[DH Dad]

Didn't know where to post this question but seeing I want to mount a child seat to my XC bike and not my DH bike I ended up asking here instead of the DH forum. Also I figure there's more of a chance someone here has looked into this than someone in the DH forum.

I want a bike seat for my son but one that can be taken off easily. I found one that clamped onto the seatpost a couple of years ago but can't find it now. Any ideas?

 

[EBasil]

I can't answer you directly on point, because I am so opposed to the childseats that mount onto the back of your bike, over the rear wheel. It makes for a short wheelbase, but take a look at the angles and momentum it creates for your kid's head and arms if the bike falls over or, worse, you crash.

Our solution is two-staged: a trailer, then a trail-a-bike. Trailers are easy to attach to all but FS bikes with disc brakes (although that can be overcome). They are stable, can handle rough trails, albeit not narrow or rocky stuff (that you shouldn't be on with a high-mounted kid seat anyway) and safe for the kid(s). If you get a version where the child sits on a "sling" platform, instead of the floor, they ride really great.

We ride fire road and singletrack trails with a group of riders and trailers about once a week. I prefer to haul with a hardtail, but there are NRS, Sugar and a Burner that tow in our group. It is possible to flip a trailer, but it's harder than it might seem, and if you crash, the trailer stays upright. It takes about 3 minutes to get the trailer on and the kid(s) in.

I doesn't look steep, damn it... Later in this ride, my son and I descended a rocky slope that those people waiting in the photo walked down.

 

[jacksonpt]

I agree with the above info... if you're going to be on trails, a trailer is a better, easier, safer option.

That said... I have a child seat attached to my hardtail bike. Myself and my wife take our 2 year old on rides along paved walkways. It's made by Bell, and was pretty cheap, about $40 from a local sporting goods store. It came with one of those luggage type carrier things that mounts to the seatpost and rear axle. The child seat then mounts to that. Taking the child seat on and off of the luggage rack is fast and easy, but taking the rack off the bike isn't.

It does what I want it to do, and the price was good so overall I'm very happy with it - as is my 2year old.

I couldn't find a good webpage on the seat, but this one lists some reviews about it. This is the exact seat I have.

 

[Repack]

Road Gear (Now Co-Pilot?) makes a nice one, as does a Tawainnese company that I am having a mayor brain-fart on the name. I think it may have been Topeak. I used to install them as part of my job description. Both are nice and rely on heavy-duty touring racks. The Road Gear Taxi's and Limo models came with Blackburn EX-1 touring racks. Since I left the shop, I know that there has been a reorganization of the brands, and forget what they are called now. Something makes me think that they all fall under Bell Sports now.

I guess that my best piece of advise is to use a system that mounts to a durable rack. Keep in mind that the rack will stay on the bike, even though the seat is removeable.

Like the others, I prefer the trailer bikes for a variety of reasons, but they do have a minimum age requirement. As a bonus, it takes only as much to remove all the hardware from the bike as it takes to remove and reinstall your seatpost.