I'm needing a new bike for commuting and i've just about justified buying a new bike to myself.
Only snag is I need to be able to attach my daughters (18 months old) child seat to it. It's a hamax siesta that mounts on the seat tube and for some reason I think the seat tube on a road bike will crumple or something equally daft.
Am I being unreasonable? Should I just get a 'touring' bike with rack mounts or a hybrid? I do like the idea of drops, even though my commute is nothing serious!
You're being daft.
I'll consider that justified then 
No worries 
Think of the stresses and strains road bikes are put through,no suspension, powered up hills and thrown down the other side, they are fairly sturdy beasts! The only thing I'd be wary of is the riding position and handling, a proper road bike is best at speed not for pootling with a childs seat on the back. Also for bumping up kerbs and wotnot road bikes aren't really that well suited. Mountain bikes IME are much better at child carrying duties. I'd look for two bikes or if it must be one something like a 26" commuter thing at a push something like a tricross?
^ YoKaiser
BUT those hamax seats fit to a part of the frame in a place that the designers would not have thought about in terms of stresses etc
They fit into a clamp that you mount round the seat tube:
the weight is also quite a distance from the clamp.
I would not fit one to a modern lightweight aluminium or carbon road bike nor a lightweight steel road bike. If it did damage the frame doubt the warranty would be honoured.
Surely a nice steel tourer would be better than a road bike as well, more stable, mudguards, drops, fatter tyres, more versatile (rack, panniers etc)..
We have a Hamax kiddie seat that mounts to a special rack, that I have mounted on my CX bike (Giant TCX - has rack mounts)
Work great.
^ yer they do version that fits their rack system (plus system) rather than the basic cantilever
the plus system would be a better bet to make use of rack mounts (basic Trek road bikes even come with rack mounts), but think the OP has the basic cantilever version that just uses the seat tube mount?
The problem i've got is that my MTB cant take the child seat, the seat tube isnt anywhere near in the right position/angle.
My ex girlfriends bike was set up as the taxi/commuter bike but she's not going to lend me that now!
Talked myself into a touring bike w/racks today as sweaty backpack syndrome is pretty minging.
Cheapest 'touring' bike I found on Evans web site is £500 is the region i'm looking at or have I missed some bargains?
Rhode Gear Taxi FTW. Blackburn expedition rack, multi point harness, set back for child's helmet. Designed and made in the most litigious society on Earth.
And it will match that tourer nicely
I'd not want to put one of those on a decent MTB personally, certainly not on a light road bike.
Even if it was strong enough that's a lot of weight quite high up, imagine it'd handle like a pig.
I used to use one on a road bike - but this is against the manufacturers recommendations. Reason being (I think) is that it unbalances the bike.
It rode ok but was a lot more unstable with the weight of a child on the back than a mountain bike.
Just get a cheap hack bike for the job.
Get a cheap steel hack bike and the longest seatpost you can find, hopefully one that goes down below the kiddy clamp.
I would not fit one to a frame with paper-thin tubes that was FEA designed for a rider on the saddle. I do have a Merlin Dual Slalom bike with thick alloy tubes and reinforcing braces at the top and bottom of the seat-tube that would probably be OK. It is not for sale.
PaulD
saw a guy in Cardiff who has convert a 90s Merlin Ti to a kid/shopping bike..
looks cool
I wouldn't do it with my carbon road bike. But do with with my steel cross bike.
This is what I use. Its a Tange quadruple butted frame, I have no qualms about the fixture or the seat tube.
If you still going for a tourer Edinburgh bike have some good buys, would you consider trading in the seat tube mounted seat for a rack mounted one?
I have one on my 16" inbred and it really makes the bike handle a lot worse, but you get used to it. I have stuck with my inbred purely because I was concerned about attaching the seat to anything "decent".
If I had to buy again i would not get a cantilever design one. When you go over "swoopy" bumps the seat will hit the tyre and cause much concern in your toddler 
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