Mom / Dad-mobiles, Kid-transporters

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the Hamax ixplorer on decathlon and the traveller ? From a brief search I can only see the ixplorer on decathlon and it's not named on the hamax site either.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/bike-trailer-pushchair-ixplorer/_/R-p-X866501?
https://www.bikester.co.uk/hamax-traveller-bike-trailer-incl-bicycle-arm-stroller-wheel-bluegrey-1200802.html

Cycle to work scheme has dropped for me. Ironic that I'm now fully WFH, but anyway this horribly practical (hopefully) thing is on its way:

Mom bike and dad bike debuts today… poor tyre choice on the moots but favour 32h wheels and the ride is a fathers dad surprise so no time to change to something more practical… what could possibly go wrong!

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Selling the front child seat just like in the picture above and bellow.

Hamax trailer just arrived, hitch adapter in the post as well.

That's a neat idea. Might be tempted to come and have a butchers at it one day if that's ok? I'm struggling to come up with a way of fitting a load/kid caring bike and where bin in my tiny front yard and I think that could just about work.

Yeah, you're welcome to have a look. I could probably write a fairly detailed review after a month or so of owning it. In summary, nice idea, not executed that well in some ways because it's still ultimately a tern bike with an xtracyle tagged on as opposed to either of them having been designed to work well together.

Ah that's a shame, I was hoping you would say it's brilliant and had changed your life for the better. Still, I have to get a 50cm wheelie bin and bike in to about 185 cm somehow, the only other way I can see that'll happen is a mini-velo like the Orbea Katu, but I don't think that'll do a full sized child seat, or that much shopping.

Ha, I've still got use out of it. I've moved from a Weeride on a flat bar Arkose so it's quite a different bike. Things that have bugged me so far have been:

1. the gearing is too high for lugging two kids or full load ofshopping.
   
2. Had to order the Yepp maxi adapters direct from the USA because nobody else has them in stock.
   
3. Once two child seats are on the pockets on the side aren't really accessible.
   
4. The handles on the xtracyle platform get covered up by the child seats, and you really need something to use to manoeuvre it around when folded because it doesn't wheel along very well.
   
5. This, plus overall weight means my wife cba with getting it out (fair) so doesn't use it which was part of the intention of getting it (fully adjustable handlebars etc for different heights).
   
   

Tbh one of the main frustrations is dragging it out the shed and through the house, once that's done it does its job. I know this is mainly down to my circumstances and if I had secure storage out the front it'd be different (but then I'd probably just have got a normal cargo bike right!?)

Drop me a message if you want to check it out, I can measure it up too if that helps?

Touring in france atm

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Looks ace! Out of interest, how are you shifting with the Hylexs? Can I just not see the bar end shifter?

I just installed di2 grx and put those shimano buttons on the handlebars, right next to the stem

Cheers, this is good info. The bigger part of this picture is me sorting out the front 'garden'/vestibule so that I can store a bike or two. Not an easy task when the dimension to the street is less than 2m. As you've noted, the hassle of dragging a bike through the house just means it gets used less. I might just end up trying to convince my adjacent neighbor to let me store my Asgurd unit in her disused back garden.

Gonna stick a bafang on my Troll to make a dadbiek capable of pulling two kids up a Sheffield hill. Anyone done a bafang conversion themselves? Anything I should be wary of?

Interested on people's views on what makes a great kid carrier, clearly there's a wide range of possibilities.

My little one will be 1 year old next April which seems like a good target date to have a kid carrier up and running - my wife is not keen on her being on a bike before then, and it'll be winter too.

For the actual carrier I'm thinking Weeride but I'm more interested in thoughts on what sort of bike is best to base it around. I'm planning to go for turning my 29er hardtail into a rigid forked, fat slick tyred, urban assault beast rather than converting my drop bar Velo Orange Pass Hunter. Partly because I want to keep the Pass Hunter for me more than I want the 29er, but mostly because I reckon flat bars and their more upright riding position and less twitchy steering will feel less scary with a baby on board than drops.

