What is a good age for child on back of bike?

eel28

Hello, this is my first post here, and hope that the title is clear enough?

we have a 16 month old daughter, and I wish to get a seat fitted to the back of my bike so she can come for the odd ride with me.

however, the Mrs isn't so keen she seems to think it's not safe!

Pleeeease help me to persuade her it will be ok, and is a good idea.

thank you

teulk

Why does she think its not safe ? I would say aslong as your daughter can sit up un aided then there is no reason why she cant use a childs bike seat. I saw a child being towed behind a bike the other day in a special buggy thing (dont know the proper name for it) but i would say that was more dangerous, the guy went around a lampost too tight and almost wiped the his kid off the face of the earth.

BorisSpencer

I would suggest you look at the seats that mount on the top tube. With your daughter infront of you, you can talk to her and keep an eye on whether she's enjoying herself.
I know that my neice hated riding on the back because all she could see was my brother's back, unless someone rode alonside her and spoke with her.

salsajake

My son was in a co-pilot limo at about 10 months - loved it. The only problems we have had is when it is cold, because he is not putting any effort in but is in a constant wind, tis not worth going out if it is single figures.

16 months is fine and is completely safe - find a nice park/cycle path/canal path somewhere and you'll have fun

ExeterSimon

My little 'un was in a Hamax around 8 months...laughs and giggles all the way.

He loves the canal path and cycle paths. Haven't taken him to Afan yet but thinking of the Megavalanch.

cycledad2

Logic arguments:
-does you wife walk on the pavement with the pushchair? Cos statistically thats more dangerous than cycling...She shoid;nt do it and if she does they shoudl both wear a helmet
-The safe age to be on a bike seat is when they can support their head at 16months, she'll be on her own bike soon!
-When she starts riding a bike, she'll know a lot more about it than most children and will be safer because of that.

Emotive arguments
-Cyclings good for my heart, you want your daughter to have a father when shes 20 dont you?
-I havent crashed my bike before have i? Why do you think i'll be more dangerous with my daughter? Do you think i'm a bad father?
-I think its a positive thing to do for my child. I want to teach her to enjoy being outdoors and that there are other ways to get around apart from the car.
-Look we're both her parents we're both equally reponsible and both equally of judging whats safe and whats not.
-She will only have 1 male role model until shes 10, she needs to spend time with her dad
-They do it elsewhere and its fine
-I'll get the one with the most protection (copilot limo and a helmet)
-Show her piccies and stories of happy kids on bikes (check out totcycle, my blog and some of the totcycle links)

Selfish arguments
-What would you do with 2 hours to yourself while we go off cycling together?

Seriously just get one and ignore her, Be a man and a dad! When i was growing up we did lots of things with my dad where it was understood that we didnt tell our mum about it. Men are the risk takers and we live in a risk averse society that results in kids being wrapped in cotton wool and not being allowed to do anything we did when we were young. This leads to higher numbers of road deaths, high suicide rates ,the most miserable children in Europe and the worst behaved teenagers. You will be your daughters only make role model until shes in secondary school ie the only person who will do anything with any 'risk'.

Anyone think i'm a wee bit obsessed with this?

robertjmiller

We started riding with our daughter in a CoPilot taxi at around 16 months and she has done well ever since. However, it should be noted that most of the riding she does is less than 3 miles at a time.

eel28

thank you all very much for your supportive comments, think i will have to take a look round, as there seems to more 'choice' of seats than i thought!

once i have tracked one down, got it fitted, and got her a helmet, the Mrs cant say much about it :twisted:

salsajake

A baby can support its head well before 16 months, whoever made that comment!

All vary, but once they can sit upright and support head, get them in the seat and get out there! Just wrap them up warm, because they aren't doing anything, other than sitting in the wind, so you will feel far warmer than they are (especially when you are hauling them up hills!)

Have #2 on the way now, due in July, so trying to work out the logistics of whether #1 will be able to go on a tow bike or something by the time #2 is ready for the co-pilot (#1 will be about 28 months by then - he is already zipping around the house on his trike, so maybe he will be on a like a bike or something by then anyway, although presumaby that massively limits distances?

NFMC

My good lady wife had very similar concerns before I got my co-pilot some five years ago. That was for my eldest boy and number two has been on it since and has now outgrown it.

Safety was the obvious concern so I did my research and then got the Mrs to come to the bike shop with me. The consultant went on and on about the safety features on the co-pilot limo and then recommended a kid helmet that was 'better' than the usual EU safety kite mark.

That got the Mrs happy about it in principle. Also you find that you cycle very differently with your child on the back. I tended to go more slowly, went out of my way to go on traffic-free routes or certainly off main roads, I never 'nipped in or out' of traffic in the way that I would on my daily commute.

