Bike riders! Tempt me out of my car!

[Miyazaki]

I would like to cycle my daughter to her childminders initially and ultimately cycle to work. I haven't cycled for ages - I know I'd like a step through frame, but is there anything more I should look out for? And which are the best bike seats for kids?

Dd2 is 20 months and solid. Area is flatish (no steep hills) and very urban.

Is this insanity?

Budget for everything is £500 max.

trailer? it's probably totally irrational but I'm not sure if I would feel confident putting her in a trailer on the roads here, not exactly bicycle lane land.

any ideas about brands for the seat?

Hamax or, erm...

Begins with C

Remember to budget for helmets as well - not cheap and can't get second hand in case they are damaged.

Thanks! Hamax it is

Sorry for the grilling but I don't want to make an expensive mistake -

what brand bikes are good do you think? I need one with a rear rack for the bike seat - is that right? I want it to last, maintenance will be no prob as dh is cyclist. Anything I should look for/discount?

(I want to have my own ideas - or yours - as his idea of a reasonably priced bike is ££££)

Yes, helmets - so bike, bike seat, helmets for both of us. luminous coat I guess. So - leaves about £300 for the bike I guess, eek, is that enough?

I would avoid the hamax ones that just bolt onto the bike without a rack - I had one on my bike & it was a bit cheap and cheerful.
DH had a different sort that attached to a metal pannier rack type thing (the rack came with the seat) and it was more solid. It also had 'handlebars' on the front that dd could hang onto which she liked on bumpy bits. He spent about £50 on ebay for it including postage.
Having said that I used my hamax cheapy one day in day out from age 2 (when we moved within cycling distance of town) until age 4.5 when we got a tagalong bike.
With the bike, I would definitely choose a 'ladies frame' for stability, and have the seat a bit lower than you otherwise might. Probably going to a good independent bike shop, telling them your budget, and asking their advice is the best bet.
Ah, and I do know that a lot of people swear by the type of seat that mounts in front of you - advantage is that you have your arms around your dc, also you have your pannier rack available for luggage. Disadvantage is that you can't have a ladies pattern frame.

Is it do-able do you think. I am not normally a flapper, but is it madness? I really couldn't bear to have an accident and the drivers here are a bit bonkers?

Thanks Takver for the seat advice, that's great.

the hamax sleepy works very well for us and dd is 2.5yrs and a whopping 18kg and 97cm at last count - several months back!

i got my hamax off ebay at a good price.

the topeak copilot is the seat with bar across.

i personally didn't really like the rack system as suspension wise there's not much going on there.

assuming you're going for a hybrid but just in case remember that you must get a bike with a conventional frame and not one of these funny spring suspension jobs.

also, just check how the cables go down the frame if going for the hamax and make sure you can fit the bracket without impeding the cable.

hth

It is definitely do-able, not madness at all, much nicer than driving with children.
And £300 sounds like a perfectly good budget for a practical everyday street bike.
If you want to save money and are in a big city, you could find out if they have police auctions, when we lived in Cambridge DH bought excellent bikes for himself plus sister, a good quality trailer and other bits & pieces for knockdown prices at their auctions. You got to look at the bikes first so you could see what you were bidding for.
Also, I would think you would have a very good chance of getting a child seat second hand as of course children are always growing out of them.
Luminous jacket - workwear shop (or Screwfix direct) probably cheaper than a bike shop. I like the luminous bands that you can use either as wrist bands or as ankle bands as they are good for making hand signals visible.

Sorry, not clear in last post - the luminous bands do come from the bike shop!

at your lovely big bike budget! I finally got my bike out of the garage last week in objection to petrol prices! My bike is an ancient Dutch ladies model that I got out of skip years ago (haven't cycled since I was pg) and I spent £21.99 on a child seat from Argos (DS is 3.2) Was a bit wobbly at first with DS on the back but I reckon I have cycled about 15 miles in the last week and it's been fab! I have also probably saved the cost of the child seat in petrol...

Ok, that's all great advice. Thank you very much! I will update on our progress...

I would go for Giant/Specialized/Ridgeback.

lol, I got my bike off ebay brand new for £65 and it's pretty good really.

Its very true you can get bikes much cheaper, but if you can afford it I would personally try to spend a bit extra (and I never ever spend money on anything if I can help it), just because its so much more of an encouragement to use the bike if it is lightweight & has a comfy saddle, decent gears etc.

Yes, mine weighs a ton and has no gears! But very comfy and it is v flat round here so not too much iof a prob

Miyazaki, great name by the way.

I cycle to work and back - I have two bikes, one MTB and the other a ladies road bike. The only thing I would really like if I was actually buying a bike to ride to work - would be a chain gaurd.

The reason being then I wouldn't have to faff about either putting my trousers ( I mostly wore trouser to work any how but now always) inside my socks to stop the trousers getting ripped in the chain and me falling off. I could use clips - but they always seem to slip or I end up lossing one.

So if you are going out to buy a bike think about whether you would like a chain gaurd to prvent all the hassle and the ability to wear a skirt cycling.

I also have great panniers that I can just slip my handbag in one side and the other side you would in your case be able to fit a change bag etc for dc.

Something like this

cgi.ebay.co.uk/LADIES-DUTCH-STYLE-BIKE-New-Fully-equipped-FREE-P-P_W0QQitemZ260250808296QQihZ016QQca tegoryZ33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It has a skirt protector and a built in lock for the bike which saves having to carry the lock.

cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ladies-Traditional-Dutch-Bike-Made-in-Holland_W0QQitemZ150257813836QQihZ005QQcategory Z33503QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I would advise to get used to a few trips on the bike before you put the seat on for dc, the difference with a child moving about in a bike seat is a bit odd.

Or this type - hmm wishing for me now!!

Thanks Ivykaty!

That's great about the chain guard, I wouldn't have thought about that. I like the first bike you linked to - i am going to need gears as I there are some smallish hills, it's not flat (I had my driving head on when I was thinking about that!)

Will maybe take a trip to the bike shop and just do it. Agree that if the bike is nice I will be more likely to use it. Can't justify a bike+petrol in our budget!

Ah yes, do remember a decent lock in your budget - the joys of being in the city. . . .
On a related note, my bike is only 10 years old (last one was nicked - in Cambridge), but my next door neighbour still happily rides a bike dating from 1950. So if you count it on a cost per year basis, its really not that much!

sorry to hijack! can someone just tell a good make and model of bike please. i cycle 8 miles to work (ahem - well i used to and probably will start again soon). like to be quite upright, lots of big hills. i find the array of bicycles bewildering.

thank you

miyazaki - get your child seat on ebay or freecycle much cheapness!

Giant would be a good place to start for what you want I think.

Be careful with a rear seat as I have often found it can make the bike unstable, especially if pushing it up kerb etc - the front wheel goes up very quickly off the ground, and then the back can slip out sideways and fall over.
I hate them for this reason - nearly dropped it with Ds on back a few times.

Looking at getting a nice steady trike one day! By which time it will be too late