Hi,

I’ve been taking my daughter (now nearly 1) to and from nursery with a trailer for a while now which has worked pretty well, originally with the car seat strapped in and more recently sat straight in.

However, with the onset of darker nights on te horizon I think it’s time for a child seat on my bike as I don’t like the idea of a trailer in the dark.

So, anyone have any recommendations?

I’m gravitating towards the Hamax Siesta as I like the reclining feature and I want to be able to keep using my rack for a pannier on the way to work.

Helemt wise, I am going with the theory that if I buy from a company that I would buy a helmet from I shouldn’t be far wrong…

So, leaning towards either the

Met Elfo S

or the Giro Me 2

Again, any thoughts and experiences greatly welocomed!

Thanks very much,

Stan

Hi,
My daughters got a met – had it about 2-3 years (she is now 5) – never had a problem with it, she has never complained about wearing it either which is what you want really. Having been brought a cheaper one for my son the difference in quality is clear to see so you are right to go with one that you yourself would wear.

hope that helps,
Richard.

Have the Hamax Siesta (reclining one) and it is great. Be careful to check that you have clearance for your pannier rack as it may fall foul or you many need the extension poles.

For helmets I went for a Specialised small fry as it fit my daughter well – as ever try before you buy.

Thannks for the recommendations guys…

Happy to change the rack if nescessary. Anyone found a rack that works well with kids’ seats?

co pilot limo uses a blackburn rack
as for the lid my little one has a stupidley small head when we started and the smallest i found was from trek and seems as good quality as giros kiddy lids

I’ve looked at the Co Pilot Limo but thought that sitting directly on a rack wouldn’t be as comfortable for Dingup jnr. as the inherent suspension in the Hamax system.

How did you find it?

Hamax Siesta with Specialised small fry here. Hamax Siesta is a little bouncy at times, especially off road…

Have you seen anthing that works better?

Will pimarily be used for on road work but would be nice to have the off road option if I swap it between bikes…

i havent used the co-pilot yet as i need a rack for it but i have a hamax copy atm and its been great from about 10 months old shes just turnt 2 as we tend to go abit off track abit as she loves bouncing around so abit weiry changing to the limo myself

At the risk of becoming formulaic – Hamax Siesta with Specialised small fry here as well for our journey to nursery. spot on. The little lady loves it

Seems like a consensus is forming…

I’ve also got a Hamax – though not a reclining one, given it didn’t get bought until mini-aracer #1 was nearly 3, so he didn’t really need that feature (he did still manage to go to sleep a couple of times). Have a Tubus rack on, which allows fitting the panniers a bit further back than on other racks, hence just about enough clearance from the seat. That’s on a road bike with fairly short chainstays though (Ribble winter training frame) – longer chainstays as we have on the tandem give more space.

Rhode Gear Taxi on a Blackburn rack. Still have mine, although squeezing the 10 yo into the seat may be problematic. Great piece of kit. It sat on the back of the kiddyback tandem for several years. Never felt the need for reclining. When they sleep, they sleep. Simples. For helmets, I bought the baby Bell.

I’d recommend the co-pilot. I have had one in use from about 6 months of age. Its stable offers the best protection in an off (had one very major off i ended up pretty badly injured Lucy was totally unscathed, and no i wasnt doing stupid off road shenanigans) and is reasonably comfy when she was small. I totally agree the bumps do get transmitted somewhat and as she gets older (now nearly 4) we have supplemented the padding in the seat. The solid build is what makes it so robust though.

Personally, co-pilot all the way.

In error, (too small), I ordered a pair of Giro Spree’s last Xmas for our two.

I was really impressed with them. They are like a mini version of the Xen. Also, they didnt overhang too much at the rear, so if the head is against something it dosent get tipped forwards.

Thanks for all the input folks.

How important is trying helets on for a 1 year old? Went out last weekend to 5 local bike shops (including Halfords) and none had helmets in this size in stock.

Got the usual “we can order one in for you” but I’d have to choose one first so may as well just order one from wiggle/chain reaction….

