Child carrier

[Tim Kelley]

Ryan–are you looking for a seat on the bike or a trailer? The trailers sometimes have inserts for newborns. The biggest issue I found was getting a helmet to fit my daughter–she was probably about 6 months before it fit.

You could always get a bakfiet and just put a normal car seat carrier in the cargo space!

[RESTONTODC]

I use the cheap Instep trailer from Target to haul the big beer cooler around. It’s sturdy but heavy. Like Tim said, you can put a normal baby car seat in it. It has two shoulder belts.

http://www.target.com/p/instep-presto-bicycle-trailer/-/A-12325109#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink

[MCL1981]

I feel like I would rather use a trailer. If the bike falls down, the trailer stays up. I would be worried about having the kid on a front or back seat. If I crash, I don’t want the kid being plastered along the pavement when the bike hits the ground. I would think the trailer would stay upright. Even if it tips over, it will be much less violent than smashing into the ground from a falling bike.

[Bilsko]

Bumping this thread to see if there are any updates. I’m looking for a trailer and have been thinking about the Burley options. Our daughter is 15mo old and I’d like to be able to take her around town in the trailer. From what I see Burley mainly focuses on the 2-kid trailers, with limited options for a single seater.
The other option is the rear-mount style Babyseat, but I’m leaning towards the trailer.

As for kid’s helmets – does anyone have any recommendations one way or the other. It looks like the options from Bell and Giro are the best picks – any others?

[Mikey]

My wife and I have used the chariot and loved it. Yes it is more expensive but can also be used as a jogging stroller so if you plan to use it as such you can “share” some of the cost. If you can get one on Craigslist, get it, the ride is by far the smoothest and safest. Because of the sturdy roll cage and 5 point harness, we didn’t even put helmets on the kids inside which allowed them to sleep easier, and fit two good size toddlers inside. Last September on the CCT (just below the boat house) I flipped our chariot with 2 kids inside when it’s right wheel caught a dowed tree limb too close to the trail. I didn’t fall down but the kids inside were just a little shaken up, no bruises or scrapes. They even got back in to ride the rest of the way to Lockhouse 6. In any other trailer I think we would have needed a ride to the hospital.

[Bilsko]

@essigmw 25705 wrote:

My wife and I have used the chariot and loved it. Yes it is more expensive but can also be used as a jogging stroller so if you plan to use it as such you can “share” some of the cost. If you can get one on Craigslist, get it, the ride is by far the smoothest and safest. Because of the sturdy roll cage and 5 point harness, we didn’t even put helmets on the kids inside which allowed them to sleep easier, and fit two good size toddlers inside. Last September on the CCT (just below the boat house) I flipped our chariot with 2 kids inside when it’s right wheel caught a dowed tree limb too close to the trail. I didn’t fall down but the kids inside were just a little shaken up, no bruises or scrapes. They even got back in to ride the rest of the way to Lockhouse 6. In any other trailer I think we would have needed a ride to the hospital.

Did not know about Chariot until now – thanks for pointing to them. Do you recall which model it was that you used? It looks like there’s quite a range of options (even for those of us who will only need a single-child carrier)

[Tim Kelley]

+1 for Chariot. We’re very happy with ours.

The only small drawback I’ve had it when I’ve taken it out on group hill rides–when climbing or sprinting out of the saddle and really rocking the bike back and forth the “ball and socket” connection between trailer can be a little jerky and the stroller will buck forward and back a little bit. A smoother power transfer like during a seated climb is just fine.

Riding the local paths at a moderate pace should be fine, and it’s a great jogger as well. Also, lots of space for grocery shopping.

[dasgeh]

@Bilsko 25702 wrote:

The other option is the rear-mount style Babyseat, but I’m leaning towards the trailer.

Ah, but there are other options! We LOVE out BoBike Mini, which is a front bike seat. Our now 21-month-old has been in it since 9 months, and she LOVES it too. It’s easy to use, and it’s great to have her right between our arms, where we can talk to her and she can see what we see. She helps us signal turns. In fact, her first phrase was “right turn”. Downsides: you can only use it with bikes that have more upright geometry; you can only get the BoBike Mini online (last I checked). I think REI has the iBert, but friends that have the iBert have consistently said the BoBike is better. You can get a windscreen for the BoBike, but you only need it in the winter (and it’s AWESOME in the winter because it keeps you warm too!)

Once our toddler grows out of the front seat and #2 comes, we’re considering other options. We’ve been looking at the Weehoo, and recently convinced some friends to buy one (yay, firsthand reviews). Our other option is a cargo bike, which is like having a trailer in the front of the bike. But that’s a much bigger investment than you may be looking for.

Full disclosure: I’ve never been a fan of trailers, because the kid is far from you, and because the trailers are so low, I worry cars won’t see them.

