When my wife and I bought our first ebike—a Radwagon 4 by the Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes—four years ago, we did so to replace one of our two family cars. For in-town trips of 5 miles or less, we figured we could (and should!) use the bicycle. At the time, our kids were very young, so we needed a bike capable of safely carting them around and also handling whatever we were hauling on a given day.

The Radwagon answered those needs; the direct-to-consumer company allowed me to configure the bike to suit my exact needs during the ordering process. I selected a front basket, a rear pad seat for my son, and a Thule Yepp 2 Maxi seat to secure my then-toddler daughter. I also bought a few safety lights and a bell from my local bike shop (more on those accessories below).

Once the bike arrived and was assembled, my wife and I used it to tote our kids all over town. We rode to and from school and daycare, playdates, and doctor’s appointments; made quick grocery runs; and went anywhere else we needed to go that was relatively close to home.

On any given day, the front basket continues to function as a cornucopia holding whatever we might need for the task or errand at hand. On a recent trip to a nearby playground, my ebike’s basket held the following: a small soccer ball, my wife’s small shoulder bag, my bike lock and cable, two bottles of water (in addition to a third bottle of water in the bike’s bottle cage), three baseball caps, two baseball gloves, one baseball, a small tin lunch box full of snacks, and two binders full of Pokémon trading cards. The basket has also successfully transported two large grocery bags or three smaller ones, and, on one occasion, a small guitar amp I found at our local thrift store.

The bike is still useful and functional, but my family’s needs have changed since we bought it. My now-4-year-old daughter is too big to fit in her Yepp seat, and my now-8-year-old son is a bit too self-conscious to be seen on the back of his dad’s big ebike. (Not to mention, he’s now strong enough to ride all over town on his own bike.)

With my kids outgrowing the beloved family ebike, I’ve been thinking about its next iteration as a serious cargo schlepper—a Grocery Getter, if you will—and how I can set it up to haul as much stuff as possible. Ebikes now make up a huge category, serving mountain bikers and commuters, folding and cruising to fit various needs. There are strategic ways to maximize your ebike’s capabilities for each of those purposes, but here I’m going to stick to outlining the two I know best: carting a family (the Family Wagon) and hauling lots of stuff (the Grocery Getter).

The Family Wagon

If you use your ebike to transport your kids, you’ll want comfortable, safe, and age-appropriate seating for them.

These days, most family-style ebikes—which put the focus on extra seating for kids as opposed to an ability to haul a ton of stuff—feature seating behind the primary rider (Rad, Aventon, Lectric), so it’s just a matter of finding the right configuration for your family. Front-loaded family haulers are available, such as Urban Arrow’s FamilyNext, but this setup is much less common.

With just about all of those aforementioned brands, you can configure your bike to suit your family’s exact needs. That might look like a padded rear seat plus an additional traditional child’s bike seat—much like I created for my son and toddler daughter on my family Radwagon. It could mean one long padded seat. It could be two Thule Yepp–style child seats. Whatever your preference, make sure the bike you’re eyeing can accommodate it.

For safety’s sake, I made sure to outfit my bike with a steel cage that Rad calls the Caboose, which wrapped around both of their seats. I also made sure the bike had runner boards so my son’s then-little legs weren’t dangling off the sides, or worse, his laces getting caught in the spokes of the rear wheel.

And while I have yet to replace my kids’ seats with cargo bags, there are several brands that make smaller panniers meant to fasten beneath your kids’ runner boards or footrests, giving you even more storage options. For example, Lectric, which seems to dominate the ebike accessory game (it has a surfboard add-on and fishing-rod holders), allows you to build a bike that has both seating for your kids and large pannier options, offering a hybrid Family Wagon/Grocery Getter. Some brands, such as Rad Power Bikes, even offer weatherproof covers for your kids. To increase cargo loads on your Family Wagon, you can also add frame bags and handlebar bags.

The Grocery Getter

The big thing that separates the Family Wagon from the Grocery Getter is storage, as most ebikes make you choose between added seats or added cargo space.

With that in mind, the most important accessory for any object-hauling bike is a good set of panniers. And while the aforementioned Lectric bags are made to pair with rear seating, most ebike brands offer one or the other. So if you’re looking for an ebike to replace your trips to the local shops, you’re going to need sufficient storage.

Popular ebike brand Aventon offers several options for cargo storage. The best I’ve seen from the brand is the absolutely massive Abound Pannier Set, which can hold nearly 90 pounds of cargo (44 pounds per pannier). I recently watched in awe as a local friend of mine fit a week’s worth of groceries for her family of four into her Abound Pannier set, evenly distributing the haul between the two sides. Especially if you’re hauling a heavy load, it’s best to balance the weight evenly over both sides of the bike for safety and balance while you roll.

It should also be noted that not every ebike brand is compatible with just any set of panniers. Read each accessory’s description and consider this while deciding which bags to buy. When in doubt, stick with your bike brand’s proprietary accessories.

For those in rainy regions, waterproof cargo bags may be of interest, as they offer more protection from the elements than a typical water-resistant bag.

Other great cargo-hauling additions to an ebike that isn’t holding additional passengers include a rear basket, platform cage, or over-the-wheel bag. Fully loaded, your bike will be able to stow, haul, and tote just about as much as the trunk of your car.

Cargo Must-Haves for All Ebikes

Whether your ebike functions as a Grocery Getter, a Family Wagon, or otherwise, it should have a few key accessories. First, any good cargo ebike needs a sturdy front basket. As I mentioned earlier, it’ll carry more than you might think—but especially if you make use of some light-duty bungee cords to help fasten bulkier and awkwardly shaped loads. You can also get yourself a cargo net like this one from Aventon, which lies atop your loaded basket and hooks into place. The basket you choose will typically be proprietary to the bike brand. And while some generic baskets might be compatible with your bike, many will not. If possible, buy your front basket from your bike’s brand.

You’ll also want some key safety accessories, like a handlebar-mounted smartphone holder so you can track directions without taking your eyes off the road. Unlike with a lot of the aforementioned gear and storage options, you don’t need your smartphone holder to match your bike’s brand. Rather, you can get one at just about any local bike shop. Quad Lock makes my favorite; it offers a ton of mounting options, all of which are easy to install and super secure. Do note that you’ll have to use the brand’s phone cases for all of its products.

Another safety accessory every ebike should have is good lighting, especially if you’re carting around kids. I like Specialized Stix because it’s inexpensive, easy to affix and charge, and super visible. It’s also easy to toggle between red and white light, meaning you can use the same light for the front and rear of your bike. I also like the Garmin Varia rear light, which connects to your phone and can alert you to traffic coming up from behind.

A good saddle bag (a small utility bag that fastens to the underside of your bike seat) carrying enough to fix a flat or make minor on-the-ride bike adjustments is a smart add. I always carry an extra inner tube, tire levers, a CO₂ cartridge or two, and a small multi-tool. (Most bike brands sell branded multi-tools with the basic Allen key sizes, small screwdrivers, and a wedge tool all in one.) The Silca Mattone and the Arundel Tubi are both easy to fasten, great at keeping their contents dry, and, though small in size, perfectly suitable to hold everything you might need.

Arundel also makes my favorite bells—another essential bike addition. They’re simple, elegant, and easy to install—I like the Jezebell model most, mainly thanks to its adorable little spring arm. These bells are also quite loud, which is great for crowded greenways and bike lanes. The most important safety accessory of all isn’t actually for the ebike, though, but rather for the rider: the helmet. Don’t forget to wear yours as you haul your most precious items and humans around town.

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