Some practical experience from the Netherlands 1

Some practical experience from the Netherlands 2

Oh one more (small) point abt trailers that I thought about while having my nap… the dust/dirt ‘spray’ issue. When using the trailer even with mud guards on your bike there may be dirt flecks which reach your little one even through the mesh of the front ‘window.’

I find that on the road bike with full guards, it is fine, whether or not the window is open she doesn’t get sprayed. On the mountain bike with just a crudguard type thing, you have to think about what you’ll be riding through and close the rain window if there’s going to be too much mud. Did a mountain bike ride in the rain a bit back and the amount of mud on the rain cover was shocking.

Joe

This is one of the things that makes me laugh. You will put a baby in a car seat and drive at 80 mph but not in the same seat in a bike trailer at 10 mph.

So which is safer, putting your baby in a car seat at 80mph AND putting it in a trailer at 10mph, or putting it in a car seat at 80mph AND NOT putting it in a trailer at 10mph. The thing is, most people are talking about doing extra journeys with kiddies on bikes rather than using it for transport, let alone replacing 80mph car journeys (I use a bike for transport with kids more than most on here I suspect, and can’t think of a single time I’ve replaced a trip I’d get up to 80mph in the car on).

Though you’re getting confused about different aspects of safety – vibrating young children and not supporting their necks properly has been proven to be harmful. Totally different thing to risk of serious injury or death in a car crash. Then again, I’m very much an advocate of taking kiddies about on bikes, but even if we are talking about replacing a car journey with a bike journey, by considered opinion is that the car is probably safer.

On the mud thing, I have sometimes brought my children home with splattered faces 😳

The Beamlet was offroad (albeit on smooth tracks) in her Chariot at the age of 3 months:

IMG_9306 by Mark and Kirsty Beaman, on Flickr

Front cover was up in that picture but is now down for all trips before anyone starts.

She graduated from the baby bivvy (which doesn’t secure the occupant at all) to the infant sling at 1 month old on which she was strapped in with he head supported so she was out on smooth trails behind the bike from that point onwards.

I find that on the road bike with full guards, it is fine

I use a Dew 700c hybrid with 40mm ish tyres on (forget what size, they are Schwalbe Marathons with a reflective strip on the side that makes them look like whitewalls 🙂 ) with full SKS guards, and there’s still a bit of trail crud thrown up. I’m considering a grandad style mudflap 🙂

Beamers.. yep the infant sling is indeed ace. Never had the baby bivy.

This is one of the things that makes me laugh. You will put a baby in a car seat and drive at 80 mph but not in the same seat in a bike trailer at 10 mph.

70 mph please Jeremy, try and be a responsible road user.

Wow – loads of opinions STW collective thanks…! 😀

FWIW – we have a ‘papoose’ thingy – which she really doesn’t like… however… she also has a baba-sling – which she loves.

She is only just over 9lbs now – and while her head/neck muscles are getting stronger, she certainly isn’t stable.

I wouldn’t get the baby seat on the back of the bike yet – and thinking about it… a large trailer would be too big for the camper…..

Definitely not doing anything other than very rural lanes – distances around 2 miles I guess….

So – possibly papoose/sling that supports her head – more googling required…!

On a different note, being ‘new’ to parenting… Mrs chalkstorm and I are gobsmacked at the amount of contradictory advice out there….. everyone has an opinion… and only a few have eyes open enough to realise that all kids are different – and what works for some may not work for others…

Again, appreciate your thoughts & comments…. 😉

We were fortunately in Canada whilst pregnant so splashing out on the complete list of accessories for the chariot (we drew the line at the cross country skis though) whilst expensive was as ludicrous as it would have been over here.

Plus the fact I was determined to limit the number of wheeled devices that we bought for transporting our nipper about.

The Beamlet loves the Chariot and now that she is talking cries “Faster Daddy, faster” when I take her out in it behind the bike.

Oh, and FWIW the Beamlet was doing 35mph plus (downhill on smooth roads devoid of traffic) from about 3 months onwards.

and thinking about it… a large trailer would be too big for the camper….

Chariots fold up pretty thin, so you might be surprised.

Re country lanes though – round by me they are pretty narrow and windy, and see some shocking driving. I’d say they were among the more dangerous roads to cycle on, some of them. Drivers come winging around the corners and only have a few m in which to stop.

a large trailer would be too big for the camper…..

Do you realise that they fold flat when not in use? Wheels come off, tow bar folds underneath and the sides and back all fold in. Takes 2 mins max to assemble / disassemble. Previous comments about dust / spray are right though. Never had to worry about overheating though – we live in Scotland!!!

You know what happens to an adult when they fall off or are knocked off a bike. Imagine what happens to a baby. Some **** people

randomjeremy – Member

You know what happens to an adult when they fall off or are knocked off a bike

They swear and get up again? Do babies swear?

yunki Jr goes in a seat on a rack on the back sometimes.. he’s 21 months and blinkin heavy though.. which plays havoc with my 360 tailwhips on the dirtjumps..

there may be dirt flecks which reach your little one

our little bundle of joy has been helping me move 3 ton of compost this arvo.. it’s a good home-made compost.. mostly comprised of well rotted pig and chicken dung and he’s had great fun collecting worms from the pile.. he only ate two.. which is good because it didn’t spoil his appetite for dinner..

The flecks of dirt thing wasn’t being over-precious – the small gritty stuff ends up being flicked into their face which for a small baby can be difficult if it ends up in their eyes.

