JusticeZero

As it turns out, one of the most common things I have to do is to go meet up with a family member and give them a lift home, or to bring them somewhere they have a ride home from. Weight is a non issue, and we live in a perfectly flat place (albeit with extremely bad and bumpy roads), but funds are tight. What would be a good addition for this?

VegasTriker

A tandem bike. (provided your passengers are willing to ride one)

JanMM

Illegal in many places to carry more people on a bike than it was designed for.
Tandem. Or maybe an Extracycle?

krobinson103

For kids.... that. Good for up to 35kg or so if your legs can handle it.

yugyug

Maybe illegal, but do you care? Likely to get stopped and fined where you live? Its very common in Holland. Possibly illegal there too. If you have the right kind of bike with strong frame, rear wheel and rack, just get them to jump on the back. The passenger needs to have good balance, confidence etc in that sense its a "skill". My foreign friends in Holland were never as good as my Dutch friends when I lived there. Rider also needs extra skill and to take extra care to balance, avoid bumps, potholes, slow down etc.

Artkansas 

krobinson103

Thats cool. I want one for my baby...

JanMM

Correct that's it's not on LEO radar most places in US where illegal. Certainly a common practice some places.

CB HI

And put some air in that rear tire.

steve0257

If you need to transport people get one of these

https://www.pedicab.com/images/classic-pedicab.jpg

fietsbob

NOTE : the store awning You see the Durch Language? its The Netherlands , what is culturally Normal there , may be Illegal in NO,LA,USA

osric

I'm more a fan of this type of "taxi" from Christiania Bikes, though I have yet to see one in the US.

Nermal

Studded tires?

Retro Grouch 

Are those SPD pedals?

GravelMN

Pedicab



The Pedicab - Hammacher Schlemmer

https://images.hammacher.com/PopWindows/Default.aspx?uq=z11968&rnd=1424094687854 Finding a used tandem is likely more practical, even if your passenger doesn't want to pedal.

BlazingPedals

That's a big parachute! I like the color, though.

fietsbob

OR, A Cargo Bike with a Folding Bike as the Cargo, one way.

knobster

Check craigslist. There's one listed here in Portland, I would think you'd have similar luck in N.O.

Mainstreet Pedicab

Did a quick N.O. search and they had this: https://neworleans.craigslist.org/bid/4875672224.html

Doug5150

An xtracycle with the foot platforms would be most-ideal, I'd suggest. Or you could build something similar if you had the means.

In Europe a common style of child seat is one that attaches to the rear rack, and has the child's legs straddling the rear rack. The original purpose of bikes with extra-long rear ends in Euroland was to allow attaching more than one child seat.

----

I would not suggest putting ANY rack on ANY US-market bicycle and then having anyone sit on it, because US bicycles are built very poorly for this use. They only have very tiny screws at the bottom of rear racks, that are supposed to carry the entire weight load of whatever is placed on the rack.... Even many very expensive bike frame brands and rack brands in the USA make this mistake. For some reason they think it's a really good idea to use fender screws for rack screws also. You pretty much have to build your own rack/attachment method if you want something built for a lot of weight.

StephenH

You'll see several variants of pedicabs sold in the US. One is the standard "new" pedicab, produced by several companies. One is the "Old" pedicabs, not necessarily that old, but typically imported from various Asian countries, China, Viet Nam, India, etc. Evidently, the local styles vary, so in some places, the riders-in-front is common, in some places, the riders-in-back is common, in some places the sidecar style is common. So on occasion, you'll see the two-in-front style for sale. Beware, the "old" ones are liable to be single speed, use tires and innertubes of oddball sizes, and miscellaneous parts may not be readily available. They are liable to be heavy as well.

I have seen at least one Worksman pedicab of that style for sale. Not sure how it works. The normal 2-in-front pedicabs have the operator setting up higher so he can see over the cab. The Worksman front-loading tricycles have the operator at regular bicycle height. So I'm not sure how visibility is. And Worksman doesn't currently make a pedicab, likely for good reason.

If you ride a normal bicycle around, then switch to a "wide" trike, there is a big difference. Specifically, you will be taking up a lane whether you want to or not. So take a look at your streets and see how practical that is.

On the original post, I suggest the first thing to do, is ascertain if those people expecting you to pick them up, really expect it to be on a bicycle in the first place, or whether they'd just as soon walk in that case. Saying "Sorry dude, I don't have a car" would likely eliminate the issue a lot easier than investing in a new bike.

One problem with the tandem idea is the range of sizes. The CoMotion Periscope line of tandems is specifically set up to fit a wide range of stokers (which makes it good for growing kids, the target market, I believe.). But be prepared to pay $3,000 or so for a good tandem. if both you and the proposed rider are "average" size, you can pick up the used cruiser-style tandems in decent shape for $100-$400, and they'd work fine in a flat place. There is a bit of a learning curve on them. By the way, in a warm humid place, be aware that sweat from the captain blows back onto the stoker, which means some people just don't care to ride in that position.

A bakfiets is another option, of similar cost to a good tandem.

Wallonthefloor

look up the companion seat and you would need to get a sturdy cruiser bike with extra tubing for extra frame strength and stiffness.