# Cargo eBike or Regular eBike with a Trail-a-bike?



## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

I have been chatting with my wife for some time now about getting her an eBike to ride to and from our kids school for Drop-offs and Pick-ups.

There are a few parents who do this at our kids school and most have the Cargo Style eBikes to fit a few kids in the back. 


Here is our situation. We have 2 kids, one is in 1st grade and has a 7 speed MTB he can ride to school, with the gearing he can climb the grades we have on the way with no issues.

In 1 years time my daughter will be in kindergarten at the same school, she is 4 and will be 5 next year. She is not very interested in learning to pedal like my son was and even if she was I don't think she will be up for that journey pedaling on her own.

So the thought is get an eBike my wife can use that will also transport our daughter while my son rides his MTB.

I already have an Allens Trail-a-bike that I use on my beach/city cruiser.

Is it better to step up to a Cargo eBike or just move the Trail-a-bike to a standard eBike?

Are the cargo eBikes more unwieldy being longer and bigger? Is the size even noticeable? Once our daughter is riding on her own will we still want a Cargo eBike?

I would imaging the standard bike is a less expensive entry point.

Curious to hear from people who have ridden both types. My wife is a bit out of bike shape and not super confident on 2 wheels. She does fine riding her own bike, but the side to side motion of the Trail-a-bike would probably throw off her balance on her regular pedal bike, but maybe with the power of an eBike that motion would be less impactful?


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## Crankyone (Dec 8, 2014)

The cargo bike , heavier, and longer wheelbase, is much more stable with a load via trailer or onboard load. Not a lot harder to propel. 
Can’t comment on ebike , although mine was once, Speed isn’t always your friend.


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## levity (Oct 31, 2011)

Lots of parents in our community shuttle their kids to and from school and other actiities on a cargo Ebike. I've never owned one, but seeing how they ride suggests that they are stable, easy to handle, and fun for driver and passenger(s) alike. The kids we know wave with glee as they zoom by on the back! Cargo type Ebikes are relatively inexpensive and can serve double duty running errands (Farmer's Market, etc.). You may find you ride it more and more. I vote for the cargo bike. In any case, have fun. I recall good times hauling our daughter around in a Burly trailer behind my old mtb and am sure I would have enjoyed it even more on a cargo Ebike!


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## natrat (Mar 20, 2008)

i can't remember which one but they make a cargo bike that is slightly more compact and better to ride


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

natrat said:


> i can't remember which one but they make a cargo bike that is slightly more compact and better to ride


in looking around a few brands offer a "cargo" bike that has a short wheelbase, but the cargo side of the bike seemed less useful than on a longer Cargo Bike.


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## alexbn921 (Mar 31, 2009)

get the one where the kids sit in front. The kids actually get to interact with the environment and learn where they are going instead of being passengers not paying attention.


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

alexbn921 said:


> get the one where the kids sit in front. The kids actually get to interact with the environment and learn where they are going instead of being passengers not paying attention.


Those are really cool for hauling a bunch of stuff, but that is not the style cargo bike we are considering.


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## Big Clyde (Sep 28, 2005)

Seriously, get an Emountain Bike, pick a size you both can ride.
You'll be riding Calavera a whole lot more in your spare time.
Those trails are built for E 😂 

Problems solved.


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

Big Clyde said:


> Seriously, get an Emountain Bike, pick a size you both can ride.
> You'll be riding Calavera a whole lot more in your spare time.
> Those trails are built for E 😂
> 
> Problems solved.


Trust me I want one, but the cost of an EMTB is about twice that of a street based eBike. Also, I have a 30 inch inseam, my wife has a 36 inch inseam. She really needs a taller bike than my short butt is comfortable on.


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## mike_kelly (Jul 18, 2016)

We severely underestimated the effect of the high weight. Our eCargo bikes weight 78 pounds. The weight definitely affects steering and makes it impossible to put it on a bike rack etc. My wife is very concerned about crashing and having the bike fall on top of her. The stand-over height is poor on most that I have looked at and the specs on the web were very wrong. Caveat Emptor.


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

mike_kelly said:


> We severely underestimated the effect of the high weight. Our eCargo bikes weight 78 pounds. The weight definitely affects steering and makes it impossible to put it on a bike rack etc. My wife is very concerned about crashing and having the bike fall on top of her. The stand-over height is poor on most that I have looked at and the specs on the web were very wrong. Caveat Emptor.


