Transporting a step-through bike

Step-through bikes are easily distinguishable by their name, if you can pass your leg through the bike frame to straddle the bike; it's a step-through. If you are swinging your leg higher over the frame, it is a step-over. For the longest time, most step-through bikes were considered women's bikes given they originated to help women in skirts demurely straddle a bike in polite society. But step-through bikes go beyond avoiding flashing your knickerbockers, they provide a safe option for people with restricted mobility and allow people to stop and start their bikes with more ease. But their geometry can pose some difficulties when it comes to transporting a step-through bike on a vehicle.

WHAT IS A STEP-THROUGH BIKE?

A step-through bike is simpler to mount as it has a very low top tube or no top tube altogether. A top tube is the upper bar of the bike frame connecting the head tube to the seat tube creating the typical triangle geometry of bikes. Without this top tube, you can pop your leg across the bike frame by raising a leg no more than knee height making it preferable for people with tight hips and knees. This same lack of top tube means a rider can simply slip off the seat and be in a standing stance when stopping and starting the bike. 

The more common example of a bike is the step-over bike. This is largely because the top tube adds stiffness to the bike frame making it more durable and capable of withstanding intense riding conditions like mountain biking. However, you would not want to slide forward off the seat if you came to a quick stop as that very same top tube will unceremoniously crunch unmentionable areas. 

In today's ebike world, step-through geometry is making a comeback. For people with limited or restricted mobility, ebiking has provided the chance to rediscover a sport that would have been challenging or even painful. And while the pedal assist helps those sore knees and hips it does not help getting on the bike so manufacturers are wisely offering up step-through varieties.

STEP-THROUGH BIKES & BIKE RACKS

What does this mean for your bike rack? Most bike racks are designed around a traditional bike geometry: the step-over bike. For example, our Advantage prong racks require a top tube to mount the bike. For step-through bikes, we created an adapter, the Bike Buddy, which acts as a faux top tube. This works perfectly for traditional bikes up to 15 kg in weight, but it is not safe for the heavier weight of e-bikes.

When it comes to step-through e-bikes, we recommend a bike rack with an adjustable frame cradle, which allows you to choose a safe spot anywhere along the bike frame to clamp to. For step-through frames, we generally recommend clamping the rack to the seat tube—the straight section of the frame that houses the seat post (just be sure not to clamp onto the moving collar or stanchion of a dropper seatpost if the bike has one). Both our e-bike specific racks, the E-Rack 2 Pro and the E-Volve 2, feature adjustable frame cradles that can comfortably and securely clamp to a step-through bike as shown below.

Step-through bikes on the E-Volve 2:

Step-through bikes on the E-Rack 2 Pro:

As always, check that the other specifics about your step-through bike align with your chosen bike rack, such as the allowable tire width, the allowable wheel base and the weight capacity of the bike rack. If you have any questions on how best to choose a bike rack for your specific step-through ebike, simply reach out and we will happily guide you to what will work best for you.