Following up on our feature of Anne and her kids, we were reminded that a follower tweeted us in September with a good question about Xtracycles:
Are there laws surrounding the transport of my children on my Xtracycle?
While there aren’t laws specifically addressing the question, Washington state has the following regulation on the books:
RCW 46.61.760: Riding on bicycles.
(1) A person propelling a bicycle shall not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto.
(2) No bicycle shall be used to carry more persons at one time than the number for which it is designed and equipped.
[1965 ex.s. c 155 § 81.]
This page from Xtracycle’s website specifically lists the child carrying capacity for four of its bikes: the FreeRadical BigStoker (one big kid), FreeRadical LittleStoker (one toddler), FreeRadical ComboStoker (one big kid, one toddler) and FreeRadical DoubleStoker (two toddlers).
If I’m reading the law correctly, then it’s A-OK to transport the designated number of kids on these models. As for other bicycle brands, carrying capacity would depend on how the manufacturer designs and markets its bikes.
Xtracycle wrote its own blog post about carrying bicycle passengers.
As a final note, Cascade recommends that however you choose to transport kids (or adults), make sure it’s safe and functional. Our Bicycling with Infants and Toddlers brochure has some helpful tips.
We concur with Xtracycle's final message: "Ride safe, ride with love, ride on!"
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