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Parenting

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Original poster

Babies on bikes

31 replies

Yorky · 02/02/2008 21:03

On their parents' bikes, not their own, obviously!
DH has just found pictures of the Dutch Bobike which attaches to the handlebar instead of the one I've seen at Halford's etc where the baby sits behind the adult and he really likes the idea. Has anyone used it?
Does LO need a helmet, presumably, but can you get tiny helmets?
How do you feel about the kids being in a trailer behind the bike? I think it might be nicer for them in the rain with the cover on but how safe are they in the road?
Opinions and experiences welcome, thank you

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

cazzybabs · 02/02/2008 21:10

we have just used bike seats so don't know asbout trailers. think of the extra weight as well as road safety.

yes you can and must get them cycle hats...we had them to fit from about 10 months.

barking · 02/02/2008 21:30

yorky - we are looking into this aswell at the mo as we have 3 young children and would like to find a way to transport them all without having to resort to the car all the time.
we looked into the front seat thing and one bike shop owner said they were in the process of being banned (have no other info to back this up though) as the child is incredibly vunerable in the event of an accident they could be potentially crushed by the parent.

we have been looking into trailers and needing a double would limit to where we could go, also would prefer something less passive as the idea is hopefully the children get exercise aswell.

apparently you can get an 'adams tagalong' which has a child seat with harness option though not sure what the minimum age would be. how old is your dc?

pickie · 02/02/2008 21:44

I have a Bobike Mini and Maxi and nearly use it every day (and done so for the last 4 years) Love it and so do the kids.

UK bikeshops always talk about them being unsafe but in Holland nearly everybody has them (and it won awards and is approved by TNO)

I personally would never have a tag long or a trailer as dont like them behind me plus we cycle on roads occasionally instead of cyclepaths as there are none. Find it too dangerous.

You can get helmets which you can adjust (Giro ones I think)and we used a helmet when DS was 5 months.

If you go for the Bobike, buy it online in Holland as is much cheaper plus you will have the latest model and you can get all the add ons!

Barking- have you looked at the bakfiets? We are thinking of getting it as DD is getting to tall for the Mini now , fits up to 4 kids

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NotQuiteCockney · 02/02/2008 21:48

I use a WeeRide, which goes on the front, which works fine. Only good from 12 months, though. But much nicer than a rear seat (I've used those).

Re: crashes, I have had a small one with a kid on the front and another on the back, and everyone was fine.

How old are your three? You probably need a trailer or some other strange contraption ... I bike regularly with two -one on a WeeRide front seat, the other on a trailer bike.

cazzybabs · 02/02/2008 22:12

i too have used a front bike seat without any problems as have most people i know...

tbh in the event of an accident (with a car) it doesn't matter where you are you are still likely to be badly hurt

Original poster

Yorky · 02/02/2008 22:17

DS has just had 1st birthday, think he'll love being up front as he is such a nosey little person!
I know what you mean about complete lack of cycle paths, Pickie
Going to look up weeride and bakfiets now
I also like the thing where they have a seat and handlebars and one wheel hooked behind parent bike, but he won't be old enough for that for ages

OP posts:

pickie · 03/02/2008 11:59

Yorky, I looked at those but when looked into it one of the main disadvantages of having one of those hook up bikes is that they dont learn to anticipate as you do it all for them which is obviously very dangerous. Kids are starting to grasp how to anticipate and realise the dangers when cycling around 5ish

Again I dont think they sell many of them in Holland the country of cycling but the bakfiets (or similar) is very popular there.

Minefield and an expensive one for that!

barking · 03/02/2008 13:32

thanks for the info pickle - i've just been looking at them, what a great invention!

just found a really good article from the independent for people looking to transport more than one child family bikes

There is one called a trio bike that you can use as a bike that slots into a trailer at the front, the trailer also can turn into a pram!

UniS · 03/02/2008 19:51

We've been using a trailer for boy from 6 months. I am happy using it on roads its big and blindingly obvious you get given a wider berth than normal when trailing.We use it to get boy to and from Childminder with one parent doing each leg, have taken it on a cycle touring holiday doing up to 50 miles a day in france. And routinly use it to pop into town. Ours is single child child traler with buggy wheels that bolt on and a push chair handle at the back, it only weighs 8kg and is narrow enough to go through a single door.
I Have tried a bobike front seat and it didn't work well with my bike, drop handle bars and a short stem, I couldn't reach the brakes or gear levers properly (STI type). Also no room for boys head in my nromal riding position. Dh has used a rear seat and hated it with a wriggly toddler on board. Friend has swapped her rear seat for a trailer as she didn;t like being tickled by her boy while riding.SAhe has a heavely 2 child trailer that was cheap on e-bay. I have tried it and didn't like its weight or width.

