After a long time of checking out all the bicycles and child seats, we finally bought an electric bicycle! We bought Hydee B. brand. These electric bicycles are fantastic. I’m so glad we chose this over a mountain bike. It is so stable, and the extra boost is amazing, particularly when you start pedaling and when you go up hills.
5 Tips when looking for a bicycle with child seat:
1. Child seat safety – Think about the safety the child seat. There are a large range of child seats in Japan, including both Japanese and overseas brands. I personally thought the Japanese child seats provided more protection for the baby, with good guards around the legs and back. I also liked the Japanese seat on the back with the bar-handle that the child can hold onto.
2. Child seat position – There are seats designed for the front or back of the bicycle. Generally, if you have two children, the older child sits on the back and the younger child on the front. We were originally planning to get a front seat for our baby, but at 1.5 years age and 13kg he was already too big! So we decided to get a bike with the seat on the back so he could use it for a few years.
3. Electric bicycle vs non-electric bicycle – we were originally planning to buy a mountain bike and put the child seat on the front, as we thought it would be easier with a bigger bike. After studying about all the bikes though, we decided to get an electric bike. I’m so glad we did! Electric bikes are smaller, heavier and more expensive, however they are more stable and safe, and MUCH easier to ride with a heavy baby on the back. It would have been IMPOSSIBLE for me to ride a normal bike with our baby on the back – it would have been too heavy and too dangerous.
4. Bike stand – make sure you buy a bicycle with a proper wide stand. When you are putting your baby in and out of the child seat, you need the bicycle to stand up-right and be stable, otherwise there is a significant risk of the bicycle falling over and your baby getting hurt. It is really important to have a bike with a good stable.
5. Basket – highly recommend buying a bicycle with a basket on the front, so you can put your bag and shopping in there. This is important for safety, as if you hold your bag on your arm the bicycle can become very unstable as you also have a baby on the back (or possible two children on front and back) and there is a risk of falling over. Our basket has been a life saver!
To checkout a huge range of electric bicycles and child seats, visit Motovelo bicycle shop in Daikanyama! It is a great shop and really friendly staff, and you can test drive the bikes to see what they are like.
