Options for the perfect family bike

My wife Juli is currently looking to outfit herself with a family bike and the options are staggering.

She’s been obsessed with looking at all the different bikes, child seats, trailers, trail-a-bikes, and other equipment. When you’ve got to run around town with two growing kids (one almost 2, the other 4 1/2) and whatever other stuff you’re hauling or picking up, there’s a lot to think about.

Finally, we’ve settled on a preferred alternative: an Xtracycle with a child seat mounted to Juli’s old mountain bike. You can see a photo of it at the bottom of this post.

If you’re looking for a new family bike, or just want to see what other folks are doing, check out these shots I dug up from my archives…

The classic “train” assembly (not me in the photo). The drawback to this is the cumbersome length.
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This wild machine is a ZEM. It’s a four-wheeled, human powered sportscar (but I’ve heard it’s not so sporty).
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Bike Friday makes foldable tandems and triples.
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The Folz Family are legendary for their bikey-ness. They’ve taken this set-up (sans trailer) on a journey through Laos and Cambodia. Here they’re enjoying a bike move.
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I really loved this option, but the cost was too much to handle and Juli felt small on it.
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The ultimate solution? Perhaps. But we weren’t ready to invest in one just yet.
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This is our current favorite option: an Xtracyle with a baby seat. It’s relatively cheap (especially if we use an existing bike), lightweight, and Juli likes how it rides.
(File photo)

Does your family have a “family bike”? If so, what’s your set-up?