Quick Haul child seat guide

Using a Child Seat on the Tern Quick Haul Electric Bike

Updated on 

Heads up!

This article mentions third-party child seats that are not manufactured by Tern. Please note that child seat designs might change, and that their manufacturers may choose to maintain the same product name even after the design has changed.

For your safety, always consult with your bike dealer, or with the child seat manufacturer or reseller, to make sure you have the right seats to safely carry your kid(s).

This article refers to Quick Haul bikes. If you have another one of our passenger-carrying bikes, check out the Tern Child Seat Guide overview.

To safely carry a young child on your Quick Haul, you’ll need a child seat. This article will help you learn more about compatible child seats, how to use them with panniers and other Tern bike accessories so you can bring along everything you need, our recommended add-ons for passenger safety and comfort, and more!
 

Contents


Child seats we’ve tested

We’ve tested and found the following rear rack-mounted child seats to be compatible with the Quick Haul:

Thule Yepp 2 Maxi rear child seat for bikes
Thule Yepp Nexxt 2 Maxi rear child seat for cargo bikes
Bobike GO Maxi child seat for cargo bikes
Urban Iki rear child seat for cargo bikes
bobike reclining child seat compatible with tern cargo bikes

Thule Yepp 2 Maxi

Thule Yepp Nexxt 2 Maxi

Bobike GO Maxi

Urban Iki rear seat
(carrier mounting)

Bobike Evolve Maxi Reclinable Carrier

For other child seats, check compatibility

If you have a different child seat model you prefer, check the manufacturer’s guidelines and the Quick Haul rear rack specs below for compatibility before purchasing. Whichever child seat you decide to purchase, ensure that it conforms to EN 14344 standards and comes with the required elements for safe passenger carrying: seating, safety harness, foot support, and foot & leg protection.

Atlas Q Rear Rack Specifications
◯ Round tubing
⌀ 16 mm tube diameter
↔ 144 mm rack width

But keep in mind, the fact that a child seat can be installed on the Quick Haul does not guarantee that it’s compatible with Tern panniers and baskets. Read on to learn more.


Adding Clubhouse Mini passenger bars to your child seat setup

While a compatible child seat can be used on its own, adding passenger bars is a great way to provide extra stability and safety for your child. For this, we offer the Clubhouse Mini Gen 1 and Clubhouse Mini Gen 2 passenger bars. Both are compatible with a single, non-reclining compatible child seat of your choice.

HSD ebike equipped with Clubhouse Mini passenger bars

If you plan to use a compatible reclining child seat such as the Bobike Exclusive Evolve Maxi, we recommend the Clubhouse Mini Gen 2. It includes a Child Seat Expansion Bar that provides additional space inside the Clubhouse Mini, allowing the seat to fully recline.


Adding panniers and pannier baskets to your child seat setup

We’ve done a little in-house experimentation to determine which popular child seats can be used simultaneously with Tern panniers and pannier baskets that fit the Quick Haul.
 

For the Cargo Hold 37 Panniers

 

CH37

 

The Cargo Hold 37 Panniers are a set of spacious bike bags that are great for hauling groceries and kid essentials along with your little passenger. The following child seats all play nicely with these panniers: 

  • Thule Yepp 2 Maxi
  • Thule Yepp Nexxt 2 Maxi
  • Bobike GO Maxi
  • Urban Iki rear seat 

You’ll need to connect the straps of the panniers on either side of the bike before installing the child seat. Make sure to use the panniers in Bucket Mode so the child seat’s footrests can properly extend into the panniers.
 

If the child seat you like isn’t on this list, it may still work. However, you might need the Pannier Adapter to make it happen.
 

For the Cargo Hold 28 Pannier

If you live in an area where the weather gets finicky and prefer to have your panniers closed in case of sudden showers, consider getting the Cargo Hold 28 Pannier (sold individually). It may be smaller than the Cargo Hold 37 Panniers, but still offers plenty of room for your essentials.

The Cargo Hold 28 Pannier tucks neatly behind any of the child seats we’ve tested, allowing you to roll down the pannier top to fully shield the contents against rain and dirt. 

