Baby bike seat?

[Kheldarson]

Trying to get back into shape, and I'd like to get back into biking. I've got a lovely Schwinn mountain bike that I've had for years, but I, of course, have a new addition to work around with my exercise routines.

So I need a bike seat for my little guy. Anybody know anything about them and what I should be looking for when selecting one? Or is it kind of like looking for a car seat and hoping you've got a good one?

[fireheart]

There are two options I've heard of: one that attaches to the back of the bike that looks like a plastic car seat of sorts (think peanuts and rerun) and one that is like a literal trailer of sorts that attaches to the bike and you pull along.

[Mikkel]

I know something about it but don't know what seats are available in USA. For a little child, up to 15 kg (30 pounds), a front seat is nice. The child can see everything and when they inevitably fall asleep, you can support them with a hand. A larger child will have to sit behind. Be sure that the seat have room enough in front and remember that when you lean forward, your bum won't stop at the end of the saddle . I hurt seeing children squashed behind their parents, nose in ass-crack and bumped in the head by a backpack.
Be sure that your child under no circumstances can get anything into the spokes.
Check the fastening of the seat, are there anywhere a single loose bolt could make the seat fall off? This is a bad example. It's only fastened to the seat post, should the bolt, ring or post break, the seat crashes backward. There should always be an extra fastener, at least a strap. A seat should not be fastened to a carrier not meant for that seat. You can't be sure a random carrier can stand the weight and added stresses.
The trailers are nice and usually safe (check the fastening!) but a bit boring to an active child, you can't talk. A trailer should have a solid floor, not just canvas.

[Mikkel]

Oh, and the kid should be big enough to sit up without help. About 9-10 months old should do it. With a smaller child you must use a trailer with a baby car seat fastened in it.

[Seshat]

A strong suggestion: the seat for a small child should be at least as secure as a car seat, preferably holding the entire child encased. Gravel rash is the least of the potential problems should you and kiddo take a tumble.

Don't forget to get a helmet if your kid isn't fully encased in a bike seat. And good fully enclosed shoes, and gravel-rash-reducing shirts and pants.

Thirdly: go to your nearest large-ish police station, and ask if you can discuss bike seats with whichever officer/s have seen the results of car-and-bike accidents. They will have informed opinions.
Or if not them, other first responders. Ambulance officers, the paramedics attached to fire stations, ER nurses - any first responder, or anyone who works closely with them.

[Jester]

Some of my earliest and fondest memories from my childhood are from being in a bike seat behind my Dad as he and my Mom pedaled around on their three-speeds. (Mom had Lil Sis in a bike seat behind her.)

I have seen a lot of people with the bike seat on the handle bars, and I have a huge problem with this. Does this enable the kid to see things better? Sure. But it can be a distraction for the parent, who should be focusing primarily on the road, not on the child. Also, if you crash, as sometimes happen, the child should be behind you. This setup provides far more poretection for the child. Also, from my experience behind my Dad, I can tell you it definitely provides a good bonding experience for the kid, which to me seems like it would be missing for a front-mounted seat....and they can see just fine from back there, thank you very much.

[Seshat]

But it can be a distraction for the parent, who should be focusing primarily on the road, not on the child.

Seconded. Repeated for emphasis.

Whether you're driving or riding, the person in control of a vehicle (or animal, as in horse-riders) on a road, path or trail should always be focussed on driving/riding safely. Doesn't matter what's happening with your passengers, doesn't matter what's happening with your vehicle.
You could have a kid set the upholstry on fire: you still focus on driving safely!

Now, if you suspect there's something you must pay attention to that isn't driving/riding, you should safely come to a stop, as quickly as is reasonable. Preferably on the side of the road/path/trail, so others can pass you.
Once you've stopped, THAT is when you deal with the fire, do any first aid necessary, get the lighter off the kid, and try to figure out how he got hold of it in the first place.

(Hopefully none of you will actually have kids who set the car/bikeseat on fire....)

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

I haven't used a mountable carrier since I was the tyke riding in one, I'm sure they've changed a bit.


I do own the original version of this, http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_556152_-1___204674

The main difference I see between mine and the current version is that the new model looks to have better side visibility and they went with black rather than blue.


