Bobike Mini

This seat is ok, but not great as I had hoped.

I like having my child in front of me. I just thought it was very small and we wont get much use out of it. At £80 I was hoping I could use for longer.

I was ok with the seat position but my wife found having all our kids weight on the handlebars unsafe. So I would say you need to be confident on a bike to use one of these. But if you are, its good fun and much better than having them behind you.

I can safely say the Bobike mini is the perfect baby seat for me and my 14 month old daughter. As owner of a cycling business I had strict criteria: something that feels safe for both Flo and I, doesn't cost more than my bike and looks reasonably nice on the bike and the Bobike mini ticks all the boxes and more.

the first reason it receives my accolades is that I manged to attach it to my bike all by myself in about 20 mins, even with Flo crawling around and getting in the way. As someone who struggles with putting things together generally (travel cots, Ikea furniture all tend to turn me into a flustered, swearing wreck)I was chuffed that I actually enjoyed attaching the Bobike seat. It basically involves attaching a bracket to the handle bar stem and tightening the screws, you then push the seat through 2 holes in the bracket and then attaching the foot rests to fit the length of your child's legs.

The next selling point for me is that Flo loves it.As I took her and the seat for a testride she immediately felt at home, holding onto the middle of the handle bar singing away to herself.

It does takes a little bit getting used to the extra weight at the front - once your riding its fine but mounting & dismounting can initially feel a bit awkward. However after a few rides round the block I had got the knack. To avoid bumping into the back of the seat when getting going the key is to stay sitting in your saddle and adjust your pedals instead of coming out of the saddle.

The seat has an age range of 9 months to 3 years (or 15 kg) (Bobike do a full range for kids up to 10). And I think having them at the front of your bike when they are still pretty little is the ideal position. They not only have a great view of the world but it stops them from getting anxious at you having your back to them. It is also reassuring for the parent as they are in full view and you don't have the urge to keep turning round to check on them.

Next challenge is to find a suitable, small enough helmet....

I love the seat so much we now sell it!

I have resisted reviewing this as I was cautious about bringing the overall score down before I had given it a fighting chance.

Overall the seat is good and has enabled us to enjoy some really fun family bike rides. DD didn't like it at first as she found it difficult to stay awake while we cycled and the seat on its own isn't comfortable enough to snooze in. However, we bought the sleep role and that fixed this problem.

When we're going along, the seat is so light and in such a great position that I could easily forget she's there - except for when she changes my gears! I definately don't hit my knees on the seat, it's just as easy to steer as without a baby on board and I don't notice the extra weight. It is great having her on the front as I can keep a good eye on what she's doing and talk to her as we go along.

My only concern is the harness. It's 3 point not 5 so she can easily slip her arms out of it. Also the buckle is increadibly awkward to release - requiring at least two hands and sometimes even two parents.

So overall it's a great seat but there is still some room for improvement.

Saw these all over amsterdam when we visited and found them in Velorution in Central London. Its been one of my best buys ever, can't recommend it enough. Will be gutted when my 2 yr old will be too big for it. Its been great fun.

I bought one of these new on ebay, and my 2 year old loves it! she can see everything and we can chat as we go along. I have it fitted on my pedal assisted electric bike (look it up!) as i am too lazy to pedal uphill and it is brill!