[Mikey]

@Bilsko 25709 wrote:

Did not know about Chariot until now – thanks for pointing to them. Do you recall which model it was that you used? It looks like there’s quite a range of options (even for those of us who will only need a single-child carrier)

We have liked the cougar 2. Even if you are planning to only have 1 kid, get the double, much more storage. Now you can carry your kid and 3 bags of groceries. We actually have 2 of these (we wore out the first over 5 years and a nasty rat in our storage shed that ate through some of the shell/rubber components). We use the new one for the kids and the old one for gear. Get an extra rear adapter so that you and your spouse both have the ability to tow. This way when one of you is tired you can swap pretty easily. We like the standard (non-jogger) stroller wheels which stay attached to the chassis but are out of the way when towing, it makes the stroller very versatile.

[vvill]

Just on child carriers in general, I’ve used both a chain-stay attached trailer (cheap Nashbar one) and a top-tube mounted one, the “WeeRide Kangaroo carrier” (WeeRide is an ok name if you’re Scottish, otherwise it might as well be called “WhizzRide”).

They both have their pros and cons, although I would say the trailer is definitely the less enjoyable to take around. Heavier, more time consuming to attach and detach, and the kid can’t see that much out of it. Probably a bumpier ride for the kid too, being on smaller wheels and closer to the ground. A nicer trailer may alleviate some of those “cons”.

I do agree there is a different sort of risk with the Kangaroo carrier being mounted directly on the bike (if you tip over for example), it’s also easier to navigate and you don’t have to worry about a car not seeing your trailer. The Kangaroo trailer gives your child has a great view of the ride and wind in their face, and they also feel very secure between your arms. The bolts on the bar of the Kangaroo do stick out sideways a bit and end up rubbing on the inside of my thighs which is annoying. By age 3 or 4 though it is too small so it’s only for littlest kids.

[GuyContinental]

@Tim Kelley 25710 wrote:

+1 for Chariot. We’re very happy with ours.

The only small drawback I’ve had it when I’ve taken it out on group hill rides–when climbing or sprinting out of the saddle and really rocking the bike back and forth the “ball and socket” connection between trailer can be a little jerky and the stroller will buck forward and back a little bit. A smoother power transfer like during a seated climb is just fine.

I went for a ride with a friend and his Chariot 2 this w/e and he had the identical complaint- lots of surging.

2-wheel trailers sketch me out a bit so I went with the WeeHoo iGo and iBert combo (way to much “i” marketing in this segment). Little dude (1) loves the iBert and the slightly larger dude really likes the open feel of the iGo (but pines for his iBert). The single wheel performs great on or off road but the whole set up (even with the new, lighter “pro” model) is ridiculously heavy (heavy enough that my w/e ride destroyed my BB). If I can get the older one to actually pedal (forward…) I have hopes that I won’t have to bust 9000w to get up the Custis anymore. Time will tell and the little buggers are just going to get heavier.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1375[/ATTACH]

[Bilsko]

I’m still processing all the great comments/advice – in the meantime, a friend and colleague sent me a link to this blog, written by a car-free couple with two kids in Cambridge, MA.
Custom setups for their bikes: a Dutch Cargo with a trailer-bike and an Xtracycle setup that looks like a custom tandem with 2 child-seats in place of the rear saddle.
Link: http://carfreecambridge.com/

[Nuke]

We use a Co-Pilot child carrier

http://www.amazon.com/CoPilot-Taxi-Bicycle-Child-Seat/dp/B000G22QHW

It works pretty well but we are condsidering a trailer as this carrier is limited to 40lbs. Takes up a lot less space than a trailer.

For helmets, although there are probably many online, at toys r us there was only one that was designed for a todler made by Bell. Works fine.

Also, someone asked about newborns. Confirm with a pediatrician if you disagree, but infants should not be riding on a bike until at least they can hold there head up. One year plus seams to be the standard recommendation.

[dasgeh]

@Nuke 25838 wrote:

Also, someone asked about newborns. Confirm with a pediatrician if you disagree, but infants should not be riding on a bike until at least they can hold there head up. One year plus seams to be the standard recommendation.

This is one of those things where you get different advice in different parts of the world. In the US, lots of peds will tell you 1 year minimum, but there’s no reason for that. In Europe, most peds will say as long as the support is proper to the child, it’s fine. For newborns, that pretty much means a car seat set into a cargo bike or trailer with proper restraints. Most bike seats, like high chairs, are fine once the kid can hold their heads and bodies upright (with helmet, of course). By 9 months, ours was more than comfortable in her seat.

[GuyContinental]

@Nuke 25838 wrote:

Also, someone asked about newborns. Confirm with a pediatrician if you disagree, but infants should not be riding on a bike until at least they can hold there head up. One year plus seams to be the standard recommendation.

I had a trailer all rigged up with an automotive car seat but even so our pediatrician gave me an earful about the jostling combined with the head position resulting from the helmet. Despite the security of the seat and the roll cage on the trailer I wasn’t willing for the guy to go helmet less… I backed down and stayed married. We started when he had clear and unambiguous neck control at about 14 months.

Yes, somehow indigenous people and our own ancestors survived strapped to backs and jostled all over the place but the infant mortality rate was awfully high.

[Author]

Posts