Description
The compact two kid bike, with a seat spare
The Mid is the middle one of the Bike43 range, and if you have two kids it is the one to look at. At 186 cm it is shorter than most longtails, but there is proper room for two on the back and a third seat for a friend, a cousin or even a grown-up. Three kids and nowhere to keep a two metre bike? It is the best compact bike for that job too, with 200 kg all in. And it is designed and built in Belgium. Bike43’s own advice is the same: two kids, go Mid.
It shrinks when you need the space back
The Mid and the Short are the same frame. Changing the rear dropouts takes 15 cm out of the tail and turns a Mid into a Short, or the other way round. Handy when the eldest starts riding their own bike and you would rather have the storage space back than a bike sized for a phase you have finished.
The Magic Footbox
Bike43’s patented footbox tucks the first child’s feet in under the saddle, safely away from the pedals. It is the trick that lets the bike carry an extra passenger without getting longer, and it keeps the whole thing 15 cm more compact than it would otherwise be.
Two builds
The standard Mid runs the Bosch Performance Line motor with a 540 Wh battery and two piston brakes at £4,650. If you are carrying three kids up North London hills regularly, have a look at the upgrade: the PX build at £5,270 brings the more powerful Bosch Performance Line PX motor, a bigger 720 Wh battery and four piston brakes, which is the combination you want when the bike is fully loaded and the hill is long.
Built like it is replacing a car
What we like most about the Bike43s is how the kid accommodation works, and how stable they are with kids on the back.
Belgian designed and built, in a workshop that employs people with disabilities to help build the bikes. Low step through frame, heavy duty double kickstand, hub gears that will not drop a chain, suspension fork as standard. The Bosch Smart System adds the eBike Flow app, electronic locking, an alarm and location tracking. The frame takes interface plates so it can take different motors in future, and isn’t out of date the moment Bosch updates the range.
Specification
| Carries | Two children in comfort, up to three, plus rider |
| Length | 186 cm |
| Maximum gross weight | 200 kg, including rider, bike and everything on it |
| Load split | Up to 85 kg on the rear, up to 20 kg on the front carrier |
| Motor | Bosch Performance Line 75 Nm, Smart System. PX build: Bosch Performance Line PX |
| Battery | Bosch PowerTube 540 Wh. PX build: 720 Wh |
| Display | Bosch Purion 200 |
| Gears | Shimano Nexus Inter-5E hub gear, chain drive |
| Brakes | 2 piston hydraulic discs. PX build: 4 piston, 203 mm front |
| Fork | SR Suntour Mobie 34 CGO, 80 mm travel |
| Tyres | CST Brooklyn Pro 20 x 2.44 inch |
| Converts to | Bike43 Short, by changing the rear dropouts |
Options
- PX build: Bosch Performance Line PX, 720 Wh battery, four piston brakes: £5,270
- Gates belt drive instead of chain: £350. Ask us about current availability
- Rain canopy: £300. Long tail bag pair: £280
Popular accessories
- Pivotable bench kit, bars plus front and rear cushions: £410
- Rear junior seat, up to 35 kg, with foot support and belt: £100
- Rear child seat, up to 22 kg, footbox compatible: £60
- Front “stem” child seat, up to 15 kg: £60
- Front basket: £100. Front bag: £115
- Maxi Cosi holder: £85. Thermal child seat cover: £70
Ordering and Cycle to Work
We order these in rather than keeping a row of them in the shop, so give us a ring on 020 8347 5534 or drop us an email and we will confirm the current lead time, colour options and the exact build. Available through all the usual Cycle to Work schemes.
We are at 143 Crouch Hill, N8 9QH. Come and ride one up the hill outside the shop.
