child seats for a frustrated cycling dad!
Discussion
jamiebae said:
the advantage of the Hamax is it doesn't need a rack and mounts to the seat tube, it's also super-easy to switch between bikes if you have a second mount for it.
Whereas I specifically wanted one that rack mounted, as I need a pannier rack on the bike anyway, so I only had to have one thing mounted to the bike.YMMV
Thought about a trail-a-bike?
I have 3 sons, between my wife and I tow 2 of them on this she takes another one on a hamax seat so we can all get out on cyclepaths. This one is quite old, I bought it from my boss but if they still do the seat like the rear one in the pic it worked fine for our youngest who was about 10 months when the above was taken. They come in tandem and single position versions. As the kids grow up they can start to help with the pedaling and even have gripshift gears.
I have 3 sons, between my wife and I tow 2 of them on this she takes another one on a hamax seat so we can all get out on cyclepaths. This one is quite old, I bought it from my boss but if they still do the seat like the rear one in the pic it worked fine for our youngest who was about 10 months when the above was taken. They come in tandem and single position versions. As the kids grow up they can start to help with the pedaling and even have gripshift gears.
idiotgap said:
Thought about a trail-a-bike?
I have 3 sons, between my wife and I tow 2 of them on this she takes another one on a hamax seat so we can all get out on cyclepaths. This one is quite old, I bought it from my boss but if they still do the seat like the rear one in the pic it worked fine for our youngest who was about 10 months when the above was taken. They come in tandem and single position versions. As the kids grow up they can start to help with the pedaling and even have gripshift gears.
That is awesome. Must be hard getting it round tight corners!I have 3 sons, between my wife and I tow 2 of them on this she takes another one on a hamax seat so we can all get out on cyclepaths. This one is quite old, I bought it from my boss but if they still do the seat like the rear one in the pic it worked fine for our youngest who was about 10 months when the above was taken. They come in tandem and single position versions. As the kids grow up they can start to help with the pedaling and even have gripshift gears.
S10GTA said:
Chicken Chaser said:
Why did those who went for seats not go for a trailer? I'm not sure about trailers, we don't have an awful lot of cycle lanes round here and I don't fancy a trailer on the road. Having somewhere to take all of her stuff is a bonus though!
Exactly that reason. Didn't fancy a trailer on the road.If you're anywhere near south east London you're welcome to borrow it for a test-ride.
v12Legs said:
That is awesome. Must be hard getting it round tight corners!
It's surprisingly good, must be the way it articulates... I don't worry about it particularly and it certainly doesn't put me off taking it out. Sometimes at the end of a cycle path where there are narrow gates followed by a tight turn you have to go slow and apply some thought - but those occasions are rare enough not to spoil the party!I have tried a child seat but I don't like the feel of the high CoG. A trailer was perfect for all the riding I do (not on roads). I don't condemn people towing trailers on the roads but I felt uncomfortable about doing so myself and I have a choice in that all my journeys can be accomplished on cycle paths.
I have two trailers - a narrow and a wide - and a TagAlong. The narrow one has 16" wheels and is unsprung. The kids tended to get shaken about quite a lot in that. The wider one is sprung (no shock absorbers - just springs) and has 20" wheels, and this provides the kids with a much better ride. It was only £75 brand new on Ebay. It's one of the "junk" cheapos but has served me well for ~1500 miles and is still going strong as I keep lending it to friends and others who accompany us on group rides.
For the same reason that I didn't like child seats, I didn't get on with the TagAlong. The CoG is too high and I felt as though my lively daughter was pulling me left and right as she "danced" around on the bike. As soon as she was capable of riding 10 miles on her own, I sold the Tag.
Trailers are brilliant for chucking all the crap you take with you on rides, from a picnic to spare clothing and bike locks. And it serves as another mounting point for a GoPro.
I have two trailers - a narrow and a wide - and a TagAlong. The narrow one has 16" wheels and is unsprung. The kids tended to get shaken about quite a lot in that. The wider one is sprung (no shock absorbers - just springs) and has 20" wheels, and this provides the kids with a much better ride. It was only £75 brand new on Ebay. It's one of the "junk" cheapos but has served me well for ~1500 miles and is still going strong as I keep lending it to friends and others who accompany us on group rides.
For the same reason that I didn't like child seats, I didn't get on with the TagAlong. The CoG is too high and I felt as though my lively daughter was pulling me left and right as she "danced" around on the bike. As soon as she was capable of riding 10 miles on her own, I sold the Tag.
Trailers are brilliant for chucking all the crap you take with you on rides, from a picnic to spare clothing and bike locks. And it serves as another mounting point for a GoPro.
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