Giro, Bell, Smith, POC, and Kask are all reputable brands with a wide range of shapes to fit bulbous and diminutive noggins alike.
Additionally, helmets are not “buy it for life” items—manufacturers recommend replacing them every four to five years because the foam and glues degrade with sun exposure. So there’s a built-in upgrade cycle on that one.
Lights
Many cargo e-bikes come with front and rear lights prewired into the electric system. If you opted for an acoustic bike, you’ll want to get some high-lumen visibility from dedicated bike lights (extra bike nerd bonus points for a dynamo system). Front and rear lights can be as cheap as you need or as expensive as you want. Depending on the brands your local bike shop carries, you will find attractive options from Bontraeger, Lezyne, and Knog. Just make sure whatever you’re buying is USB-rechargeable and has the appropriate mounts to fit your bike.
Additionally, you can go full Fast and the Furious and get nuts with cheap, adhesive-backed LEDs for fun and safety. I’ve seen light masts on the back of longtails, and I have my Long John blinged out with LEDs that pulse to music. This is 82 percent for the enjoyment of other bike parents.
A minimalist’s mobile toolkit
You will inevitably blow a tire on the side of the road, or something will rattle loose while your kid is screaming at you. With this in mind, I always have an everything-I-need kit in a zip-top bag in my work backpack. Some version of this assemblage lives on every bike I own in its own seat bag, but on my cargo bike, it’s split between the pockets of the atrociously expensive but very well thought-out Fahrer Panel Bags. This kit includes:
A pocket pump
Lezyne is a ubiquitous name in bike accessories, and for good reason. I’ve had the previous version of their Pocket Drive mini pump for the better part of a decade, and it shows no sign of stopping. What sets this pump apart is the retractable reversible tube that connects to your air valve, providing some necessary flexibility as you angrily pump up a tire on the side of the road. I don’t mess with CO2 canisters because I’ve had too many inflators explode due to user error, and they’re not recommended for tubeless systems, which are starting to be far more common.
