The iBert-safe-T seat is a front mounting bike seat so you can actually interact with your child and they enjoy the view other than the back of your head. Here's a blog post about it from our friends at New York Outdoors Blog.  

Here's some info from the company: "We didn’t like the rear-mounted seats because our kids just got to see our backsides and it was tough to talk to them. Again, NOT FUN. The balance of the bike was off and the safety issues made us nervous. The safety advantages of our seat are that you always maintain control of the bike when loading and unloading your child, you can see what your child is doing at all times, and the center of gravity is closer to the center of the bike making it easier to control.

We tried other front mounted seats. They were complicated to hook onto the bike. And once you got them attached, it was another long process if you ever wanted to remove them. The biggest problem we had with the other front mounted seats is that we had to ride bow-legged and it was uncomfortable to ride for very long."

 photo by Beth Nazario   

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

Once kids have outgrown bike trailers or child seats, a popular option is a trailbike, also know as a tag-along or trail-a-bike: a bike that attaches to an adult bike. They are great for the kid who is just starting to ride a bike on his or her own but who hasn’t mastered balance as well as for the child who can ride but not for long distances. It can be an excellent way to bring youngsters along on longer rides and give them the excitement of cycling with mom and dad.

Here’s what bike shop owner Andrew Brewer says in Fit Family:

“Trail-A-Bikes come in single speeds and 7 speeds. Gears are okay but by the time the kid gets to the point that he’s running his own gears, he’s probably going to be on his own bike anyway. Our daughter spent a lot of time on that thing, a Trek Transport, I think. She loved it. She’d pedal and then, of course, she wouldn’t pedal… If mom or dad is going fast enough then the gears are fine, but it is more expensive for the gears. By far, we sell more single speeds. They come in 20 and 24-inch varieties depending on how big your child is. The cool thing there is that, I don’t know about Trek, but Adams Trail-A-Bike makes a special needs seat, which is essentially a back brace and a seat belt so that a child who has special needs can sit and ride without falling off, and I think that’s really neat because the kid feels like he’s riding a bike.
A friend of mine just told me about the Trail-Gator. You don’t have to take the wheel off…. If it’s cheap and you don’t have to buy a bike, it’s a neat idea. The problem with all bike equipment is that you go through it so fast. All this stuff needs to be inexpensive…”

Some parents note that there they notice a lot more kid movement on a trailbike  than when pulling a trailer and that speeds can pick up, particularly on descents.  Others say that since the kids are on them for just a few years, that there are many good used ones available.  Nearly all feel that the kids love helping dad or mom with the ride.

Some biketrailer resources:
Adams Trail-A-Bike

Burley Piccolo 7 Speed Trailercycle

InStep Pathfinder Bike Trailer

WeeRide Pro-Pilot Bicycle Tandem Trailer

top photo by psd     lower photo by Dave Haygarth

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

  Bookmark this on Delicious

 

You've waited until your baby is old enough to transport and have decided whether to use a bike trailer or child carrier -- now here's some advice on routes and safety.

Picking A  Route (from Fit Family - Chapter 5)

• Speed limit
• Width of shoulder
• Condition of road – major cracks along the bike lane can be annoying and/or hazardous
• Traffic – roads that are busy during the commute hours may be quiet during off hours
• Places to stop along the way (a park, café, convenience store) – especially if you’re on a long ride and need to fuel up and get the kids out, diapers changed, etc.
• Shade – on hot summer days opt for shady routes that will keep everyone cooler and somewhat protected from the sun
• Prep time and energy required if you have to drive to your riding location (loading/unloading and assembly of bikes/equipment can be a chore)

Padding

"Trailer arrangements can be better if you support the child's head on both sides with padding so it cannot bobble around too much, particulary when they doze off and you are not aware of it. But seated upright or reclining in a trailer the baby also needs a pillow behind them to provide clearance for their helmet in the back. Without the pillow their chin is forced down toward the chest by the thickness of the back of the helmet. Even if you use a child carrier that keeps the baby perfectly stable, the child will be subjected to a rougher ride than you will be on your bicycle." (from Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute)

