When my wife and I bought our first ebike—a Radwagon 4 by the Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes—four years ago, we did so to replace one of our two family cars. For in-town trips of five miles or less, we figured we could (and should!) use the bicycle.

Our kids were young then, and we needed a bike capable of safely carting them around and handling whatever we were hauling on a given day. The Radwagon answered those needs; the direct-to-consumer company allowed me to configure the bike to suit my exact needs during the ordering process. I selected a front basket, a rear pad seat for my son, and a Thule Yepp 2 Maxi seat to secure my then-toddler daughter.

The front basket continues to function as a cornucopia holding whatever we might need for the task or errand at hand. On any given day, it has transported everything from groceries to sports equipment, successfully handling two large grocery bags or three smaller ones on one occasion—a small guitar amp I found at our local thrift store.

The bike is still useful and functional, but my family’s needs have changed since we bought it. My now-4-year-old daughter is too big to fit in her Yepp seat, and my now-8-year-old son is a bit too self-conscious to be seen on the back of his dad’s big ebike. With these changes, I’ve been thinking about its next iteration as a serious cargo schlepper—a Grocery Getter, if you will—and how I can set it up to haul as much stuff as possible.

The most important accessory for any object-hauling bike is a good set of panniers. Popular ebike brand Aventon offers several options for cargo storage, with the best being the Abound Pannier Set, which can hold nearly 90 pounds of cargo (44 pounds per pannier). Especially if you're hauling a heavy load, it's best to balance the weight evenly over both sides of the bike for safety and balance while you roll.