Child Seats
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Child Seats
Postby robbiepapenfus » Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:18 pm
I am looking at buying a child seat for my bicycle so my 2 year old daughter can come for ride with me on weekends.
I have had a look at two on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BICYCLE-KIDS ... 113wt_1344" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Deluxe-B ... 244wt_1344" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They are both about $60 (inc postage).
Have anyone had any experience with these child seats?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Robbie
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Re: Child Seats
Postby bychosis » Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:48 pm
Would suggest getting one that is easy to remove from the rack to make it easier to use your bike without a great big wind catcher on the back, esp so if you use your bike for different purposes. There were a few times when I removed the seat for a short ride because it was easy (<2min on the one I have)
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Re: Child Seats
Postby Xplora » Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:32 pm
Rack is a must - there is nothing "easy to remove" about the permanently attached rack. I've had one - was great for the 12 month old bub, while I had a dedicated bike for it. Nightmare for anything else. I doubt it would be ok for a kid who is 2 years old.
Topeak seat is a good one, removable, and not that expensive. Sorry, but your kid deserves whatever it costs for a good one. I was going to buy a second hand one, but the number of reviews that say that they had a prang within the first couple rides is quite insane. It's REALLY hard to ride with a kid on the back. The weight is high, and they don't stay still unlike panniers etc As a result, I don't have confidence in second hand seats. Plus, have they been exposed to weather? This seat has to withstand being hit by a car and being thrown... you can use your hands to break the fall, bub can't. Also, Topeak seats have a hole for the helmet, making comfort much better.
Good on you for taking the kids for a ride. Starts a good habit early
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Re: Child Seats
Postby Bevo » Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:46 pm
I've had one for the last couple of months and my 2 year-old loves it. I've never had the other style of seat so I don't know how they compare, but it seems to me that riding up front would be more fun. It also easy to talk while moving and give instructions such as to ring the bell.
You do have to ride with your knees splayed a bit but its not uncomfortable for the distances we cover.
They are expensive here but if you look you may find a deal.
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Re: Child Seats
Postby bychosis » Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:15 pm
Seat will be coming out of retirement soon for child no 3 when he's old enough.
Plus one for a VERY different ride. Even mounting and you can't swing your leg over the back with kicking junior in the head.
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Re: Child Seats
Postby find_bruce » Mon Oct 22, 2012 4:47 pm
+1 on making sure the seat is comfortable with a helmet - my bub rides in a trailer & I had to add padding so that his head wasn't constantly being pushed forward & down.Xplora wrote:Also, Topeak seats have a hole for the helmet, making comfort much better.
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Re: Child Seats
Postby maestro » Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:33 pm
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bicycle-kids ... 19d6212c1f
I have used it since my eldest was about 9 months, but I currently use it to take my 4 year old to child care one day a week. He still fits, but only just. As others have mentioned, the extra weight (top heavy) takes a bit of getting used to, as does getting your leg over the bike. I also recommend one with a handle... Even with the handle, my son will occasionally play with the elastic on my pants (and usually when I'm ignoring him a bit as I'm focussing on the traffic - it's quite disconcerting)
Mine clips on and off the rack when I need to use it (I use the rack for panniers on my commute most other days).
Both my kids loved it, although they weren't quite so keen to start with as the top-heaviness makes it a bit wobbly when you first put them in and they don't feel stable. I have found that the best way to put them in is to straddle the bike facing backwards, that way you can hold it nice and steady with your legs.
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Re: Child Seats
Postby bychosis » Mon Oct 22, 2012 9:12 pm
Same as mine, purchased from bike shop before I discovered the internet for shopping. One thing I don't like about it is that the shoulder straps dont fit over a helmet. Which means place child in seat, buckle in, then install helmet - maybe it was just me, but I couldn't seem to adjust the straps so that it would work. Also then have to remove helmet, unstrap then remove child.maestro wrote:I have one like this...
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bicycle-kids ... 19d6212c1f
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Re: Child Seats
Postby high_tea » Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:58 pm
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Re: Child Seats
Postby Reman » Tue Oct 23, 2012 6:39 am
Took my daughter on the 55km Spring Cycle, only problem is she slept for an hour of it in the middle and her head rolled to one side. I spent some time riding one handed holding her head up or balancing it on my back. There are versions of the Hamax seats which recline. I don't think she would have fallen out as she was strapped in pretty well but it was a little unnerving.
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Re: Child Seats
Postby maestro » Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:36 am
I had the same problem. I managed to adjust the straps such that if he leant back in the seat and put his chin up then the strap would (only just) go over the helmet.bychosis wrote:One thing I don't like about it is that the shoulder straps dont fit over a helmet. Which means place child in seat, buckle in, then install helmet - maybe it was just me, but I couldn't seem to adjust the straps so that it would work. Also then have to remove helmet, unstrap then remove child.
It is a poor design, though.
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Re: Child Seats
Postby robbiepapenfus » Tue Oct 23, 2012 1:30 pm
How easy is it to fit them?
The reason I asked is because most bicycle shops want to charge me $25 (thats even if I buy the seat from them)
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Re: Child Seats
Postby Xplora » Tue Oct 23, 2012 1:38 pm
You can do anything on a bike, it's just that you will have to be sure you are doing it right otherwise your bub might get hurt. I can guarantee that the 25 bucks is about 5 bucks labour, and 20 bucks "backside coverage" because they need to be sure that the job is done right.robbiepapenfus wrote:I think I'm going to with the Beto Deluxe, as i can pick them up for $79 brand new online.
How easy is it to fit them?