Debris
"Unknown to riders sitting high above the ground, bike wheels throw up a surprising amount of dirt and grit, even on apparently dry pavement. On gravel, this becomes a veritable shower. Adding moisture makes it even worse. We've been amazed at the amount of crud plastered on the front and even the top of our trailer, despite having full fenders on the towing bicycle. All this debris will fly into the face of an infant in a [forward facing] trailer unless the front covers are in place. Infants may lack the communication skill to report this bombardment, and recognition of the problem may not come before the first eye injury. In addition, breathing swirling street dust cannot be healthy." (from Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute)

photo by markwgallagher

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

  Bookmark this on Delicious

 

      Cyclist parents love their babies and love their bicycles, so it is natural to want to put the two together.  While waiting for the baby to be old enough, you have several options to consider to bring the child along.  The primary two are bike trailers and bike child seats.

Trailers usually come in bright colors to make them visible to drivers. They also come with an attachable safety flag to draw more attention at eye level. Most trailers connect to an adult bike frame at the chain stay via a metal arm that keeps the trailer upright even if your bike tips over. (These are more stable than those connected at the seat post.) There have been rare instances where a trailer rolled over so most models come with a roll bar and a five-point harness. The better trailers are lighter and are easy to breakdown and stow away. Bike trailers offer protection from the elements via a plastic flap that snaps to the aluminum frame. The family that passed on their trailer to us said that they rode in downpours and their kids stayed bone dry. On fair weather days, the mesh flap allows for ventilation. Some parents have told me that despite the sun protection from the tinted side windows, sun still sneaks in through the mesh flap -- so remember the sunscreen (which you’ll need anyhow for stops). 

While trailers generally ride along smoothly, they do generate added resistance on the uphills in addition to a pushing effect on the downhills. Unless you’re looking for a strength workout, you may want to steer clear of hilly routes.

Child Carriers
    Child carriers are child seats mounted in front or in back of the adult rider. They tend to raise the center of gravity and can make your bike unstable, particularly as the child gets heavier. But, while bike trailers are considered safer than child seats, a child seat is a practical mode of transport that offers convenience and affordability. These seats work well for short outings and for young or small children. Since the child fits snugly into the seat, you may be able to use a child seat a little earlier than a trailer in the infant stage. Many child seats are rated for use as early as six months but you still have to consider the same factors as you do with bike trailers.  The trickiest part of using child seats is getting the child loaded into the seat while balancing the bike and dismounting when you stop and maintaining balance. With a little practice, it should not be a problem.

A benefit of the child seat is that your child is right near you and therefore easier to communicate with. A child carrier may also be a good option for families looking to transport just one child – whether it is an only child or a younger child with an older sibling who is already riding independently.

The downside of the child seats, rear or front, is that they alter the center of gravity of the bike, which can become uncomfortable for a long ride. Kids also outgrow them sooner than they do trailers. Though rear seats usually have a weight capacity of 40 lbs (common for 4 to 5 year olds), many kids and parents find the set-up to be better up to 30 lbs (closer to 3 years of age). Other things parents have to watch out for – making sure that kids aren’t carrying something that will drop into the spokes and paying attention to loading and unloading the child, a common place for spills. Child seats lack the protection of trailers, but they do offer kids a higher vantage point and the sun and wind on their face, which can be a good thing.

top photo by Howard N2GOT     bottom photo by author

this article was adapted from Chapter 5 of Fit Family

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

Whether you’re using a bike trailer or a child seat, most doctors and safety experts say that you should wait until your baby is about a year old before you take them along for a ride – so that the infant can hold his head up and maintain position for the trip.
"The US Consumer Product Safety Commission thinks it is dangerous to take a child under one year on a bicycle, and here is their rationale:

Maurice Keenan, MD, from the American Academy of Pediatrics [21], requested that a minimum age of 1 year be reflected on the label for helmets intended for children under age 5. This would better convey the message that infants (children under age 1) should not be passengers on a bicycle under any circumstance.