We have a trailer designed to carry 2 toddlers. I removed the fitted seat and fabricated a base to hold the carseat – a Maxicosi Cabriofix. The rails on the base of the carseat slot into rearward facing slots on the mount, and once the seat is in position and slid forwards it is secired with a webbing strap and buckle. It is totally solid. The child would be protected if the trailer rolled by the frame of the trailer and the handle of the car seat.

The fabricated base is mounted into the trailer using vibration isolating mounts off ebay. These reduce vibration significantly. In addition we run the tyres very soft.

Our wee fella is 17 weeks today and has been out in the trailer since he was 7 weeks old (and he arrived 6 and a half weeks early). He likes it, either sleeping soundly, or watching the trees/clouds go by.

We have ridden sections of the Crinan Canal, the Caledonian Canal, the Great Glen Way, around Loch Katrine and numerous local trails. Everyone who sees the set-up is impressed.

Two weeks ago we rode the Blue at GT from the top of Blue Velvet down, including a gentle descent of Good Game, and this weekend did the Green and Orange trails at Laggan. As long as you go nice and slowly, keeping an eye on the wee one, you should be fine.

The only time he shows any upset is if we stop and he wakes up. Setting off again placates him.

The flecks of dirt thing wasn’t being over-precious – the small gritty stuff ends up being flicked into their face which for a small baby can be difficult if it ends up in their eyes.

fair point.. I was just being facetious if I’m honest.. I didn’t even read the quote in context.. If I had.. and I’d seen the original statement came from the Grips clan.. I wouldn’t have bothered.. safe in the certainty that every decision will have been made with thoughtfully applied logic and reasoning.. 🙂

Like most things a matter of choice. Despite all the expert opinion here I’d probably also consider what ROSPA say.
http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/advice/cycling/info/child_bike_seats_10.pdf

My middle daughter has been going in a trailer from around 2 months. Original she went in her car seat but by 6 months she was sitting in the normal seat. I used it regulary to take her to nusary 2-3 times a week . She often fell a sleep in it and would often tell me to speed up. She also liked going over the speed bumps as well as having the cover off all together. She is now coming up to 5 and still like to go in it. If you ever sit in the back of a car or have a baby in the front seat beside you (no air bag) you will see how much they are shaken around by the movement agin look in the buggy as well.
The dirt thing can be a problem off road along with general dust but i foun the road bike with its full lenght mudguards not bad.

Do you people ride on the roads with your babies in tow?

Has anyone in this tedious session of middle class oneupmanship actually thought of the children yet?

Do you people ride on the roads with your babies in tow?

No!

randomjeremy – Member
Do you people ride on the roads with your babies in tow?

Often and cars tend to give you much more room than normal though you can’t nip down the outside of traffic but i tended to use that as a rest as atrailer deffinatly makes its presance felt.

damo2576 – Member
Like most things a matter of choice. Despite all the expert opinion here I’d probably also consider what ROSPA say.

Ta…. not seen that till now….. 😳

we drew the line at the cross country skis though

Dead handy IME

I find it amazing that people are willing to put their children at risk like that – each to their own I guess

Do you people ride on the roads with your babies in tow?

As mentioned above, I use a bike for transport with kids, though since it’s got warmer (and I don’t feel the need to wrap the little one up in the trailer) I’ve been using a bike seat on the back of the tandem (mini-aracer #1 pedalling in between). So yes – try and avoid the busiest roads and use bike paths a bit more (though still ride across one of the busiest local roundabouts as it’s so much hassle to avoid it). Though as somebody else said, I’ve always found drivers give me loads of room with the trailer – tandem with a kiddy seat comes a close second.

At risk like what, random? Like the risk of getting killed whilst driving in a car? I know I’m sounding a bit like TJ here (though sometimes he’s right), but do you actually have any stats to backup your implication that it’s dangerous taking kids on the road in a trailer/bikeseat?

randomjeremy – Member

I find it amazing that people are willing to put their children at risk like that – each to their own I guess

I find it completely amazing peoples attitude to risk. Would you put kids in a car? People in the UK have a very strange attitude to cycling which is a very safe way of travelling.

No at risk of being hit by a motorised vehicle while attached to a pushbike on the road. You do realise that a bike / bike trailer is not a car right?

Look I don’t really give a shit about your kids, I find it odd that you don’t seem to though.

Yep – I agree 100% with TJ (to be fair I tend to agree with him on more things than not).

Hey good stuff, we should agree to disagree

BTW TJ doesn’t actually have kids – to him it’s just an academic exercise. I do, and still think you’re wrong, RJ. As I said up there, have you got any stats – or even any anecdotes – to back up your assertion?

I find it amazing that identical bait was used but differing results obtained…

we should agree to disagree

Strangely I find it a lot harder even to agree to that than I do with TJ.

I find it amazing that identical bait was used but differing results obtained…

Probably down to change in alcohol concentrations in the bloodstream.

I love the ski trailer btw. Makes me want to be a small kid again 🙂 To fit in it now I’d have to be liquidised 🙁

Randomjeremy I will bite. My daughter goes in the trailer on the road because I care about her enough to want to show her the outdoors and not just shove her in the car. How is she in anymore danger than when she is in the push chair walking on the road side?

FWIW the Beamlet was doing 35mph plus (downhill on smooth roads devoid of traffic) from about 3 months onwards

You do know they’re not supposed to go over 15mph (I’ve always made a point of trying to average more than that 😉 )?