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Original poster

Does anyone have a child seat on their bike?

9 replies

Wetthemogwai · 07/09/2012 12:02

One of the ones that fit between the saddle and the handle bars?

If so, how did you find it and how old was your child when they stopped using it?

I'm looking at one for me and dd 17mo but I think I might be a bit late in starting she weighs just under 21lbs and has done for a few months so I think we'd get a few months out of it but that doesn't seem very long for the price

I don't really want to use a rear seat as I think they look a lot less safe and I think those trailers are far too bulky to be practical where I will use it.

I'd appreciate some thoughts :)

OP posts:

lljkk · 08/09/2012 16:17

The front seats tend to have lower weight limits, up to avg 3yo weight. So not too late, but won't get as much use out of it. And then you'd have to switch to rear seat probably, after all. I tried my 4.5yo (but avg 3yo size) on our childback tandem the other day & he wasn't having it, wouldn't do a trailer bike easily, either.

Is your bike a hybrid style?

I wrote a long email to DH friend the other day about this (no energy to repeat, and I'm not the best source anyway).

There are links to front seats that go up to 5yo, but I think you have to have a Dutch-style Sit up & Beg bike for them.

I have always wanted rear seats myself.

This link looks very good.

I'm not sure if that or the link it goes next to, explains well that front seats leave the child colder, they need more wrapping up than with rear seats.

lljkk · 08/09/2012 16:20

Why does the rear seat seem so much unsafer?
Read this.

And this.

Mum2Fergus · 08/09/2012 21:29

I had the WeeRide Kangaroo seat for DS on my bike for around 18mths...he loved it! I loved it too, having him so close/arms round him...Im sure he enjoyed not having to look at my rear end too lol he was around 13 months when I got it...

modifiedmum · 08/09/2012 21:33

I have a rear fitted seat but he is 3 now and seems a little big for it so i'm looking for a trailer now but other than that i had no problems with it (had it since he was 16 months) and he loves it!

Sams9Goldmedals · 08/09/2012 21:45

my daughter had a very unfortunate accident with a front (in between handlebars and seat) seat. My dh was cycling with her and knocked her foot off the support. Her foot got caught in between the wheel frame and the tyres and scraped a lot of skin off her ankle. Her foot got twisted in the wheel and swelled up hideously. It was really quite horrible,and she was phenomenally brave. For a little while my dh didnt know how he was going to get her foot out. I know id rather have a back seat for my other children.

Original poster

Wetthemogwai · 09/09/2012 01:32

lljkk thank you for the links, I've not read then yet but I will in the morning :) I think the rear one seem less safe because a. The whole bike seems less stable and very wobbly and unbalanced when I've seen them. I think some riders are probably more stable and steady than others but I don't think I'd be one of them! And b. when they're on the back they seem more vulnerable crossing the road, I know if you're safe crossing the road like you should be it will normaly be fine but there are some impatient idiots drivers or there and (in my head anyway) they're more likely to be 'clipped' and hurt on the back than they are at the front. I'm sure statistics and everything disagree but I don't think I could et past how vunerable dd would look and I'm sure she'd prefer to see something other than my back!

mum2fergus I've been looking at that one and it seems like a good option, I like the thought of cocooning her a bit, I think it'll make it easier to interact with her, point out interesting thing and tend to her when she inevitably gets bored!

modified they're exactly the ages I'm aiming for, I'm hoping to avoid the trailer though tbh, they look great especially if you have more than one child or a child and some shopping but theyre just so bulky I'd wouldn't work for me where I live!

sam that sounds awful! Hope she was ok, I'm sure my dd wouldn't be brave, she'd milk it for all it was worth! I've seen some guards you can buy to help prevent that happening so I'm looking at one that will fit my bike without getting too in the way as causing a problem. I can't see dd keepin her legs in the little loops so I think one would be well worth the money even if it's just for piece of mind

Thanks for all your replies :) I'm trying to get her used to wearing a helmet at the mo so she doesn't have a huge tantrum the first time she has to wear it for any length of time!

OP posts:

Mum2Fergus · 11/09/2012 19:28

If you can...go for the deluxe version. It has a padded rest in front to support if wee one dozes off

Original poster

Wetthemogwai · 12/09/2012 21:24

Thanks mum thatd be useful! She's usually one for spontaneous naps!

OP posts:

GnomeDePlume · 15/09/2012 00:30

We had rear seats for DCs when we lived in Holland. The only thing about these is that you have to fit them to a women's bike rather than a man's. DH learned this when he carefully fitted seat to his bike, put DS in the seat then nearly dislocated his hip trying to swing his leg over the top of DS's head!

When DD2 was little DH had seats on the front and the back. This is perfectly normal in Holland. Our next door neighbour had twins and another child so had two on the back and one on the front!

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