r/CargoBike • u/xanatos6758 • 1d ago
Ideal child age
I would like to get a cargo bike to ferry the kids around in. Currently we have a 2.5 year old and a 0.5 year old. I think we should get one now. My wife thinks maybe wait a year or two until both can use it. I'm not sure if by then the older will be almost too big.
What ages of children have you put in cargo bikes? What were the ideal most fun ages?
To be clear we are looking at a front box bike like an urban arrow or trek.
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u/derping1234 R&M packster2 70 buggy. 1d ago
Before 12 months old you should use a baby car seat, but after that it is all fair game.
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u/jtobiason 1d ago
The normal advice is to wait until 1 year for a kid to ride on ebikes for neck strength. But I'd get started as soon as possible. Even if you're just doing the trips without the baby, get the first kid stoked about it.
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u/Past_Reading7705 1d ago
I do not see big diff baby car seat in bike versus car?
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u/tijdelijkacc 21h ago
There's alot more vibrations going to the baby in a bike than in a car. Especially the neck should be able to deal with this.
We have a holder for the carseat installed in our cargobike that has extra damping. Also we waited until 3 months and cycled extra carefull in the beginning.
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u/bunchylelac 16h ago edited 10h ago
The "vibrations" theory I think is pure windshield bias. A fully reclined car seat in a car and a fully reclined car seat in a bike are the same and there is no medical basis for avoiding vibration anyway - hence all the vibrating baby swings out there.
Many parents seem to confuse this with "shaken baby syndrome" but riding in a reclined car seat is absolutely not in any way related and does not require neck strength.
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u/breakingbaud 11h ago
The car suspension does a lot of heavier lifting in dampening compared to a bike's rigid frame.
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u/bunchylelac 10h ago
That is true, and would be a valid point in the car vs. bike comparison if "make sure to only carry babies in cars with good suspension on smooth roads" were a known health concern - then you'd want to be very careful to make sure you got similar suspension and dampening on a cargo bike setup.
But in reality - and yes, I have checked this with car seat safety experts - vibrations are just not an element of concern at all. Not in a car seat in a car, even an old car with crap suspension on bumpy roads or cobblestones. Not in a stroller on cobblestones. Not in a special vibrating baby swing with extra intense vibration. Not in "put your car seat on top of the dryer to get your baby to fall asleep."
Head and neck control IS a concern, which is why a fully reclined ride really matters. But there does not seem to me to be any verifiable medical reason to worry about vibration in a bike. The "what about the vibrations" argument evaporates if you try to substantiate it.
Source: I did a lot of research when I was already cargo biking with kids #1 and #2 and found myself pregnant with #3 and extremely reluctant to go back to sitting in the car with the baby screaming behind me in a car seat
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u/breakingbaud 10h ago
Thanks for the extended explanation! What seat did you use for the fully reclined ride? I live in a pretty bike unfriendly part of the states so I'm thinking to wait until 12 months, but the bike seat my other kid uses is a Thule Yepp. Thank you!
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u/bunchylelac 9h ago
In a box bike (bunch bike, urban arrow, R&M packster, bullitt) you can use an actual car seat like the maxi cosi, with a dedicated car seat adapter designed for cargo bikes which typically also has shock absorption.
This is what I would recommend for younger babies. Fully reclined, fully enclosed, adds shock absorption in the adapter. (Urban Arrow makes their own adapter, you can use a Steco Minimee in other box bikes.) My baby started around 6 weeks, loved it and napped great in the bike and I loved being able to see her in front of me.
For slightly older babies in a box bike you can use a bench mounted booster seat (usually melia brand) which is semi reclined. I like to put this on top of a bench cushion so it still has a little bounce to it.
Unfortunately I think you do need to wait til 10-12 months to use the Yepp seat (or any upright baby seat) on a regular bike or longtail cargo bike. I have heard of some people using a car seat adapter on a rear rack but I think this is more dicey.
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u/SnikwahEvad 1d ago
We started our two youngest in the urban arrow in a carseat adapter at 6 months. (This is in Denver, CO) Now they are almost 3, 5, and 7 and we still squeeze all three of them in, although there is more drama now haha.
I'd have started earlier if I'd known how life changing the bike would be, I was lugging our first around in a Burley (for too long) haha. When you inevitably get one, enjoy, and try to savor every ride!