The Commission agrees with the commenter that children under 1 year of age should not be on bicycles. Children are just learning to sit unsupported at about 9 months of age. Until this age, infants have not developed sufficient bone mass and muscle tone to enable them to sit unsupported with their backs straight. Pediatricians advise against having infants sitting in a slumped or curled position for prolonged periods. This position may even be exacerbated by the added weight of a bicycle helmet on the infant’s head. Because pediatricians recommend against having children under age 1 as passengers on bicycles, the Commission does not want the certification label to imply that children under age 1 can ride safely.

Source: 16 CFR Part 1203 Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets; Final Rule, page 11726

That explains why you will not find a child helmet on the market sized for a tiny tot. You certainly do not want to ride with a bare-headed child, and in some places it is illegal. In fact, several states, including New York, have laws against taking children under one year of age on a bicycle, even with a helmet." (Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute)

Though infants are sitting up and often walking around by age one, the extra weight of a helmet plus the bouncing of a bike ride must be factored into the back and neck strength that your child needs. Some parents rig a baby car seat into their bike trailer to help with stability. Even in the bike trailer, your child should have a helmet on and it should fit snugly. Helmets that are rounded in the back, rather than aerodynamic, may be a better fit for riding in a bike trailer. 

top photo by Tom Thurston     Three trailer photo courtesy of Norm Greenberg and Tracyn Thayer

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

 

  Bookmark this on Delicious

Here is a great blog post on Brooks Saddles and WTB Saddles from an experienced cyclist who works in a bike store out west.

"When I was visiting Portland my pal Scott reminded me that I haven't really written much about WTB saddles. I guess it's time to correct that.

But before I write about WTB saddles, I'm going to write a bit about Brooks saddles. A lot of people love Brooks saddles. Heck, I love Brooks saddles. About a decade ago my pal Andy and I were unpacking our crates of excess bike stuff while setting up for the annual Seattle Bike Swap. Andy pulls a well-worn Brooks Pro out of his crate. "How much you want for that?" I ask him. "Ten bucks," he says, "but it's pretty well shot." I check my wallet, "I've got eight bucks," I say. "Deal," says Andy.

That saddle had a few more miles in it. I rode a full brevet series on it in 1999. And I rode Paris-Brest-Paris on it. And the next year's brevet series. And Boston-Montreal-Boston. And the Rocky Mountain 1200 a couple of times. And a quick tour back to Minnesota. And a few more brevet series. And the Raid California-Oregon.

And, eventually, after I'd put about 50,000 miles on it, Andy was right. It was pretty well shot. The leather started to tear out at the rivets and the saddle developed a terminal sag that caused numbness in what my friend Alan Tilling refers to as "the gentleman's department." Time for a new saddle.

I tried various other Brooks saddles. I tried another Pro and a B17. I had some old Ideales (a leather French saddle similar to a Brooks). I gave them good trials (thousands of miles) but nothing quite fit like Andy's old Pro. Either the saddle would refuse to break in or it would break in and keep going. And the Brooks saddles, for all their fine qualities are expensive. And heavy. And the rail design is from an older era a more slack seat tubes. On some bikes, it's hard to get a Brooks back far enough.

I was working at Sammamish Valley Cycles when my Brooks Pro finally perished. Sammamish had (and probably still has) a bin of "take-off" saddles. Take-off saddles are saddles that customers have discarded. In some cases, these are brand new saddles. The customer may buy a new Bianchi or Colnago or whatever and they may have a saddle they prefer. Maybe it's a well-loved Brooks Pro or a Flite Trans-Am or something. In any case, they want their saddle mounted on their new bike and the old saddle goes in the take-off bin. Back when I was working there, Sammamish sold many of the take-off saddles for ten bucks."  (Read whole article)

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

 

  Bookmark this on Delicious