So...the time has come for my youngest (1) to go to nursery too. For reasons I won’t bore you with it’s a different nursery to the 4 year old. This means I need a way of carrying both of them on my bike, dropping one off and then taking the other with me on a train for 20mins and then a 10min ride the other side.
I’m thinking Hamax for the 1 year old and then one of those cross bar seats for the 4 year old. Will that work? Will it be too heavy? Is it legal?! Anyone here do it?
What about a tag along?
It’s a bit tricky to store at nursery I think...
Personally I found even one child in a high position, ie the rear seat, was less stable than I'd like when getting us both mounted and dismounted (ie it's far too easy for the bike to topple); no way would I try two, but YMMV. Maybe with a very solid twin-leg kickstand, I suppose, but not without.
The safer options are, I'd have thought: a trailer (probably impossible on the train), a bakfiets or similar (very expensive, and probably still a nightmare on the train), a Follow-Me tandem (assuming you're dropping the 4yo off first and can store their bike there, then you can fold up the Follow-Me on your own bike, or find a route where the 4yo can ride themselves.
You can get cheap trailers, eg the Halfords ones, which can be detached and folded flat (wheels off, too) in about a minute… maybe easier to store at nursery than a tagalong?
Trailer sounds like best option. It’s a pretty quiet train, going against the flow south into Kent...they all seem to need a QR axle though. And I have an alfine hub on the commuter. Any thoughts on what to do about that?
Trailer. The one I had fixed to the chain stay rather than qr. Might be available as option. I just then locked trailer at school
It's also much better in rain/snow.
Kiddyback tandem and a babyseat. Look for a used Dawes Toucan or Thorn for about £3-500. Will be the best bike you ever own. I added a tag along to mine once the baby grew up. You may struggle with train option but they are allowed and are bikes.
I started using a trailer extensively when mine were about 18 months & 3.
Two nurseries, opposite sides of the town, then back actually past my house, to work. That was the fittest I have ever been. 🙂
But both nurseries allowed me to unhitch leave the trailer in their yard/garden, so I could continue solo.
We plied the streets with the trailer, towed by an old road bike, for a year or so. But things got a lot better when I bought a cargo bike, in our case a Kona Ute. If I were to do it all again I’d get one in a flash. It’s the one bike I regret selling. A proper game changer bike for us. The cargo bit is basically a flat platform, you can add child seats etc. A centre stand makes loading unloading children a lot easier.
Failing that I’d ask the first nursery if you could leave a trailer somewhere, mine was left under a fire escape.
The cargo bike sounds interesting...how do you fix child seats to it? Are the seats you can fix suitable for 1 year olds?
My Cougar/Thule trailer bracket works fine on my Alfine hybrid - there was plenty of axle thread spare to accommodate it. Steel frame though, a chunkier alu dropout may not.
For the requirement (inc the train) a Tern Cargo Node or GSD would be just about perfect though.
What’s a GSD? I ideally don’t want to buy a new bike but if I have too... 😉
You didn’t say which child was dropped off first. If it’s the small one, then you will struggle with the train without a tandem or separate bikes. If it’s the oldest, then a tag along and front mounted baby seat will work if you leave the tag along at the nursery. I used to leave out babyseat at the nursery then ride 6 miles to school and then onto work alone.
Tag along mount to a seatpost normally, but some will mount to a special rack. Burley is the one I used.
For new options, a Circe Helios would work and are pretty small for train use.
Have you considered having one (smaller one) on your back using a fabric sling e.g. a connecta and the other on the bike.
I used to do exactly what you’re planning. I have twins, and an older child.
I used a Yuba Mundo, with both kids seated on the back. Mixture of younger child in Hamax seat and older one sitting on the rear deck and holding on to stoker bars. When the eldest was old enough to ride, I’d have the twins on the back and he followed behind.
Hit this link for a pic of the Mundo.
The bike was pretty stable with a very wide kick stand. Although, it’s always a little tricky getting them loaded/unloaded without the bike toppling over.
Have you considered having one (smaller one) on your back using a fabric sling e.g. a connecta and the other on the bike.
As far as bad ideas go that's pretty up there.
We have a sling. We use it for walking.
I hate to think what would happen if a car were to knock me from my bike or slipped on a wet patch and we all went down - it would be pretty bad with all in propper protective seats but with a kid on. Your back. Doesn't bare thinking about.
And on a useful note tag along bike you can remove and lock up at the station for the older child and the younger a child seat.
I'd suggest Yuba Kombi + 2 Yepp seats
Bike is 1000€ and can take two rear mounted seats no issue:
https://www.yubaeurope.com/en/bikes-add-ons/kombi/115/kombi
If you get hit by a car then it’s not going to be good for anyone.
Don’t disagree that coming off could be bad and certainly if you land on them then not good but I’m not sure a bike seat offers any protection in an accident.
That said I don’t plan to use my sling for bike use. I can recommend the Mac ride but that only does one kid.
Similar dilemma. Have a 2 seater weehoo for rides but it’s too massive for commute. I wouldn’t trust a trailer either on my commute / school run. Which leaves a cargo bike. Surely big dummy is on the list. An electric assist would make life much easier. Someone at our school has a radbike, looks pretty good too
I use a front loading cargo bike (like a bullitt) for my 3 yo twins, i also made a rear rack for it which extends out to the rear of the rear wheel so both of them can sit there if needed. (Google cycletruck caddyrack) i also have an old bmx saddle clamped to the top tube so in theory i could fit 5 toddlers on it, wouldnt like to try it though but i easily take both boys in the front box and my wife on the rear rack.
If i was buying a bike specifically id consider a rodford built big billy or maybe a tern gsd.
ut I’m not sure a bike seat offers any protection in an accident.
A rear mounted yepp style seat does offer limited protection in that it forms a abs plastic shell that absorbs impact. It's of limited ability but it will take in some of the impact -and is far superior to dad landing on an unprotected child.
Jsut to be clear I said riding on a bike with a sling is a bad idea for all.
Safety aside. Looks like it be illegal too. Scratch it for an idea.
http://www.cyclesprog.co.uk/family-cycling-advice/can-cycle-baby-sling-baby-carrier/
A trailer worked very well for me when dropping the kids at two different locations. I used to leave it chained up in the nursery car park, under a BBQ cover. That said I don't know how easy it would be to take it on a train.
One sitting in the handlebars, one sitting on the saddle whilst you pedal standing up. Kids these days, tch.
Keep old skills alive.
I've got a 5 yr old on the luggage deck of a Kona minute with an old stem/ cut down bars bolted to the seat post for her to hold on to and a set of stunt pegs bolted to the footpeg holes for her feet and the one yr old in a Thule one seat chariot. Great way to get around. those Tern elec assist GSD's look the shizzle though. a real car alternative.
screw 1k bike to work schemes and plug in hybrid grants etc, the govt ought to be subsidising those elec tern GSD's for dropping off kids, shopping, commuting, delivering food, district nurses, meter readers, coppers etc
Slightly cheaper option that would be ideal
No propulsion from the 4yo though.
normal bike with a rear and a front seat will do fine - its the standard dutch way
If you are putting the eldest on their bike and a tag along then look at the "follow me" I'm just headed off to work otherwise id write more and sort you a link but it's great and can stay attached to your bike in a heavy but unobtrusive way and won't interfere with a rear seat.
Like the look of the follow me but it’s quite pricey. And they don’t seem to come up secondhand much
Like the look of the follow me but it’s quite pricey. And they don’t seem to come up secondhand much
Which is a surefire sign that resale value is high so you won’t lose much during ownership.
I had mine for about six years across two kids, the net cost after I sold it was about £50.