Child Seats - Advice

For all you daddy taxis out there...

I'm currently looking at getting a child seat for my little daughter. She's currently 8 months old so will be ready for riding on the back of the bike in a few months time.

Does anyone have any experience with different models and attachment systems (rear panniers it think are required)? For myself i'm not the most safety conscious in the world but with a little one on the back i kinda want the safest possible.

Seems there's very little info on this around (yes i did UTFS), and don't want shell out on a big bit of crap plastic which is going to do FA when i (hopefully never) topple over.

So waddya got??

If you're not that confident riding with a child, cycle training perhaps?

I don't have a kid / know your budget etc, but i always though that the seats over the back wheel looked really precariously perched (although the must be safe for them to be legal!).

I always thought the trailers looked safer. Either way; bike fix have loads of things: http://www.bikefix.co.uk/index.php?unique=6dff220adcb39154cbda63eb60ea06c8&get_ol_id=9#a44

Quelle surprise, Ed even has an (useless) opinion on this!

Anyway, for the OP, this site really doesn't do child seat knowledge, as witnessed by a lack of a listing of OTP child seats by GA2G.

This isn't meant to be as rude as it sounds, but you're better off over at this section on Bikeradar;

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=40032

I'd be interested to hear what you go for in the end, as I'll be in the market for a seat myself later this year.

I don't have a kid / know your budget etc, but i always though that the seats over the back wheel looked really precariously perched (although the must be safe for them to be legal!).

I seen some parents who have those ulitity bike that design to carry haul as a bike to carry their child;

obviously it's not exactly cheap mind you.

Quelle surprise, Ed even has an (useless) opinion on this!

oh come on, if someone is not feeling confident riding on the road with a child in tow, surely the cycle training would make a difference?

I'm completely confident cycling with a child, and won't be doing anything stupid, but don't want them to be sitting in a seat which is as much use to their safety as a cardboard box. But also i think they'll be safer being close to me then in trailer where they're outside the influence of my parents super 6th sense if you get my drift

True this may not be the best place ask, but a search gave me some forumengers carrying their kids and i'm placing out a hook for some knowlege.

Oh and utility bike is what i'm on about, converted the langster to almost this effect, clutch brake etc.

My cousin took a picture of the Condom dispenser in a pub on Saturday night. The graffitti read:

"For refund, please insert baby".

yeah i guess you get a fair bit of road vibration passed through a rack.

My cousin took a picture of the Condom dispenser in a pub on Saturday night. The graffitti read:

"For refund, please insert baby".

cheers.....

wasn't tommy fllyns in camden was it? annoyed me when i saw it the first time.

Also the children have to have the rain cover down even if it's not raining but the road is wet unless you run mudguards too.

Otherwise they end up looking like this

@mr borsha - how easy was it to install and remove the Hamax seat?

cheers.....
wasn't tommy fllyns in camden was it? annoyed me when i saw it the first time.

Cheer up Harold... its fucking hilarious.

It was Millers, SE1.

personally i think this may be most childs happiest state, maybe if you change the mud for humus

Best seats are carrier mounted and the seat removes to leave the standard pannier carrier in place.Those that mount in a bracket on the seat tube are wobbly dangerous shite because they are only supported at the seat tube and nowhere else and they flex badly

Cheer up Harold... its fucking hilarious.

It was Millers, SE1.

true. but when you're knackered and everyone else is pissed......

actually it was in millers, other place i played a gig recently.

haha!

I get ya...

No i'm not I used one like in your picture and it was crap unless your child is an undernourished embryo that weighs fuck all they are flexy as fuck

This thing is awesome but i am drastically overestimating the amount of spare cash new parents actually have.

http://www.triobike.com/

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Hamax_Plus_Childseat_With_Basic_Carrier/5360036823/

I had one of these for a while but just didn't get on with it at all. It fitted fine and seemed very secure but it just unbalanced to bike (MTB) too much. My brother has it now and i had a blast with his nipper over xmas and it feels much more stable on his old Marin muirwoods early 90's.

I'd try a few on the bike you would use it on. If junior is to too wee just yet add spuds to get the weight right.

Ed, I am perfectly competent on a bike and training would not have helped.

I had a rack-type one (CoPilot basic model), my kid's grown out of it now. I think the Hamax ones look more bouncy, that is probably a better thing for the kid, not for the rider. So Hamax better for small ones IMHO, the rack type better for older kids, they can handle the vibrations/bumps, and the weight as increased so rigidity in the weight helps the rider. This is all from guesswork, I had my nipper in the CoPilot from about 9 months, he was fine, and bloody loved it. Never used a Hamax but I never liked the look of them.

I have know a guy who's a firefighter courier and good climber (tough guy!) and he won't consider trailers for kids, or even tagalongs. Maybe cos he's been around or called to one-too-many RTAs.

I found the carrier mount one much more stable and it didn't unbalance the bike as much.I am not still talking bollocks we were asked to give an opinion .I gave mine without being rude about you and have used both products fwiw I prefer a trailer and then a tagalong

If scraggie says they're fine, he's probably right. But so are the rigid ones.

Yes I used a Hamax but returned it to the shop and bought the other sort

HAMAX are better, this thread can now end.

Andy the bracket mounts on the seat tube with 4x M5 or M6 allen bolts the seat clips into this and releases by the click of a button.