Choosing an Electric Bike to use to carry or tow kids/grandkids is a great idea and there are a lot of bikes on the market that will work really well for this purpose.  Kids bike seats & electric bikes work well but you need to have an understanding of Kids Seats their attachment points, how they can affect your riding. As with standard bikes not all e-bikes with fit all kids bike seats. It is about finding a solution to fit your situation.

For information on options for Towing Kids/Grandkids behind your bike see this story called Towing Kids & Electric Bikes

Best introduction to riding on a bike, best interaction as they are between your arms.  Good traffic, commuting option for young kids, fits 1-3 yr olds. Great idea to add the protection of a windscreen so the airflow at speed doesn’t effect your young child.

What does an E-Bike need to fit a Front Kids Bike Seat?

Ideally at least 21mm of space to mount an adaptor onto your handlebar stem.  Upright riding position is best to create space especially for short parents/caregivers.  If not in an upright position medium or larger frame size is best.  Watch out for batteries placed high in the front of the frame

Mid Mount Seat called a Shotgun Pro

No harness securing your child but good interaction as they are between your arms, fun on easy off road trails.  Good single kid option, common match to trail, mountain bike styles (Shotgun is designed for mountain bikes). Age range is generally 2-6 yr olds.

The combination of E-Bike speed, an unharnessed child and on road, busy, traffic riding is not recommended.  Stick to cycleways and pathways if possible.

What does an E-Bike need to fit a Mid Kids Bike Seat?

Mid mount seats attach to top tubes although the Do Little can be attached to step through frames (no top tube) with an adaptor.  Upright riding position is best to create space especially for short parents/caregivers.  If not in an upright position medium or larger frame size is best.  Two NZ companies have designed mid mount seats for E-Bikes.  Batteries in the frame can make attaching some mid mount seats difficult because of the width the battery creates so Shotgun has created the Pro for E-Mountain Bikes and DoLittle make “The Biggie” to work with E-Bikes.

Will a DoLittle Fit on my bike?     Will a Shotgun fit on my bike?

Best long term investment, popular choice for riding in traffic/commute riding.  Carrier must be rated to carry up to 25kg.  Maxi 1-6 yr old.  Junior 4-10 yr old

What does an E-Bike need to fit a Rear Kids Bike Seat?

Two types of attachments are available.  The most common is direct attachment onto a rear carrier.  The second option is via a clamp onto the seat post tube on your bike frame.  Battery placement is important with this one – rear carrier batteries are not always a good match.  You will need to check if you have any clearance between your battery & the rear carrier.  A carrier attaching seat want to clamp around the rails on a carrier so it needs some space under the carrier to do this. Batteries in the frame of the seat post tube will also create problems for seat post attachment.

Will a Rear Mount Seat fit on my bike?

Rear Seat called a Junior

Electric bikes are a great idea if you are considering riding with more than one child on your bike.  Whether they are both attached in seats or you chose to tow an older child having an electric assist will make riding a bike so much more pleasant.

You will need to be aware of the multiple attachment points of the set up you are thinking of riding with.  We recommend spreading the weight as soon as possible one child on the bike, one child being towed.  There are a great range of possiblities to choose from.  Depending on your budget and where you like to ride, there are definitely solutions for everyone in the market.

Let us know if you are struggling with this at all, we are here to help. Call 0800 44 33 77 to speak to Annette…