Older child rear seats

[AllRides]

I’d like to take my older child (7) around and about but hills etc and poor infrastructure all make them cycling themselves out of the question.

Does anyone have any experience of rear seats for older kids (like the Bobike Junior Plus)? I’d not seen them in any bike shops but they appear to be popular elsewhere in Europe (Holland/Denmark).

Are there any other options for ‘pillion’ riding for older kids?

Thanks!

[Jdsk]

Bike seats for older children
There are a few bike seats for older children on the market, they are common in the Netherlands and Denmark. BoBike Classic Junior and Yepp Junior are both available in the UK.
If you also want to consider using a tag a-long, trailer or cargo bike, our guides should help you find the right one.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/guide/guide-t ... bike-seats

I wouldn't put a typically-sized 7 year old in a child seat on an ordinary bike. But we're had lots of fun with those tagalongs, trailers, cargo bikes and, predominantly, tandems.

Jonathan

[AllRides]

Thanks. A tagalong etc just doesn’t seem robust enough for on-road cycling (to make me confident, at least). I’ve never seen an older seat in the UK but they seem to be used elsewhere - along with even older kids just riding on the rear rack!

[Chris Jeggo]

We had two child-back tandems, one with a 12" rear frame size usable from age 4-5 and the second with 16" frame size, which finished up being rarely used because by the age of 7 both boys had their own bikes which they insisted on riding in preference to the tandem. They just took hills and riding conditions (poor infrastructure?) in their stride. The tandems were both second hand, not expensive, and later sold on to other families.

[tomsumner49]

We've used a bobike junior seat in the past. It was on a fairly solid Dutch style bike and mainly used for short trips. I think we probably stopped when our son was 6 though. Rather than weight, I think the length of his legs was the major limitation!

[AllRides]

We've used a bobike junior seat in the past. It was on a fairly solid Dutch style bike and mainly used for short trips. I think we probably stopped when our son was 6 though. Rather than weight, I think the length of his legs was the major limitation!

Great point. Thanks. Was it good otherwise?

[pjclinch]

Thanks. A tagalong etc just doesn’t seem robust enough for on-road cycling (to make me confident, at least). I’ve never seen an older seat in the UK but they seem to be used elsewhere - along with even older kids just riding on the rear rack!

A typical rack sold in the UK as an accessory will have a 25 Kg weight limit. Doesn't mean it can't take more, but nor does it mean you can safely assume it will. The sort of thing a typical Dutch teen will take a ride on from their pal is an altogether more robust piece of kit!

We used a tandem (actually a 3 seater) sized for child stokers when ours where 5 & 7, worked really well.

As for hills, get a suitably light bike (e.g., something like a Frog 53) and you'd be surprised what kids can get up. That doesn't sort out infrastructure, of course, but if you're riding with a child there are means of making it reasonably safe for them unless you're looking at "weapons-grade" traffic. There's the Bikeability Plus Family Cycling module or Cycling Scotland's Family Cycle Training to teach these techniques, but they're not that difficult that an experienced rider couldn't just do it from some reading, for example: https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/cycli ... d-children

Pete.

[tomsumner49]

We've used a bobike junior seat in the past. It was on a fairly solid Dutch style bike and mainly used for short trips. I think we probably stopped when our son was 6 though. Rather than weight, I think the length of his legs was the major limitation!

Great point. Thanks. Was it good otherwise?

Yes, it worked well for us and my son liked it. Actually, looking at pictures I think the seat was made by yepp - appears to be no longer available though - and mounted on a yepp rack rated to 35kg

[Pinhead]

So helmet for child not her ?

Must be hard work

[cycle tramp]

So helmet for child not her ?

Must be hard work

Not too long ago you asked for those of us who believed that the 'rider should decide up on the appropriate level of safety equipment which should be worn' to desist in our message, saying that you found it tedious. Do you think that others might find your message of 'wearing a helmet at all times' equally so?

Give credit to the other posters and forum members that they are also adults and are more than capable of working out the risks (if any) for themselves, without you appearing like some deranged priest damning everyone to hell if they don't cycle following your guidance or practices. 'Ye shall not ride without wearing a helmet of suitable government approval ' - Yes we shall! We've done it before and we'll do it again...

And another thing - don't you think it's sbit male chauvinistic to give advice to another person of the opposite sex without actually knowing anything about them or their situation? It's like we're almost back in the 70's... oh look there's a photo of a female out enjoying herself without any men seemingly around her -as a man I feel disempowered by this image - I know, I'll offer some advice.....

Right I'm off to cycle to my village shop without wearing a helmet.

[pjclinch]

So helmet for child not her ?

One must have matching headgear when on a bike, think of what the neighbours might say!

Happier with this one where they've all got the same, or are the different colour jackets and footwear choices rubbing you up the wrong way?

bigbike.jpg (40.86 KiB) Viewed 1422 times

(Back to the topic at hand, this is a pic of our Thorn Me'n'U2 illustrating a kiddyback triplet specifically sized for smaller stokers (middle rider is 7 years old, average size). If we were starting today I'd probably get a Circe Helios instead as a more flexible solution (also converts to a cargo bike, for example). Main downside of the Thorn was a turning circle like the QE2, but otherwise a great bit of kit.)

Pete.

[Jupestar]

I use a MacRide.

Its over the weight limit, and recommended age limit. But works for what i need.

As the front connects below the headset with a special headset spacer, I use a locking headset spacer below it to try and reduce the load on the front bearings.

the tag along solution was retired when they moved up to a 24in bike.

I'm not sure there is an ideal solution. I don't like putting children on a rear seat.