Electric Bike for towing kids.

I currently use my push bike to get out and about with my two boys who are one and five years old. My youngest sits in a Copilot limo baby seat on a rack at the back of the bike and my bigger boy rides in a trailer. I was keen to get an electric bike to make things a bit easier for me. My upper spending limit is £2000. Is there a bike out there that is capable of doing this at this price?

I was told by one company that this was too ambitious and would overload their bikes. I'm getting the feeling that a 250w motor just won't be powerful enough-is this the case?

Would a mid drive bike be better for towing?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

There is a listing in the for sale section for a cargo bike ideal for kids.

For Sale - Electric cargo bike | Pedelecs - Electric Bike Community

With most good 250w hubs one can throw 20/22a at them for more power though one needs to use the extra power sensibly, for your needs you need a 201rpm hub.

48v would be favourable over 36v.

I was told by one company that this was too ambitious and would overload their bikes.

Have you totted up the weight? e.g. if a bike will carry say a 110Kg rider then maybe a 75Kg rider + 2 small children + trailer should be OK?

I'm not suggesting you buy one as it's over your budget, but as to whether 250W is enough, my daughter has an e-Bicicapace (link) cargo bike with IIRC a Shimano E6100 E8000 70Nm (edited) motor that is used to carry a 6 and a 4 year old, and that seems to manage OK - although it is in Cambridge!

EDIT - Apologies, didn't intend to mislead - I've just spoken to my daughter and although the dealer usually sells the Bicicapace with the E6100 Shimano, she actually went for the E8000 - which she tells me feels very powerful, much more so than her Gazelle, ridden solo, with the E5000 Shimano.

Edited March 5, 20215 yr by MichaelM

have you thought about conversions?

I sell kits for tandems which need roughly about the same torque as a cargo bike for kids.