It was easily the best thing that I bought and for £99.00 I definitely got very good value from it. Get one and - like me - you'll be sad when they can't go on it any more.

eel28

thanks to all that have responded, i think i have now settled for a Co-Pilot Limo - the Mrs seems to be happier about it all now

just a couple more questions though, I am assuming that you seat the child before you get on the bike?

and secondly, is there a 'knack' to getting your leg over, so to speak, without kicking the seat?

I'm sure those will become obvious once i have the seat, but was just wondering

salsajake

Yes and yes! Make sure the bike is leaning somewhere very secure as you put the kid in, even better if you have someone to hold it up. Basically just be sensible and keep checking it is stable, doesn't take long to strap in.

Then you have to stand further away than you normally would and lift your leg high and lunge over the top tube, drawing the bike forward beneath you to get into a normal position for take off. Then try not to get off until you have to!

I found chain reaction had the limo at better price than most places, not sure if still the case

Enjoy...

robertjmiller

Yes, seat and strap in your child before you get on the bike. We usually prop our bike up a against a wall when doing so.

I do not think kicking the seat will be a problem but it does take some care to get momentum and maintain balance when embarking on a ride and when slowing to a stop.

NFMC

There is a knack to getting on and off and putting your kid in. After the first go it becomes very, very easy.

When I did my research it recommended cycling around with a bag of potatoes strapped in so you got a feel for the load/balance. Of course - like a real bloke - I was going to ignore this but my wife read the same thing and made me go a couple of miles with this bag of spuds on the back. Felt rather stupid!

Hope you enjoy having it as much as I did.

When your child is big enough you have to think about a Rothan...they're fantastic.

ngomwamba

I believe there is also a wide range of safety products allowing you to secure your toddler on a bike with assured safety. You can get most of them from TYRE-O in Cheltnam, just search for it on google. By the way, I've been wondering what the average time for fixing a bike puncture is. Can anyone tell me?

salsajake

Completely off topic there. The average time is 'infinite'.

Tube punctures, fit a new one, carry on. Get home, take tube out, decide to repair 'at the weekend'. Buy new tube just in case as spare has now been used. Repeat to infinity, every now and again finding punctured tubes lying around the house, which are then discarded.

No punctures are therefore ever actually fixed.

Hope that helps.

ngomwamba

Thank you very much for your kind words salsajake, I shall now go and share this information with my entire family. Although could you also tell me how long it takes to actually FIND the puncture in the inner tubing? It usually takes me ages and im wondering whether i have a way of lowering this time. I apologise for my bad english, i am new to this country

salsajake

No worries, put the tube in the bath or the sink and inflate it - you'll see some bubbles come out - lo and behold, that is the hole - stick your fingernail next to the hole and remove and towel dry before fixing puncture. Keep the tube the same way up as the wheel was when you removed it, so when repaired, you can check what caused the puncture, as it may still be embedded in your tyre, and by laying the tube back on the wheel, the repair shows where the object was.

Or just buy a new tube, they don't cost very much and save a lot of time, especially if your puncture repair ends up having a slow puncture anyway

DenielHop

Mrs is quite right it is anyway is not safe for the kid so small

salsajake

complete nonsense (in both what you have said, which makes no sense, and what I think you are trying to say, by reference to the original post). In the right seat, it is perfectly safe at 16 months - it is perfectly safe once they can ably sit up unaided provided that the harness fits properly. Mine was in the seat at less than 12 months. At 16 months they are walking for gods sake, so why not sitting in a seat!

The Mrs is wrong

intokyo

Google 'mamachari' - very common here. One on the front and one on the back. No wonder they are ridden sedately, max reccommended weight is usually 15kg each seat (remember this is Japan where everything is smaller!), plus the bike, plus mama herself.

And I have to say that maybe half a percent of the kids will be wearing any kind of helmet - and the rider? Never!

My two 4 year olds are now independent on their own bikes, but for longer journeys (say over 3km) we still have to use our own bikes with kiddie seats - I have a Hamax which is sometimes a great idea - the integral suspension puts the little buggers to sleep.....this is a benefit of variable advantage though. Mrs has a front basket with seat, the bottom has a flap which can be locked closed for carrying shopping or dropped open to allow him some legroom. Tradeoff of course with the centre of gravity.

baudman

DenielHop wrote:

Mrs is quite right it is anyway is not safe for the kid so small

Car's aren't too safe either... but then, you've gotta get around eh?

We had our first-born in a trailer before 12 months. She's now three and comes on my bike frequently (more than weekly). Our second-born is only 3 months. She'll be in/on a bike/trailer when she can safely hold her head up with a helmet (law here in Australia).