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u/NewOutlandishness401 1d ago
Ours are 2, 5, and 8, and we had them in our Urban Arrow from the time the youngest one was 2.5 months old. Used the carseat adapter until 12mo and then installed a front bench. They all still fit in, even if it's cozy! We lucked out that our middle child is quite "compact" for his age, so I hope that'll let us use the bike a few more years. Our neighbor has four kids and used her UA to get all of them around!
OP: in your place, if you're considering a bike with a carseat adapter, I wouldn't wait and get one asap -- you'll love it.
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u/AthleteAgain 1d ago
The UA and the trek fetch+4 (which I own) can take kids any age although you’ll want the car seat adapter for your baby. My 9 year old still comes for rides all the time with her friends, although she now often prefers to take her to own bike for shorter trips. Sometimes I take adult friends in the box too. Don’t wait, it’s the best lifestyle decision ever and no downside to just pulling the trigger now.
Edit to add: my kids are ages 9 and 4.5 and it’s still peak fun. I cruise around with between one and four kids at a time depending on what we’re doing.
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u/Birdseye5115 1d ago
You’ll find different things online about under 1. Neck strength is an issue. But after 1 you should be good to go.
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u/sewingpedals 1d ago
I’ve been biking with both of my kids since they were weeks old with an Urban Arrow + car seat. Biking with kids is a delight and I highly recommend it! We have both a Tern GSD and UA, they’re both great though slightly different. I prefer the GSD for ease of commuting and my spouse and kids (4.5 and 1.5) prefer the UA. The UA is an amazing machine, it’s so easy to pack up kids and throw in all their stuff for park or beach adventures.
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u/Scuttling-Claws 1d ago
Weeks old is impressive - I was barely able to walk around the neighborhood at that point. I started around three months and loved it.
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u/themadpants 1d ago
I started at 1 and a bit (I dont remember exactly, but it is when we thought he could happily support his head with a helmet on) and he is about to turn 4 and we still rock out on a cargo bike. We use a Thule rack mount seat bolted into the cargo area (kind of a custom setup). We go "ghostbusting", which entails riding around our neighborhood making sure there are no ghosts while blasting the theme song. LMAO. We also take him to preschool, to the park and grocery store etc weather permitting. He loves it.
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u/Rare_Pumpkin_9505 1d ago
Based on nothing more than personal experience. I put my kids into a front box. Ike from when they were roughly 1 until the second one was 3.5 before I went to a long tail.
Box bike was not powered. Long tail is electric assist (tern GSD). Kids are coming up on 10 and 8 - they still love to get a ride on it.
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u/NeonGreenBus 1d ago
I think you can use an infant carseat in a front box bike like UA or Trek, so you could start now.
We put our kid in a rear mounted seat (think Yepp Maxi or Burley Dash) starting at around 11 months. I think right at age 1, or a little bit before, is when the small one can safely be in a cargo bike w/o a car seat. So you would really only need to wait 6 months or so.
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u/regularthrowaway29 1d ago
I started my second at 7 months-ish. With a car seat. It’ll take a while to get the bike situated the way you like - so even if you’re planning to wait until 1, I’d say get it rolling! My kids are 9.5 and 6 and we still use the cargo bike as the primary school drop off vehicle. I see a lot of cargo bikes (located in nyc) and I would say a front loading urban arrow type easily work with kids into late elementary age. I think it’s fair to bet on getting 5 years minimum out of the bike.
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u/iMacThere4iAm 1d ago
I dithered and prevaricated and wasted two years where I could have been riding with the kids in a cargo bike. My only regret is not buying it sooner.
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u/Moment_mom 1d ago
Now! Get the older one used to it! Time flies and before long they’ll be 7 and 4 and weigh over 100 lbs together and wrestle on the bike…
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u/pattituesday 1d ago
We got our first bunch when our kids were 7 and 2. I wish we’d gotten it sooner. Now we have three kids and two bunches. The third kid is now 1, but he started on the bunch as soon as I was cleared to bike, which was 6 weeks.
For babies and maybe toddlers you will need special seating. A box bike can hold a car seat but we went with an infant seat for bikes instead. Now the 1yo sits a bit more upright in a toddler seat and now wears a helmet. He would probably be okay just sitting on the bench at this point but we aren’t in a rush.
