Toddler bike seat for parents bike

danielley

Can anyone recommend a bike seat for my son for short leisure bike rides.

I'm a little overwhelmed by the range available; I've seen ones that go on the crossbar, behind the adult seat and I'm not sure which is best.

Any opinions would be greatly received.

AndyBSG

You've basically got 3 options

- Top Bar Mounted
- Behind Saddle Mounted
- Trailer

I don't like Top Bar mounted ones. Your arms are going round the child so if they suddenly decide to grab or knock your arm or something then it's likely going to result in a steering accident. Of course the drawback to a rear mounted one is you can't actually see what the kid is up to.

I prefer trailers every time but they are of course a lot more expensive and much more intrusive/obstructive in terms of how you can ride with them. I've got a Burley trailer and it was pricey at over 200 quid but it's seen plenty of use with no issues

There's a couple of good guides/reviews on these two links

http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/171283-best-cycling-child-seats-and-trailers
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/best-child-bike-seats-39715/

macca1974

we got one from Halfords for £35 which was a seat that fits onto your bike behind the riders seat. Its worked really well for my daughter from the age of about 3 we had it. She is now 4 1/2 and it continues to work well, although it is hard work riding up a hill with her behind you. My only slight criticism for this type of bike seat is that you can't swing your leg behind your seat to get on the bike, so you have to go over the frame which takes a little bit of agility.

alistairstubbs

I had one that mounted on the handle bar post. It was fantastic and if I needed one again I would go with that option. It meant I could communicate and interact with my DD. She loved it as she could see where we were going.

shiny76

I added my opinion/help on the other thread: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5468788

Richard53

Daughters are now 28 and 32, but when they were small we tried most things. The seat behind the rider was the obvious choice, but my wife (much lighter than me) found it very unstable. Hers was a mixte frame, so quite easy to get a leg over, but it was common for the front wheel to lift and the bike to pivot over onto its side. The solution is to put your weight onto the handlebars while the child is in position, but it's not always easy. Not too bad when they were little (1-2) but as they grew it got more of a problem. At 4 years old, it was pretty useless and we got rid of it.


I much preferred the seat on the crossbar (conventional gents' frame) with foot pegs on the downtube - the child is close to the CoG of the bike and can't really upset the balance, and is within your arms, so you feel they are protected in case of a fall. Better for a slightly older child. Maybe not possible with a modern frame, though.


We never tried a trailer. I couldn't stand the thought of my child out behind me at car wheel height. No matter how many flags and lights you hung out, I felt it was fundamentally unsafe. Just my thoughts from 25 years ago.

glasgowdan

Front mounted seat for me, every time. It means your kid has a much more fun experience and can see everything, babble away to you etc. It's also the best for riding offroad as they can stand up to move with the bike and terrain.

I've now got a LOCT as my boy is 2 and big enough for it. He loves it, we ride all sorts, down staircases and easy offroad stuff. Had a weeride which was good from 10-12 months onward.

GwylimT

Front option, much easier and more pleasanr for the child.

If you buy a rear seat choose carefully, many don't consider helmets and end up pushing the childs head forward which is very uncomfortable.

glasgowdan

Not to mention the increase in jarring and bucking with rear seats. Front seat is between the two axles and a much smoother ride