 

CH37 with child seat on QH

 

One caveat—you’ll need to remove the pannier in order to store your bike vertically.


For the Kontti Basket

 

Kontti basket

 

Another option for carrying rear cargo is the Kontti Basket. For one or more Kontti Baskets, we recommend using the Thule Yepp 2 Maxi child seat. If you’re considering another seat, be sure to try it with the Kontti Baskets before purchasing to ensure everything fits.


Adding a double kickstand to your child seat setup

For extra stability when loading and unloading your child, the DuoStand double kickstand is a must. This robust dual-leg kickstand has a wide stance that keeps the bike standing firmly on the ground for worry-free passenger transitions.
 

DuoStand Gen 3 product

Weather-proofing your child seat setup

Nobody likes arriving soggy and grumpy after a rainy ride, especially kids. That’s why we created the Clubhouse Fort Mini, which is a weather-protection compartment that surrounds your child seat setup to help keep your kid dry and cozy year-round. 

Learn more: Clubhouse Fort Mini: All-Weather Kid Carrier for Compact Tern Cargo Bikes

 

Clubhouse Fort Mini on QH

 

The accessories you need to build the Clubhouse Fort Mini depend on whether you have the Clubhouse Mini Gen 1 or Gen 2.

With Clubhouse Mini Gen 1

With Clubhouse Mini Gen 2

Once your little passenger outgrows the child seat, you can swap it out for a Clubhouse Seat Pad and Clubhouse Backrest to keep using the Clubhouse Fort Mini. That way, your growing kid can continue riding along while being protected from the elements.


Other things you should know about when using child seats with the Quick Haul

  • Check your local regulations to make sure carrying passengers on a bike is legal in your area.
  • We don’t recommend using child seats that attach to places other than the rear rack (e.g., handlepost or seatpost-mounted seats). Please see this article for more information.
  • We don’t recommend carrying two or more children on the Quick Haul. The Quick Haul is designed to carry one passenger and hasn’t been tested for two or more passengers.
  • Ensure that the combined weight of the bike (including battery), rider, passenger, accessories, and cargo does not exceed the Quick Haul’s maximum gross vehicle weight of 150 kg (331 lb).
  • Do not exceed the Quick Haul's 50 kg (110 lb) rear rack load capacity.
  • Never leave a child unattended on the bike, even if the bike is on a kickstand.
  • Helmets for everyone! This includes the rider and any rear passenger, whether in a child seat or not. 

For more information on how to safely carry passengers of all ages on the Quick Haul, check out our Quick Haul passenger guide.

Related Articles


How NOT to Carry Passengers
We believe in biking more and driving less, and our cargo bikes help families do just that! However, it's important to prioritize safety when carrying passengers on your Tern bike. Here are some things you should avoid when carrying passengers.
October 20, 2023

Short Haul with Clubhouse Mini and Thule Yepp child seat installed
The Tern Short Haul compact cargo bike fits 1 child seat on its sturdy rear rack. Learn about compatible child seats like those from Thule and Bobike, how to use them with panniers and baskets, guidelines for passenger safety, and more!
October 22, 2024

Quick Haul Long with Clubhouse Gen 3 shown on banner image
Explore the different Clubhouse models for our kid-carrying bikes, discover the features and passenger setups each one offers, and find the right solution for your family’s needs.
October 25, 2023

_DSC7129_1600x900.jpg
Tern Short Haul cargo bike is designed to safely carry one passenger on its rear rack, but it’s possible to carry a second young passenger on a front-mounted child seat. See our recommended accessories and safety guidelines for carrying passengers.
October 23, 2023

Riding a Short Haul with a Front-Mounted Child Seat
Although it’s always preferable to install the child seat on the rear rack, the Tern Short Haul can support a front-mounted child seat. This article explains more about compatible front-mounted child seats, installation, and tips for a safe ride.
October 23, 2023

Creating High-Value Bike Accessories Through Testing
We take accessory development as seriously as bike design. Every Tern accessory prototype undergoes rigorous testing to withstand bumps, scratches, and varying weather conditions. See here how it works.
October 23, 2023