The Tern GSD is a rock-solid cargo bike for carrying 1 or 2 kids or adult passengers. I’ve been lucky enough to ride both GSD Gen 1 and GSD Gen 2 cargo bikes extensively as my kids aged and have also helped outfit hundreds of families with their own perfect family cargo bike setup. This article will cover the common GSD cargo bike setups for carrying passengers. Make sure to add your personal experiences in the comments!
Key Ingredients to Safely Carry Passengers on a Rear Cargo Bike
No matter what cargo bike you have, there are four main things you need to ensure the safety of your passengers.
- Something to sit on – this is obvious, but some options are more comfortable and padded
- Something to hold on to – unless your child is in a bike child seat, they need something to grab onto in corners and for stability.
- Something for feet – Foot support helps with stability to keep the passenger locked in on the back, and having a bit of support keeps their legs or feet from falling asleep from dangling in the air
- Something to protect feet from wheels – This is often overlooked, but you want wheel covers or properly made bags to cover the wheels, brakes, and rotating bits
Recommended GSD Accessories Based on Human Size
I’m going to bunch the common setups into three human-size categories. You may want to size up or down if your child is smaller or bigger for their age. Also, note that there are many different child seats and accessories made to carry passengers. This is a very high-level overview of the most common setups; if you have unique needs or questions, then leave a comment at the bottom!
Small Child 2-4 years old
The Clubhouse rail system and 1-2 child seats. This gives the child hand protection on the sides, and as they size out of the child seat then, you can add pads and have them sit directly on the bike.
My preferred child seat in the US is the Yepp 2 Maxi. Just remember they need to be rack-mounted, not frame-mounted. If you need to run 2 of these seats, get the newest Clubhouse Gen 3. If you only need 1 child seat, the Clubhouse+ is great.
Medium Kids 4-10
The Clubhouse is still my personal preference for this age range. My 6 and 9-year-olds can fit in together, and I prefer that they are “contained” as they goof off back there. It also allows me to run the Storm Shield cover for rainy or cold days.
Larger Children or Adult
If you read my content long enough, you’ll know I sit on the side of “better safe than sorry.” Sure, my 9-year-old (and any adult I carry) could ride just holding on to a handle, but I prefer the Captain’s Chair Gen 2 for her comfort and my own. I would then run the Tern Sidekick Handle (pictured above) or the Sidekick Bars.
Accessories All Setups Should Have
If you are carrying a passenger, you should add on the Lockstand Extensions.
If you have an older GSD Gen 1, make sure to add on Wheel Guards if you aren’t using bags or may not always use them.
More than 2 Kids?
I have a lot of thoughts here, like Tern, please make a true longtail cargo bike designed for 3 kids on the back. But the most important thing to remember if you have more than 2 kids is that the GSD can tow a trailer!
A Note on Max Gross Vehicle Weights
Tern is a stickler for testing. This is good and bad as it often cuts them short when advertising against other companies that don’t test for the same things but it means you are truly buying a bike designed for what is being used for.
Tern is testing their GSD to the DIN 79010 cargo bike standard, with a max gross vehicle weight (MGVW) of 440 lbs / 200 kg. This means YOU, the BIKE with ACCESSORIES, your PASSENGERS, your CARGO, and your TRAILER (trailers with their own brakes don’t count) all need to be under 440 lbs.
Final Thoughts and Links
The most important thing is to find the setup YOUR family needs. Please reach out or leave comments with any questions or your own setup and why you chose it.
