Child seat

I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
but I believe both the 29er and the "fitness" bike can take racks.
The child is 3 m.o. and I'll have to wait until he can sit unless
there are lay flat options.

All seats I saw are forward facing which seems odd as deceleration
forces that I could develop vastly
surpass whatever puny acceleration I could accomplish.

Thanks.

Squat'n Dive wrote:
I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
but I believe both the 29er and the "fitness" bike can take racks.
The child is 3 m.o. and I'll have to wait until he can sit unless
there are lay flat options.

All seats I saw are forward facing which seems odd as deceleration
forces that I could develop vastly
surpass whatever puny acceleration I could accomplish.

Thanks.

I had a child seat for my first and hated it. He would always fall
asleep & flop around, kind of freaked me out. I was also always afraid
of having the bike fall over with him in it. Maybe I was just paranoid,
but I couldn't get comfortable with it.

On Mar 16, 3:28*pm, "Squat'n Dive" wrote:
I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
but I believe both the 29er and the "fitness" bike can take racks.
The child is 3 m.o. and I'll have to wait until he can sit unless
there are lay flat options.

All seats I saw are forward facing which seems odd as deceleration
forces that I could develop vastly
surpass whatever puny acceleration I could accomplish.

Thanks.

Snugli first. Then a Baby Jogger, one with big wheels.
BTDT2X, the jogger is safer by a long, long shot and much better
"parentally" for especially new babies. You can pad the seat to help
the child sit up, and keep a close eye on the passenger. Sun shades
non-optional, in spite of the many kids who McDonald's french fry
jogger babies.

Later, when you don't have be paying so much attention, a trailer is a
whole lot safer than any kind of seat.

My experience was, the first child would fall asleep in her rack-mount
bike seat, and I would finish a ride with one hand reaching back to
hold her up-- well past the "baby" stage. And she was *out*, too. I
quit trying after a few such, as the return home always engendered
magic wakefulness.

The second didn't much care for any of it but he would ride in the
baby jogger. Bike trailer, no way. I mean, I could stand the screaming
but I'm sure I would have been turned in to Child Protective Services.
He was too wild for the bike seat and quickly proved it, too.

IOW: Good luck with your plans g.

BTW, I have a rambunctious, erstwhile kid-trailering friend
(motorcyclist and mountain biker besides "roadie") who went "Faster,
Dad!" over some tilted pavement in a loading dock area until he had a
wreck, with trailer rollover. Dear child was well strapped in and no
damage occurred. In fact, the youngster wanted to do it again.
"Request denied".
(excuse me but): Compare to a child seat on a rack on the back end of
a bike, and factor in operator error parental guilt trip.
--D-y

Squat'n Dive wrote:
I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
but I believe both the 29er and the "fitness" bike can take racks.
The child is 3 m.o. and I'll have to wait until he can sit unless
there are lay flat options.

All seats I saw are forward facing which seems odd as deceleration
forces that I could develop vastly
surpass whatever puny acceleration I could accomplish.

The safest thing is a trailer. When the child is small, put the child
car seat into the trailer.

If you get a rack mount seat, be sure the sides and back are high enough
and that it reclines enough so when the child falls asleep they don't
flop forward or off to the side, i.e.
"http://www.amazon.com/Beto-Deluxe-Reclining-Baby-Bicycle/dp/B001FT40XI".

On Mar 16, 4:28*pm, "Squat'n Dive" wrote:
I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
but I believe both the 29er and the "fitness" bike can take racks.
The child is 3 m.o. and I'll have to wait until he can sit unless
there are lay flat options.

All seats I saw are forward facing which seems odd as deceleration
forces that I could develop vastly
surpass whatever puny acceleration I could accomplish.

Way back when my daughter was brand new (and I was much poorer) I
bought and modified a baby seat for the bike. I fitted it to a
Blackburn rack (just invented) and had it recline a bit so she
wouldn't flop forward. I also extended the seat back higher, padded
it with foam, and added shoulder straps, because in those days baby
seats came without them.

And I had the seat face backwards on the bike. My wife usually rode
behind to keep an eye on her, and she was very popular with folks on
club rides, who would ride along and talk with her. She was also more
protected from wind.

I don't know of any American baby seats that face backward, but the
other features I added are now common.

It's popular to claim baby seats are unsafe, and that you should use
nothing less than a trailer. In my experience, the only problem was
loading and unloading the seat, at which time you want the bike firmly
under control. Riding was never a problem at all. And I'm not aware
of any great number of injuries of kids carried on bikes. If it
happens, it's rare enough that even the "Safety! Safety!" freaks
haven't bothered to complain.

Check pictures of Amsterdam or Copenhagen. All sorts of bike seat
variations for kids. No carnage. I think they'd notice piles of dead
children.

