Baby bike seat and pannier bags

crazydave789
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Re: Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by crazydave789 »

A trailer is probably the better option, get a spare fitting and you can swap it over as often as you need to.
hamster
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Re: Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by hamster »

Our Burley trailer didn't have a permanent fitting so it swapped between bikes in the time it took to remove it.
wisdish
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Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by wisdish »

We too started with a trailer then went to a child seat on the pannier rack but I always rode with a front rack for the panniers otherwise the bike handled very oddly. The front pannier frame and bags evened out the weight and aside from being heavy it felt like my bike handled like normal.
Once age 3.5years our children graduated to a tandem and I still ride this with our youngest (now age 8) so we can vaguely keep up with her brother age 13 on longer rides and cyclocamping tours.
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Cunobelin
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Re: Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by Cunobelin »

Trailers are excellent, and a long term investment as well

You also have the situation where fitting does not compromise the present bike, panniers or other fittings. Also for the small expense of a second hitch you can share the load, swapping between bikes.

With regard to support and security fo the child, Hamax, Burley and Thule both do dedicated child supports for their trailers:

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Or the other option that many people use is to transfer the car seat into the trailer.

IT is also worthwhile looking at Josie Dew's articles on the subject
Grandad
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Re: Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by Grandad »

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Many years ago (the little passenger is approaching her 60th birthday) we used 4 panniers on the tandem and one on the trailer.

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I've yet to see a better trailer. Ball and socket connection and automatic over run brakes.
In that era sidecars were more popular but not for us.
Tangled Metal
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Re: Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by Tangled Metal »

We've used both trailers and bike seat. Often left it to the child to decide which, when old enough to communicate.

Burley D-lite trailer with a hitch on both parents bikes. It could be used with both bikes, with pannier bags and can be switched easily.

Hamax siesta (reclining seat that attaches to two bars to seat post). It worked well on my spesh crosstrail (an mtb style hybrid) but not on my road bike (planetx London road). It just shook me off before I could get going. It worked on my partner's mtb. She used it for years quite happily. We could both get panniers on with it (although only of any use on my hybrid until it got nicked).

My partner has a small frame and the seat still raised above the rack enough to load an Ortlieb back roller classic. That's 2x20 litres. Although you might not be able to use their full capacity.

The good thing about Hamax child seats are the support bars can come in different shapes for different bikes, sizes of bikes. Simple to swap the bars over and it'll put the seat where it needs to be. If you've got a child seat perhaps try to make that work if it's a Hamax one. Contact the manufacturer, they're very helpful (are they Danish or Swedish or Norwegian? Certainly good brand to deal with).

Neither seat or trailer is best. They're different and have a different set of pros and cons. Both equally valid and useful solutions.
Vorpal
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Re: Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by Vorpal »

I used both Hamax child seat and trailer. I had a Hamax Sleepy mounted on my hybrid and could get panniers underneath that. They could not be stuffed full to the top, but I think I could have mounted the Hamax high enough to allow full panniers.

The main thing about panniers + child seat and not too have too much weight behind the rear axle. The child's weight tends to be high and back, so it's easy to do.

I don't think that the total weight is a worry on a hybrid. It could be on a road bike, if the wheels aren't robust enough.

A trailer might be a better solution for a road bike.

With a trailer & a child seat attached to bike, the child can go in the seat when they want, and in the trailer if the weather turns or the little one falls asleep. Also, it increases the hauling capacity :) Although it may be a bit overkill for a ride to the park :lol:
“In some ways, it is easier to be a dissident, for then one is without responsibility.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
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Cunobelin
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Re: Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by Cunobelin »

Thee late Sheldon Brown used to recommend the "Carrababy"
The Secret of Cycling Success!

Don't you want your child to be a Champion Cyclist? Of course you do! Just because you never made it to the Olympics or the Tour de France, doesn't mean that you can't bask in the reflected glory of your child's achievements! If you want her to be a serious competitor, you've got to start while she's young!

Many parents wait too long to expose their youngsters to the joys of competitive cycling. Influenced by overcautious pediatricians, they often wait until their offspring are old enough to sit up wearing a helmet, in an old-fashioned baby seat or trailer...but doesn't YOUR child deserve a head start? The sooner you get them on the road, the sooner they'll get used to the sights, sounds, aches and pains of cycling, and the sooner they'll learn to persevere in their training regimen regardless of how tired or sick they may feel, or how nasty the weather may be.

If you let your baby's most formative months go by being a "crib potato" she may never develop the fierce competitive drive that will be needed to become a champion cyclist in the twenty-first century. She'll be racing against children of other parents who CARE about the sporting development of their little ones, and if she's going to be competitive, the time to start is NOW!

That's where the new ShelBroCo Carrababy ® comes in!

Image

The Carrababy ® in Use

She may be crying now, but she'll thank you when she's on the podium!

The Carrababy Baby Carrier is manufactured for ShelBroCo under exclusive contract by Carradice of England , using real ducks and other dead animals.
The Carrababy Baby Carrier is reinforced with genuine TerrorLeather*.
The Carrababy Baby Carrier is rated for babies weighing up to a maximum of 120 pounds.
The Carrababy Baby Carrier is equipped with special drain holes, so you don't need to carry spare diapers on your training rides.
The Carrababy is open to the elements. Although your body will shield your child from the full expeience of rainy day riding, the spray kicked up by the rear tire will help provide her with the authentic "rain-in-the-face" sensation, and help her become acclimated to cold and discomfort.
The Carrababy Baby Carrier should not be used when you are doing "wheelies" because the child may fall out. This would mean you'd have to turn around and pick her up, and you'd lose a lot of time that way.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Baby bike seat and pannier bags

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Seem to remember seeing a picture of a sidecar in the Gazette many years ago
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Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
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