Shopping for a non-electric family bike: Which option would you pick? – BikePortland

A few weeks ago I explained a conundrum: I have greatly enjoyed riding my leisurely e-trike, but I haven’t gotten enough exercise. One of my original family biking goals was to get more exercise with my children. However, as my husband describes it, the pedal-assisted trike is “like coasting downhill, both ways” — fun, yes! But not necessarily a source of fitness.

Thus, I have been toying with the idea of returning to a non-electric cargo bike. This is particularly relevant, as I am riding both with young children in my cargo box and my newly independent kid-riders. This means my e-assist doesn’t increase our speed or range because I have to ride at the ability, pace, and distance that accommodates our slowest kid rider. It therefore seems a most opportune time to ditch the motor and pedal myself and little ones, getting some good exercise while my big kids learn to pedal themselves.

With that crazy idea in mind, I took the kids out for some test rides. Which option would you pick? (Notes: I had to test ride the bikes with motors, but I would purchase the human-powered model. I’ve also shared my children’s opinions too. The drawings represent their viewpoints, not mine.)

I saw this blue beauty pop up for resale, and I knew I had to try it. I had been wanting to try a Dutch-made bike for years, and this looks just like the original Emily Finch bike, which she rode motorless with six children (four in front, one on the back rack, another pedaling on an attached tow-bike). This one had an aftermarket motor installed, which could be removed — if I wanted to stick to my plan to get a human-powered cargo bike, and try to copy Emily.

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I hated the feel of this bike on its own (a total shock, as I really wanted to love it!) With the motor on, it was absolutely fun and fantastic. Motorized, this bike goes fast. If I wanted a zippy and beautiful e-bike, this would be great. But I would rarely be able to use the motor at high speeds, since I would then leave behind my big kids riding their own kid-powered bikes. With the motor, I wouldn’t achieve my goal of a human-powered family bike. And without the motor, I didn’t want to ride it.

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I was disappointed that this bike I liked was adamantly opposed by my children. I liked it because it felt the lightest and fastest, yet I share their concern about the “wobbly” feel. They were very uncomfortable. Would I improve my skills and get used to the highly responsive cable steering, or would the jittery feel of the steering become more annoying to me and all of us? It felt like this bike had a few shots too many of espresso–for better and worse.

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This is a beautiful bike with a lot of customization options. I don’t think I test-rode the option I would ultimately choose, and after feeling tired on my test ride, I began to lose confidence in my plan to give up a motor. Should I really build a custom human-powered bike? I want to come back and try again for a longer ride…. this is the option I am dreaming about…. but I am not sure I am strong enough to go through with it!

I could give up the outlandish idea of riding a human-powered family bike. We could just keep our e-trike with its huge cargo box, lots of storage, great bench seats, e-assist, and fun coasting leisure-ride. Save money and get a gym membership instead?

What should we pick? What have you picked for your family bike? Did you test ride multiple options? Bike or trike? E-assist or human-powered? Local shop or shipped in? What was your favorite? How did you choose? Does anyone regret their choice? Tell me more. We’d love to hear from you.

Shannon Johnson (Family Biking Columnist)

Shannon is a 36-year-old mom of five who lives in downtown Hillsboro. Her column appears weekly. Contact her via [email protected]