The reason I asked is because most bicycle shops want to charge me $25 (thats even if I buy the seat from them)
It never even occurred to me to get a shop to do the two seats I've installed
- im_no_pro
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Re: Child Seats
Postby im_no_pro » Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:03 pm
+1 to this, will be sourcing one of these in the near future when little miss is old enough to go into it. Two reasons why im going this over a rear mount a) weight is positioned better, much easier to ride and b) I daresay as she gets older watching whats going on in front of her will be much more interesting than looking at my butt/lower back.Bevo wrote:Another style worth considering is the WeeRide http://www.weeride.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I've had one for the last couple of months and my 2 year-old loves it. I've never had the other style of seat so I don't know how they compare, but it seems to me that riding up front would be more fun. It also easy to talk while moving and give instructions such as to ring the bell.
You do have to ride with your knees splayed a bit but its not uncomfortable for the distances we cover.
They are expensive here but if you look you may find a deal.
They can be pricey when compared to some other seats but at the end of the day I dont mind spending a little extra when it comes to her safety/enjoyment.
master6 wrote: Moderators are like Club Handicappers; I often think they are wrong, but I dont want the job.
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Re: Child Seats
Postby robbiepapenfus » Tue Oct 23, 2012 8:24 pm
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Re: Child Seats
Postby Sir Stinkalot » Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:18 am
Thanks for the recommendation. I hadn't really been thinking about this until I saw this thread today. I think my son would really enjoy a ride on the bike so I ordered a Weeride LTD this evening. I like the idea of having him in front so he has a better view. I did have a look around the internet and found a good deal for US$65 plus US$35 shipping (including some other stuff I purchased at the same time). I am not sure it is exactly the same as the local version which is selling for $230 as the image seems to show a slightly different buckle but it would appear that these can be purchased as a spare for $20. My preference would have been to buy it locally however as is so often the case the price difference is too large to pass up.Bevo wrote:Another style worth considering is the WeeRide http://www.weeride.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They are expensive here but if you look you may find a deal.
The funny thing is on the way home I came across another bike rider with a Weeride fitted ... he must have thought me a little odd when I kept staring at him
Cheers
Stinky
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Re: Child Seats
Postby robbiepapenfus » Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:39 am
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Re: Child Seats
Postby sloth » Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:05 pm
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Re: Child Seats
Postby simonn » Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:24 pm
Front seats are the best. Our son loves it because he can see everything (well, we think anyway - he's only 1 so can't tell us. Just going by the pointing and "woooos").im_no_pro wrote:+1 to this, will be sourcing one of these in the near future when little miss is old enough to go into it. Two reasons why im going this over a rear mount a) weight is positioned better, much easier to ride and b) I daresay as she gets older watching whats going on in front of her will be much more interesting than looking at my butt/lower back.Bevo wrote:Another style worth considering is the WeeRide http://www.weeride.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I've had one for the last couple of months and my 2 year-old loves it. I've never had the other style of seat so I don't know how they compare, but it seems to me that riding up front would be more fun. It also easy to talk while moving and give instructions such as to ring the bell.
You do have to ride with your knees splayed a bit but its not uncomfortable for the distances we cover.
They are expensive here but if you look you may find a deal.
They can be pricey when compared to some other seats but at the end of the day I dont mind spending a little extra when it comes to her safety/enjoyment.
See my blog: http://www.sydneycyclist.com/profiles/b ... persuasion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Child Seats
Postby barefoot » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:03 pm
We then moved on to something similar to this one that I randomly selected from evilBay: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BABY-TODDLER ... 3ccbb7710f" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It mounts on the seat tube, with the kid supported by a pair of long cantilevered spring supports. I can't recommend this approach highly enough.
It's much more comfortable for the child, as they're somewhat isolated from road surface shocks. With a rigid rack mount, any bump your rear wheel goes over is going straight up your kid's back.
I wasn't too keen on the rear-mount at first, thinking that my daughter wouldn't want to spend that long looking at my bum, but once I gave in and got one, we did a heap of riding together. Aside from the couple-of-days-a-week childcare drop-offs (on my way to work - I attached my pannier to a front low-rider rack), we did some big recreational rides.
The longest ride we did was 85km in a day, when she was 3 years. To do a ride like that is more a challenge of parenting skills than it is a challenge of your cycling ability. Not to say that a day ride with ~15kg of live luggage isn't a challenge, but it's a long time to keep a kid entertained. We did lots and lots of talking and singing and joking, working through the many hours it takes to ride that far (with adequate rest stops), and always had the option of bailing out and taking a shortcut home (or calling for a sag wagon ride in case of meltdown). But she kept telling me to take the long way, so we kept going.
We also did a 50km rail trail ride, on 28mm road tyres... not something I would recommend with a rigidly mounted seat, but on the cantilever mount, she just floated over the gravel yelling "faster faster!". Another one we don't talk to Mum about was the time we hooked in to the draft at the back of a pace line on a gentle downhill, and held 55km/h for a couple of km
You'd want a pretty sturdy bike to mount one of them on - it's an abnormal stress load for the seat tube to take. Mine was on a Surly Long Haul Trucker, which is nothing if not a sturdy bike. Probably not something you'd do to a carbon race bike... even if the clamp fit.
Now we're on to the trail-a-bike stage. It's harder work for her, balancing on a bike seat, so we've cut down the length of rides we'll attempt. It's also harder work for me . She's done a couple of 35km days (and lots of childcare runs), and loves it, but it's a different kind of riding. I suggested she gets back on my bike for a longer ride every so often, but she won't have a bar of it now she has her own pedals...
tim
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Re: Child Seats
Postby meridaman » Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:22 pm
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Re: Child Seats
Postby iaintas » Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:39 pm
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