Child Seats

[robbiepapenfus]

Hi guys,

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

[bychosis]

I used a similar, but not same seat. Worked well. I liked the idea of somewhere for the little tackers hands to rest, a bar or similar. Helps to stop them putting hands on an open seat if you stand up.

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)

[Xplora]

Handle is a MUST. It's really peculiar to be sitting on your child's hands.
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

[Bevo]

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.

[bychosis]

to clarify: the seat I have detaches easily from the rack(less than 2 min, no tools), the rack stays on the bike (removable with tools and about 15min). I forget what brand it is.

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.

[find_bruce]

Also, Topeak seats have a hole for the helmet, making comfort much better.

+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.

[maestro]

I have one like this...
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.

[bychosis]

I have one like this...
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bicycle-kids ... 19d6212c1f

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.

[high_tea]

I have something similar. It worked pretty well for a big-for-his-age 3 yo and a small-for-her-age 5yo. I haven't used it for a little while, but I don't recall any particular dramas with handling, or getting in/out. Some of it depends on the bike, I think. Mine has gaudy long chainstays and leisurely steering, which probably helped. I've also tried a WeeRide. It's notso hotso for bigger kids, and it makes me pedal a bit wierd, but it's better from a handling point of view. I wouldn't use it with drop bars, personally. With littler kids and flar (or moustache) bars, it works well.

[Reman]

I have a Hamax one from Wiggle. It is a quick release, it mounts on the seat stays looks like it could be flimsy but in use is really solid.

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.

[maestro]

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.

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.

It is a poor design, though.

[robbiepapenfus]

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)

[Xplora]

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)

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.

It never even occurred to me to get a shop to do the two seats I've installed

[im_no_pro]

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.

+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.

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.

[robbiepapenfus]

mmmmm decisions decisions .. beto delux ($95) or topeak ($150).. is there much difference between these two child seats?

[Reman]

Hamax Kiss $70 from Evans

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ham ... t-ec027323

[Sir Stinkalot]

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.

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.

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

[robbiepapenfus]

mmmmm decisions decisions .. beto delux ($95) or topeak ($150).. is there much difference between these two child seats?

[sloth]

I went through two seats before settling on the Hamax siesta. It can be reclined which is great for sleeping kids. I hated my toddlers head hanging down and rolling around when asleep in a standard seat. The siesta neatly solved this problem. He and I were much happier! Before that i had a Wee ride which I sold in the end... I hated splaying my legs to pedal without hitting knees on it. I'll use the siesta for the next one too - it's a keeper.

[simonn]

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.

+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.

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.

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").

See my blog: http://www.sydneycyclist.com/profiles/b ... persuasion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[barefoot]

We started out with a Bobike Mini front-mounted seat. It was great, but there's a limit to how big a kid you can carry in front of you, and how comfortably you can ride with one of them in the way. It's a short trip only proposition... which is fine, because that size of kid is only up for short trips on the bike.

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

[meridaman]

Anyone here got the Beto Deluxe one and tried fitting it to a 29'er? I have the 700C disc version and it doesnt seem too straightforward.

[iaintas]

I needed to order a special rack mount for the 29er