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Best bike type for a Toddler seat?

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Best bike type for a Toddler seat?

Old 10-07-21, 03:25 PM
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777funk
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Best bike type for a Toddler seat?

If you've ever ridden with one of these things (loaded with a 30 lb toddler), it changes the balance of the bike. I would describe it as top/rear heavy since the toddler weighs as much as the bike, but in less space.

Is there one bike style that handles better than another with a toddler seat?

My take on it so far:
I think I like higher handle bars vs drop bars for better leverage on the bike and having my own center of gravity a little higher up. Of course nothing will feel like not having it there... more just looking to make the best of the situation.
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Old 10-07-21, 03:50 PM
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msu2001la
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If I had to do it over again, I'd definitely get a cargo bike with a front bucket for riding young kids. Now that my daughter can ride her own bike, I'm not sure the value proposition is there as much, but for those first 4-5 years a cargo bike would've been a game changer.
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Old 10-07-21, 05:19 PM
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CliffordK
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You can also use a cargo bike with a rear platform and young kid seat.

How old is the kid at 30 lbs?

I'd probably look at a bike that is "active".

Weehoo trailer?


One if many types of towable trailer bikes (burley piccolo, Novara afterburner, alley cat shadow, etc)


Some kind of tandem with a child stoker kit.


Perhaps a CoMotion Periscope (I think other brands are now copying the design)


Perhaps a child in front KIDZ tandem.


One thing to keep in mind is that kids grow up very quickly. So, it is both necessary to keep them participating, but don't spend a fortune on something that is only good for a year or two.
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Old 10-07-21, 07:23 PM
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We've had one of those wagons for kids and pets. I always thought it slowed me down too much. The seat is more efficient. But... I think it's a little more dangerous. I had it on a road bike today for a few rides. I could tell that the bike wouldn't handle well with the drop bars even for loading and unloading. It's back on the mountain bike for now.
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Old 10-07-21, 08:37 PM
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I still like the trailers (either one- or two-wheeled) for toting kids around. Good ones like the THULE Chariot and the higher end Burleys, have 20" wheels and good suspension, so they roll down the road very nicely. The hitch connects with one or two pins and leaves minimal hardware attached to your bike when it's not in 'tug' mode.
If you're using the bike to get to a destination, rather than just going for a ride, a trailer has room to carry diaper bags, blankets, snacks, friends, and the hundred other things little kids seem to need.
Downside is weight, although most of it is carried by the trailers' own wheels, and aero drag. (so just HTFU and call it resistance training)

If you really want to go with the 'jump seat' rear carrier, then the best style of bike would be a 'long-tail' cargo bike, like the Yurba Mundo. The seat isn't a whole lot lower, but because the rear wheel is pushed back, it's inside the bikes' wheelbase, so there's less tail-wagging-the-dog.

A third option would be one of the ' Kangaroo' style front carriers, where the kiddo essentially sits on the top tube, straddling the stem. This seems far more stable than a rear seat, since it puts the extra weight inside the triangle of the wheels and the rider's CG. Works best on upright bikes with wide handlebars. Provides the most engagement with the kiddo, since they're up, front and center.
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Old 10-08-21, 08:11 AM
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Weight on a bike that you can't dynamically control while riding will always be dangerous IMO. I'd hate to think how well a child in a seat on the frame would fare in some of the spills I've had.

I do realize that people have been doing it for years. But we use to ride with no helmets too.

I'd be all for a trailer. I'd think where they attach to the bike will make a big difference how you perceive their effect on bike handling.
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Old 10-08-21, 01:14 PM
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I had my daughter in a rear Copilot seat on a mountain bike and later on a steel gravel bike with wide 'woodchipper' bars. Stability was definitely affected but it wasn't too bad. You'd want your own center of gravity to be lower, actually, so that the total COG is lower.
A road bike may not be able to handle the weight very well, in terms of geometry, stability, and wheel strength.

Originally Posted by CliffordK

Weehoo trailer?


One if many types of towable trailer bikes (burley piccolo, Novara afterburner, alley cat shadow, etc)
After she grew out of the Copilot I was torn between the above choices. The Weehoo is heavier and bulkier, but you can start them earlier, it straps them in, and would let them sleep. The Piccolo, which I did end up getting, is muuuuch lighter, breaks down into 2 parts (because Burley at one point sold a front wheel called Burley Plus that converts the trailer into a full bike, but you can't really find one anymore), the attachment point is MUCH more stable than most seatpost-mounted trailers, but if your kid isn't mature enough to ride it safely or wants to fall asleep, you've got problems (mine tried to ride it while sitting backwards on occasion).
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Old 10-08-21, 01:31 PM
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It's been a couple decades now, but I rode my toddlers around on the back of comfort bikes (seat on top of rear rack), big tires, relatively heavy frames, upright position. I always felt stable with that setup, and while handling was different than without the seat, the bike was just as controllable with very little getting used to, a few minutes on a safe path should do it.

