Toddler Seat Recommendations

My grandson will be 1 next week and once the weather gets a little better by daughter and partner are thinking of getting a seat for one of the bikes so that they can get out and about.

Can anyone give any advice on manufacturer’s, models, and top tube or seat post mounted.

Thanks in advance.

I used a child carrying rucksack until mine were ready for a Macride (probably 18 months ish?).

My son started using his macride at 18 months old and we’ve never looked back. I’ve seen kids younger use them but mine wasn’t ready and to be honest, I wasn’t either. With hindsight I probably was a bit over cautious as it’s a great bit of kit abd he might have been OK. Takes a bit of a leap of faith at the start. Alternatively there’s the shotgun seat.

Before that, I used a rear seat with straps that attached to the seat tube, he used that from 12 months to 18 months. It’s hung up in my garage taking up space. If your interested, I’m in West Yorkshire.

Weeride is the one to go for with a little one – it has a proper ‘chair’ and support for their head and a rest of their hands etc. My lad loved it, now 3, and hes big enough to move toa shotgun style seat.

My youngest was on thule yepp mini at 15 months i think before i got a shotgun when he was about 2 and a half .

We love the Kids Ride Shotgun (KRS) seats we have for our kids.

Mines goes between a yepp maxi (for anything that involves being on the road- such as the daily ride to nursery)

And a macride for anything off road.

As much as they are horrible from a safety and visibility aspect they do work well for off-road.

If I could only have one it would be the yepp

Used Hamax rear seats with both mine. Commuted for several years to the childminder with no issues. Lots of accessories available like the rain poncho.
I don’t like the idea of front mounted seats as the car ploughing into the back of you can’t see you have a child onboard.

We used a topeak copilot. It felt really secure, good straps and safety bar. Used it up to about 3 when kids got too heavy for it. Only downside was that you need a topeak rack to mount it on – I think that’s why it’s so secure.

I’ve got the seat to give away, but the rack is attached to the bike still…

I have a hamax siesta rear mounted seat that my daughter used from about 9 months – it was great as it flexes so bigger bumps don’t have as much impact, and it also reclines so when she fell asleep when she was younger it offered a bit more support.

Now moved on to a kids ride shotgun seat which she adores but she’s nearly 3 and I wouldn’t have wanted to use it with her much younger.

I started ours off in a WeeRide when they were tiny, bit of a bulky thing but they’re strapped in and well supported – often they’d fall asleep on rides. Bit of a faff to fit and remove and you do need a frame with a lip to the head tube to clamp it to (there may be adapters to get around this).

As soon as they were able to hold on/support them selves (about 18 months) we moved onto the original Kids Ride Shotgun seat. Much better for the rider as they take up less room and better for the kids as they are free to move around a bit more and feel like they’re more involved. Super quick and easy to fit without tool and have used it on everything from my gravel bike to enduro bike over the years without issue. Also amazing what you can get down with them on when you’ve both got the hang of it and a bit of confidence.

Wouldn’t even consider a rear mounted seat, especially if you’re planning on going off-road.

If you’re mounting to a MTB make sure you get a Nexxt Mini, better compatibility although it’s still not perfect

We used Hamax rear ones, seem great. They all seem like a similar design tbh and v cheap 2nd hand.

Personally I’d prefer a rear seat at age 1, because it’s likely they’ll fall asleep and they’ll need something to rest their head on!

Have a mac ride as well, but I can only use it on the ebike as I really don’t like the john wayne style pedalling position, especially up any kind of hill. On the ebike I’ve gone for 10+ mile rides on the South Downs with my 3 year old.

@coyote where are you? Youngest is getting too big for the weeride now so I’ll be moving it on. You can have it for postage as I got it for a song anyway.

Started with a WeeRide then onto a Mac-Ride. Both kids enjoy being up front, makes communication much better.

