Child seat vs trailer?

fongster said:

Hi gang, newly arrived here. We used to ride a lot (R and M), then the baby came, lol! It's time to get out there again.

What are your experiences using either the seat or trailer? How do they affect the bike (I'd put it on my hardtail MTB)? I am concerned about the weight issue of the baby (22 months old, 25-27#, not sure of exact weight) on a seat--could she unexpectedly tip me over due to the extra weight and higher CG? She'll be wearing a helmet for sure.

Also, brands and models recs. appreciated. Thanks!

Trailers allow the kid to play with toys and stuff back there, even fall asleep. They're quite stable but I did tip mine over once when I clipped a curb - dear daughter was shaken but not hurt at all. Look for one that's easy to get your kid in and out of - the cheaper ones are hard to work with that way.

fongster said:

Hi gang, newly arrived here. We used to ride a lot (R and M), then the baby came, lol! It's time to get out there again.

What are your experiences using either the seat or trailer? How do they affect the bike (I'd put it on my hardtail MTB)? I am concerned about the weight issue of the baby (22 months old, 25-27#, not sure of exact weight) on a seat--could she unexpectedly tip me over due to the extra weight and higher CG? She'll be wearing a helmet for sure.

Also, brands and models recs. appreciated. Thanks!

A trailer is (much) SAFER for the occupant ...

Burley?

I agree that a trailer is safer, but they did not exist (of if they did, I had never seen one) when my children were that small. I road in a Cystic Fibrosis Bike-o-thon in 1988 with my then two year old daughter in an infant seat on an old Ross heavy-as-heck steel road bike. I used to ride a lot with her on that seat. I never had a problem with the extra weight or change in center of gravity, but I was about 220 pounds and the bike was considered heavy, even for its day. What is another 25 pounds? The only problem was that I could not get on and off the bike by throwing my leg over the rear wheel. Even then, I was not able to clear that seat. Of course, there were a lot of things I did 22 years ago that I would not think of doing now. Now I would go with a trailer.

RickF said:

I agree that a trailer is safer, but they did not exist (of if they did, I had never seen one) when my children were that small. I road in a Cystic Fibrosis Bike-o-thon in 1988 with my then two year old daughter in an infant seat on an old Ross heavy-as-heck steel road bike. I used to ride a lot with her on that seat. I never had a problem with the extra weight or change in center of gravity, but I was about 220 pounds and the bike was considered heavy, even for its day. What is another 25 pounds? The only problem was that I could not get on and off the bike by throwing my leg over the rear wheel. Even then, I was not able to clear that seat. Of course, there were a lot of things I did 22 years ago that I would not think of doing now. Now I would go with a trailer.

Rick - how did you hold the bike up while you were putting your daughter in the seat? This has always seemed awkward to me... squeeze the rear wheel between your legs? Straddle the bike backwards? Use a kickstand? I saw my neighbor put her baby in the seat using a kickstand to hold the bike up - she's kind of clueless about these things and she stepped away and the bike fell over and the baby got scraped up. I haven't seen anyone do it gracefully except with a helper.

That was a long time ago. I think I leaned the bike against my leg with the wheels wedged against the curb, put her in the seat, then held the bike up by handlebars and lifted my leg over the top tube. I know I am not flexible enough to try that now. My daughters are now 29, 27, and 24, and all of them road in that seat when they were little. I never fell or dropped the bike with them in the seat, although the way the seat wrapped around on the sides, they were pretty well protected, as long as they were strapped in and could not fall forward.

I quit riding completly from about 1989 until 2004, and only started riding seriously again this spring. The odd thing is that there are hills that never bothered me when I was riding with them in the infant seat that gave me problems this spring. Of course, my weight had gone up to the point that my old self plus that old Ross plus a daughter on the back weighed less than what I weighed when I decided to get serious again. I have since lost 60 pounds, and the hills are no longer a problem.

fongster said:

Hi gang, newly arrived here. We used to ride a lot (R and M), then the baby came, lol! It's time to get out there again.

What are your experiences using either the seat or trailer? How do they affect the bike (I'd put it on my hardtail MTB)? I am concerned about the weight issue of the baby (22 months old, 25-27#, not sure of exact weight) on a seat--could she unexpectedly tip me over due to the extra weight and higher CG? She'll be wearing a helmet for sure.

Also, brands and models recs. appreciated. Thanks!

I also vote for trailer. I personally would NOT ever consider putting one of my children in an infant seat--not because of the higher CG, but because of the height of the fall, if that should happen and the potential risk to the child in falling from that height. I am not worried about the child falling out of the seat, but rather the whole bike, rider and child, falling over.

We have a Yakima trailer, which has unfortunately, been discontinued by the manufacturer. It is very nice with 20" wheels, carries two children (up to 100 lbs total) a full aluminum cage over the top, adjustable ventilation, and convertability to a jogging stroller. It has a fairly wide base and seems to be difficult to tip over. We shopped around a bit and looked at most of the brands. We got the Yakima because it was on a clearance. Although there are several brands out there, Burley and Chariot are quite nice, but expensive. The Schwinn also looked pretty good. I thought that the $99 ones looked kind of flimsy.

