Will a New Horizontal Stem Riser Support a Front Child Seat

Question

I recently bought a Lectric XPedition. My goal was for it to transport my 3 kids, 2 in back and the youngest with a front child seat.

When I received the ebike, the collapsible handlebars made that impossible.

1. The lever is in the way
2. the stem is tapered so there’s not a firm connection
3. Not sure how weight bearing a collapsible handlebar is.

Googling around, I've found a variety of stem risers that would allow me to eliminate those particular problems.

But I'm unsure about the connection and how necessary the spacers are that come with those risers.

Connection

When I take the handlebars and stem off, I have a little under 1 inch connection.

Most of the risers I'm finding online seem to be for longer connection points:

(This seems closer to 2 inches)

And their bolts are spread out:

Versus close together like mine:

Would that make any impact in it's weight carrying ability?

Spacers

Most that I'm finding also come with a series of spacers:

How necessary are these to the function of the riser/stem? If I left them off (so I could connect the front-facing child seat), would that impact the strength of the riser at all?

If those do impact the riser's ability to carry enough weight, does anyone know where I could buy a 7 inch riser intended to fit into the fork on ~1 inch connection point?

Answer 1

That steerer (The tube coming out the top of the bike frame that turns the fork) is cut off very short and is clearly designed to work with the extension that came with the bike. I doubt there is an aftermarket extension that would be suitable for such a short steerer. Adding the weight of a child to an extension would not be wise as the leverage generated by the weight, supported over the short junction could lead to catastrophic failures. Most extensions require more steerer than this has.

The only solution to the problem I would recommend is a longer steerer. Unfortunately, this normally means a new fork.

Have you considered other solutions for transporting three children, such as a bike trailer?

Answer 2

I would not risk it - that's your child on top.

As an alternative, look at a "wee-ride" style of seat. This sits over your top-tube and locates the child between your knees. Not the most ergonomic of positions, but better than the kid balanced on a tower of sketchy extensions.