UKH

My wife and I would like to take our 14 month-old or with us on our bicycles. Pre- pandemic we had grand ideas of getting a cargo/dutch bike and putting him either in the cargo box or on a seat between rider and handlebars. However, as the current situation makes buying a new bike decidedly difficult, we were thinking of settling for a normal rear mounted seat on one of our current bikes instead. 

Does anyone have any experience with these? Any tips/tricks, important features, brands to look at/avoid? Both our "town" bikes are reasonably sturdy aluminium frames with decently strong pannier racks. I was therefore thinking I'd probably go for a rack-mounted seat for a variety of reasons (stiffness, not having to clamp to the frame, possibly being able to switch the seat between bikes, aesthetics(!?)), but im happy to be persuaded otherwise. 

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts. 

https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/215274-11-best-cycling-child-seats-and...

Years ago we had the toppeak copilot limo mentioned in the article. It was very good. Be aware that when fitted there is enough room from the child's face to your back so that they are not having to face sideways or be hit by a backpack. Seen this numerous times in London.

I used a weeride (between me and handlebars) for a year or so, but when he got above 18 months or so he was too big and messed around with the handlebars etc too much. It works, it's easier to interact with him than it is on a rear mounted one, but it does get in the way of your knees when cycling so you end up riding with your knees sticking out so I don't think it would work with clip in pedals.

Me and my wife both now have frame mounted Hamax seats, kids are 2 and 3.5 years, and both enjoy it.  

It makes the front end very light, so steep hills are hard work to keep the front wheel on the ground.

You can't (I can't) really stand up on the pedals and pull on the bars as there is so much inertia in the bike you can't throw it from side to side.

There isn't much room for a rear pannier, but it is possible with some bodging.

Have the seat as far forward as you can to minimise the problesm with 'light' front and wobble.  You can get different mounting brackets for this.

Dress them up warm!

Mode detail, now I've got a proper keyboard. Mostly what ablackett said, though.

WeeRide front-mounted. Great for talking with them and for them to see, but awkward to pedal and you'll need to have your saddle much lower so you can get a foot down, as you can't just slip off the front like you normally would. Easy and stable to get kid in and out. On a mountain bike with small frame and suspension forks, you need careful positioning to stop the foot holders hitting the top of the forks. Have had issues fitting them to frame with tapered head tube, as bracket can try and pop off the top if too tight. You'll know when they're too big, as you'll have your chin on their helmet.

Hamax Siesta frame mounted. Can recline it for sleeping, hence the name. I found you can stand up for extra power, as long as you don't throw the bike side to side to get it. Dicey walking the bike any distance - even lifting the front wheel over a kerb can make it try and tip over backwards. Using a bar bag instead of a rucksack can help. Can be awkward to get on/off, as you can't just throw a leg over - low top tube helps. Fitting them can be an issue on frames with top pull front mech - the bracket is supposed to be able to fit around them, but didn't on my bike, so I just HAD to buy a new bike to put it on

Pannier rack mounted ones are supposed to be bad for babies/very small children, as too much shock load on young spines.

I think the Hamax pannier rack mounting has suspension built in between the pannier and the seat. I have never looked at it though.

After much thought and deliberation I ended up just getting a Halfords trailer. Cheap,  sturdy and durable. You also don’t have to worry about the bike toppling over plus they can carry toys, food etc and you can do a bit of shopping. 
 

if I had my time again I’d probably still go for a trailer again. 

We have a Yepp stem mounted front seat which is great, you can talk to them and keep an eye on them you can even get a vizor/windshield although I never saw the point.

If you do decide to go for a rear seat don't wear a rucksack I've seen so many poor kids with their face pressed sideways against a full rucksack as the parent cycles on seemingly oblivious.

Thanks all - that's really interesting. The reasoning behind the possible Dutch bike was to make enough space between rider and handlebars for a child in a front seat. I'll have to check whether we've got enough space on our current bikes to do that. The idea was that we'd need a rear seat anyway at some point when he's bigger, so we might as well get one now and swap it as and when we get a new bike.

It's an interesting point about a harsher ride if it's rack mounted - I hadn't thought of that. It's certainly something worth considering. Fortunately, we've got pretty smooth roads around here, and cloth nappies provide their own special extra suspension I wonder if it fits in the category of the 1001 things where you can potentially harm your baby, but in reality the dangers are small. To those who have frame- mounted rear seats - have you found them stable enough, or are they very wobbly? It strikes me that hanging 15kg+ off two long arms would have a lot of flex. 

To those concerned about backpacks - have no fear! I hate wearing a backpack on a bike anyway, and I'm sure that of one of us has the baby, the other will be carrying the luggage. 

Regarding the trailer - it seems to be the most popular option locally, but I find they take up a lot of space on cycle paths, and I don't like the extra length. Add to that they're pretty expensive, for just a little bit more money we could get my wife a decent new bike, which will hopefully still be used long after our little guy is riding himself around! 

There’s probably a very good reason why they are popular 😉 don’t worry about the length and they aren’t really much wider that a bike with a rider in all reality but that very much depends on the nature of the paths near you. Shame they are expensive. Halfords ones here are about 30-£50 second hand but I’m not sure what the equivalent near you would be. I also found that once they get bigger there’s a bit more room for them in a trailer to and you never know you may end up with a second needing transport!!

Don't get one that goes behind or a trailer. Get one that goes behind handlebars. Having tried the others this is best for enjoying the ride with them.

My daughter is now too big (I can't lean forward enough to reach handlebars without pushing her head) at 3½. Going to a tag along once I can get one.