I have the hamax one that uses a rack (think its called a hamax plus), has a reclining function. I just like the idea of maximum stability of the seat on the rack – our lad is fairly stout. You can get a hamax pannier that is slightly modified for the rack, but it’s a poor design, I found it irritating to use. The hamax rack also weighs a ton.

I fitted it to my cross bike without really thinking about it – in hindsight it might be better on a MTB, or at least a street bike with bigger tyres. The cross bike really handles like shit when laden with it. Not that I’m railing corners or anything, but it’s quite noticeable how careful you have to ride the bike. I’d imagine it would be really poor on a road bike.

haven’t read the above so may be repeating others…

Helmets, get on e with a cut off back bit, like the Giro Me2. This means they can put their head back and fall asleep in the seat.
Definately try on a helmet. I got one for her on her first birthday, thinking I’d get the one that said it went the smallest. WRONG, that one, I think a specialized, was way too big.

Seat, I’ve got a Hamax sleepy recliner, one that has the long bars that slot into a clamp on the down tube. Easy to remove and swap to my wifes bike if she wants (got 2 clamps, one on each bike). The biggest advantage is that the long bars give a lot of suspension when on the rough stuff. My daughter whoops with delight on singletrack (GT blue / green are my local kids rides). Can’t imagine doing that with a seat that is bolted to a rack.

I just like the idea of maximum stability of the seat on the rack – our lad is fairly stout.

The ones which attach via bars to a clamp on the seat tube are very solid though – no problem with stability even with a 3 3/4 year old.

Hamax KISS lives up to the name and only leaves a small bracket on the seat tube when not in use. Watch for front mech cable routing / braze ons tho’.

abus helmets tend to fit the best I’ve found

hamax childseats for sure, there’s no need to look any further

Not sure where you are but I have a Hamax Siesta (Orange) or the non reclining one (silver), both in good nick for sale. I’m in South east or London.

the seats mounted on the seat tube don’t inspire much confidence in me. better a rack mount. i have a topeak and it’s great. i like it because the top of the seat is considerably higher that my little one’s head. only moan is about the foot restraints…very fiddly to use

I’ve got one of these for our two year old, it’s good because I can talk to the spog much more easily than with a rear-mounted seat, and he can see where he’s going too. Easy to get on and off too. It is quite big though, so if you’re on the small side you might not be able to fit it on the bike without it interfering with your riding. I’m 5’10” and can just about get away with it on a medium-sized bike.

We’ve got a Spesh Small Fry helmet for him too, he seems to quite like it.

+1 safe-t seat here too.
Like Mintimperial said, if you have a smaller frame and shorter legs (like t’wife) you will need a longish stem and bars with decent backsweep so that you can sit upright and pedal without headbutting your kid.

Helmet from Decathlon that is often replaced, cos the little one likes to sling it around. Its all about throwing things at the moment 😕

One plus point for the Taxi over the Hamax, you may not notice, but the profile is set back at the head level so that it can accommodate a helmet when baby is sat back. I found this a huge improvement over the seat-tube mounted seat I used on my single bike (tandem had very low seat tube so not an option). I also forgot to mention that I added front low-riders to carry panniers.

we have a wee ride thing. excellent.

Thanks once again folks.

Tried a wee ride but found I had to cycle with my knees spread apart as there isn’t enough space on the top tube on my commuter bike (Orange evo2, 17″) Tried it on my hardtail and the feet of the wee ride hindered the turning circle as it contacted the top of the forks when turned hard.

Thankfully I found this out without my daughter sat in it!

Looks like I’ll be off to the LBS’s again this weekend to see if I can find anyone with a few different helmets to try.

Anyone know if there’s any bike shops in the Bournemouth area that cary decent stocks of child helmets?

Tried On Yer Bike, Primera, Pedal On and Halfords so far with no joy…

Oh and Winston,YGM…!

Cheers

Stan

the seats mounted on the seat tube don’t inspire much confidence in me. better a rack mount

Have you actually seen one in person? They’re a lot more solid than you seem to think.