Does anyone ride decent trails with a toddler?

I’d like to start taking my 2 1/2 year old with me on some tamer stuff but on my bike rather than in a trailer.

Does anyone do this using a toptube mounted seat? And how do you make sure your child doesn’t go tumbling to the ground at the first opportunity?

Christian

gaffa tape

My mate does this no bother, nowt too gnarly obviously but his 3 year old girl loves it and just clings to the bars on his Zesty 😯

he uses a toptube seat and makes sure she is strapped in as much as possible.

what about that little ones come too loct thing that was on the banner a while ago I have never tried it though!!

address Here!!

just seen the price…. 😯 Gaffer tape +1 !!

I take mine out on a tag-a-long. Started when they were a bit older, probably 3ish…..just have to keep reminding myself not to go too fast….

Get them a scoot bike, like an Islabike Rothan, we were riding from about that age, as long as its down hill you’ll both be OK. The longest we did was down hill from the top of Grizedale to the visitor centre. You just need to arrange shuttle transport.

I bought an ok baby Orion which seems well put together but sadly it doesn’t fit the headtube of anything on the fleet so it remains in the garage. We use a croozer kid2 which is great but the width prevents riding anything too interesting

I’ve been using one of these for our little ‘un since he was about 9 months. Has been fine both on and off road.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/OK_Baby_Orion_Child_Seat/5360032134/

He loves it – I’ve put a little bell on the handle so that he can ring it himself,

We ride local bridleways regularly but also done things like the “Afon” family trail at Coed Y Brenin without any problems.

It feels really safe, as he is protected between your arms. Contrary to appearances (and what some folk on here will tell you), the weight is also in the middle of the bike, so you’d have to do something really daft to endo.

If you’re riding off road a lot I would recommend using some thread lock on the clamps though just to be on the safe side.

Pretty sure that OK Baby one isn’t up to carrying a 2 1/2 year old. I borrowed one off a mate but never used it because my 2 year old was too heavy for it.

I use one of these now: Safe-T-Seat. It’s pretty good, but I’d not want to take it over anything more interesting than the local canal towpath, having ~15 kg of sprog attached to your steerer changes your bike’s handling quite dramatically…

Trailer until old enough to hang on here – trailer has been round many a trail centre (up to red route) and then a tag along until strong enough to climb on thier own bike – again been round many a trail centre / smaller hill like that. Next spring, bye bye to tag along.

I’ve been using a co-rider seat which my little one really enjoys, sits on the top tube. Only downside is that I can’t do it for too long or my knees go (sprog gets in the way of my normal pedalling action).

Was looking at loct seats too before I got it, but they were over twice the price.

Spotted this the other day – might be an alternative solution for bigger kinds. Anyone used one?

http://www.tout-terrain.de/2/products/trailer—kids-bikes/singletrailer/index.html

EDIT: Maybe not, just clocked the price £1200…!!!!

He has a balance bike so I’m training him to ride already but it’s that interim period between now and getting pedalling. I don’t really fancy taking him out on that at the moment though because he tends to go for a little while then jump off and investigate stuff in the undergrowth.

I’ll have a look all the things mentioned and see which I can fit/ use/ afford…

Hi,
Trailer then tag a long is the way to go.
My little’uns been on the taga long since he was 3.
Now we can do all of Follow The Dog at Cannock Chase, except for the werewolf drop…..although working on this, as it will impress the crowds which gather there on a Sunday!

See him in action on You Tube, type in ‘Extreme MTB 6 year old’ to find us…..

Enjoy your riding together, just dont go too fast too soon….It also keeps you fit on the climbs too.

😆 Wikkid!!!! – shame about the camera angle 😉

If you can get one LOCT is the way to go for a 2&1/2 year old. Dalby red and the 4X course at Les Gets to give you an idea for what is possible. He loves it.
Got to Product/Inaction and watch video 2

Heres my nipper on his Weeride:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtyXY_J50uo

It was pretty cold, so there were some tears after the single track.. He gave me a cuddle though and I soon cheered up 😀

I would ride trails with a toddler attached to my bike for obvious reasons!

I would however get them a balance bike and take them along a fire track or very tame trail – and always wearing a helmet! 😉

If you can get one LOCT is the way to go for a 2&1/2 year old. Dalby red and the 4X course at Les Gets to give you an idea for what is possible. He loves it.
Got to Product/Inaction and watch video 2

This is sick – I love biking and sometimes as a parent you must sacrfice days out on it for days biking with the kids, not days with the kids attached to your bike while you do your normal route – putting you kid in danger!

Just sick!

Kids are tougher and smarter than they get credit for.

At that age my little sister used to ride around with me. She sat astride the toptube, feet on the fork crown, and holding onto the centre of the handlebars. I was about 9. We had a few tumbles but mainly because of her “faster, faster” cries. It was South Uist though 🙂

My parents must have been mad 🙂

mimi – With my son on my bike I ride within my ability, I don’t jump and I listen to him (our heads are inches apart so it is easy to judge both his words and his mood). He’s been on it since he was 2&1/2 and he’s 4&1/2 now. He rides his own bike too these days but he still enjoys riding on daddy’s bike – though I don’t enjoy the climbs too much these days.
He is normally the one encouraging the bombholes and skills area riding and I am the responsible adult; just like it should be.
Anyone who see us tends to comment on how he is laughing his head off through bombholes, table tops and the like (all rolled as I said).
I’ve never dropped him / crashed with him on the bike. The biggest danger (and it is real) is that he gets too cold; when you’re pedalling away it’s easy to forget he isn’t.
Oh and he complains if I do too much fire road – “I want the little paths” (ie single track)

The LOCT seats are very good, the designer does some pretty mental stuff with his son on board certainly. I bumped into him a few weeks ago, he said they’re in the process of securing another contract to make more, so they should be readily available again before too long.

Glad I’m not mimic’s kid. The dressing up in cotton wool and bubble wrap would have me looking for new parents. Lighten up a bit.

LOCT seats are awesome – Ive tried other seats but this is the only one that lets us go where I go… Any trail any time… Ive got it one of my zaskars front suspension only and he pre rides any xc course with me.. Also very good for fitness you get a huge amount of satisfaction beating people up climbs when youve got youre son egging you on… 😀

My little boy started on it when he was just over two, but by then he was also a whizz on his balance bike regularly causing havoc over the bmx track…

LOCTs are excellent.

A group of us were on Dumyat the other weekend.
Two of the kids were under three, Thump is four.

I regularly ride in the local woods and have also done Whinlatter blue with Thump on the front.

i have one of them wee ride seats. happy to ride most trails in stanmer park with hte nipper on. she moans that i go too slow on the ups though. cheeky monkey.

Crispin – superb. Drop me a line if your down York way and I’ll drop a line if I’m up in Stirling (parents in Glasgow so it’s always possible) and we’ll get a photo with even more LOCT bikes in it.

Damn you all recommending the LOCT… I may need to see how hard Christmas hits me in the wallet and get one anyway.

The boy’s getting a lot more confident on his balance bike, so I figure it won’t be long til he’s ready to ride a tagalong, but to have him ride some of the regular trails I ride would be ace.

Thanks also for the tips on him getting cold. I’d probably have neglected to think of that (although my wife probably wouldn’t…)