From Preschool Dropoffs to Sunset Rides: E-Bike Life on O’ahu with Candide Krieger

“When cruising around, we often get stopped by other moms/dads who are curious about our setup and how fun we make it look (especially if my son has his cool sunglasses on). Currently, we have a little mom and kid biker gang of about four other moms who bought e-bikes to ride with us.”

Sounds like fun, right? Candide Krieger, a science teacher and mom in Honolulu, Hawaii, has fun like that just about every day on her e-bike.

"I like to think that island life is slow and relaxed, but when you’re a single mom to a toddler it’s ‘go-go-go.’ That is one of the reasons an e-bike comes in handy. We quickly zip around town, getting to appointments, play dates, or secret trails to the beach without having to deal with the hassle of finding parking or walking a far distance. Plus we save on gas and lower our carbon footprint!”

Born in O’ahu, Candide loves getting to revisit her own childhood memories with her son.

“Getting to raise my son here is such a privilege. We go on a lot of adventures, some old and some new. Some favorite activities include: feeding moray eels, picking flowers and fruit, observing from a distance nesting native Hawaiian seabirds, and riding up mountain trails.”

They also love making leis (Hawaiian flower garlands) and sharing them with the neighborhood. Candide’s son often craves unique island fruits like starfruit or mountain apple; finding those special treats can take the pair off their usual path!

With so much to explore, walking just isn’t a feasible way to do everything that the pair wants to do together. And while Candide had a bike, in early 2022 she realized that it no longer fit her family — literally!

“My 3-year-old son was getting too big to ride in his child seat that went on the handlebars of my previous bike. I was searching for a bike that was low to the ground since I am short (5’3”) and one that had a closer distance between the wheels.”

And that’s when Candide’s connection with a friend helped her to find the perfect bike.

She visited her friend’s local e-bike store, Ebikes Hawaii, and noticed the Magnum Pathfinder 500 in Snow on the showroom floor. The built-in rear rack looked perfect to put a baby seat on!

“I was a little apprehensive about switching to a back baby seat, since my son was in the front for so long and I was used to being able to see him. [But] the Pathfinder is much smaller and lower to the ground than my previous bike, so making the switch to the rear child seat wasn’t as scary as I thought."

Plus, her son loves the unique sound of the horn! So it was decided.

With her new Magnum Pathfinder and compatible accessories, including a new Thule child seat, Candide and her son now take every opportunity to ride farther around the island.

Candide takes her son to and from preschool on her e-bike, finding that it eases the stress of drop-off and pick-up lines! What’s more, the Pathfinder is the perfect size to fit in Candide’s van, making it easy for her family to venture to other parts of the island.

“On the weekends we sometimes take a day trip out to the North Shore to play at the beach with friends or look for seashells. There’s some neat bike paths on that side of the island with horses waiting to be pet; I highly recommend it if ever in the area."

With all these adventures, Candide and her son have put over 400 miles on their Magnum Pathfinder in just 5 months.

You can follow Candide on Instagram at @wild__fleur to see more of her island life. We can’t wait to see where her e-bike takes her next!