[Closed] cycling with kids on your back

No no... You never know what can happen, even if you are very experienced rider. In case on a fall the kid has no protection at all.

You really have to ask?!?!?

Saw someone on Sunday doing it while I was riding the Fred Whitton. It was on the plateau between hardknott and Wrynose which I think means he'd either come up or down one!!!

There was a great pic on MTBR of someone hitting a jump on a DH bike with a kid in one of those on his back. People got REALLY annoyed about it

i had to ask because ive never seen it done, and id hate to receive bollockings from worried mothers and bystanders on the trail...
but why would it be any less safe than if she was in a fixed child seat? its easier to lose control of the bike with all the excess weight on the back. plus she'd be in a helmet and it'd be totally off-road, and flat.

Careful where you put them - they may damage your spine in a crash.

I've always thought those seats are crazy too, but I agree probably the backpack is not any worse - in fact I'd go so far as to say it may be better. If you do loose control and fall of it makes sense to me that you'd be less likely to hurt the baby if it was attached securely to your back rather than the bike: if you come off, the bike will definitely fall over and the baby strapped to a seat will topple with the bike and almost certainly hit it's head; if its attached to your back you'll probably end up on your hands and knees and the baby [i]may[/i] not hit anything.

Don't think I'd do either though...

OK I'll come clean.....

I used an ergo baby for 5 years with both of ours. I'd far rather use one than the front/rear mounted seats or trailers I've used. They're warmer, much more comfortable, much more fun, much easier to handle the bike, and you can talk to each other easily. I only ever had positive feedback (i.e. lots of smiles) from passers-by. And yes I did do some TC greens/blues. I think it's extremely unlikely that anyone will sanction their use in this way though.

I tried an Ergo (as above) and tried a rear seat.
Didn't like either of them, so I went with a front-mounted seat (goes between you and the handlebars. Can't remember the brand (it looked similar to Weeride ones, so maybe they changed their name) and felt much happier.

The downside of them is that they are harder to fit to some bikes and do have some restrictions about placement due to closeness of handlebars and knees.

Then moved to an xtracycle.

I have a rack mounted seat for my cross bike. If you fall off then they're largely protected by the seat, though their arms aren't. Legs are strapped in and protected, and helmet worn

It depends on the cycling. A potter along a gentle cycle path, like a converted railway track, will be fine with a rucksack. You're not going anywhere fast, it's a great way to see the world, and it's a nice way to spend time together

In Mat Hoffmans biography he mentions riding a quarter pipe with his baby girl strapped to his chest...
But he IS mat Hoffman so can do pretty much what he wants.

A potter along a gentle cycle path, like a converted railway track

I rode to work and back with a Deuter Kid Comfort 2 (empty) and they're heavy and uncomfortable on a bike, I really wouldn't like to carry a child in one particularly if it's windy.

I used to take our firstborn to nursery in a babybjorn carrier. Never had an issue and thought being inside my arms was a safety feature. This was along a bridleway and country lanes.

Then a babyseat. Then a tandem.

Natural selection.

a) It'd be horribly uncomfortable, I suspect, for both of you. You're going to get chucked around a fair bit, and you won't be able to see the kid to check on it and monitor the chucking around.

b) Those child seats have high hard sides to protect the kid.

c) If you come off I reckon there's a fair chance your body weight will end up crushing the poor bugger against something. Next to impossible in a kid seat.

If it's flat smooth etc then fair enough but I still think point 1 applies. TBH I'd rather use a front mounted fabric sling with head support.

Did it, both of us loved it. Used to have a 1 mile stretch of wide canal towpath from nursery to the pub where we would both wait in the garden for our lift home a couple of times a week. I would say it was a calculated risk. Never had anything but waves and smiles. Had to sit very upright on the bike for this to be comfortable. Not a practical or safe thing to do on the road or on anything mildly technical would be my view, but each to their own.

Seeing as you're going down the gentle potter on a smooth cycle track nowhere near a road then definitely just crack on

The only thing to consider is the bike. Little bumps are easily absorbed but lifting your bum off the seat, but depending what bike you're on you might be leaning forward quite far. The papoose type rucksacks work best when you're upright, otherwise the baby will be leaning forward and won't be able to support they're head

If in doubt just drop your saddle

did it, took her for a spin on the fatbike. i could hear her laughing away when we got a bit of speed up! did get a few obtuse glances from folk tho, although that may have been the bike! even did a few small slopes up and down and a stretch of rough ground (old farm track). she's too heavy to do any more than that but its nice that we can all go out on little family rides now!

did get a few obtuse glances from folk tho, although that may have been the bike

Makes me happy whenever I'm out on mine that small kids tug on their parents sleves and point.

And despite not being that quick with comebacks ususaly, I get the same stupid questions I now just have stock responses:

"Why are your tyres so big?"
"why are your tyres so small"

"is that really soft and bouncy?"
"hmmmm, no more so than your mum"

"what's the point of fat bikes"
"what's the point of paying £1.50 to park in a car park to spend a lot of energy to ride in a circle back to where you started?"

"Is it better?"
"Than other bikes yes, than your mum, no"

The BiL and SiL have done (in ergo babys) with their twins. Allows them to go on narrow singletrack that you wouldn't get a double width chariot on to.

The nippers loved it,the parents loved it, passers-by loved it and I'd do the same with my (not yet in production) sprogs.

[quote=willjones]canal towpath

Another risk there is falling / cycling into the canal by accident. Rare, but it does happen. The outcome of having a kid on your back in that scenario is not good IMHO.

Another risk there is falling / cycling into the canal by accident. Rare, but it does happen. The outcome of having a kid on your back in that scenario is not good IMHO.

i'm suprised you leave the house. oh wait.

http://www.rospa.com/home-safety/advice/general/facts-and-figures/