Child seats

Ciaran · Mar 10, 2009

I am eagerly watching this thread. My little one is growing fast and will be joining me on the bike in a few months I hope. (it will be a few years before she is pedalling on her own, though)

Also, does anyone have recommendations on trailers to tow the kid in? Pros, cons?

geargrrl · Mar 10, 2009

I can't think of the names but there are some nifty seats that mount the kid over the top tube, in between your arms, that fasten to the handle bars and stem. This set up eliminates the biggest problem with bikes seats, which is a shifted center of gravity. Those rear mount seats are really unwieldy and make the bike top heavy. A center mount keeps the kid lower and in front of you. This is more stable and more social too.

Wumpus · Mar 10, 2009

http://www.bikemojo.com/speak/showthread.php?t=73286

http://www.kidzproducts.com/ --> automatic video so turn the volume down.

dan-o · Mar 10, 2009

geargrrl's on the right track. My wife hated the rear mounted kid seat; she's tiny and the weight was awkward. My advice, after two kids, is go straight to a trailer. More pleasurable riding, kids can look around/hold things, carry more crap, etc.

stosh · Mar 10, 2009

Wumpus said:
http://www.bikemojo.com/speak/showthread.php?t=73286

http://www.kidzproducts.com/ --> automatic video so turn the volume down.

Greatest bike helmet EVER!!

What about bike helmets for kids under 3yrs old?

TreeSaw · Mar 10, 2009

dan-o said:
geargrrl's on the right track. My wife hated the rear mounted kid seat; she's tiny and the weight was awkward. My advice, after two kids, is go straight to a trailer. More pleasurable riding, kids can look around/hold things, carry more crap, etc.

We have a similar bike seat (previous model) and I hate it! We use our Burley Solo because it's more stable, more comfortable for the kids (can bring toys, snacks, drinks, etc.) and was much easier if I had to stop along the way.

Wingnut · Mar 10, 2009

Skip the seat and go for the trailer. And get the 2 kid style trailer, the extra room will be handy.

jimmydean · Mar 10, 2009

Burley Solo.

Not only did it work AWESOME, but after 4 years, I sold it on ebay for damn near what I paid for it new. We got the solo with disc brake adapter, put the skewer on my bike and the frame adapter on my wifes bike. 1 pin and a safety strap and we could switch between bikes at a stop light.

One year at Portland Bridge Pedal I was hauling ass down the back side of the Markham bridge (I was on my Azonic Steelhead) and we were doing high speed slalom turns and I got that sucker up on one wheel. It didn't tip at all an my daughter thought it was hilarious. My wife watching from the top thought otherwise.

C.P. · Mar 10, 2009

I'd say if you plan on more kids, then get a trailer with 2 seats. You'll use it, and with the extra room, it's handy for things like going on a family vacation, EG: when we head to the beach with our two younger kids, it's handy to be able to put them in and throw all the beach toys/cooler/etc in the back of the trailer, and the trailer doubles as a little napping spot for a little one while your at the beach (screen window means no bugs). Chariot and Burley trailers hold their value, even when purchased used, then sold again.

jimmydean said:
Burley Solo.
One year at Portland Bridge Pedal I was hauling ass down the back side of the Markham bridge (I was on my Azonic Steelhead) and we were doing high speed slalom turns and I got that sucker up on one wheel. It didn't tip at all an my daughter thought it was hilarious. My wife watching from the top thought otherwise.

Lucky! I managed to tip ours with my son on board goofing around in our neighborhood (with my wife as a witness). Luckily he wasn't hurt, but man that was scary, and I'm banned from trailer "fun".

jimmydean · Mar 10, 2009

C.P. said:
Lucky! I managed to tip ours with my son on board goofing around in our neighborhood (with my wife as a witness). Luckily he wasn't hurt, but man that was scary, and I'm banned from trailer "fun".

I felt it shift funny, looked back and noticed it was about a foot off the ground. I turned with it and eased it down to a stop at the bottom. She wanted to do it again, but my wife caught me at the bottom and was none too happy.