SO- if you can borrow and try any option before you buy do , you may find that something you thought would be perfect just doesn't work for you, equally something you were un sure of may seem fine when you try it.

pickie · 03/02/2008 21:16

UNiS - good point! Re the Mini is that it will only fit on bikes with a stem and with a diameter of 2.0-29cm. Also you MUST be able to touch with both feet on the ground when sitting on the saddle as otherwise you can't get on your bike easily and it will be dangerous.

weeride · 29/02/2008 12:00

Buy the weeride at your Local UK Supplier

www.weeride.co.uk

Next Working Day Delivery

Thanks

weeride · 29/02/2008 12:01

www.weeride.co.uk

Click the link above to buy the weeride

Regards

Paul

moljam · 29/02/2008 12:04

id love to do this but its so hilly round here!

Fillyjonk · 29/02/2008 12:13

weeride is rubbish, sorry paul

you can't actually pedde when its on.

we tried out various combinations of things by going to the local bike trail place and hiring bikes with seats, trailers, etc. decided on a bike+rear seat for dd1, and ds on his own bike-prob a rear seat for dd2 when she's big enough.

emmaagain · 29/02/2008 12:20

I like the ride-on-the-back seats, but the trailers give me the heebie jeebies (irrational probably) - I just don't know what there is for that stage between sitting on the back and being ready to ride their own bike (I hadn't thought about the disadvantages of the hook-on-the-back extensions before - that's a bit depressing - I'd thought they could be a marvellous intermediary stage )

ConnorTraceptive · 29/02/2008 13:12

Can someone just confirm to me that you cannot put a 7 week old baby in a bike trailer? MIL seems determined that you can

Fillyjonk · 29/02/2008 14:03

Actually I think you can, connor, I've seen babies in backwards facing car seats in them

don't think I'd want to really, like emma I just don't like trailers.

tbh though, I don't really feel safe taking my kids on the bike on the roads. Roads here are pretty mad, no cycle lanes (occasionally those crappy tokenistisc 2cm wide things but no real lanes)

If I lived in, say, oxford-I'd have all three of my kids on my bike...( not sure HOW but I would ;-) ).

MrLSG · 29/02/2008 14:40

We used a trailer with DS1 from about 6 months. When he got bigger, he got a tag-a-long, and then quickly made the transition to his own bike.

We found that trailers seem (still) pretty rare on the roads, and car drivers don't quite know what to make of them so give them a very wide berth - same with the tag-a-long - the big flag on the back does make them hard to miss.

Will start ds2 in the trailer in a few weeks.

You can get really tiny babies in a trailer if you strap them into their car seat and then strap that into the trailer.

(And you don't need a helmet in a trailer: they effectively have their own roll cage.)

UniS · 29/02/2008 15:33

I've tried a bobike front seat and hated it, didn;t work at all well with my bike so do try before you buy if you can on the bike you will be using it with.
I use a trailer and have no problems with it. boy stays dry and can kick about play with toys wave at people, shout , go to sleep what ever. Hes been used to it from 6 months.
I find I get given lots of room by car drivers. doesn;t affect teh balance at all. Hoever not all trailers are equal so again try before you buy, think about what you want to to do with it and what is important to you. Lots of trailers are too wide to fit througha single door, problem if you have to get it into the house or through a single gate.

got to go, boy shouting. more latewr maybe.

ClareVoiant · 29/02/2008 15:47

Yorky, ds has just outgrown his bobike mini, i had to buy a new bike to put it on, but he loved it. he's just too big for it now.
if you are interested, i will put it back in the for sale section.

littlefrog · 01/03/2008 17:47

oh, Clarevoiant, I will look and see if you've listed it - we're about to buy a new one!

needmorecoffee · 01/03/2008 17:54

we don't use a helmet cos dd (4) can't hold her head up cos she has CP. Helmet would be too much for her. She sits in a wheelchair bike - wheelchair at the front and some poor sap behind pedalling (me)

ClareVoiant · 01/03/2008 22:11

littlefrog, its listed under 'bikes and ride ons'

Teaandcake · 02/03/2008 21:03

We have a Bobike Mini and it works terrifically well for us.

We only really use it for leisure and rarely on the road but bike trailers make me a little nervous, they seem very low down in traffic.

We bought a slightly bigger helmet so that a wooly hat could fit underneath (or a sun hat in the summer).

luminous · 03/03/2008 06:28

Hi to stick oar in - would not use back seat again. Combination of my crapness and seat meant constantly overbalancing and bike falling over, last time dd broke arm needing op. Now have a wee ride wish I had bought it years ago!

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