Advice on Cargo Bikes Vs Trailers for School Run

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  Seraphin7 on 25/01/2021 - 10:14

  +2

  Things we may not have considered in terms of pros/cons of cycling for school runs

  Not sure where you live and what the route to/from your school may be, but do you really want to be cycling in peak hour traffic with your young kids?

  We can hear all the arguments this way and that way about bikes on roads, etc., etc., but the simply reality is that this can be a dangerous undertaking even for experienced riders, let alone perhaps inexperienced riders with the added loss of mobility that will come from a cargo/trailer arrangement as you are suggesting.

  • 

    sparkanum on 25/01/2021 - 16:46

    Fortunately there are dedicated bike routes near us, so we'd not be sharing the road with cars very often, let alone dealing with traffic. I don't think I'm brave enough to handle cycling alongside cars in Sydney even on a normal bike!

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  tebbybabes on 25/01/2021 - 10:47

  +2

  We live on the Central Coast and our school run was relatively low in traffic. For years, we had a tow bar for the tyke's push bike.

  I had heaps of positive comments from kids and parents. Lasted until the son was big enough and confident enough to ride the streets on his own. By then I'd still ride with him, just not on tow.

  • 

    sparkanum on 25/01/2021 - 16:47

    The eldest one would love this! Thanks for the suggestion.

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  tsunamisurfer on 25/01/2021 - 11:29

  +3

  Yes either a tow bar or tagalong.

  That will enable you to have control over them during the ride, can easily last a couple of years for Child 1.

  Then when child 2 goes to school, child 2 can have the tagalong, then Child 1 can start riding on their own.

• 

  brendanm on 25/01/2021 - 11:58

  Not much useful info. If you have to ride on the road, I would highly recommend not to. If you have a dedicated cycle path, why not? May have to plan for rain etc, but at least you won't get run over by a truck.

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  netjock on 25/01/2021 - 11:59

  +1

  Trailer on eBike. Just so kids don't knock your balance if they play around at the back.

  Unless you are super fit and willing to pedal up hills on the worst days.

• 

  Euphemistic on 26/01/2021 - 09:16

  +1

  I have a trailer, just a cheapie. I used it semi regularly for the school run. Ie when fine weather and RDO lined up.

  It was ok, but the one I have was difficult for kids to wear a helmet in, the backrest pushed helmeted heads too far forward so they went without.

  I could only just squeeze two school bags in behind the seat.

  Being a trailer meant I could lean the bike on something convenient and not have to balance things while losing the trailer with kids etc.

  You need really low gearing and good brakes with a couple of kids and their backpacks on board. It’s a heavy load. At the time I was a fairly strong cyclist so climbs were slow but ok.

  When the oldest could ride I had the youngest in the trailer with their gear on board to make it easier for the kids to ride.

  I always chose footpaths for mildly busy roads (screw the rules) but residential streets were mostly unless narrow with lots of parked cars.

  A cargo bike might have been good, but an old mountain bike and trailer can be had for a few hundred $ while cargo bikes are quite pricey. Cargo bikes are also a lot larger to store.

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  Seven8Nine on 29/01/2021 - 23:20

  +1

  link to some of the cargo bikes, which I think is better option ( little expensive but bit safe)

  https://cargocycles.com.au/product-category/cargo-bikes/?ord…

  Worth trying a ride with kids in the store ( & electric as well).

  I was looking to invest into above, for child care drop or for ride to the parks. Ended up with Alan Sports ( 2 child) bike trailer/stroller because of the cost ( paid $255 delivered from Amazon US). Its suits my purpose for now but will be looking for else as you cant really fits 2 kids in comfy position plus to store extra bags etc in securely manner.

  For me cargo bike will be good option

  • 

    sparkanum on 30/01/2021 - 13:26

    Cheers for that. I think we'll probably end up with a cargo for the reasons you've mentioned. Just that the price is getting up to the same as a second hand car depending on what we look at.

    Not that we want a car, but just a difficult thing to reconcile.

    • 

      Euphemistic on 30/01/2021 - 16:34

      You aren’t going to get a new car that’ll last ‘forever’ for the same price as a cargo bike. A cargo bike might wear out a chain or tyres, but easily are replaced so the cargo bike will last pretty much forever.

      • 

        sparkanum on 31/01/2021 - 16:22

        I don't really need it to last forever, though; my kids are only going to need me cycling them to school for 2-3 years tops. A car would easily cover that and then be more useful for the period thereafter.

