Any advice/opinions on carrying a baby on a bike?
Baby-seats which attach to rear carrier vs. baby-seats which attach to frame (and thus 'bounce' slightly) - discuss.
Tips on correctly fitting child helmets?
And minimum age for putting a baby in a baby-seat? (I've seen anything from 6 months to 18 months).
Thanks.
Babies on bikes
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pwward
Re:Babies on bikes
My kids are 4,4 and 5 now but from 7 months of age we carried them around in front mounted seats we bought in Holland ('Bobike'. you can get them here too). The bracket sits in the handlebar stem and only fit onto straight and butterfly type handlebars, not drops. There is also a windscreen that comes with it that also covers the babies legs and upper body.
I liked it because I could see him all the time, even have chats with him as he got older and if I did fall off (never happened) I sort of had my arms around him already. I got a lot of reaction from passers by along the lines of 'ooh how cute' so if this sort of thing bothers you forget it.
Helmets are a bit iffy . Although they are fairly light , one wonders if a babies head control will be affected. I never bothered with one after reading around the subject a bit.
I liked it because I could see him all the time, even have chats with him as he got older and if I did fall off (never happened) I sort of had my arms around him already. I got a lot of reaction from passers by along the lines of 'ooh how cute' so if this sort of thing bothers you forget it.
Helmets are a bit iffy . Although they are fairly light , one wonders if a babies head control will be affected. I never bothered with one after reading around the subject a bit.
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cityjon
Re:Babies on bikes
I've seen the Bobike, and like the idea of being able to talk to young'un, but doesn't the weight on the handlebars affect the steering at all? And isn't young'un free to grab at brakes, gears, your fingernails etc?
(Or is my young'un just particularly grabby??)
(Or is my young'un just particularly grabby??)
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CJ
Re:Babies on bikes
The arguments advanced in favour of front child seats are identical to the justifications that used to be given for sitting an infant upon one's lap in a car.
Pedal cycles likewise, believe it or not, are rarely struck from behind and much more commonly suffer frontal collisions – in which event any front seated child becomes the meat in the sandwich. A shocking expression? In 22 years of correspondence with CTC members I have only ever heard of ONE fatality to the occupant of a bicycle child seat. You can imagine the circumstances.
Pedal cycles likewise, believe it or not, are rarely struck from behind and much more commonly suffer frontal collisions – in which event any front seated child becomes the meat in the sandwich. A shocking expression? In 22 years of correspondence with CTC members I have only ever heard of ONE fatality to the occupant of a bicycle child seat. You can imagine the circumstances.
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pwward
Re:Babies on bikes
Cityjon- Yes they can grab at things on your handlebars so you must keep your wits about you. Not really a problem if you have twistgrip shifters though the continual ringing of a bell can be embarrassing. I don't think (nor do several hundred thousand dutch people) that stability is affected.
CJ- I wonder if this is worth worrying about really. After all riding a bike is pretty safe and wether your kid is on the front or the back they are pretty safe too if you cycle carefully and pick your roads.
CJ- I wonder if this is worth worrying about really. After all riding a bike is pretty safe and wether your kid is on the front or the back they are pretty safe too if you cycle carefully and pick your roads.
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CJ
Re:Babies on bikes
I'll grant you that front seats make a lot more sense in Holland for two main reasons.
Firstly the design of traditional Dutch bicycles, that are still used by most Dutch people and upon which such seats are invariably mounted, is radically different with far more relaxed geometry than any bike you can easily buy in most British bike shops. The handlebar-mounted seat is thus positioned more centrally within the wheelbase and does not interfere unduly with control of the bicycle, since the rider is already sitting bolt upright with the handlebar grips swept back to within easy reach.
Perhaps more importantly, the Dutch understand that bicycles (like the Sundance Kid) are "better when they move" and that cyclists cannot stop quickly even if they want to. (I believe it is still legal to ride with just a rear brake in Holland, with which it takes at least twice the distance to stop compared to a bike with a front brake.) The Dutch authorities accordingly provide routes for cyclists that so far as possible are unobstructed, wide, with easy corners and good sightlines, and exact severe penalties upon any motorist who dares to threaten a cyclist's legal right of way! And if a motorist should injure a cyclist in Holland, he automatically takes the rap unless he can prove the cyclist was wholly to blame. I am sure that this greatly reduces the chance of suffering a frontal collision in Holland, especially if one does have a front brake!
Maybe if one does have a Dutch-style bicycle and rides very cautiously indeed, a front seat may not be too dangerous even in Britain, where as we know, a cyclist equals a gap in the traffic!
Firstly the design of traditional Dutch bicycles, that are still used by most Dutch people and upon which such seats are invariably mounted, is radically different with far more relaxed geometry than any bike you can easily buy in most British bike shops. The handlebar-mounted seat is thus positioned more centrally within the wheelbase and does not interfere unduly with control of the bicycle, since the rider is already sitting bolt upright with the handlebar grips swept back to within easy reach.
Perhaps more importantly, the Dutch understand that bicycles (like the Sundance Kid) are "better when they move" and that cyclists cannot stop quickly even if they want to. (I believe it is still legal to ride with just a rear brake in Holland, with which it takes at least twice the distance to stop compared to a bike with a front brake.) The Dutch authorities accordingly provide routes for cyclists that so far as possible are unobstructed, wide, with easy corners and good sightlines, and exact severe penalties upon any motorist who dares to threaten a cyclist's legal right of way! And if a motorist should injure a cyclist in Holland, he automatically takes the rap unless he can prove the cyclist was wholly to blame. I am sure that this greatly reduces the chance of suffering a frontal collision in Holland, especially if one does have a front brake!
Maybe if one does have a Dutch-style bicycle and rides very cautiously indeed, a front seat may not be too dangerous even in Britain, where as we know, a cyclist equals a gap in the traffic!