Lucky for me there was a roadie pile up at the bottom (a group of about 30 riders missed the offramp) so it distracted her long enough so I could get away.

Jim Mac · Mar 10, 2009

Like everyone else is saying, go straight to trailer. We call those bike seats "Baby Killers" at the shop!

loco-gringo · Mar 10, 2009

Jim Mac said:
Like everyone else is saying, go straight to trailer. We call those bike seats "Baby Killers" at the shop!

I will make you think you don't love your child if you consider one here. We sell the Topeak, which is ok, I suppose, but I still don't think they are horribly safe. Our house brand from a distributor is garbage that I won't mention. Too much can go wrong with a rear mounted seat. I think trails with those other ones are stupid too. Maybe I am too cautious, but couldn't ever forgive myself if I crashed Caroline on one. Won't ever use one. Never.

Westy · Mar 10, 2009

Wumpus · Mar 10, 2009

http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

Fredzilla · Mar 10, 2009

I originally bought one of the Chariot trailers, and while it is really nice, I got one of the WeeRide Kangaroo seats as a gift (the one that mounts in front) and it is AWESOME. Not only is the balance point much better than other high-mounted seats, but I really feel like my daughter is more protected in the event of a fall since my arms are around her. It has a 5-pt harness and the front pad is a great place for her to put her hands or even lay her head if she starts to get tired.

Most importantly, she LOVES it. She can't wait to go ride and usually protests ("NO DADDY! MORE RIDE!!") when we stop. I think the fact that she's front and center with a bird's eye view helps a lot. I haven't taken it on the trail yet, but that's the first place I saw one in action... on some pretty mellow singletrack, but out in the woods nonetheless.

More info here: http://www.amazon.com/WeeRide-Kangaroo-Child-Carrier/dp/B000HVAVG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1236732966&sr=8-1

One thing that has been a little funky on it was mounting the bar. It goes from the seatpost to the headtube. None of my bikes have a really extended headtube, so the attachment is a little wonky and I've had to do some creative brake cable routing.... small modifications all in all.

greenchris · Mar 10, 2009

the problem w/ front loaded or top tube mounted kid seats is when you fall and your seed hits the ground first and you fall on top of him/her.

personally, i'd never use a child seat but would go with the others who suggested using trailers.

geargrrl · Mar 10, 2009

hooples3 said:
(re front loading seats)

Im not too sure about these.. I beliebe Ibert makes them.. they supposedly are more stable but way more dangerous if you go down.. plus the fastening system isnt that great where the seat mves side to side as you ride.. or so I hear

Well, there are a LOT of different ones, not just one brand. There are even home made ones. They are much more popular anywhere besides the USA.

Fredzilla · Mar 10, 2009

greenchris said:
the problem w/ front loaded or top tube mounted kid seats is when you fall and your seed hits the ground first and you fall on top of him/her.

personally, i'd never use a child seat but would go with the others who suggested using trailers.

Just curious, have you crashed with one and experienced this? I'm not trying to be argumentative because it really makes no difference to me, but I would be interested in hearing some first hand experience.

geargrrl · Mar 10, 2009

first hand? Mr. GG actually built a little hand made job (before we knee commercial ones existed) and it was great. Stable as heck for center of gravity, kid loved being up front, your arms shield them a bit and as for

falling... ??? you taking your kid to the free ride park or just along the bike trail?

We had the front gizmo on his bike, a seat on mine, and I'd take the front thing any day over a rear seat. Two kids went through this. It was long enough ago that trailers weren't really out there yet.

Fredzilla · Mar 10, 2009

geargrrl said:
first hand? Mr. GG actually built a little hand made job (before we knee commercial ones existed) and it was great. Stable as heck for center of gravity, kid loved being up front, your arms shield them a bit and as for

falling... ??? you taking your kid to the free ride park or just along the bike trail?

We had the front gizmo on his bike, a seat on mine, and I'd take the front thing any day over a rear seat. Two kids went through this. It was long enough ago that trailers weren't really out there yet.

