New bike for child carrying and shopping...

[SavageHoutkop]

I'm off to Amsterdam next week and my plan is to return with a Child Carrying Solution.
I've currently only got a Brompton, baby is 4 months old; and while a trailer is an option I think the vibrations are a bit much if hitched to a Brompton and other options on a B seem to remove luggage options.

Someone talk me out of buying a Workcycles Fr8 or Gr8 with kiddy seat (I know he's still too young for a kiddy seat but he's big for his age and won't be for long). Or persuade me something else is just as good, and cheaper.

http://www.workcycles.com/home-products/child-transport-bicycles/workcycles-fr8-as-family-bike
and any comment on these panniers?
http://www.clarijscovers.com/category/48-fietstassen.aspx

 

[mickle]

We've three sets of those panniers, they're ace.

Nothing but a Bakfiets comes close to a Workcycles Family bike for carrying capacity. Awesome bikes. I've a great deal of respect for Henry, he produces some outstanding machines.

 

[XRHYSX]

If I had the money I'd get one of these http://www.larryvsharry.com/english/ with a bucket/seat fitted

 

[jonny jeez]

We've three sets of those panniers, they're ace.

Nothing but a Bakfiets comes close to a Workcycles Family bike for carrying capacity. Awesome bikes. I've a great deal of respect for Henry, he produces some outstanding machines.

Yep, i see dozens of these around kensington, and west london, (there are two parked outside houses in the same street as our offices right now) Some have large covers with screens, others are just open top.

Often see 3 or more kids sitting happily...plus, they present a big silhouette so most drivers are very cautious around them

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I seriously considered a bakfiets / nihola or similar earlier on but the offroad cycle paths around here (one of which is super convenient for me) have those idiotic barriers which means I'd never get it through.

 

[mickle]

jeez! - cmonnnn!

SHOW US IT THEN!!!!!

:rollseyes:

 

[User482]

I'm off to Amsterdam next week and my plan is to return with a Child Carrying Solution.
I've currently only got a Brompton, baby is 4 months old; and while a trailer is an option I think the vibrations are a bit much if hitched to a Brompton and other options on a B seem to remove luggage options.

Someone talk me out of buying a Workcycles Fr8 or Gr8 with kiddy seat (I know he's still too young for a kiddy seat but he's big for his age and won't be for long). Or persuade me something else is just as good, and cheaper.

http://www.workcycles.com/home-products/child-transport-bicycles/workcycles-fr8-as-family-bike
and any comment on these panniers?
http://www.clarijscovers.com/category/48-fietstassen.aspx

What makes you think vibrations would be worse with a trailer? Chariots have suspension, and even our non-suspension Croozer has plenty of give in the seat, plus wide-ish tyres which we run a low pressure. Our daughter usually falls asleep within 15 minutes of setting off! We used it from about 3 months...

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Ha ha I'm testriding at the moment. It feels like a tank. So it will be very sturdy and will handle whatever I throw at it, but not sure about how to go up anything vaguely resembling an incline Will take a piccie of the test bike and put it up. (Side note - anyone care to comment on gear range - the one I'm riding is a 3 speed Shimano Nexus, I'll need the 8 at least but not sure if that gives a noticably larger range or just closer spacing??). Unfortunately there's a wait list for them - so downside is I won't be travelling back with a bike, but upside is then I can get exact spec and colours etc...

Not sure about the vibrations in the trailer thing. It seems that vibrations perceived vs actual are quite different. I know the back of a Brompton must shake something terrible (I have managed to whip cream in it accidentally) so with the hitch on the rear of a Brompton I'd think some of that at least gets transmitted to the trailer. I'm less worried about the trailer itself being vibrated although that is still a slight concern.

What's interesting at the moment is I'm riding the Fr8 with baby tied to me in a sling (let's not turn this into a sling thread like a helmet thread please, I wouldn't do it if I was concerned) and while the ride feels very smooth to me, if there are any bumps or jiggles in the road the sling vibrates quite a bit. More so, in fact, than when I've done the same on a Brompton (but it might partly be that on the B I ride even more slowly and avoid any bumps as I know the ride is more twitchy, plus he's heavier each day!!).

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Had another realisation / thought about the vibrations. I think the difference is whether small bumps are smoothed out. On the Fr8, they certainly are, on the Brompton they aren't. However, bigger bumps seem more noticable on the Fr8 than the B, this might be due to riding style or due to the extra suspension interacting with you somehow. Of course the standard 'pothole' crater is awful on the B, but things like speed bumps are usually OK. So I wasthinking the vibrations would be 'bad' in a trailer, but the smaller ones are probably smoothed out to some extent (and those are probably the ones you want to avoid for a baby) and the occasional bigger one isn't going to be too bad for them (especially now his head control is fine). Hmmmm....

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Did take some pics but refusing to upload them...

 

[SavageHoutkop]

...right. I think we need two child carrying solutions. The workcycles is great, but not something I'd enjoy cycling on hilly terrain, plus it ruins our current multimodal options (we train down to London fairly regularly and I'd like to avoid the bicycle reservation problem). So it seems we are heading for two solutions - a workcycles for usual running around and shopping; and a trailer (bromtpon friendly and easily convertible to a stroller and/or collapsible for taking on the train) for long journeys.

Anyone point me in the right direction of a shop selling Burley and Chariot so we can compare in the flesh and make sure they hitch OK to the bromptons? My usual googling is failing me.