Cycling with 2 kids

dawsonz

I was hoping to be able to use my bike to take the kids on the nursery run, with the ever increasing fuel costs and now that the nicer weather is here (for now), it'd be great to use my bike to take them to nursery. I have a 1-year-old and a very nearly 4-year-old. 

Currently, I have a Hamax seat on the bike, which either can go in, but going forwards, I need something that will allow me to safely take both children at the same time.

Any recommendations?

[Deleted User]

Cargo bike

Herzlos

A Weehoo TWO bike trailer would take both of them using your existing bike. Beyond that you'd be looking at a cargo bike of some sort.

Timbolla

When I go to work I have seen a couple of people with the cargo bikes.  One of them has had 4 kids in complete with harnesses.  I think it was one of these https://www.babboe.co.uk/babboe-city-e.
IMHO the long ones look a bit more difficult to ride, but you can get a trike.  Most of them can now have electric assist so not as much of a problem on the hills.

RalphT264

For fun, I used to ride with my friend's young brother. The onboard seats are something I would strongly advise against. When a little child sits in those seats, the bike's centre of gravity rises dramatically, making the ride exceedingly unstable.

Username03725

We had a trail-gator for a while - it's a bar that attaches a child's bike to your own bike's seat post to allow you to tow him/her behind. It lifts the front wheel off the ground so there's no issues with balancing & steering. The only issue for you is that it probably won't fit if you already have a childseat fitted.

Trail-Gator on Amazon

Kat78MFW

Username03725 said:

We had a trail-gator for a while - it's a bar that attaches a child's bike to your own bike's seat post to allow you to tow him/her behind. It lifts the front wheel off the ground so there's no issues with balancing & steering. The only issue for you is that it probably won't fit if you already have a childseat fitted.

Trail-Gator on Amazon

Trail Gators are brilliant. Your eldest can cycle for a bit on their own if you are on a safe route and then you can re-attach them to your bike when they get tired or if you need to cycle on the road. I don't think it would be compatible with an existing child seat though, unless you have a seat fitted in front of you for your youngest rather than behind. 
Only thing with the trail gator is that it's not great using it if your child's bike is pristine and you hope to sell it on someday as it has to grip tight onto their bike and does damage the paintwork on the handlebar post. 
Hope you get something sorted.

Ergates

A 2 child trailer (like the weehoo two) is probably the easiest option that doesn't involve buying a new bike.   Look on second hand sights before new - most bike trailers don't get that much use so you can find them in good nick.

For comparison - a new WeeHoo TWO is £600, a new Babboe cargo bike wil set you back 5 times as much and is less practical as a "normal" bike when not being used to transport kids.  (The WeeHoo only needs a small trailer hitch on the seatpost)

Indigo_and_Violet

The family cycling uk group on facebook has lots of advice on different options and a lively second-hand kit market. I'm in London and the 'try before you bike' scheme organised through the council has child trailers you can rent for £20-£30 a month if you want to give them a try. They'll come out and fit it for you and then collect it when you're done.