cycling with a child bike seat and other 'stuff'....

[bejeezusWC]

For 9 months or so I have been transporting piddler to nursery in a bike seat attached to the bike frame, with all the gubbins we both need for the day jammed into the front basket and precariously balanced along the handle bars

Yesterday I replaced the bike seat with a pannier mounted one, thinking that I could then use panniers also ?No, you cant!!!

I can?t wear a rucksack because it would be right in dd2s face whilst we are cycling. So, now I have cobbled a single pannier onto the back of the child seat

Why why why hasn?t someone invented a child bike seat which is compatible with carrying ?stuff? also??

How do you all do it? Any tips? What bike seat do you use? What are its pros and cons? I don?t want to hear about front mounted ones, only rear mounted?

Any one use front panniers??? They look precarious and small?

I don't like front panniers, I think they interfere with steering.

The seat I found most compatible with carrying stuff was a Centric Safe Haven (as I think it is now called). It goes on the front - but it's an actual seat, with straps, and a headrest on the front. My boys both loved it.

How big is your basket? I no longer transport children on my bike, but the basket I have can swallow up a tremendous amount of stuff - usually used for shopping.

this used to really piss me off, if i was doing it again i would have one of those seats that goes in front

Why hasn't someone designed one that is safer if you get into an accident?

2xFront panniers (must be 2, not just one, and weight well balanced) are okay if the road quality is very good, I found fine in UK (Leics). But are awful on rough trails: gravel, or pot-hole/bad roads (like in Italy, we did this once, cycling touring with toddlers).

I have a bar bag strapped on back of one of our child seats.
Older toddlers can hold the bag for you :). Tie it on, as well, though, as they can easily drop.

you probably have too much stuff. But have you tried putting the rucksack on the front?

I really dont like the front seats...but Im not sure what that is based on. they look less safe, I mean the child looks less protected by the seat (are they?) and it looks as if youd have to cycle with your legs stuck out funny to avoid knocking your knees (do you?)

asket is pretty big scholes- by the time Ive got lunch in there, waterproofs, paperwork, change of clothes, nursery stuff etc etc, it seems quite small!

I use a front seat, a Weeride, have done since DS was one - he is now three.

It doesn't affect my cycling at all - it wouldn't, I don't think, unless you have really, really long legs.

He feels very protected because when we're cycling, he's actually sitting between my arms and legs (this pic sorts of shows what I mean www.weerideuk.co.uk/photos.php). If something happened, I'd be the first on the floor/squished up against the car. Of course he is firmly strapped in as well.

I did loads of research and there don't seem to be any proper studies whatsoever that investigated whether back or front seats are safer so I decided just to go with what I needed (had other DS on the tagalong at the back so couldn't have a back baby seat). I carry a big rucksack on my back and it works fine.

Not wanting to start a back v front seat argument, by the way, just wanted to answer your questions!

Dutch advice is front seat safest to 18 months, rear seat safest after 18 months. You could get a bakfiets, I'm sure someone sells them in the UK.

We also use a weeride front seat and it's great - my son feels much safer to me. Might be worth a try?

lucy I imagine he feels cosy, but the bike seat doesnt come up round his head???

Id love someone to convince me, it would solve this problem
How do you attach them to the bike? do you need a cross bar? Can you attach a cross bar? Mines a ladeez hybrid/tourer..

joan yeah...I do put my rucksack on the front sometimes. It doesnt feel safe though. And Im a confident cyclist

adventures bar bag? I think that is probably what I am looking for---what is it and where can i get one?

dd is 18 months

I have a bakfiets and it is brilliant. Traffic is better around it than my normal bike because it looks unusual, I guess, so they give us a wide berth. It's heavy, no good for big hills,stairs, or getting up onto the pavement without a drop curb, but.. I put 2 DDs in it, my work bag, etc, and still have the rear rack. The downside is that they very very expensive. I got mine used (and when we're finished I"ll try to sell it, I suppose) ... There are a few companies that do similar child-carrying bikes (like Christiania from Denmark, I think?). All are too expensive in my opinion but they are great (and re-sellable, as far as I can tell!).

just looking at the wee-ride seats

i dont buy the 'child is protected by adults arms' in the event of an accident...in the event of an accident..the adult is likely flying through the air!

still hoping to be convinced though...ill keep looking

We have a Hamax rear seat, and they also sell compatible panniers - at a price.

They're not bad, but you can't get masses into them.

Here's what we do:

• funny Hamax pannier (for lumpy stuff)
• child carries a small bag while sitting in seat
• tie stuff on back of seat
• put laptop in rucksack on own back (is flat, so not in face)

Also for a while had one DC on front seat, one on back seat. Front seats are good until age 2 max, I think.

Bakfiets are great, but heavy, expensive and huge to store.
I wouldn't have a Christiania - tricycles are much trickier to ride safely than you'd expect (I know folk who have rolled them, with children in, in traffic...)

Have you seen the Steco pannier rack extension?

They are about half way down the page one here: www.practicalcycles.com/page21.htm

I haven't bought these as I decided to use a child saddle at the front of my bike but did consider them when I was having the same problem with rear seat and panniers!

half way down the page on here

Our front seat is a bobike mini. Easy to attach, to any sort of bike (they have different mounts you can buy).

Frankly, I think you're in such serious trouble if adult is flying through the air that rear seat or front seat is a bit irrelevant at that point. That said, if you drop the bike/overbalance (which DH has done), then they are definitely a bit more protected in the rear seat. More potential for finger-crushing though.

Bar bags can be bought from any bike shop. Sort of camera bag sized.

AIBU to think that this is quite the dullest AIBU I have ever read?

YABU

serial posting, sorry

Here's the pannier

www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24364

One corner of it squishes so that there's space for the footrest. Sort of slides onto the hamax rack.

I DON'T WHOLEHEARTEDLY RECOMMEND IT!! It's ok, but hasn't been as life-transforming as we'd hoped.

bakfiets look like a good solution. Except Im skint and have no where to store it!

It is going to have to be summat that is compatible with the (lovely) bike that I already have

The other thiing that puts me off a front seat is; I have recently moved from my man frame mountain bike, to a ladies frame hybrid and really really like being able to step through and not swing my leg over. Its a small thing I know..

AIBU to think that this is quite the dullest AIBU I have ever read?

We use a trailer.

dontchaknow pannier rack extension looks good. Also just above that is a thingy to carry a pushchair on the pannier rack with the bike seat attached-thats great!

At the moment, am borrowing a co-pilot, for which you have to have a blackburn pannier rack (soory nihil if youre still reading!); the rack is really lame anyway. So have been looking at the Polisport Guppy child seat which apparently fixes on to any rack...might buy one of them with that rack extension for my superior rack

haha nihil dont you like bikes? Its one thing I could get quite geeky about....