An Alternative Family Bike

Recently the family and I travelled from Hamilton up to Electric Bike Team in Auckland, a one hour and 30 minute expedition. We drove there to test ride an alternative family bike.

This post will detail a little bit about our selection process, and our thoughts after riding. We managed to get some pictures and videos (perhaps not as many as we would have liked.)

Identifying Our Wants and Needs

As our family has grown, our older Magnum e-bikes are also being outgrown. We already struggle to get our children on the Magnum, they ride terribly with the extra rear weight (more so if Ms 3 thinks it's funny to rock around), and our feet sometimes get caught on the child seat when pedalling. To be fair: they are not designed for carrying children.

After experiencing our R+M Load 75, we now have a taste of the nicer bikes– the various conveniences, quality differences and most importantly safety. As our children grow, and lead their own lives, we (Mum and Dad) are finding we may need to split our trips. We are also looking for something that is slightly more appropriate for the cheeky zip from A to B e.g., to the shop or gym alone.

With a bit of researching online, we decided our alternative bike should loosely fit the following criteria:

• have high-quality batteries and electric system (Bosch voluntarily certifies to UL 2849),
• is electronically serviceable by a local e-bike store (Electrify Hamilton is Bosch certified),
• is sustainably produced and high-quality (this Riese & Müller factory tour is a great watch),
• can carry a reasonable weight on the rear rack, at least one child is a must but bonus points for two children,
• can comfortably be ridden as a single person bike, and can be ridden on longer trips e.g. NZ Rail Trails or Hamilton to Cambridge (a future post on that)
• has an internal gear hub for easier servicing and shifting while stationery e.g. when caught out at the bottom of a big hill (this is not a deal breaker, so we will ride bikes with derailleurs)
• is a reasonably well known brand so we can be rest assured the bike will be supported, and has other community testimonies to ensure rock solid purchase

When we arrived at the shop, we knew we may not have a lot of time. Our time was more limited, because we wanted to take the kids. Taking the kids helped to ensure that they were comfortable on the bikes, and we were comfortable riding with them. This is a family investment after all we can't have it collecting dust after purchasing.

With this all in mind our further research suggested that the top contenders we could look at something like the following bikes:

• Benno Boost E, and,
• Riese & Müller Multicharger

Bikes we were curious about, but decided were unlikely to trial out were the following bikes (in preferential order):

1. Riese & Müller Multitinker,
2. Tern GSD/HSD, or,
3. Yuba Spicy Curry

The Evaluation

We had been emailing Electric Bike Team ahead about our interest in a new family bike. When we arrived, our attention was immediately caught by the "Petrol Blue" R+M Multitinker and "White" Multicharger. We spotted the Tern's and the Yuba, and we decided upon seeing them up close that, while they look like impressive bikes, we confirmed we will not be including them in our test today.

Multicharger

The first bike to test was the Multicharger. I was first up with Little Man, while Ms 3 decided to play in the "kids corner" of the shop and Sam hung back.

I took the bike for relatively short ride on the Lightpath (a big pink bike path), and immediately appreciated the ride. I was also impressed (and surprised) with the bikes ability to shift automatically between different pedal assist modes. It was seamless. In general, the bike rode really well and the brakes felt really good. I felt safe, and Little Man did not quip at all or look phased by the experience, in-fact, it looked like he was loving every moment of it.

Sam was next up to evaluate the bike, we left Little Man on it and surely so, she came back with a big grin on her face. We collected Ms 3, to better evaluate the extra weight and approval ratings, and put her on. The double kick stand helped a lot, because it means the bike can stand alone while the children are put onto it. The children and Sam disappeared for a little bit and returned all looking suitably impressed.

My main reservation with this bike is we both felt a little wobbly when we pushed off, and the bike had a derailleur. The derailleur system actually worked really nicely, and it was suggested the wobbly feeling may be due to how the children impact the center of gravity on the bike. The Multicharger frame is much closer to a classical bike frame, as opposed to long tail cargo bike which have lower set frame. I suspect some of it was unfamiliarity with the bike and the weight distribution as well.

Multitinker + Benno

We weren't actually sure if we should try the Multitinker, due to the uncertainty with time with respect to the children. In the moment, the childrens' moods were in check and the bike was already within arms reach. The shop suggested we all go out for a longer period and test both the Multitinker and Benno in parallel.

The first bike I rode was the Benno. It rides nice and if I ended up buying it without being aware of the others, I would be really happy. But I am here to find the best fit, these bikes are vehicles in our mind: just like when people buy cars, we want them to be safe and fit for us. I do not have a lot of notes on the Benno and will be quite brief (which may come off harsher than I intend), but essentially it boiled down to:

• it had no suspension fork (stiffer ride and perhaps slightly less responsive in braking),
• it had a cross bar which I kept kicking with my leg when getting on and off with children (there were other variations which drop the cross bar, but not tested),
• it did not have the newly loved auto pedal-assist and only came with derailleur drive train options

The bike appeared to be a really solid build, plenty of high-quality metal to buff out the rear rack and front rack. However, the cross bar was a detail that caught me off guard: when children are on the bike you don't have the same freedom to kick your leg over the frame. This was unfortunately a bit of a deal breaker for this specific test bike, and the lack of a suspension fork was noted in how the bike rode.

Next up was the Multitinker and, oh my: I was open to a surprise but not one that would confuse our judgement. This bike rides wonderfully. It was kitted out with an internal gear hub, smart display and all of the same affordances of the Multicharger, but in a new package. I could see myself riding this longer distances, no problem (something I thought the smaller wheel base might contribute too?) and it felt really solid on the ground. The bike climbed steeper hills with ease. The combination of internal gear hub + automatic pedal assist really smoothed out hill climbing. If we did not already have the Load75, this bike would have been the clear winner.

Sam and I shared notes, and we both concluded that both of the R+M bikes were superior. Both sharing similar reasons, Sam was less fussed about the derailleur vs internal gear hub. I think a surprise stop at the bottom of a hill when she wasn't expecting it was both mean, and proved a point. She had to get the bike back into the correct gear to move.

Winner

As I said on the Benno, I think all of these bikes would have left us feeling like winners. They all rode well, but unfortunately when being super critical and with reference to other products, we tend to pick up some of the smallest details. However, when crtically assessed: the Multicharger probably fits our needs the best. We need to evaluate and place more emphasis on the solo riding experience. The bike frame better approximating the classical bike frame, and the familiarity of that will make it feel more comfortable with zero or one child on it. We are not expecting to have both kids on the Multicharger regularly, as that's what the Load75 is for. Additionally, the bigger wheel base should contribute to a more stable solo ride.