momtomom:

I personally wouldn't get at trailer unless you were only planning to ride on pavements through parks / commons which is unlikely unless you only ride for pleasure (ie. not to get from A to B).

You really need to be riding a bike on the roads here, it's not the done thing to be riding a bike on the pavements (unless with very small kids I guess) as they just aren't wide enough. They especially aren't wide enough for a cargo bike.

Trailers look great fun - and we've used them before in places like Centreparks (a holiday park) where there's very limited traffic on the roads - but London roads are very busy and I feel that trailers seem very dangerous as the trailer is low and not easily seen by traffic, unlike the cargo bikes which are large and obvious....

hope that's helpful....

Hi

I've had my Trikidoo for nearly 4 years and it has been a life saver for school runs - even in the snow. Hills are hard work though not impossible. It's probably best to test drive one on the hill you have in mind - you are welcome to borrow mine. There is a power assisted Trikidoo but I don't have any experience of it.

Good luck

Claire

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that there is a cheaper alternative to the Babboo bike called Bakfiets from Netherland. See bakfietsweb.nl
I've had my bike for 2 years now and love it. It can easily take 4 kids. But you MUST buy one with a motor, as you will otherwise harm your knees. It is a great being able to zoom up the hills in the area.
The delivery time from Holland is only a few weeks, and I promise you you won't be dissapointed!
Best of luck.
Sophie

Those of you who use a cargo bike, tell me more about when you use the bike on a typical week! We're moving to London from the US and really excited to ditch the car as we move into the city. We'll be living somewhere in Wandsworth, possibly towards Southfields.

We have 5 kids - boys ages 7, 5 and 3 and girls 2 and 1. The girls were both adopted. I'm trying to decide how best to get around town. We'll have a car (provided by the company) but I don't want to have to use it everyday. We're hoping to live close to school, but may end up with a bit of a walk as we're entering at an unusual time.

Does the cargo bike work well on sidewalks? Or do you ride in the streets? Do you find the bike lanes to be safe for this type of bike? We would probably have our 5 and 7 year old ride their own bikes and put the 3 littles in the basket along with whatever cargo...

I enjoy cycling by myself now. We've though about getting a trailer for the 2 littles. So help me figure out if this could be great...

Hi,

I've also got a babboe which is great (peddle assist version). It can be a bit hard going on REALLY steep hills, for example the hill up from old york road, going up ebner street or alma road, but other than that any other hills are absolutely fine.

You can get a free trial if you contact the local rep selling them (happy wheel i think it's called)....or if you want to borrow mine for a few days (though probably needs a service) you'd be welcome to try it out for a few weeks. I'm heavily pregnant so not really using it at the moment. PM me if you'd like to try.

PS I've also seen the two wheelers and have never tried it but to my thinking it might be a bit unstable. The great thing about the 3 wheeler is that it's always upright and stable - the others might tip a little I imagine...

Hi,
Congratulations for trying not to use your car for school runs, riding can be such fun for the whole family!
I've been using a Babboe cargobike for the last 18 months and I can tell you that however living in a hilly area, I find it great!
They have an electric assisted version that makes every hill and long rides pretty easy ( I usually carry a 3 and half + 5 years old + friends, scooters and shopping!)
In addition to the safety and stability these cargobikes have rain tents which allows me to use it round the year whatever the weather conditions.
You can have a look at their website www.babboe.co.uk, it seems that a new version on 2 wheels has just been released if you don't like the trike option. They offer test rides as well.
Good luck and don't hesitate if you have any question.

Hello, I am struggling to do the school run with out my car. I've tried using my mountain bike with my 2 1/2 year old on the wee rider and my son on his own bike. He is nearly 6 and rides like an 8 yr old but I've realised he isn't realy at the right mental stage to respond quickly in changing environment. I have decided not to do it again and tried with him on our wee hoo trailer (usualy used by my husband) but found the balance impossible to mananage with the two children as I'm realy dainty though relatively strong in the legs.

I've been trying to buy a trikidoo as all the 3 wheel cargo / bakfiets are heavy and hard going on the long hill coming home.

Please help. I'm open to any advice.