Advice on child bike seats vs. trailers

[khw]

Does anyone have experience cycling with a child in London with a child seat or trailer? If so I would love some advice.

I'm hoping to start cycling to school a couple of days a week with my daughter. School is roughly 3 miles away from our home. It's very awkward to get to on public transport - the bus journey takes 45 mins to 1 hour, depending on traffic, and involves 2-3 buses!!! We will hopefully get a lift with a friend 3 days, so I'm thinking for the other 2 days we could have fun, get fit and get there quicker cycling.

I've just started cycling again after about 15 years, so I'm a bit nervous on the roads anyway and I can't decide whether a bike seat or a trailer would be safer. LO is almost 5 but on the small side - around 17 kgs/37 lbs - but maybe she's too big for a seat on my bike. I read a German report online that said 40 lbs was the safe max for child seats. Also I have a folding bike, so don't know if a seat will fit on there.

There aren't many cycle paths where we live so we would be cycling on roads, but would stick to the quieter streets. Right now, if I have to go along a busy street I cycle on the pavement or get off and walk. I've heard lots of conflicting views about which is safer - bike seat or trailer - and I'm now thoroughly confused. I'm also in two minds about whether it's safe to cycle at all with a child on city roads, particularly for someone a bit out of practice like me.

Any advice from anyone would be very much appreciated - LO is very keen to get started as soon as I can make a decision!

i don't know about the safety aspects as i couldn't live anywhere quieter but we have a wee ride that fits in front of you on the bike - not sure weight limit etc but worth googling.
i've also seen some one with another seat attached on the crossbar that i think was from halfords

Can't help re. city streets as I live in the country, but my dd used a tagalong (aka trailer bike) from age 4.5, which worked well for us.

She can still use it age 8, so it would be a longer term solution for you than either trailer or seat, both of which I imagine she would grow out of quite soon. Certainly by that time I found that I was quite unstable with her in the child seat, even though she was a small 4 y/o (but I am small and light).

Bike seats are safer imho

Cycling on the pavement isn't allowed unless specifically marked
If you can't cope with the busy roads then maybe you should reconsider

Thanks for the advice. The wee ride is too small, so I think it will be the trailer. I've signed up for a cycling proficiency course, so will see also what advice I get there.

Hi, we've got the same problem getting to school, my daughter is 4.5 and we live in central London. I've just ordered a Leco Child Seat which is specificity for older children. They're not expensive, and I've heard good things from other parents.

I wouldn't go for a trailer in a busy city if only one child.. I use a trailer for 2 in a small town, which is just about doable. Having child in a seat is safer I think. Bobike do good seats for older children

Contact Sustrans or your local council and see if they offer bikeability training in your area. This should help your confidence, and you can ask tips about route planning too.

we live in london. with 1 child I would go for a bike seat as if the road you end up on has crazy drivers on it you can cycle slowly and carefully on the pavement until you get to a safer road - as long as you cycle slowly and with curtesy no-one will mind - especially if your child is apt to wave at people! i would definitely go for training it would increase your confidence and help you become a more assertive road user. trailers are great though too, rhough i would put a child under 1 or say under 10kg in one. i just think for 1 child a seat is simpler and easier.

Wouldn't it be easier if you walk and she rides a mini micro scooter? You sound very unconfident, so perhaps you need to spend a lot of time cycling alone before trying to cope with her as well? As you get more practice, you'll have a better idea of quieter routes.
Fwiw my tiny 3 yr old is getting too big for a bike seat - both weight and long legs!

well for what it's worth I would recommend you get a sleepy (or siesta) hamax rear mounted bike seat for your child. I have used both a co pilot and the hamax and imo the hamax is much much better and will last you longer (my dd is now a large 5 yr old and i still take her on short rides in it)

When my ds came along I got a trailer buggy number that attaches to the back of the bike so I could take both of them out. It's great, but I would say that it's more to think about when riding in terms of getting round tight corners and being able to talk to them whilst riding. Having said that it does provide protection from the weather and nice and cosy when they fall asleep, & much easier to bring their toys/snacks etc.

All in all though I think for an easy cycling experience the hamax seat wins.

We've been using a rear mounted seat for a while with good success (as long as you remember to wear a belt or other means of stopping him pulling the back of your shorts/trousers down). My son is now 14 months old.

Now it is coming to winter I wonder how I can keep him warm. Could we try the front mounted seats? That will place him in my arms almost, but expose him to the elements more. It seems nice giving him a view of the road though and more social in a way.

How about a trailer? These would protect him from the elements, but seem expensive. There are cheaper ones on Ebay but I wonder if you don't get what you don't pay for and obviously safety is important. Do we go for a cheap model to try it, or go for something more expensive?