I pull the trailer with my MTB, and riding with the trailer is not much different than riding without it except for the added work in pulling it. There is reduced maneuverability because the trailer sticks out the back and is wider than the bike. Braking distance is also increased becuase of the added mass and I try not to go much faster than 15-18 mph for safety reasons and hitting a bump at much faster than not is not too comfortable for the passenger(s). The kids love it and I can let them play with toys, read books, or have food/drink without having to worry about them dropping something on the road.

-Children like trailers a lot more; they sometimes get scared in a seat.
-children can get their own toys, books, drink and food in a trailer
-sleeping children can be left in the trailer safely
-sleeping heads in a trailer don't loll around like a dead thing!
-it's easy to stand out of the seat pulling a trailer, but difficult and probably a bit unsafe to do it with a heavy child in a seat.
-you can load up a trailer with gear, as well as the child(ren) and put panniers on the rear rack
-children outgrow a seat long before a trailer
-a trailer is highly visible
-if you crash, the trailer can stay upright, and even if it doesn't, the kids are strapped in under a roll bar.
-the child can't stick digits or feet in a wheel quite as easily with a trailer
-children can't whack you or give you a shock from the trailer

on the other hand:
-pulling a trailer is harder work.
-a good trailer is MUCH more expensive than a seat
-putting trailers in or on the car is more of a hassle
-children make a lot of mess in a trailer
-Don't use the rear brake with a trailer or you WILL jack-knife (the manuals don't warn you about this!)
-it's bloody hard to hear a conversational child in a battened-down trailer

fongster said:

Hi gang, newly arrived here. We used to ride a lot (R and M), then the baby came, lol! It's time to get out there again.

What are your experiences using either the seat or trailer? How do they affect the bike (I'd put it on my hardtail MTB)? I am concerned about the weight issue of the baby (22 months old, 25-27#, not sure of exact weight) on a seat--could she unexpectedly tip me over due to the extra weight and higher CG? She'll be wearing a helmet for sure.

Also, brands and models recs. appreciated. Thanks!

My wife and I used a Burley D'Lite trailer with our two children. Find a good used one. There was an old model like the one we used on eBay

cgi.ebay.comBurley DLite Bike Bicycle Trailer 2 Kids W0QQitemZ250011498819QQihZ015QQcategoryZ64648QQrdZ1QQcmdZViOpen ↗

One suggestion: Depending on how much cycling you will be doing, consider buying a tandem bicycle. It makes it much easier to tow the trailer and keeps everyone together. Also makes it much easier for everyone to talk to each other if you buy a tandem communicator.

Also a warning: If you decide to use the stroller attachment for the trailer, be very careful of the weight distribution as it will tend to tip backwards. This is not a problem when the trailer is attached to a bicycle.

Whatever you decide, glad you're back to cycling.

I have a child seat that bolts on to the seat tube of my MTB for my 18 month old little girl.

She has been in it since about 10 months and loves it.

I would agree to a lot of the downfalls of having a seat v a trailer but would add that I would not be too keen to ride with my baby in either a seat or trailer in an environment or manner that would put them at risk of a crash, cars etc.

James Dalton said:

I have a child seat that bolts on to the seat tube of my MTB for my 18 month old little girl.

She has been in it since about 10 months and loves it.

I would agree to a lot of the downfalls of having a seat v a trailer but would add that I would not be too keen to ride with my baby in either a seat or trailer in an environment or manner that would put them at risk of a crash, cars etc.

The risk of a crash with or without a car being involved is never zero, whatever you do. Nevertheless, it's probably still safer to cycle with your kids, under most circumstances, than to take them in the car on the motorway.

A child trailer is by far the best option. My daughter rides in our Burley Solo and absolutely loves it!

When I wanted to get back into riding and bring my then 18 month old son along I found a seat that goes between the seat and handlebars over the top tube. I used my old solid frame MTB with flat bars. I have long arms so the reach wasn't an issue and we could talk about things we were riding by without yelling. He loved being in the "driver's seat" and loading was easy, you straddle the bike, lift 'em in and fasten the belt. Kids feel secure because your arms are around them and you can interact instead of them staring at your back/back wheel. He's even fallen asleep on the padded front during a ride.

This looks identical to the one I have, but mine was a different name. Only drawback is it really only works with kids up to about 3-4 yrs. old.

https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/11436/

Ignore Me said:

When I wanted to get back into riding and bring my then 18 month old son along I found a seat that goes between the seat and handlebars over the top tube. I used my old solid frame MTB with flat bars. I have long arms so the reach wasn't an issue and we could talk about things we were riding by without yelling. He loved being in the "driver's seat" and loading was easy, you straddle the bike, lift 'em in and fasten the belt. Kids feel secure because your arms are around them and you can interact instead of them staring at your back/back wheel. He's even fallen asleep on the padded front during a ride.

This looks identical to the one I have, but mine was a different name. Only drawback is it really only works with kids up to about 3-4 yrs. old.

https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/11436/

Similar seats are used very widely in Europe. They are illegal in this country.
I would fear the potential consequences of a big tantrum with a child in this position...