Cargo Bike Alternatives
Not Everyone Needs a Cargo Bike
Working at a bike shop, I installed and repaired many different types of ways for adults to bring along kids on their bikes. While I prefer cargo bikes, they aren’t for everyone.
For simplicity, we are going to discuss alternatives broken into 2 categories:
Trailers
Pictured: A Burley Minnow
Trailers attach at the back of the bike, usually at the rear hub or onto the frame. The connections are flexible, so the overall bike plus trailer combination steers and rides quite easily.
Personally, I used one for a few years primarily to bring my dog to work and on adventures. I found a few things really great about them. And I had a few frustrations.
Trailer Wins:
- Cheap price – high quality trailers can be found for less than $400 brand new
- Easy storage – most trailers fold down with a little camping pole style breakdown
- Easy maintenance – the main work to be done on a trailer is pumping up the tires
Trailer Loses:
- No conversation with your cargo – it is really easy to hear your trailer cargo, but difficult to carry on a dialogue
- Cheap materials – my kids and dogs wreaked havoc on our trailer. Repairing the canvas material after it began to rip was not possible.
- Cargo affects your ride – with 2 kids in the trailer, you could feel any of their movements in a major way
Short Story: I had my son and his friend in a trailer. They were begging me to sling them back and forth while we were going very slow on the way home. As I swerved harder, they would scream and get more excited. I kept pushing the limits until… Fwwwwppp! BOOM! The trailer flipped on its side and the rear wheel got pulled out from under me. Everyone in the trailer was just fine and laughing. I, on the other hand, was in full panic mode for a few hours.
Bolt on Child Seats
These are one of my least favorite options. Yes, I’m opinionated. And I am biased.
I have been, as a 3 year old, on one of these bolt on rear seats. And I remember being scared at the time.
Bolt on seats are added to the rear of the bike (the safest option), to the top tube of the bike (as pictured above) or to handlebars. They are inexpensive. And they kind of just scare me.
Bolt on child seat wins:
- They are cheap and inexpensive
- Easy storage
Bolt on seat loses:
- In the event of a hard stop or emergency, there is a high risk of injury to the child
- Because it is added to the bicycle, it can change the riding characteristics of the bike dramatically.
- Installation is often a mess, with parts being modified and weakened
The Choice
If you are choosing between these two, please consider strongly the option of a trailer. While it is nice to keep your kid between your arms while riding, it should be only used in EXTREMELY SAFE environments (no cars, no obstacles, no surprises) due to the opportunities for injuries.
Trailers offer a great way for families to explore their neighborhood.
But this site is about CARGO BIKES. If you can afford a cargo bike and it works out for your lifestyle, I would highly recommend that over either a trailer or a bolt on seat, but I am very very very biased, for obvious reasons.