Family Biking FAQ

Cycling around town makes everything easier - here's our live guide to family biking.

Choosing a family bike

You’ve seen them around: there are two main kinds of family bikes: the long tail and the front loader. Both our families have at least one of each kind (always nice when mom and dad don't have to share a bike!), and here's what we think.

Front loading cargo, AKA Dutch bakfiets

In the Netherlands where travelling by bicycle is very common, there is a term "bakfietsmoeder", meaning, a mother who transports her kids in a front-loader cargo bike. Several of the longstanding front-loader bike brands are Dutch companies, including the famous Urban Arrow. Cargo bikes are especially great if you’re the parent of multiples and during the first year. You can strap a car seat (or get the Urban Arrow car seat attachment) to the floor of the cargo, and still transport older siblings. Babies can see you. It’s perfect for transporting newborns and infants until it’s safe for them to sit upright and wear a helmet (which Europeans say is around 6 months and Americans say is around a year). It’s also ideal for napping and super comfy until around 15 months or so (and that was with a big toddler).

The big drawback is also their size. It’s preferable to keep them inside, so it requires having some garage space. They can’t fit in most Bart elevators, and are more difficult to get on Caltrain. They do fit on all the ferries. They are also more expensive than long tail cargo bikes.

There are a number of brands we see around San Francisco a lot: Urban Arrow, Riese and Muller, Yuba, Bunch bikes, the Bullitt, the Madsen (bucket is in back) and Omnium. A key difference is weight and size. Some are roomier but longer, some shorter. Price depends on accessories, the strength of motor and the brand, and start at around $5000 new (see below about getting bikes second-hand). We both own Urban Arrow because we move lots of kids and their stuff, and for safety reasons. It’s the only large cargo bike featuring a dense polystyrene bucket, which absorbs shocks well. But honestly they’re all great, usually easy to park, and surprisingly maneuverable. One last piece of advice: choose a 750W motor if you can (or at minimum 500W). That’ll get you up SF hills.

Maintenance can be done by any bike shop as long as it does not affect the motor. The amount of maintenance is impacted by the brakes - older Urban Arrows featured roller brakes that essentially require no maintenance, while disc brakes might require more frequent changes. Expect one or two visits a year to the bike shop if you’re not caring for your brakes at home. Also, if they are compatible with your bike, adopt flat-less tires (yes, they really work).

Three kids sleeping in an Urban Arrow

Long tail cargo

Long tail bikes take less space and are cheaper. The main brands we see around town are Bike Friday, RAD wagon, xtracycle and Tern bikes.

They can lug up to two kid seat in the back, and three small kids with a bit of hacking. The Tern bikes are famous for being able to be stored vertically. Long-tail bike also typically fit in an elevator, which may be a useful feature if you keep your bike in an office while you work, or if your commute is a combination of BART and biking. Longtails are also much easier to get onto the Caltrain, where the train doors have one step that you have to lift your front wheel over. See also below Bikes and transit.

The drawback is that they aren’t as comfortable for longer bike rides or even the regular commute. You can’t give young kids a bag of toys and their snacks and expect it to go well. It’s possible to do groceries with a front basket and some saddle bags, but it won’t do for the typical big Costco run.

Compare bike sizes with this amazing tool made by friend Louis Eveillard.

Thriftier solutions than an e-cargo bike

A used e-cargo bike is likely to still run you at least $2500, and a new one can be $4000 to $10,000. Lots of people manage with regular bikes, especially if you don’t plan on ferrying more than one kid at a time. Regular bikes (electric or not) allow for mounting a kid seat in front. On our commuter bike for shorter rides, we had an iBert seat until our toddler turned 2 then switched to a “shotgun ride seat” by Do Little.

Our parent friend Emma uses the Weehoo and loves it – it's got panniers for carrying kid gear, works for kids ages 2-10, and has pedals so that the kid can help bike too. And it's easy to take on and off your bike, making storage and biking without your kid simple.