Mac-Ride video from about 18 months ago so she’ll of been 3¾ then.

https://www.instagram.com/therealmarkgorman/p/CBbh61mH5hC/?utm_medium=copy_link

@northernmatt That would be fantastic! I’m near Warrington / St.Helens. I’m guessing from your username that you are north of Birmingham.

I’ve pm’d you, I’ll have to detach it from the bike before I can pack it up for post.

Rhodegear limo that became Topeak and came with a Blackburn rack. I ran mine on the back of a kiddyback tandem. And the tandem was utterly wonderful. Get one before they grow too big.

Dunno if it’s to do with my arm length/belly size/bike head angle but I can’t get a Yepp Mini to fit on any of my bikes and leave me feeling happy about being in control etc – seems very squished.

Going to try a Hamax next I think.

Glad I spotted this thread as I saw a rider out with their little one recently and thought that I need to get one. I like the look of the Hamax Caress rear mounted seats. She’s 13 months and I know she’d love it.❤️😃

My wee boy started on a yepp / Thule mini and he loved it. Big comfy seat but the stirrups did make contact with the damper lockout on the forks. You can buy padded sections for the handle if they nodd off.

He is now on a shotgun with pogies and loves it.

#2 will be on the yepp mini once the weather improves, he is 1 in Feb for family rides along cycle paths

We were given a Thule Yepp Mini by a friend. Used it a fair bit. It was loved by our two and now they’ve both grown out of it.

Free to a good home to anyone on here. We’re in SW corner of Surrey.

Now onto a Hamax Smiley and a Mac Ride. We use both on one bike for the ride to nursery. Basket on a spesh Pizza Rack on the front, full mudguards. Pretty boss utility bike!

Boys are 3.5 and nearly 2. They’re both happy on either seat. And thankfully, usually they want different seats, fights over over or the other are quite rare! Just need to move the stirrups up or down for the longer it shorter legs.

We bought a Weeride 2nd hand off ebay for my daughter. I think we paid £40 & after a decent amount of use, we managed to sell it on for £35, I think.

I liked the Weeride as it sits in front of you, so your kid doesn’t get just a view of your back.
It was relatively easy to put on & remove.

The downsides were that I had to drop the saddle height on my bike so I could reach the ground when stationary without jumping off the saddle; there was no room to do this with the Weeride in place. This was on a pretty small Inbred though, so if you are taller & have a longer frame it might be possible. I looked at getting a dropper for it, but never got round to it.

It required a bit of a knock kneed pedalling action. My knees didn’t seem to mind too much, but we never went more than perhaps 5 miles at anyone time on easy terrain. I could see it being an issue if you have sensitive knees.

It was also important to remember that your kid might need wrapping up a bit more than normal because they aren’t generating any heat themselves but are right in the wind blast while riding along. A couple of times we had to return home early when my daughter complained how cold she was, even though we had put an extra layer on her.

I wouldn’t buy one new but for £40 or so, they are a good buy.

get out and about

Need more info on where and what the intended usage is. Despite that, I’ll add some opinion:

For on-road and/or younger kids –

Hamax Style (we have the Caress). Suspended so nice and comfy, reclines for sleeping, quick to install and remove. Strap in, so nice and safe.

or Thule Yepp Mini/WeeRide. Harder ride, not so good for sleeping, much more fun and sociable as you can chatter to the wee ones.

For off-road or older kids –

MacRide or Shotgun. Great for offroad, my 4 y/o has done occasional rides of the Glentress Blue since she was 3 but is now mostly on her pedal bike and tow-whee. We still use the MacRide for riding about town. Not suitable for younger ones as THEY HAVE TO HOLD ON AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. Had a moment with the younger one (2 y/o) when she refused to hold on setting off from some traffic lights. Loads of fun though, best thing ever on a bike. A colleague says his Shotgun made a mess of the paint on his bike but I haven’t head many people complain about this.

Where are all the used Mac Rides? We’ve got a weeride and a trailer and both are in plentiful used supply. I want to move on now to a macride before my little one uses her own bike.

Anyone selling one!?