        • 

          Euphemistic on 31/01/2021 - 18:52

          +1

          @sparkanum: The good side of buying a bike is that they don’t depreciate as much as cars. Cargo bike will still command a good price when you are done with it.

        • 

          Replicant on 23/08/2022 - 12:14

          @sparkanum: I realise this is an old thread now but just wandering what you ended up deciding on getting? I’m in a similar scenario now and facing the same dilemma 🤔

          • 

            sparkanum on 24/08/2022 - 00:37

            @Replicant: Ended up going to the bike store with the intention of getting a cheap bike and trailer and working up to a cargo if that worked out. Tried a cargo bike while I was there and immediately realised it was way, way better.

            A bit over a year and a half on and it's one of the best purchases we've made. Kids love it, it's way more fun (and occassionally more convenient) than a car. Two weeks after the cargo we got a second bike for solo trips to the shops or so we could do family trips. Friends ended up getting one as well given how much we raved about it.

            Trailer would have been okay, but I can't count how many times I've gone through somewhere where if I'd had a trailer I would have gotten completely stuck. Plus parking it would be annoying, whereas cargo parking is super easy to find.

            The biggest downside is the rain we've been having… There's not a lot of options if it's wet outside. But zero regrets and still happy not to have to deal with a car.

            Let me know if you have any questions.

            • 

              Replicant on 25/08/2022 - 10:02

              @sparkanum: That’s amazing, thanks for the reply! Out of interest, which bike did you settle on? I’m kinda torn between the Tern GSD (super customisable, low centre of gravity, can handle big payloads but looks a bit like a Deliveroo bike?) or the Riese and Muller Multicharger (super cool looking IMO and can pass as a normal bike when the kids aren’t on there, but centre of gravity is higher and can’t carry as much).
              Ive also found the Reid KadE which retails for close to a third of the price but unsure if it’s worth getting something that much cheaper.
              It’s great that your partner is on board too - that’s my ideal scenario but my wife isn’t very confident on a normal bike so it’ll take some convincing 😅

              • 

                sparkanum on 25/08/2022 - 18:43

                @Replicant: I test rode the Tern GSD, and that is the bike our friends eventually bought. There are a few of them on our school run. They are excellent. I was told they're the best bike from a technical perspective. Pricey but worth it. And they look great; very schmick. Not sure why you think they look like a deliveroo bike… Did you see it in a colour that wasn't yellow?

                Unfortunately for the Tern, I also tested the Ezee Expedir and was sold straight away. Hard to explain why, but it's just more fun. It has a front drive hub motor instead of the (technically better) mid drive on the Tern. Downside is it is less efficient on hills - so on particularly steep ones with kids on the back I have to do more work. The upside is I get a throttle to help me get the bike started at traffic lights and on hill starts which has been a lifesaver for someone like me who is bike inexperienced. It also hits max speed quicker than the Tern - even when more weight is loaded on - possibly because of the combo of hub and big wheels. So basically feels like I have a bike with cheat codes on. It's great! It's a bit cheaper than the Tern and has similar range of accessories.

                My wife is the main user of the bike now, as she takes the kids to school. She hadn't ridden a bike in decades by the time we bought it and was similarly apprehensive - particularly for loading two kids on. She's quite petite as well so was worried she'd not be able to control the weight. She got the hang of it quickly, and just eased in by doing solo rides then rides with 1 kid and then eventually 2. I think a month in she was fine.

                We were told that inevitably the bike will fall over, and that you'll realise at that time that it wasn't something to worry about. And that's true; the bike has tipped over (usually while waiting for a light or while stopped) with the kids on. Everybody was okay.

                We were both worried about riding on the road, particularly the highway or in traffic. My wife is still less okay about this. Thankfully, with the kids on the bike you're legally allowed to ride on footpaths and be treated like a pedestrian - so whenever it gets hectic we just get off the road. Cars are generally kinder and give you more room if they see kids on. I actually like riding on the road now, as people love waving to the kids on the back when we stop in traffic.

                Sorry, a lot of random info there but two pieces of advice are:

                • Go to a shop and try a few bikes. The motor types and styles of bike will be better for different people and easiest way to tell is to try a bunch. Sydney Electric Bikes (and Canberra Electric as well, I guess?) are really good for this, as they even let you take cargo bikes overnight to trial them if you want.

                • Don't get too worried about capability. It's easy to get used to it and not as dangerous as it might at first seem.

                Edit: should clarify: my wife suggested the bike option in the first place, so was keen to not get a car but unsure whether she could handle the bike. She is of a similar opinion that it was a great decision in hindsight!