I like the Kid Karriage, for the most part.


Caveats?

Well, there's little re-learning with the mountable seat, you can "train" for the different balance point to some extent with a backpack even before you get the seat. On the other hand, with the towable, you're going to have a bit of an adjustment period while you get used to having something sticking out to the sides behind you. That adjustment was probably the hardest part for me, coming from a trail riding background it took a while before I stopped running into and over things. You're also going to have to get used to an entirely different cornering radius.

Intersections can be kind of annoying with the lack of cornering ability, especially going from the roadway to the sidewalk. If it's an intersection where the crosswalk ramp points towards the middle of the intersection rather than straight across, you're going to mount a wheel on the curb if you don't take care.


Either way you go, seat or towable, spend a few hours riding with a load approximating the little one before you take a ride with them.


Oh yeah, and whatever way you go, invest in a rear view mirror.


Other notable tidbits... Not sure of your height, but the Karriage was too short for me to comfortably use it as a stroller without modifying the handlebars.

I've also modified my karriage another way for use as a stroller. I leave the connection arm folded up and leave the front wheel assembly at home. I have a block of wood that easily zip ties to the front bar and acts as a kickstand. I'm actually thinking of mounting the kickstand from a kids bike, but haven't gotten around to it. This way when pushing it balances on the rear wheels and it doesn't have the giant "nose" to trip up people while at the farmers market.

[Jester]

Oh yeah, and whatever way you go, invest in a rear view mirror.

Maybe.

For some people, a rear view mirror is a fantastic safety device that helps you see things in your vicinity better. For others, it is actually a distraction and an impediment to safe bicycling.

I fall into the latter category. My commuter mountain bike came with a rear view mirror, and I thought it was kinda cool, and figured it would be safer for me to have than not have. I was wrong. It was a major distraction to me, to be honest, and I finally ditched it after well over a year of trying to adjust to it.

The above is not my saying not to get a rear view mirror, mind you. For most people, they are probably wonderful things. For me, a lifelong bicyclist who is very good at knowing what is around me and who has excellent peripheral vision and awareness, it was more of a liability. Chances are good that I am in the distinct minority for this. So definitely check it out, and see what works for you. It didn't work for me, but I am not your average cyclist, and it bears noting that I was never, with that mirror, hauling a small child, or anyone but myself, for that matter.

[BlaqueKatt]

unfortunately the "really good ones"(read also expensive) are currently only available overseas (guppy brand-5 point harness, adjustable footrests, space for helmet so child's head isn't pushed forward)

This one I'm linking to because the first review has a good checklist of what you should look for in a bike seat (I do like toppeak products in general because they're interchangeable-one rack will hold a child seat or various individual bags if the seat isn't on)

linky

[dalesys]

... I hurt seeing children squashed behind their parents, nose in ass-crack and bumped in the head by a backpack.

Daddy? That's the hairy stinker right in my face.

[dalesys]

My son and Israeli Granddaughter.

[Kheldarson]

Wanted to say thanks for all the input, guys

I finally got a seat and just installed it today! Baby boy and I both loved the brief ride we did; I definitely want to start slow to get used to his weight in front of me. I'll post pics later, if anybody wants to see

[Jester]

(Hopefully none of you will actually have kids who set the car/bikeseat on fire....)

Never did that, but I am still shocked that I didn't cause my mother to crash the day I caused her the biggest driving distraction I ever caused her. Some time around 1973, we were driving around in suburban Illinois, where we lived at the time, and 3 year old Jester, sitting in the right side back seat decided it would be a brilliant idea to open my car door. Which Mom did not notice. Then Toddler Jester, fascinated by what he was seeing, commented on how really cool the road was going by. Mom knew that even for me, such a comment was a bit odd, and glanced over her shoulder....to see me staring down at the road quickly going by, through an open car door.

Let's just say the brakes on that car worked.

[purple]

Jester I think it is something about that age.

I remember being 3 and deciding for whatever reason to open the door. Of the truck while going 90ish km/h. Trucks in NZ weren't required to have seatbelts then. Surprised dad let me go on anymore trips with him after that.