Support Wheels

[Rosie Arzate]

Hi all! I was recently gifted a RAD Bike Wagon Cargo and love it so far, but I have a problem; it gets very heavy when I try to ride it with my kids on board. I am a shortie, so I can not even begin to balance it to move forward.

I am looking to see if there is such thing as support wheels (like training wheels) for this kind and size of bike.

I don't mind looking ridiculous for using training wheels. I just want to ride with my kids safely.

All ideas are welcome! Thank you.

[John Rose]

I dunno about that. You have to be able to lean into a turn, and a training wheel sort of thing would prevent that, since it could lift the other rear wheels off the road. You could slow right down every time so as not to have to lean as much, but then you lose momentum. E-bike with cadence sensor are already tricky enough to make slow tight turns on. A trike would be better, and training wheels do not make it like a trike.

Perhaps a sidecar ($$$$) or trailer ($) would be better for hauling the kids with a RadWagon.

You said "recently gifted" - it may just take a bit more practise getting used to it. Try practising with sandbags on the back or something.

Are you able to lower the seat enough to reach the road with both feet at the same time?

Is it a RadWagon 4 or RadWagon 5? The wheels on the RW5 are 2" smaller.

[Naranja_CT5+]

The way I would approach this is what John said more practice. Ride more alone until you are comfortable riding in low speed. Balance is nothing when you are going fast because your momentum/inertia are doing all the work for you. I remember taking my motorcycle license exam. I had to perform figure 8 and riding in straight line as slow as possible. I found that making myself tall on the bike made it easier to complete the test. I may not be explaining it well but in my opinion the key is finding your centre of gravity. Having passenger screws that up too.

Again as John Rose said, try riding with a bag filled with heavy objects and place it where your kid would be sitting and practice riding slow to a point where you are almost losing your balance then apply a little speed to correct yourself. 

By the way there are 3 wheeled e-bikes and trikes out there but I don?t think that?s the answer. https://riderungu.com/

[Rosie Arzate]

Thank you both! These are great ideas! It is a RAD Wagon 4, for sure I will keep practicing to make it work.
I can not reach the road with both feet at the same time.  =(

[Naranja_CT5+]

I can not reach the road with both feet at the same time.  =(

This concerns me because of your passenger.

To be honest I also consider myself a height challenged person. When I see motorcyclist waiting for a green light. I see them with both their feet on the ground. I have always thought of this as bad form. You only need your right leg to balance yourself in your bike. In my novice days I bought myself a a motorcycle too tall for me. When I am in a stop light I had to lean the bike so much so the I can touch the ground. The accelerator would always right myself up.

Have you considered asking someone to adjust your seat and handlebars to suit your height? That?s what I did for my City5+. It made a difference. It?s still feel tall even though it?s already in the lowest settings but since I haven?t even ridden mine in the street?s yet. I still have to make final adjustments.

Lastly, have you seen the caboose? Might be a good accessory for riders with small passenger.

[Rosie Arzate]

I got the seat adjusted, but I'll see what I can do with the handlebars. I received the bike as a gift and it already includes the caboose, so I am very grateful.

I will adjust it as much as possible and will definitely practice with the sandbags.

I appreciate so much all the tips and suggestions!

[crorris]

One of the best purchases I have made for my Rover 5 is this dropper seat post. When I ride, I like to sit up really high. With the seat up that high, I can't touch the ground with both feet while I'm in the seat. With this dropper seat post, I can hit the thumb lever when I'm coming to a stop the lower the seat all the way down. Then when I take off again, I can hit the thumb lever again without all of my weight on the seat and it will raise up to whatever height I choose. I also find that I can ride farther comfortably by adjusting the height occasionally while I ride. It's not cheap, but out of the thousands of dollars I've spent on various upgrades, this is the one I feel gave me the most for the money.

https://amzn.to/3K4sZPH

[Muskie1]

One of the best purchases I have made for my Rover 5 is this dropper seat post. When I ride, I like to sit up really high. With the seat up that high, I can't touch the ground with both feet while I'm in the seat. With this dropper seat post, I can hit the thumb lever when I'm coming to a stop the lower the seat all the way down. Then when I take off again, I can hit the thumb lever again without all of my weight on the seat and it will raise up to whatever height I choose. I also find that I can ride farther comfortably by adjusting the height occasionally while I ride. It's not cheap, but out of the thousands of dollars I've spent on various upgrades, this is the one I feel gave me the most for the money.


https://amzn.to/3K4sZPH

I agree, leg injury makes swinging my leg over seat, dropper is awesome and the little adjuments while riding make a huge difference.

[Naranja_CT5+]

I don't mind looking ridiculous for using training wheels. I just want to ride with my kids safely.

We kind of did not answer your real question.

I found this https://www.fatwheels.com/Adult-FATWHEELS-Training-Wheels-p/fw-adult.htm

They did say not recommended for e-bikes but they also said if you use an eBike. Do not exceed 6 to 10 mph. you may want to give them a call to see if there is a solution that will fit your wagon.