Or we try ot find a way of really wrapping him up well. How well does my body shelter him from the elements? Also, at 14 months, he's not good at keeping hats, hoods, gloves on for long.

Thanks

• Richard

I carried dd in a rear mounted child seat from around that age. I found she was absolutely fine in the child seat and easy to wrap up (plus sheltered from the wind by my body in front), it only got harder when she got a bit older & moved to a tagalong bike.

Things I found helpful were a fleece balaclava to go under the cycle helmet (can't be pulled off), big ski mittens (elastic from one up through coat to the other so they don't get dropped), welly socks over regular socks inside lined wellies. Didn't lose boots as the foot straps on the seat kept them on.

Muddy Puddles used to have lots of warm clothes for little ones (a bit pricey but good quality & they last). There's also a company called (IIRC) Warm Wellies that make neoprene lined wellies that are very cosy.

Sounds good thanks. The weather has been warmer the last couple of days. We've wrapped him up warm and it seems to have worked well. We'll have to look at things like balaclavas.

Trailers have a lower centre of gravity. I have gone over on my bike but the trailer remains upright. If you do go over the higher you fall from the greater the risk of injury. The heavier the child the more unstable they make your bike, on a seat. In the trailer the low centre of gravity doesn't effect the balance as much.

Hi, I did quite a lot of cycling in London this summer with my 2yr old. I'd say definately a seat rather than a trailer. You'll be so much more aware as to where she is versus the traffic and will be able to react quicker if you cross a car. Also, she'll be higher up so her view of the traffic should be less frightenting (can you imagine riding through a busy street at bumper level?).

Trailers are great for touring rural areas or cycle paths but I'd never use one in traffic. Far too dangerous as you can't see what traffic is approaching your child or what your child is doing.

Google the seats ones for older children that sit on your cross bar or go for a sturdy rear mounted one.

I still use my Hamax seat with my daughter who is nearly 3 and we love it! I do have to remind her to sit still though because if she starts jiggling I feel a little unbalanced sometimes. :)

The only thing I'd say is that for whatever reason, most of the child seats come in grey or black so we've decided to use something hi-vis over the top of it.

After much googling, we eventually found a new product which is a hi-vis seat cover that lets you put your cycle light onto it. I can't remember what the product was called but I think the company was called Vizzkids

Experience from a yank here. I've been cycling all my life. When I had my kids (2) I got a bike seat, which was great, until one day I was cleaning my bike. I've always said 99% of all problems on a bike get fixed by cleaning it (partially because you FIND problems before they get too bad). In this case I was horrified when I took the cloth cover over the plastic child seat off (how often do those of you who have seats do this?) to see that where the metal bracket/frame (that attaches the seat to the bike frame) attached to the plastic seat was the beginning of the plastic starting to fatigue and you could see the beginning of the plastic beginning to fail (take a credit card and bend it in half. Keep repeating the process of flexing the card and eventually it will break in two). If I hadn't seen this on inspection, who knows WHEN that seat would have simply come off, with my child firmly fastened to it?!

I got a trailer then that easily attaches to the rear triangle of the bike. Additionaly, it had removable wheels (an old Burley Duet), and the whole trailer folded and compacted to a smaller size than our (Emeljunga (sp?)) baby carriage. And yes, I had got the additional accessories of the front (weelchair) wheel that flips out of the way when on the bike with the push (jogging) bar, so the trailer easily converts to a stroller. Moreover, the trailer can accomodate either one or two children, you have storage room in back for carrying substantial cargo, and even a rain cover if the weather is adverse. If you have more than one child, you're out of luck with a seat.

THe first ride I took my kids on I approached a very short and VERY steep slope where I turned into it and from the sheer weight of the kids in the back I came to a very unsuspected stop and I immediately fell over. THe trailer stays vertical, and the kids enjoyed laughing at seeing me fall. All I could think of was about how much more infinitely safer the trailer is than the seat.

I've tried to share the "fatigued plastic" interface between the bike seat frame and the seat with as many people as I can because I've never heard of any consumer recall on the subject. Maybe I don't give other people enough credit for checking these things too.

I hope this helps someone decide. Now as far as riding in LONDON - I won't even touch that topic. I've never been there, but I try to avoid riding in traffic as best I can (in any collision - you're just another bug to an auto!), but I'm willing to take 'calculated risks' with myself, but I wound't put my kid in that situation in either a seat or a trailer. Unfortunately, I know some people have few choices for transportation, but you and your kids only have one life - you don't get a second chance if you blow it.

Bob, this thread is nearly two years old, so I'm guessing the op made her decision a while back.

Interesting point to note re plastic fatigue though. Do bike seats usually have covers? I've only ever owned trailers, so haven't really thought about it much!