Children’s Transport on the Rapid

The initial question my wife and I faced was: Is there a way to transport two children and a baby in a cargo bike? Or will we have to start driving the car more again?
After doing some research, the answer was clear. A Radkutsche cargo bike should do the trick!

With two children, we’d originally opted for a longtail bike, as none of the Longjohn bikes we’d tested had really suited us (and we hadn’t yet considered the Rapid).

To keep the family car off the road as much as possible, we arranged a test ride, received excellent advice and opted for a beautiful model that was affordable as a commuter bike.

With the adapter for the baby-seat and the raised mounting, we can now transport the baby safely by bike. The two ‘big ones’ (aged 3 and 5) can stretch their legs out under the baby-seat.

We set off in the autumn and actually cycled 1,100 km over the winter months already. Lots of short trips to nursery, packed with rucksacks and outdoor clothes. And on a few occasions, we picked up a friend’s child as well. Then we fitted a child seat to the luggage rack and transported four children. A proper cargo bike!

Over the winter, the canopy was worth its weight in gold. With a cosy blanket, the children found it wonderfully snug and only occasionally wished for the car – simply because there was no sound system.
For my wife and me, the short journey by bike was so much more pleasant than by car that we didn’t want to do without the cycling comfort even in ice and snow. After a short period of getting used to it, the handling is so stable and confidence-inspiring that we felt confident riding it even in poor conditions. So we fitted studded tyres without further ado. This is where I have my only criticism of the otherwise very impressive design. When changing the rear wheel, I had to release the derailleur, as I couldn’t manage to remove the wheel even with the air let out. Perhaps it’s just a matter of practice, but it’s certainly not ideal.

As well as the short journey to the nursery, we cycled down from our neighbourhood to the town centre quite often. And back up again, of course. About 3 km of continuous uphill. The Magura brakes cope well, but the pad wear is already quite significant. With similar terrain and load, you should consider opting for the ‘larger’ brakes. We were among the first to have the new Bosch drive fitted, which works brilliantly in conjunction with the derailleur and handles steep sections with a heavy load without any problems.

With the arrival of spring came our first rides, and distances of +40 km are possible on a single battery charge (725 Wh).

We’re already planning our first camping/cycling holiday and are looking forward to many thousands of kilometres of wonderful experiences and hassle-free everyday use over the next few years.

If you can afford it in any way: buy yourself a Radkutsche cargo bike, make the most of it and enjoy it to the full!