Rent a child bike seat? (Edinburgh)

Having realised that dragging a trailer to the shop then the nursery then work then home then the shop then the nursery then home is a pain in the sac, is there anywhere to rent/try child seats in Edinburgh.

I'm leaning towards the Co-pilot Limo but also wondering if a rack-mounted seat will be too bumpy for mini-me over cobbles and on canal paths and the like. Would like to try it and see.

I can't imagine a shop would want it back after I've fitted it all and knocked around with it for a while. Does anyone know of a place that would rent them out?

If not then I suppose it's the old try it then eBay it approach.

Like you, I'd be surprised.

Must be a lot of them about SH?

Just checked. There was one on Gumtree in November. Plenty new from eBay shops that are, oddly, more expensive than the ones from proper shops. :O?

We've got a couple of child seats we need to sell, a co-pilot and a Hamax. Very much good as new, and in Edinburgh, if interested. Email me for more info…

*scours laraichean's posting history to determine trustworthiness*

;O)

PS – you've got a broken link off the "inside" photo on houseinglencoe.com

Gordy – pop into tbc. We might be able to sort something out……

Can you not just lock the trailer up at the nursery? That's what I used to do. Otherwise Topeak have a rack mounted seat that is sprung but it has to be their rack

Leffeboy – I suppose I could but I'd rather not.

Cheers, druidh. I'll bear that in mind if I don't just buy both off laraichean. I'll have to swing by for some mudguards anyway. I stupidly forgot to take the mudguards off the old bike I donated to The Bike Station. D'oh!

Picked them up tonight and they look grand.

Kindly consider Laraichean a first-rate purveyor of second-hand goods. A+++++ seller, etc.

How old are they? A Weeride (if young) or a LOCT if a little older might be a decent option as they get the benefit of the same suspension you do (if it's Edinburgh cobbles I assume your on a full on DH bike – worst road surface in Europe). On the LOCT they can stand up too.

EDIT: Must read last post.

Oh, deary me, no no no. Thanks for the suggestion but I can't warm to the front-mounted seat idea at all.

Try one – someone will have one you can borrow. Having used both a LOCT and a CoPilot Limo, the LOCT makes for a bike with far more stable handling. And think of it as mid mounted.

That said a dropper style seat post helps (£60 cheapy one in my case), as do wide bars and grips.

Warning: Small children should never be used in place of an air bag.

You have an airbag on your bike?!?

To be honest though, I've never felt in danger of squashing my son when riding (the endo comment on a previous thread was made up)

There may be a local charity or group offering them. Ealing branch of the London Cycling Campaign have given me a Croozer twin trailer on free loan indefinitely!

You could try Biketrax next to the cameo, they might be your best bet.

Thanks for the suggestions but I've already bought them off laraichean.

Gaaah!

The rack that he supplied doesn't fit the seat. No problem – bought a Blackburn EX-1. But one of the screws rubs the cassette. Need a spacer of some description. Worse still, the kiddy seat can't go on properly anyway because it hits the rear brake cable. Need to move the rack back a bit but it won't fit the frame on the back holes – another spacer or something needed for that.

And I stripped at least two of the ruddy bolt heads, probably by overtightening, so I'll need new ones even after I find spacers of some sort that will do the job.

Where in the name of &*$% can I get new nuts and bolts for a Blackburn EX-1? Anybody know?

Nuts and bolts? Pop in and see us. We usually replace the cheese ones supplied with racks and mudguards with proper ones anyway.

Hi have a coplit limo which has had some use but still vgc. Stay in abdn, £40 if you fancy it. Cheers

That was fast.

Your shop, while very good, is inconveniently located for frequent visits. Will try to get in tomorrow. If that fails, can I pay you over the phone and get someone to bung the bits in the post?

Edit: No thanks, huggis. I'm not starting a collection.

No phone payment I'm afraid. Email me an address and we'll sort something out

Will do if I don't get over tomorrow. Thanks again.

I keep getting Mark when I pop in, Druidh. You must be slaving away through the back. Anyway, he kindly continued the Bolts for Biscuits scheme and I now have a nicely secured rack on the Dadbike.

I think I've hit a terminal bike/seat compatibility problem though, unless I start chopping bits off either the bike or the seat. :O/

That said, I'll try tilting it back a bit to get more room. I don't suppose the kid'll mind reclining a bit more.

Aye that dunny look right.

Bring the bike in and we will take a gander at it. Too far forward for sure.

Mark

You can get longer length fitting kits for Blackburn racks – we should have some in.

The bike's got a shortened rear triangle, lads. Hang on – I'll find a pikter.

This is a dale isn't it? With the funny dropouts…?

Aye, here's a photo from another thread. I suppose it's an odd-shaped bike.

The rack's as far back as I can get it.

Bingo. Thought so.

Right well we need to look at mounting to the drop outs I expect. Are there some there? Think you mentioned yes earlier.

If not tapped then we should tap em and see what happens then. We can fit the rack legs done there and that should get us the length we need.

Make sense?

I can see your groin.

*stiffens*

Perv

Calling me a perv? At least I don't take photos of my bike in an elevator!

The word you is looking for is Lift.

I've foolishly shown you mine but please don't reciprocate. ;O)

Talk of untapped things gettin tapped means nothing to me, sorry. There's a wee hole right at the back of the stay and that's where I've attached the rack. If you have magic ways of moving it even further then I'm all ears and, indeed, biscuits and money.

I regularly leave the bike lock in the shed so the bike has to come and spend the day in the office on the 8th floor. Keep it quiet. a) I shouldnae be using that lift and b) somebody tripped over the bike and died but H&S don't know!

It means making new holes with threads or making threads in new holes for they wee bolts I gave you today. The legs need to go further back the bike basically.

Thought that might be what you meant.

I think we'd actually need more bike in order to move it back, if you see what I mean. I'll have another look at it in daylight and drag the bike in to the shop if it looks like it might be a goer though.

It's too late for you to be working btw. Away and open a bottle of beer and put your feet up.

Hmmm – right then. It's the end of the line unless someone has a bright idea because there's no more frame left to move the rack back.