I agree that I would have found drop bars problematic if for no other reason, leaning too far puts your butt pretty much in the kid's face.
Whatever you get, I definitely recommend relatively big tires, a jarring ride is not your friend.
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Old 10-08-21, 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
Weight on a bike that you can't dynamically control while riding will always be dangerous IMO. I'd hate to think how well a child in a seat on the frame would fare in some of the spills I've had.

I do realize that people have been doing it for years. But we use to ride with no helmets too.

I'd be all for a trailer. I'd think where they attach to the bike will make a big difference how you perceive their effect on bike handling.

I found the handling of a bike with trailer just a little harder than with a seat on the rear rack for the simple reason that anything that approximately doubles the length of the vehicle means you have to rethink your turns. Also, trailers don't lean, so it just feels weird. It's not terrible, but you definitely need to watch your speed with either setup because turns are just not as controllable at high speed (per "experiments" I ran with less precious weights in the seats and trailers--no kids were endangered in the making of this post).

That being said, I think the data show that the trailer is a bit safer for the kid because they can't fall as far, but I don't know this is a very strong difference.
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Old 10-08-21, 01:56 PM
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I don't like the child seat on the back of a bicycle especially with a light weight female riding the bicycle. The long tail and front loading cargo bikes are much more stable for hauling children. We started out with two wheeled carts, crank shorteners and a burley Piccolo. I still have the Bongo and the Piccolo. I was going to sell the Tandem a few yeas ago and my adult children made it clear that that was not happening. So now I am reconditioning the tandem and getting ready for the grandson.
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Old 10-08-21, 02:13 PM
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The best bike type is one that has a seatpost that a Weehoo trailer can connect to.
That thing was a gamechanger for us with our youngest. She no longer felt cut off and trapped in a bubble like the Burly we had. She could participate in conversations about what she saw along the ride, where we were going, and anything else that came to mind during family rides. And it allowed us to ride longer since our oldest was big enough to explore a bit.

There is 0 chance I would use a car seat style kid carrier. If a Weehoo isnt an option, maybe one of those dutch style bucket in the front kid carriers would be my next choice. Either way- itll be heavy, but way more stable than the car seat setup.
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Old 10-08-21, 02:14 PM
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Many, many years ago we used a rear seat on one of my bikes. We then went to a, now long gone, Cannondale Bugger.

I’d never go to a bike seat after that. The Bugger attached to the seat post and had no ill effects to handling or stability. Dragged then all over on the place with that.

John

Edit added: The bike I used was an ‘86 Cannondale road bike; drop bars and downtube friction shifters. Based on that, a similar trailer design would work with anything.

Last edited by 70sSanO; 10-08-21 at 02:23 PM.
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Old 10-08-21, 08:46 PM
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One thing I thought of with the bike seat over the rear wheel... if the bike goes down sideways for any reason, the child in the seat stands a good chance of hitting their head on the pavement or hard surface below. Not a good thought. As I rode my road bike with my daughter in the seat and felt how it handled even just still with a little tilting side to side, I can see that a pretty serious accident is possible. A helmet on the child is a must even at low to moderate (appropriate) speeds. All it would take is any unfortunate handling problem and we could get into quick trouble. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at staying in control, but accidents are called accidents for a reason of course. Those wagon/trailer rigs seem to be a safer bet.
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Old 10-08-21, 11:51 PM
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If you can afford the space and other particular demands a trailer requires, they are terrific for their versatility, and chief among them is the Tanjor Aero. Unfortunately out of production about 20 years now, they’re very hard to find and fetch high prices. I sold this one about 3 months ago, and though I got my asking price, I miss having such a fine and distinctive piece of equipment.

Trailers make loading kids a snap, don’t have a deleterious effect on basic bike handling, provide the possibility to use child seats and carriers, and of course offer extnded cargo capacity compared to a bike mounted seat. They’re inherently more stable, and I feel, safer for it.

They’re not perfect for every person or scenario, of course, so I’d also recommend a purpose-built cargo bike, which are designed and reinforced to carry loads comfortably and safely.

Millions of people use regular old bikes to haul kids, of course, but to the OP’s question of which bike type is best, it’s certainly the cargo bike.

Last edited by chaadster; 10-08-21 at 11:55 PM.
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