Bike - Child seat. Centrally mounted or Rear mounted?

[Gallen]

Hi all,

I'd like to take my 2.5 yr old lad out with me on the mountain bike.

I'm not a fan of sticking the little'n on my bike on the road, but I use a track which is off road and this would be great if he could come with me occasionally on my morning ride as I work long hours - effectively a weekend dad.

I'd appreciate opinions on a rear mounted child seat vs a centrally mounted seat. Initial thoughts are a centrally mounted seat *may* offer more protection... but would appreciate any experiences, things to consider or any advice.

Thanks all,
Gallen

[Celtic Dragon]

I think the question here is, how fast / how aggressively and how forgetful are you? You can see where this is going.

[Gallen]

lol...

certainly not fast having been out of cycling since passing my driving test 20 years ago!

But am thinking Front Mounted seat to keep an eye on him and so he can see

Gallen

[dirty boy]

Middle.

Try cycling with a kid on the back!

I've done both and the LOCT I alluded to in another thread was brilliant. At that age would suit perfectly.

[RCBRG]

when working in a bike shop, i always recommended rear mounted seats, purely because in the case of an accident, you would potentially end up falling on top of your child

[dirty boy]

RCBRG said:

when working in a bike shop, i always recommended rear mounted seats, purely because in the case of an accident, you would potentially end up falling on top of your child

Personally, i'd rather I was part of the insulation between myself and a potential accident, i'd guess the chances of crushing the child are pretty slim as you'd position yourself to protect them.

Bike is just so unbalanced and ungainly with a child on the back.

Seriously, try both out.

[Kell]

Rear is fine so long as you never get out the seat to pedal.

I had to once with my daughter on the back to get up a hill and I nearly stacked it.

The extra weight over the rear seriously unbalances the bike.

[littleandy0410]

Depending on how rough/narrow the trail is, have you considered a trailer instead?

[ewenm]

If you go for rear-mounted don't be one of the very common parents I see round here who also wear a rucksack so the kid has no space and a face full of bag.

I'd go for centrally mounted so the kid can see what's going on rather than just looking at your back.

[yellowjack]

I had one of these... http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/leco-mtb-childseat-... ...or at least something very similar, when my youngest was little. (He's now 15 ) I've still got it in the garage (think 'Hoarder Next Door' ). Not sure how complete the thing is, and I'm certain the rubber 'stirrups' will need replacing. It served us well for quite some time, and only got removed because little'un insisted on assisting with steering input, just when it was least expected/appropriate.

Seat clamps onto top tube, stirrups onto down tube, passenger is then kept within the relative safety of your arms/legs, with their head tucked against your chest. I had no issues with bike control or handling, even though I was riding with downtube gear shifters. If you do get something like this, be careful when fitting it, as when I did, one of the rubber blocks that sits inside the clamp (narrow steel tubes) shifted and when the clamp was tightened it dented (pinched) the tube slightly. When not being used for carriage of the child, the seat doubles as a great place to secure a carrier bag of stuff when you nip down to the local shops.

I never used a rear mounted seat, so can not assist with a comparative review, but this type is relatively cheap, and for me, it was trouble free once fitted. I fully intend to dig it out, among a load of other unused gear in the garage, and car-boot it, but that idea keeps finding it's way onto the back-burner.

[Viperzs]

I would always recommend a rear mounted seat with suspension and a *full* reclining function (not just the seat back).

Front and centre mounts get in your way and make it harder for you to control the bike as you have to reach round. It also gives the option for the child to try and grab the controls. Also, as mentioned above, you could potentially fall on top of your child in an accident.

Front and centre mounted seats are also a lot smaller so you won't get as much longevity out of it. A rear seat can be bigger to allow your child growing room!