Other options include trailers that can hold even younger kids, as well as attachments to turn your bike into a tandem bike (AKA a trailercycle), for older kids. Another parent friend Sophia recommends the Burley Bee, an enclosed trailer that comes in single ($350) and double ($380) models. It easily hitches on and off an adult bike, which offers flexibility for parents who want to swap towing duty - and means that you can remove the trailer and ride your regular bike kid-free. The Bee has ample storage space in back (great for grocery trips and bike camping), and provides a cozy cabin for kid passengers, with interior side pockets for snacks and water, sun protection via the side windows, and shelter from the rain and cold via the roll-up rain cover (kids stay totally dry on a rainy ride even when their parent is soaked through!). You can attach the trailer to a regular or e-bike, and it's very durable - Sophia and her partner started towing their kid at the minimum recommended age of 12 months, and have been using the same single model Bee multiple times a week for 4 years.

How do I get started?

If you want to try it out, you can check out The New Wheel which has Urban Arrow, Riese & Muller, and Tern brand bikes. Warm Planet Bikes has the nimble Bullitt front loader and some Yuba brand bikes that you can try. RAD Wagon has a store East Bay. Bring helmets for the kids. These shops will also do maintenance for you.

If you want to buy secondhand, set up Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace alerts. Families who buy cargo bikes fall into two categories: either they love it and their life is changed forever, or it just doesn't quite fit in with their lifestyle and they end up selling it for a great deal barely used, a few years after purchase.

Choosing helmets for kids

We have had a variety of helmets, and given they are well regulated, made practical choices based on availability at the time. However, others went deep into comparing helmets, and Giro helmets appear to come ahead in most. Two reviews we liked:

• Wirecutter

• Two Wheeling Tots

Keeping the bike safe from thieves

San Francisco thieves are usually professionals, roaming the city with battery-powered angle grinders that can slice through your standard Kryptonite lock in less than 10 minutes. Definitely use an Airtag or equivalent on your bike (see here on how to use them with Android) - often when it's stolen, it's not too far away.

Luckily, in a cargo e-bike, it's easy to carry around multiple locks. We definitely recommend having a angle-grinder resistant lock such as Litelok or Hiplok, and you can supplement with a second cheaper Kryptonite lock. Some bikes like the Tern and Urban Arrow come with a "cafe lock" – a ring lock that is attached on the bike and goes through the wheel - for you to lock your bike while you sit within view at a cafe. So if you use that as well, that's 3 locks.

Other theft-prevention measures include sticker bombing your bike so the thief will have to take off all the stickers to be able to resell it. If you have an Urban Arrow, there are some fun decal stickers and other accessories on Etsy.

We've both had a bike stolen and gotten it back! Ruth went viral on Twitter when it happened to her and someone spotted it in the street. I rode after the thief following the Airtag location and, I kid you not, ran through traffic between cars and demanded my bike back. Adrenaline is one hell of a drug. The thief didn’t protest, and seemed stunned that I could have tracked him.

Practical considerations for cycling every day of the year

Swedes say that "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing". You can buy rain covers for the kids for the brand name e-cargo bikes (adults can wear a rain jacket, or a poncho if you want to cover your backpack). The only exception is days when it is both rainy and super windy, where it can be difficult to cycle with the rain cover on (usually only 1-2 days a year here in San Francisco).

If you can, keep to cycling routes (bike lanes) as much as possible. Apple Maps is usually more reliable to figure that out but it’s best to get acquainted the SF Bike Network map.

Bikes are for fun: Social family biking

• Bicycle coalition organizes Freedom from training wheels every month - a place for children to try out and learn how to use bikes, scooters etc. Free.

• SF Critical Mass, happens every last Friday of the month and is an organized bicycle tour of the city

• SF Bike Party happens every first Friday and is a party on bike

• If you are in Noe Valley or surrounding neighborhood, ask to join the Noe Valley Dads group, which organizes regular dads bike rides

• You can join the SF families biking group on Facebook
  

Caring for the bike

Besides the shops mentioned above, there are a few small business and community spaces to take care of your bike

• Remotion, for road side and home bike repairs is run by a cargo bike dad who designed and made his own rain cover!

• Bike kitchen is a non profit in the Mission that will help and teach you how to maintain and repair your bike for a low price.

Bikes and transit

• Bart elevators dimensions

• Bikehopper gives you itineraries combining bike and transit

• Both Bakfiets and long tail bikes can be taken on all the ferries (as long as there is space for bikes - arrive early)

• The Tern can be transported on Muni bus (but not the RAD Wagon in our experience

More resources

• Bicycle coalition guide to family biking

• For the more adventurous: love Bike to Adventures