[Closed] Cycling with a baby

Many reasons but why not show a pic of bike/baby trailer to a none cyclist in your office and ask them if they would or think it's safe on British roads to do that?

I'll ride on British roads. I didn't want to put my son in a trailer etc though.

Most probably think it's unsafe to cycle on the roads at all.

Parenting means making your own decisions about what is safe or appropriate for your kids. Those may be different to other people's decisions.

Many reasons but why not show a pic of bike/baby trailer to a none cyclist in your office and ask them if they would or think it's safe on British roads to do that?

I'll ride on British roads. I didn't want to put my son in a trailer etc though.

I'll humour your trolling. The speeds you do with a trailer, pretty much always <15mph, means that if you crash into anything or off the road / trail it is extremely unlikely to do any harm to the child with the low energy and protection afforded by the trailer. It's a right of passage to flip a trailer over on a trail and it almost always ends up with the baby laughing. Several thousand young children are injured, hundreds seriously and dozens fatally, as passengers in cars every year.

So, really the only serious risk is someone driving over the top of you. This is actually very unlikely, especially if you choose the route carefully and use offroad routes when possible and most trailers are extremely visible. Drivers also always seem to behave very considerately when they see the trailer.

It's pretty moronic to say "trailers are dangerous". Yes, they could be if you took one down the A66 at dusk but with some good sense the risk is very, very low. There are tremendous benefits to using one.

at 9 months Baby Scaled had already done the monsal trail!

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Hamax siesta reclines quite a long way, he's about 15 months now, cries every time he sees my bike and isn't allowed on it. It's grand, he's happy as anything pinging about down the side of the mersey on the back of the escapade. When i shout *BUMP* he giggles like anything.

I've started to make him wear a helmet when it's cold though, they're they only bloody hats that'll stay on him

Been using a trailer since the little one was about 4 months she is now 2, she'll happily go for long rides (4 or 5 hours with a suitable number of breaks). I bought a rear mounted seat a while ago and have used it twice as she prefers the trailer, it feels safer, it's more stable, and it's easier to climb out of the saddle as the weight is low down.

When we ride on (quiet) roads we tend to get a lot more space and respect than on just a bike, or with a child seat (which looks like a bike to a myopic driver). Admittedly I wouldn't ride on a busy a or b road, but in quiet lanes I see it as less risky than driving a car on a motorway/a road.

Thanks for the replies.

As the cycling will be just me and baby I'm looking more toward a seat than trailer so I can see him I think. The replies and lovely photos have convinced me and wifey it's not that unsafe at all, I was however optimistic in my original 3 hour ride prediction. As stated before my route is greenway and 100% flat Tarmac with no traffic or road, just old train and canal lines. I've got a £100 evans voucher do will be getting a seat this weekend 🙂

Let's keep this as parents sharing tips/reviews rather than is cycling with a trailer on roads/anywere safe, if anyone wants to debate that start a new thread.

Used a iBert since little one was about a year old(ish) - she loved it.

Trailer for sure.

Used a Croozer with our eldest from 8 weeks old using their baby sling adaptor. Continued using it for past few years and now carry both of them in it (3.5yrs and 14 mths). They seem comfy enough. Eldest has just moved on to a Mac Ride @ 3.5yrs but it's great having the trailer as back up if she gets tired - not exactly easy towing the trailer while pedalling with a toddler on your crossbar though. See it as training.

Croozer @ 8wks old:
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Mac Ride:
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Been cycling for the past month with our 10-now-11 month old. Hamax seat on the back, she loves it - big smiles. Stick to off road cy le paths as much as poss with only wee road se tions - partly because i dont go far. I wouldn't subject her to more than an hour with a break.

interested in this. Ive got a seat but i cant fix it to my bike (clamps around the head tube and the downtube adaptor in not sure about on a liteville frame)

how do the bike trailers mount?

It depends upon the trailer, but the good ones provide a longer QR/TA axle to which a bracket with a ball-socket is attached to the rear axle. This allows the bike to lean and corner properly when in use.

I've had the trailer at a good 30-35deg angle to the verticle (bloody rutts) and still been able to ride fine.

do they have screw though axles (142 syntace)

do they have screw though axles (142 syntace)

https://robertaxleproject.com

You'll humour my trolling? Ask a none cyclist. On scaleds 2nd pic?

Are the babies strapped in into a car seat like structure in the least?

Sorry. No.

The Croozer bracket is held on by the QR axle. On my big bike I drilled it out to a 12mm hole and used the bolt through axle.

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Needs flat dropouts to work.

It's great to ride with, you can feel the weight but it doesn't really affect handling, just great resistance work. In fact I made it up Sheffield's 'bastard' climb at the end of the Parks, 1x10, Nukeproof Mega, Croozer and 2 year old!!

The sooner Hora gets diagnosed properly,the better. 🙄

At 9 months we hired a bike with a trailer at Centre parcs our daughter loved it but since then we have brought a weeride we started using it about 12 months but she was still a bit floppy for it and the helmet a touch too big but now at 15months everything is perfect helmet fits great (her head is still on the small side) and she loves the weeride especially over bumpy ground.

Are the babies strapped in into a car seat like structure in the least?

Of course they bloody are. 3 point harness, same setup as a car seat, plus their feet are strapped in to the foot rests.

You just can't see all that cos he was covered in the rain poncho to keep a bit of the chill off as we were riding through the tunnels.

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Trailer FTW when young, then into a seat (but keep the trailer..)
We've had both ours in the croozer and would say if you can, stretch for a pricier model as the seat/sling/strap arrangement IS better in the higher end models.

Both kids (now 6 who rides his own, abx 18mths) had the Weber insert sling until about a year old.
That's up for sale if you want? £30 posted...

Now have a wee ride in the garage, to fit for big bike bash...

DrP