Clearly some people are using all out 23c tyred road bikes as kid carriers so it can be done, but I'm aiming for the least anxiety inducing experience possible for me.

Will update as the conversion progresses. Views very much welcomed

Pretty sure weeride tell you not to run one on a bike with drops.

I'd be going with the rigid urban assault beast plan. Something that gives you a sense of stability and solidity is going to be much more fun for you, which will make it more fun for the kid. I have my weeride on a Surly Troll, 800mm risers, 2.35" tyres. It's a tank, and it means that I can take the offroad route if I want to, which is a great option to have as the kids love it.

Got my 2 year old out on the weeride for the first time last week (poor little bugger has been having to share a trailer with her older sister up till now, but now older sister is at school I don't need a trailer for the nursery run). She absolutely loved it - screaming in delight as we whizzed down the hills. We stopped at some traffic lights and she said 'I love bikes'. Yes you do, good kid.

In case it's useful for anyone, I first started with my son when he was about 8 months in a front mounted Pollisport, but was keen to move him in to something nimbler (for me) ASAP as I always found cycling with a rear mounted child seat a chore.

From about 18 months he was riding with me on my Brompton with a folding seat across the top tube – this worked really well because it was low to the ground, and I trusted him to hold on. Got lots of disapproving comments from strangers however. He loved it.

From about 2 I moved him on to a MacRide – this is probably the best baby purchase we've made and he loves it and I do too. It's very light and small and quick release too so can be transferred between bikes. Also seems well engineered – little details like making all the allen screws the same size key are appreciated – I'm 195cm and it doesn't hit my knees either.

Just now hes about to be 3 and we have another baby, so I've ordered an Omnium MiniMax. From about 4 months I will put a baby car seat in the cargo area with the baby, and my 3 year old will ride on the MacRide – that's the plan anyway.

Awesome, absolute kid carrier cycling goals

Any reason you chose such minimal seats? No backrest or seatbelt or what have you

This is what I'm working with then - first step completed now which is rigid forks, saving a crazy amount of weight over the cheap sus forks.

Next up is some G Ones in 29 x 2.25 which were good value on eBay, should make cycling on the road a lot more pleasant.

Will be getting a paint job as well, I've always hated the neon vomit colour

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Interested on people's views on what makes a great kid carrier

Maybe my key piece of advice is use a sturdy, stable bike. I did the skinny frame with 23mm tyres for a little while, but the ride was twitchy and at some times scary. I swapped to a rigid mtb and everything was cured. You want the longer wheelbase and long rear stays for stability, the thicker frame tubes for lateral stiffness and bigger tyres to soak up the poor road surface. Gear it so you don’t have to get out the saddle.

Hamax on the back. It’s all good.

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That looks ace. Somewhat racy saddle to bar drop not an issue?

I'm defs keen to have the little one up front though, so either Weeride or Bobike I think.

I'm imagining getting the kid into the seat then mounting yourself could be awkward, and eyeing up kickstands as a result...

Yeah, I just wanted something lightweight to keep it feeling like a bike- he also loves holding on to the bars feeling like he’s riding, and we’ve done 2.5 hour rides without stops without boredom so seems to work! Never felt we needed a back rest or straps and we ride most days.

Feeling like a bike is also why I’ve gone for an Omnium over a Bullitt.

I'm imagining getting the kid into the seat then mounting yourself could be awkward

surprisingly not with a weeride. I thought this, and bought a kickstand in advance, but found that if I found a sturdy enough whatever - wall, fence, etc - to prop a handlebar against then the fact that the kid is up front helps to keep stuff stable while you are getting them strapped in. Never installed the kickstand in the end.

wow! this looks sooo cool!
i also have a rigid mtb but with risers. problem is my kid is 18kg almost and bike tends to wheelee and kickstand must be a sturdy one...