Originally Posted by
Darth Lefty
Tough crowd...
As the prior owner of a 3yo and the current owner of 3yo twins, they’re not unbreakable but there’s a lot of difference between them and a lot of difference from just-3 to almost-4. I’d also worry about crashing more than about “shaking”
I chose the MTB I have because it was good for towing a trailer but could be easily upgraded into a much better bike later if I want to. I expect to buy full suspension again someday.
Added on edit: if you do decide to try it, you will really benefit from a dropper post. 150 is good. This is not the usual dropper post advice, it's a different situation, but I speak from experience with a
Thule kid seat on a city bike. The kid seat is right in your standover. Front seats without a dropper require you to lower the seat completely so you can flat foot the bike or do cowboy starts and stops every single time.
Thanks for the reply. I didn't like the Thule seats either, but I think you are right a dropper post is a good idea. Also, I'm thinking to run 26" wheels so that I'm lower to the ground (and easier to put a foot out when stopped. I might consider an older bike for this reason.
Similarly I'm far more worried about a crash than bumps at 7 mph. Pretty much looks like the videos (
). Before I got the shotgun seat (which we love), I used a rear seat on a Specialized Singlecross, but it didn't feel safe because the bike would twitch too easily on account of the short wheelbase road-style handlebars. Even pointing something out to him took some close attention on my part. Also, if he fell asleep in the rear seat, he'd slump over forward resting his head on my back (even with the straps tight), and that didn't seem safe either.
Comparing the two, the shotgun seat feels far safer. It doesn't much alter the center of gravity of the bike, whereas rear seats make a bike incredibly tippy even just getting on and off the bike. The only difference ride-wise for the kind of riding I do (gravel, road, slow on occasional trails) is the weight of your kid. I love the thing. One downside: kid gets cold when riding on the road or gravel, even when it is fairly warm out. Rear seats have a wind blocker (you) that helps them stay warm.
As for the two detractors, I'd think they are invested in the image of mountain biking as an extreme sport or are imagining that I'm rocking washboards at 20 mph. As for protection, he's got boots, jeans, jean jacket, gloves, and a MIPS helmet. Got all this before even considering MTB trails.