I am buying my first bike as an adult and havent chosen yet - need a bike & toddler seat, what do I need to know?

[hereidrawtheline]

I think Tuesday I am going to buy a bike

I have wanted one for ages with a toddler seat for DS (3 in 2 weeks) I have a really weeny budget - have heard ASDA are doing one atm for £70 which is surely very simple but I dont need any bells & whistles.

What do I need to know? Any recommendations for bikes, toddler seats, top tips from seasoned cyclists?

i did tons of research when we got a seat for ds1 and decided on the co-pilot limo for good safety and stuff like that

i picked mine up on ebay fairly cheap.

How tall are you? You need to get the right frame size. Depending on what sort of roads/tracks you are going on you may need a hybrid, a mountain bike or a road bike.

You can go to Halfords, pick their brains and then run away are buy one elsewhere.

Buy a puncture repair kit at the poundshop they are about £5 from cycle shops

Helmets are cheap at toyrus and supermarkets!

I think the child seats which go on the middle bar look better than the seats at the back of the bike. I had for DD2 but it cracked up the back somehow!

DS has a helmet already, he has a bike he cant peddle.

I am about 5'6" I think? I measured my inside leg measurement and checked halfords site I think I need a 16". I dont know what size the one at ASDA is, I havent seen it, but I work with someone my height who got it and she loves it. Will just be riding it around my village, maybe some dusty paths but I am no adventurer!

the middle bar... is that between the handles?

(really am a bike novice!)

this is the asda one

like this

right tortoise, firstly, I love that seat! but secondly I had no idea they were so expensive!!!!! I havent priced them yet I thought they'd be £30 or something.

shit shit shit

I really do like that seat though!

this is the one that we have,. it really is fab

Toys r Us sell adult bikes, infact they've got a nice one for £69 which comes with a free cycle helmet.

There was an article about the asda bike in the Guardian the other day here, as well as a review.

I think you'd be much better off going to an independant bike shop and getting a good bike second hand.

asda have a seat like that for £65
crap I need more money! I need a helmet for me too!

Might be cheaper ones on Ebay. That was just the first one that came up.
That is the one i wanted for DD2 after i got her other one. But by the time it cracked she was riding her own bike without stabilisers.

this is also a good option for smaller kids with their own bikes.

thanks for the link MissAnthrope, I am gutted as it was so affordable but I would rather know now! I've checked loads of second hand shop websites & they still seem £200+ but I will phone round tomorrow! Will also look at TrU

most of the seats I see say up to 15kilos or 3 years... DS is 3 in 2 weeks... what should I do?

is this a front or back seat?

That seat goes on the back of a bike.
Depends if DS is over 15kgs really. My DD2 is a skinny little thing so was ok in hers over 3.

I wonder if this one is good here

Go and have a look in person, or try the local paper/freecycle. I'm sure you'll find something within budget.

I have a good bike (Dawes) and mine was only just over £200 brand new.

For me, I wanted something well built as it's going to be on the road with both myself and dd on the back. I did initially try something quite a bit cheaper and had a few safety issues.

Best of luck

Get a lady's bike, you won't want to get your leg over a crossbar with a child adding weight to the bike.

Don't forget helmets both for you and your ds.