Ebike for school run on towpath and road and Child Seat for eight year old

[happybiker42]

I would really appreciate your kind advice on which ebike would be good to transport my 8 year old son to school. The journey is about 5.5 miles each way which makes it too long for him to ride himself. The first mile of the journey is on a gravel towpath and the rest on medium busy roads shared with cars.

I am thinking a low centre of gravity for the bike would help with stability as my son weighs around 25kg. Also slightly fatter tyres and perhaps front fork suspension for the bumpy tow path part of the journey. Also a motor with some oomph so that I do not get worn out.

I am also thinking about a more comfortable seat for him with a back rest so that he does not arrive at school exhausted.

I already have a Ribble CGR AL-e which is a lovely bike but does not seem to really fit the bill - thin tyres, no suspension, not v powerful motor.

I was thinking perhaps a radrunner plus with bobike junior rear seat or a lixada rear cushion with backrest

Lixada Bicycle Rear Seat Removable Cycling Child Rear Seat With Backrest Comfortable Safety Rear Seat Soft Cushion Kids Bike Back Seat : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

Shop Lixada Bicycle Rear Seat Removable Cycling Child Rear Seat With Backrest Comfortable Safety Rear Seat Soft Cushion Kids Bike Back Seat. Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

Would really appreciate the advice of you seasoned hands on recommendations for both the bike and the child seat

I have trialled a proper electric moped this week but think that wont work as it has to stay out of some of the bus lanes and that will mean we cant avoid heavy traffic on the school run.

 

[sjpt]

I'd go for a tagalong. 8 year old is too big for a seat, and he won't be getting younger/lighter as time goes on. Also it will give him some exercise. And you'll have endless choice of bike/motor. You don't mention if it's hilly at all; if not you won't need that powerful a motor.

 

[happybiker42]

Thank you for your thoughts sjpt. There is one single hill which is approximately 1 mile of the journey. It has a gradient of around 5% along its length. I am a bit worried about the visibility of the tagalong if my son is behind me as one of the roads is busy with traffic and the tagalong is quite low level. I worry that drivers may not see him.

 

[flecc]

Virtually any e-bike will do the job, I think we in Britain are sometimes too restrictive in our attitudes to what bikes can do, certainly our authorities are. The Dutch who are infinitely more cycling experienced than us think nothing of carrying youngsters of any age and even adults on carriers. Of course their road conditions are far safer, but it shows that all decent bicycles are well up to the job.

Two items below, a Dutch 12 year old carrying his brother of about 9 or 10 on his e-bike, and a YouTube video showing a range of people as passengers on bicycles there:

.

 

[happybiker42]

So perhaps just use the Ribble Hybrid AL-e that I already have and stick a child seat like the bobike junior on the back ?

Ribble Hybrid AL e - Fully Loaded Edition | Ribble Cycles

Hybrid AL e - Fully Loaded Edition

www.ribblecycles.co.uk

Classic Junior Plus - Bobike

I have found riding my son around on the back of my normal bike a bit more tricky of late just because of the added weight and the balance - particularly when going up and down underground subways to cross busy roads

Would ideally prefer a seat more comfortable than bobike junior as 5.5 miles each way is quite a distance

 

[sjpt]

Thank you for your thoughts sjpt. There is one single hill which is approximately 1 mile of the journey. It has a gradient of around 5% along its length. I am a bit worried about the visibility of the tagalong if my son is behind me as one of the roads is busy with traffic and the tagalong is quite low level. I worry that drivers may not see him.

We had a high flag on our tagalong sloped slightly to the right with battery light; plus a standard lollipop.

flecc's points above are quite good, but Dutch/Danish riding is not usually on busy roads.

 

[BikeSnail]

Hi, cyclist mum of a 2 year old here.

I was looking and trying some cargo bikes recently.

The cheapest tern HSD would IMHO work best in this scenario. The Active Line Plus motor is not amazing on big hills (15%+) but will swallow your 5% incline like nothing.

More expensive and powerful alternatives could be Benno Boost and the Riese & Mueller Multicharger. The weight limit on those bikes' racks is over 100 pounds If I remember well. The Multicharger is a big bike though.

Sadly all of those require deep pockets so if you're on a budget the Rad Runner may be a good choice. I've heard good things about it but my area is unfortunately super hilly.