make that option impractical. Having the kids in your field of view gives peace of mind, as well as makes interactions and conversations much easier. Once you get over the rather steep learning curve of the box bike, they ride wonderfully, and provide the lowest center of gravity for your cargo/kids. The only things I prefer about carrying my kids on a longtail, is that I can ride a little more aggressively, and that because they are each strapped into a seat, they can't get too rowdy with each other.

One other thing I'd look into if budget allows is an electric version of whatever bikes you're shopping. Even on flat ground, that added boost can make a big difference in your confidence of tackling different riding scenarios. Particularly nice is the added help for starting off from a dead-stop.

Chukbacca

I have a MTB tandem and a MTB with a pedal trailer. The kids love it as they are involved, but I am running out of seats...and it is a drag not hearing them all that well.

I just moved my 6 year old to the tandem with me as she is the size of a 10 year old. My 4 year old is solidly on the trailer bike, and my 2 year old just balances herself on the trailer bike. We cruise to local parks, shopping, etc. I am getting ready to just hook up my trailer bike to my tandem...when the youngest is ready to pedal, I might need to invest some coin...maybe a tandem pedal trailer?

I might add that none of them have learned to ride their own bikes yet

I think thier participating (pedaling) has great value.

10 Wheels