carrying two kids on a bike, how?

BigSpecs
BigSpecs Posts: 309
edited September 2007 in Workshop
I have been quite happily travelling to work/ nursery with my two year old over the last few months. I have a copilot limo on my mountain bike and this works well for us both. However, she now has a wee brother and he will be joining us on the morning run in the coming months. I am loath to go back to the car (so un-eco friendly!) Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to transport them both, that isn't a trailer! (if they were alone together in a trailer she would pulverise him! :twisted: ) I was wondering about a bar mounted seat?
Cheers,
Col.

Comments

  • PrettyBoyTim
    PrettyBoyTim Posts: 163
    You could always put one in the trailer and leave one on the bike... You might even find the promise of going in the trailer with her little brother only if she's nice to him might elicit a little more consideration for him... :wink:
  • barbej
    barbej Posts: 23
    There is a german trailer bike that allows you to have one on the trailer bike and child seat on the rack that comes with it (the trailer bike attaches to the rack. Walton Street Cycles in oxford sell them. I also thing Cycle Heaven in York do as well. check out the following link http://www.spoke.co.uk/cycle_trailers.htm#HOENING

    They are rather expensive. We have the 3 speed hub version and it is a cut above most trailer bikes in terms of quality, which we have used every day for the last two years. The seat cost about £30 on top of the trailer.

    your eldest will need to be about 4 years old before using it however.
  • ut_och_cykla
    ut_och_cykla Posts: 1,594
    I wouldn't personally go for 2 kids on bike. Either teach madam :wink: to be nice to her little brother (2 in a trailer) or go for the trailer /bikerack seat option. Threats of no videos, bed time stories or whatever often helps to 'pacify' little uns - they are never beyond reason /bribery!!
    Good luck. We wnet touring with twins when they were 3. 2 in trailer, gear in another trailer great fun!
  • NFMC
    NFMC Posts: 232
    Had exactly the same problem last year and didn't solve it, unfortuntaley.

    But then, in France this year there was a Dutch family with a co-pilot behond and then a cross bar seat just in front of the handlebars for their little-one and they said it worked perfectly. It looked sturdy enough to me.

    So...you might have to search on a Dutch website but I'm sure they can be found.

    My problem now is that my eldest is too old/big/heavy for the co-pilot but not strong enough to go on proper rides on his little bike. My two-year old is just right for sitting in the bike seat but it's hard to go on family rides like we used to when we just had one.

    Oh well, in a few years when they're both big enough to ride their own bikes we'll be able to start going on rides then. By which time we might have number three and it's back to square one!!!
  • itsaghostcar
    itsaghostcar Posts: 59
    A moederfiets (motherbike) or bakfiets (bucket bike) is what the Dutch use. Not sure where you can get them over here though. Here's some examples ...

    motherbike.jpg

    cargotrike_3.jpg
  • passout
    passout Posts: 4,425
    It is probably wise to keep them separate - one on the bike and one in the trailer.
    'Happiness serves hardly any other purpose than to make unhappiness possible' Marcel Proust.
  • BigSpecs
    BigSpecs Posts: 309
    Those dutch bikes look fabulous! Really fancy the top one with four kids, two at front and two at the back!
    I have had a small trawl thru the interweb and found these guys:
    http://www.seatsforkids.com/quokka.asp
    Nice video on the site and looks fairly robust and safe. However, I am just not so keen on a cross bar mounted seat as it seems to make for such a poor riding style with the legs splayed so wide. I would rather get a bar mounted seat. I have seen them before (I see a local guy here with one, maybe I should stop him in the street!) Anyone know where they can be had?
    Otherwise I guess it is a trailer or trailer/ seat combo until the bigger one can go a trailer bike. That in itself has issues as I don't really have space at work to store a trailer aswell as the bike :?:
  • BigSpecs
    BigSpecs Posts: 309
    Here we go. have found this model on a few sites, with and without a windscreen. Looks ideal. What do y'all think?
    http://www.cambridgecyclecompany.co.uk/ ... cts_id=142
    Cheers,
    Col.
  • NFMC
    NFMC Posts: 232
    That looks great. I wish I'd seen that 12 months ago.
  • nick hanson
    nick hanson Posts: 1,655
    We used to put two of ours on a tandem trailer bike,that hooks on to the seatpost area.It has two wheels at the back so very stable,& also has 5 speed gears & a hub brake.
    Oh,& it's in the shed,open to offers? :)
    so many cols,so little time!
  • rustychain
    rustychain Posts: 19
    I take two on my bike all the time - one on a cross bar seat and the other using a Hamax on the rear...

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/12533992@N02/1300397479/
  • Icicle19
    Icicle19 Posts: 377
    http://www.dutchbike.co.uk/Specials.htm

    Could be worth posting on the Velo Vision forum too, the mag regularly covers dutch bikes and family cycling etc. I recommend it, really broadens your cycling knowledge from the fairly limited range of stuff we have here in the UK.

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