Baby bike seats

[Borris-Bear]

Does anyone have any experience of baby bike seats? We are lucky enough to live near Windsor Great Park and would like to take the little one riding in the park but we need to buy a bike seat for him.

I definately dont want one of these trailer type things, would prefer one that sits behind me. I have a mountain bike and i notice some of the seats require a pannier to sit on which i currently dont have but could easily be fitted?

Some seats seem to clamp onto the seat stem but these look slightly less safe to me.

Anyone got any recommendations? some seats seem quite expensive for what would be maybe one or two rides per month and never on the road.

[georgezippy]

I use both types of seat.
The ones that clip to the frame on the seat tube are the most common and cheapest, but make sure there's nothing on your seat tube that would stop it being fitted. One of my bikes is a hybrid with a cable routed down the seat tube and an aluminium nipple to hold it, this makes fitting the clamp almost impossible, the clamp would stop the cable moving freely.
I use an old and very strong steel frame bike for this seat. I'd be wary of attaching it to anything aluminium or exotic with my 14kg lump of a child hanging off the back, it does place quite a load on the frame, but I am yet to hear of faliures.

The child seats that attach to the rack are rarer and more expensive, and you need the right rack, but better in my opinion. Will fit any bike with rack mount points (most have them). Better as your child gets heavier, although the ride is bumpier for them.
My daughter is 2 and a bit, has been travelling on the back for a year now and utterly loves it. She wants her own bike now....

[Mr Will]

I know you've said you don't want one, but trailers get my vote over bike seats. They are safer, easier to load/unload and have space to carry all the baby-related kit as well as the child, negating the need for a backpack.

[PH5121]

I have a Hamax child seat which clamps onto the frame of my full suspension mountain bike, which my 2 year old is fine in.
I initially bought a trailer and neither of my boys would go in it. They would not sit still and wanted a higher up view of what was around them.

[Borris-Bear]

thanks for the replies the ones that attach to the frame look like they will do the job (i was quoted over £100 in a shop for a seat!) these types seem to be around £50.

Anyone got any recommendations of make/model?

[PH5121]

Mine is a Hamax, but I cannot recall which model. I can remember that at the time Merlin Cycles was the best value.

[ewenm]

I've been looking into one of these:



as I'd rather our daughter could see what was going on rather than just my back. Looks like it'll be a bit more awkward to ride with but then I'm hardly going to be doing gnarly trails with her on board!

[doolie]

We have both the weeride (above) and a hamax. Personally i love the weeride and the youngest loves it, although he tries to take over steering duries every now and again.....