[Closed] Recommend a child seat?

I have a hamax seat that comes with a rack - think it was around £100.

Pros are that it's very safe and sturdy, and the seat is pretty comfy for the kid. The rack gives a good feeling of solidity.

Drawbacks are that you now have a rack on your bike that weighs a ton (in rack terms) so when you're not using the seat it turns into a ball ache to go for a MTB ride - either in terms of swapping it on / off or just putting up with it. I had mine on a tricross which was my dedicated commuter, so didn't really have this hassle.

The seat also seemed to feel the bumps - I don't know if the rack made this worse or if all seats are like this. It has a couple of springs as a rudimentary suspension. I cycled off-road with my son in it loads of times, but took it really gentle through anything rocky - it would be a rough ride indeed for the little one if you just bashed though stuff.

Get a front-mount one so you can see them. Feel a lot more secure betwen your amrs at that age.

Can't remember what make this is:
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But it mounts to a bracket on the down-tube, by way of a couple of bent steel rods, which allow it to bounce. Combined with sus forks, made it more comfortable.

When my lad was older, he went to a rear-seat with a similar bracket on the seat-tube, so again, was comfortable, then onto a LECO top-tube saddle. He's now on the tag-along for the school run 🙂

Front seat is much better for the child when they are younger. You can interact with them while out riding. The Bobike Mini City is similar to the one above but mounts to the steerer tube under the stem so the seat sits further forward and up so doesnt interfere with knees while pedaling.

Weeride kangeroo, my Son loves it. I've had rear mounted ones but this feels safer as i have my arms round him. I can chat away to him as well. It also feels solid compared to other seats I've used in the past.

What size frame is it?
I originally got a rear mounted seat for my 29er fargo. It attached to the seat tube but the underside of the child seat rubbed on the top of the rear tyre! It was a 16" seat tube and the bracket wouldn't go higher. Worth checking if you have a small frame?

Hope all that made sense..

Do you reckon the weeride kangeroo would fit a road bike? It says it doesn't because the rider position is too far forward but I wonder if you could work around that, change the stem or something.
I'd like to try one for our youngest - I tried another brand out a few years ago and I was cycling like John Wayne so didn't like it. Would love to have one that worked.

Weerides are great. You do have to ride with knees out a bit and the saddle won't be at ideal height, but you are unlikley to be riding for long. Plus you will be more concerned with the little one exploring brake levers/camelbak tubes/pointing at everything that moves.

Have been given a Topeak Babysitter by a friend. Just need to buy a rack to mount it on my old MTB (now dedicated family acitivity bike). Already have a trailer, but I figure Baby North might like a view these days.

bo bike front mounted

"Can anybody recommend a brand – safety my no. 1 priority here"

Are any of them safe? None of them appear to hold the head, or indeed have any form of head protection. For that reason I am out.

I have a weeride kangaroo, my little one loves it! He is as safe as I am. He always wears a helmet, I ride on the pavements and generally stop and get off for road crossings. My reverb makes it easier getting on and off and having proper seat height for pedalling...

this one looks like it might be good too...
[url= http://www.google.co.uk/search?aq=f&ix=acb&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=saf+t+seat ]Safe t seat[/url]

"He is as safe as I am. "

No he isnt. He's strapped in to a seat and in the event of a crash can not do anything. As the rider you can fall off in a manner to protect yourself.

I do everything in my power not to expose him to a situation where crashing would be an outcome.... falling comets and acts of god aside of course.. 🙄

i've got a toppeak seat on the back of my '96 heihei and i've only used it 4 times, because the weight of junior in the seat means that i have to lean forward as counter balance and consequently get numb plums after 20 mins of riding. junior is now 2 years old and i got a bellini trailer from halfords and i can ride for longer (although i think he preferred the rear seat).

in summary - i wouldn't put a child seat on a xc race bike

Funky dunc, is your opinion from personal experience?

If your saying I don't take the safety of my children seriously, then you are very wrong.
I believe Elajel asked for brand recommendations not scaremongering..

Garry, I never tried the weeride with drop bars(it's on my inbred), so I can't really comment,sorry.

I had a rear mounted Hammax/Halford one for a bit as we got given it, I should have dumped it straight away, I bought a WEERIDE KANGAROO and it is so superior its silly. However probably only good up to a 3 year old..

mines mounted onto a BIG BMX (look em up) and fits nicely, I bought a 2nd one second hand that I fitted to wifes bike but it needed a little modding as hers is just a 14" MTB.

Its just for popping out with the nipper so you kinda just want it on a 2nd bike of some kind rather than your main ride, plenty of cheap clunkers out there for kiddie duties..

If safety is your priority, I'd recommend a trailer. It puts the weight lower down, and good ones have a proper roll-over cage. I also find that motorists give me lots more room.