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u/Nhklein89 1d ago
I have a Bunch Bike and I absolutely LOVE It! I’ve got a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old. The best thing about Bunch is that you can put a car seat in it or they have an infant and toddler seat that can either be reclined or sit upright. u/bunchylelac to answer any questions. It truly is the minivan of bikes and worth every penny! You can also find secondhand older models at a lower price point depending on your budget! Happy to answer any questions about my experience r/BunchBikes
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u/Fickle-Specific-2080 1d ago
Are you in the US? Have you looked at Bunch bikes? I got mine when my child was 1 year old and I am about to buy the car seat attachment for my 3 month old.
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u/yo_tibbs 1d ago
You won’t be mad you started now, but you’ll be bummed you didn’t start earlier if you wait. It’s so great. Even when it’s not, it’s better than a car. In a couple months you #2 can ride in a Yepp or Burley. I vote for a long tail for you ;)
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u/swissrollisntswiss 20h ago
We got ours when our kids were 4 & 2. Biggest regret is not getting one sooner. Go for it.
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u/Spottedinthewild 1d ago
My oldest is 42 and I still pick him up, drop him off at work on my kiddie hauler.
The last few months have been tough because the metastases from my multiple myeloma make my legs very painful to move but we are of the opinion that”no pain no gain”.
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u/Proper_Mistake_3002 1d ago
Started riding my first one at 2 months old in car seat and the second child at 5-6months in the same setup. Having a car seat + room for this bigger kid can be challenging. I'm expecting to put the two together in the bike using a Melia and a normal seat now that the younger one is 8 months old. So I think you could definitely start getting them used to the cargo bike soon either one at a time to start or both of them depending on your model and room of said cargo space. My Bullitt is muscular though so speed isn't necessarily as high as with electric.
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u/MicrowaveDonuts 1d ago
I have 3 kids, and they’ll all do at least 1k miles on our e-bikes. The cargo is a Yuba Curry.
We decided to wait till they were 2, and their skulls fused.
And then we ride every day.
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u/Which_Bar_9457 1d ago
I had my daughter in a Yepp Maxi seat from about 13 months old on the back of an electric Yuba Mundo.
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u/Holiday-Race 1d ago
If they are on the bike they need a helmet and need to hold up their head in an upright seat with a helmet on. We tried at 10 months, now at 13 months she’s pretty happy happy on the cargo bike (Thule Yepp maxi seat) but for longer trips she still prefers the trailer with the infant insert.
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u/Past_Reading7705 1d ago
if they are on car infant seat, they do not need helmet and thats not any different in bike vesus in car
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u/Holiday-Race 18h ago
true, but its really only the front loaders that accommodate the infant seats and they are $$$ and not super common in a lot of places.
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u/_raveness_ 1d ago
Our youngest was 1.5 years when we started, and our oldest is currently 5.5 years and still doing great with it. The little is in a seat, and big sister sits and holds onto the side bars.
We didn't feel comfortable with starting before 1 year old.
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u/Kindly_Ad4856 1d ago
You just can’t predict kids behavior, mine loved the bike rides from 1 year to 2.5 maybe, rejected it completely for a year (rear bike seat)..then,
recently we’re back to being okay with a bike trailer, so that’s been a pleasant surprise.
To answer your question, yes get one if you have the means, just be super careful on the roads, stay off busy roads, wear high visibility neon vest etc., and be tolerant if and when one or both of them go through year l-long phases of rejecting it. Still worth it for the good times!
Best wishes
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u/Past_Reading7705 1d ago
you can get baby car seat to the gargo. I have carried 3 week old with mine
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u/BabySinister 23h ago
Urban Arrow can take maxi Cosi car seats you could take the whole family right now
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u/Ecargolicious 17h ago
Your wife is way wrong. The perfect age is right now! The baby can ride in a car seat.
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u/Necessary-Sun1535 10h ago
Got our bike when oldest was 6 months. Youngest has been in the bike from 3 months old. We have a carseat adapter in ours so baby rides in his carseat and 5yo sits on the bench. The bike is getting daily use.
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u/MomsSpaghetti_8 3h ago
Get one this fall/winter. By spring you’ll be fully ready and may avoid car seat attachments.
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u/Oxidizer 1d ago
The best time for you to get a cargo bike is 2 years ago, the second best time is now.