I agree with you. Greenchris had mentioned a scenario where your child hits the ground and you fall on top of her. I just haven't talked to anyone who had that happen to them.

Like I said, I love it and so does my daughter. I just want to know of experiences that should make me rethink things.

greenchris · Mar 10, 2009

geargrrl said:
falling... ??? you taking your kid to the free ride park or just along the bike trail?

I'm just saying anything can happen. I'm sure Hans Rey or sam hill has flipped over the bars on the smallest pebble at least once.

Fredzilla: I don't have any offspring but I work at a bike shop and sell a bunch of child seats. Maybe living in Chicago w/ a lot of traffic and crazies I error on the side of caution. IMO I don't feel the front loaders are safe

Fredzilla · Mar 11, 2009

greenchris said:
I'm just saying anything can happen. I'm sure Hans Rey or sam hill has flipped over the bars on the smallest pebble at least once.

Fredzilla: I don't have any offspring but I work at a bike shop and sell a bunch of child seats. Maybe living in Chicago w/ a lot of traffic and crazies I error on the side of caution. IMO I don't feel the front loaders are safe

I gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.

sunny · Mar 11, 2009

I've had my girl in the Burley since she was 5 weeks old.

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214080

Technically... you're not supposed to put the infant snuggler in the bike trailer, only in the jogger (the jogger/trailer is the same piece of equipment, you just go faster when connected to the bike). Yeah, whatever. My husband and I deemed it safe and road worthy. FWIW, my Burley is for 2 kids, and I can fit it folded up in the back of the Pontiac Vibe with no trouble when we want to go to the reservoir.

My longest trip has been about 4 hours from the the time we left the house to return, with a couple stops for snacks along the way.

The only problem with Burley trailer is that when the clear screen is up to provide ventilation, I roost my kid. Nothing like road grit finely dusting your infant's bib, onesie and hair... I'm looking for ways to prevent that from happening. Here in SoCal, there are already days that you bake in an enclosed trailer.

Sorgie · Mar 11, 2009

sunny said:
The only problem with Burley trailer is that when the clear screen is up to provide ventilation, I roost my kid. Nothing like road grit finely dusting your infant's bib, onesie and hair... I'm looking for ways to prevent that from happening. Here in SoCal, there are already days that you bake in an enclosed trailer.

Hmm, hadn't thought about that. I'll be looking for a trailer this spring so I'll have to keep that in mind. I guess from a function over fashion point of view one of these full fenders might work. http://ecom1.planetbike.com/fenders.html Have you tried that yet?

MMike · Mar 11, 2009

The Chariots have a screen to prevent roosting.

http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/cheetah.php?accID=&conID=&proID=cheetah&flaID=360

TreeSaw · Mar 11, 2009

geargrrl said:
first hand? Mr. GG actually built a little hand made job (before we knee commercial ones existed) and it was great. Stable as heck for center of gravity, kid loved being up front, your arms shield them a bit and as for

falling... ??? you taking your kid to the free ride park or just along the bike trail?

We had the front gizmo on his bike, a seat on mine, and I'd take the front thing any day over a rear seat. Two kids went through this. It was long enough ago that trailers weren't really out there yet.

greenchris said:
I'm just saying anything can happen. I'm sure Hans Rey or sam hill has flipped over the bars on the smallest pebble at least once.

Fredzilla: I don't have any offspring but I work at a bike shop and sell a bunch of child seats. Maybe living in Chicago w/ a lot of traffic and crazies I error on the side of caution. IMO I don't feel the front loaders are safe

Sorgie said:
Hmm, hadn't thought about that. I'll be looking for a trailer this spring so I'll have to keep that in mind. I guess from a function over fashion point of view one of these full fenders might work. http://ecom1.planetbike.com/fenders.html Have you tried that yet?

We haven't had too much problem with roost for Syd. If you want to borrow our trailer (We got our Burley from Victor) to try it out with your little one, let me know. I don't know how much we'll use it this summer anyway...I am looking at a Burley Piccolo for Syd right now.

Child seats

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