2 kids on a bike

goldsmith_robert

I need to get two kids on a bike to do the nursery run. Ages will be 8 months and 3 years. I have got a Burley trailer but dont like taking it on the roads as its very wide.

Options are:
http://reallyusefulbikes.wordpress.com/ ... th-2-kids/

Another option is to extend the wheelbase of my bike. http://www.xtracycle.com/cargo-bicycles ... amily.html
Anyone used one of these?

How do you manage to do this?

baudman

My experience with trailers? People give you a LOT of room. Having said that, I did tend to avoid the busier, more trafficked roads. Parental instincts are strong.

Xtracycles are great. I have a few friends with them. Lots of accessories available as well, as many of the long wheelbase bikes (Kona Ute, Surly Big Dummy, Yuba Mundo) all interchange their stuff.

See my sig for my solution - the family rig. Works a treat. (Previously have used a trailer, and a bakfiets-styled cargobike).

One thing though - there really is no optimal solution. There's always going to be a compromise (eg: the cargobike is great, but I don't use that as much due to a few hills, so that's with a mate with his smaller/lighter kids at the moment). Having said that - we have used our bicycle-based transport solutions as often as practicable, and wouldn't change it for the world.

goldsmith_robert

Thanks for the advice Baudman.

The UK roads are narrow and car drivers impatient and stressed-out enough, (all cooped up in their miserable metal cages :evil: ) without me providing another target for their anger. Whatever the right/wrongs of the situation; I cant justify taking my kids on a busy road with stressed out car drivers trying to squeeze past us all the time. :roll:

Kids are currently 2 years and -6months (1.e. 2nd is due end Jan) - I like to plan ahead!

So have ruled trailers out, except for non-traffic, cycle-path only routes. I have freakishly long legs so cant see the front seat option, mounted on top tube working for us. The issue I currently have is that all my weight and my 2 year olds weight is over my back wheel, and high up as its a (steel) road frame with road wheels (700c x 32 tyre). Its increasingly unstable and im worried about the back wheel load. :?

Looking to lower my CoG by transferring rear seats to a MTB (26'' wheeled) frame. Will prob need to get a stronger rear wheel to cope with me + 2 kids load.

Other issue is lack of suspension for the kids - my son doesn't enjoy the occasional hole/rut we go over and he is right over the rear wheel currently so feels every bump. Im hoping that larger MTB tyres will give some bounce!

Lastly, im not enjoying the hills on my 50/34, 11-25 set up (old winter training bike). So some MTB gears would come in useful and im looking to keep the weight down as much as possible without loosing the strength required for the load its going to take.

Current plan is to get a light(ish) steel / Cro/Mo hardtail frame with rigid forks, 26'' wheels with Fat, slick tyres. Then add a Xtracycle's FreeRadical Bolt-On Bike Extender with a strongly built rear wheel.

Any suggestions on frame material / make / geometry, wheel choice, tyre choice welcomed!

Also, suggestions of how to keep weight down (safely) welcomed - E.g. is using a light MTB frame + rigid forks + Xtracycle's FreeRadical Bolt-On Bike Extender going to result in lighter overall build than a fully built long wheelbase frame like Extracycle longtail. http://www.xtracycle.com/what-is-a-longtail/

Im pretty fit (race a little), and hoping to keep bike handling normal as possible and a strong position on the bike.

baudman

I'm not sure if you're a subscriber, but Yehuda Moon featured an xtracycle and a cargobike in the past couple of days

The frame on my family bike is long (bad design actually) but a good one for this - but I do have to splay my legs a tad, so I prefer not to have to use it for extended trips (20km+) - or at least not longer trips at speed. I've also taken off the flat bar and put more 'traditional' bars on it (sourced from an abandoned bike).

I have a free radical on my eBay search list - for similar reasons to you I suspect. I think any serviceable hard tail will do the job. Beyond that, as much money as you'd want to spend. As long as it's not ultra cheap, you'll be surprised what the average wheel can hold (but yeah, it needs to be built OK and may need some TLC initially). I'd prefer solid forks, and a disk (at least on the front). They handle surprisingly well - just turn a little 'barge' like, as you are a little more forward on the total wheelbase (if that's the way to say it, and it makes sense).

t4tomo

circe helios tandem with rear seat converted to the child carrying option?

http://www.circecycles.com/helios_childcarrying.php

that way you can convert back to norml tandem when they are a bit older.

goldsmith_robert

mike55 wrote:

Sorry, I never use this...

Electric?

Non-merci.

I'd have the piss ripped out of me by clubmates.

htsw5

Hi,

I had the same problem with my 3 y.o. and 12 mnth old, but have just solved it with the Circe Helios as described above.

I came at the same problem from the angle of wanting to keep my 3yo pedalling having had him on a tag along over the winter.
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40032&t=12830111&hilit=htsw5

Not cheap, but does allow the 3 year old to pedal and keeps it all as one vehicle.

Handling takes a bit of getting used to given the smaller wheels and the long wheelbase but that just takes a little time - I now find it a bit strange to ride my 'normal' bike.