Thanks for the reply, I was wondering what it might be like trying to move around a Cargo eBike and how the extra weight could impact the one riding it. I am leaning towards a regular bike and the trail-a-bike.


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## mike_kelly (Jul 18, 2016)

Klurejr said:


> Thanks for the reply, I was wondering what it might be like trying to move around a Cargo eBike and how the extra weight could impact the one riding it. I am leaning towards a regular bike and the trail-a-bike.


I am not saying you CAN'T do it and I am thinking body english on single track is hard. You can definitely ride them on blacktop. But the weight always let's you know it is there. It is going to affect a smaller person more than a big one. The lack of standover really bothers my wife and many of the offerings don't have much standover.
My comments are in reference to the Eunorau FAT-HS which has eMTB geo, not an eCargo but just as heavy 78lbs, but is sold as a commuter.








Looks like most eCargo are step through so the standover may not be an issue.
Good luck


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## TeeCee (Jan 7, 2021)

I ride an e converted Surly Big Fat Dummy long tail cargo bike, mainly off road. It is very heavy, but I can throw it about fairly well and it rides much better than one would think to look at it.
I have a front rack as well as the huge standard pannier and sometimes pull a trailer on black-top. 

I'm very happy with this cargo bike


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

TeeCee said:


> I ride an e converted Surly Big Fat Dummy long tail cargo bike, mainly off road. It is very heavy, but I can throw it about fairly well and it rides much better than one would think to look at it.
> I have a front rack as well as the huge standard pannier and sometimes pull a trailer on black-top.
> 
> I'm very happy with this cargo bike


you ever ride it with a squirming 4 year old on the back?


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## minimusprime (May 26, 2009)

This is my converted cargo ebike. It's a 2013 kona dew deluxe with a bafang bbs02 mid drive kit on it and a 13.5ah battery. When I need it in cargo mode, I put on a rear rack with a milk crate, pannier bags and a front basket. It works great as a cargo bike and if I needed to bring a kid along with me, I'd likely grab a top tube mounted seat so that I could protect the child better in a crash. I did consider sourcing a kona ute (long wheelbase kona cargo bike from 2016) as they come up for sale on CL from time to time. I decided that i preferred this solution as I didn't need the extra length. FWIW, I have a buddy that live in chicago and he uses a radpower cargo bike as a kid and grocery hauler and he beats the heck out of it and loves it. If i were buying pre-built, that's the direction I would go. If I were doing it all over again, I'd still go with a conversion kit as I do prefer mid drives and the learning curve was tolerable. I have about $1,100 into this build in total. $300 for the bike on CL, $600 for the motor and $200 for the battery. This thing is scary fast... I have it turned down a bit compared to where most people run these and it will easily do 35mph on flat ground at full chat and has absolutely zero issues maintaining 28-30mph effortlessly.


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## TeeCee (Jan 7, 2021)

Klurejr said:


> you ever ride it with a squirming 4 year old on the back?


I fixed that with gaffer tape )


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

minimusprime said:


> This is my converted cargo ebike. It's a 2013 kona dew deluxe with a bafang bbs02 mid drive kit on it and a 13.5ah battery. When I need it in cargo mode, I put on a rear rack with a milk crate, pannier bags and a front basket. It works great as a cargo bike and if I needed to bring a kid along with me, I'd likely grab a top tube mounted seat so that I could protect the child better in a crash. I did consider sourcing a kona ute (long wheelbase kona cargo bike from 2016) as they come up for sale on CL from time to time. I decided that i preferred this solution as I didn't need the extra length. FWIW, I have a buddy that live in chicago and he uses a radpower cargo bike as a kid and grocery hauler and he beats the heck out of it and loves it. If i were buying pre-built, that's the direction I would go. If I were doing it all over again, I'd still go with a conversion kit as I do prefer mid drives and the learning curve was tolerable. I have about $1,100 into this build in total. $300 for the bike on CL, $600 for the motor and $200 for the battery. This thing is scary fast... I have it turned down a bit compared to where most people run these and it will easily do 35mph on flat ground at full chat and has absolutely zero issues maintaining 28-30mph effortlessly.


your picture did not come through for me.


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## levity (Oct 31, 2011)




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