- Frank Krygowski

On Mar 16, 11:33*pm, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Mar 16, 4:28*pm, "Squat'n Dive" wrote:

I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
but I believe both the 29er and the "fitness" bike can take racks.
The child is 3 m.o. and I'll have to wait until he can sit unless
there are lay flat options.

All seats I saw are forward facing which seems odd as deceleration
forces that I could develop vastly
surpass whatever puny acceleration I could accomplish.

Way back when my daughter was brand new (and I was much poorer) I
bought and modified a baby seat for the bike. *I fitted it to a
Blackburn rack (just invented) and had it recline a bit so she
wouldn't flop forward. *I also extended the seat back higher, padded
it with foam, and added shoulder straps, because in those days baby
seats came without them.

And I had the seat face backwards on the bike. My wife usually rode
behind to keep an eye on her, and she was very popular with folks on
club rides, who would ride along and talk with her. *She was also more
protected from wind.

I don't know of any American baby seats that face backward, but the
other features I added are now common.

It's popular to claim baby seats are unsafe, and that you should use
nothing less than a trailer. *In my experience, the only problem was
loading and unloading the seat, at which time you want the bike firmly
under control. *Riding was never a problem at all. *And I'm not aware
of any great number of injuries of kids carried on bikes. *If it
happens, it's rare enough that even the "Safety! Safety!" freaks
haven't bothered to complain.

Check pictures of Amsterdam or Copenhagen. *All sorts of bike seat
variations for kids. *No carnage. *I think they'd notice piles of dead
children.

Good idea, turning the seat around, mainly (as I see it) to improve
the weight distribution. Which was the main "safety" consideration for
me--
pretty wallow-y bike handling with a toddler ensconced, on that long-
chainstay touring bike that had the baby seat on it, even with child
knees brought forward as far as possible. My brief trailer drives were
a lot more "comfortable" for me. Not to mention sun shade (important
here in Texas), convenience in carrying accessories (books, bottles,
snacks, diapers, etc. etc.). and facing forward. That's been a change,
I've noticed, since my kids were little, in the Snugli (et.
al.)design. Back when, the kids mostly faced the parent but now it
seems most have the child face forward which I would think would be a
lot better for mental development-- "seeing where you're going instead
of where you've been" g, in addition to seeing what the carrying
parent sees and reacts to.

BTW, I saw some ancient study referenced many moons ago that spoke of
early childhood development comparisons where very young children who
were well nourished but carried in baby carriages (not much chance to
see out) tested for approximately equal cognitive development compared
to children who were not nearly as well nourished but who were usually
carried on a parent in some sort of sling arrangement, where the child
could see and otherwise experience the world more openly than one
confined to a slit trench.

I've spent a little time-- a couple of weeks-- in Amsterdam. Dedicated
bike facilities (ow!), "bikers rule by numbers", flat terrain, rules
and social status favoring cyclists who are at the *top* of the
transportation food chain there because so many use bikes as ordinary
transportation instead of cars. All very unlike the USA of today, at
least. And yes, carrying loads and children somewhat willy-nilly on
bicycles is common. And refreshing. Not a helmet in sight. Well, they
are smarter than us about a lot of things, after all.
Too bad we can't magically combine the best of the two cultures--
probably here (USA) while leaving Holland the hell alone, of course
g-- because the ol' USA would be a lot better place to live in.

Donning the fire suit and breathing apparatus now.
--D-y

On 3/16/2010 3:28 PM, Squat'n Dive wrote:
I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
but I believe both the 29er and the "fitness" bike can take racks.
The child is 3 m.o. and I'll have to wait until he can sit unless
there are lay flat options.

All seats I saw are forward facing which seems odd as deceleration
forces that I could develop vastly
surpass whatever puny acceleration I could accomplish.

Thanks.

This is the only proper way to carry a small child on a bicycle:
http://sheldonbrown.com/carrababy.html.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007

Hi,

Squat'n Dive wrote:
I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
....

Most has been said, the main points seem to be:

With a "rack seat" (whether mounted to the seat post or the rack), first
you need a very good bike stand (usually the two-foot version along with
a spring to keep your front wheel pointing straight to prevent your bike
from falling over). But your child is protected from the wind by the
parent's body and I guess, your child is pretty safe.

The only real bad thing I often see is a parent with a child (in a
rack-seat) where the child wears a helmet and the parent wears a
back-pack. The child's head is then forced sideways. This looks very
uncomfortable for the child.

A trailer, on the other hand, is also very safe, allows even very young
toddlers to be carried (either via specialized add-ons or via the
car-seat). The risk of the bike falling over has no influence on the
trailer (your child can't try this particular mode of self-destruct) and
you have the ability to carry two childs and/or some freight (in the
trailer, on the bike rack and on your back). Additionally, you don't
need to force a helmet on your child.

But, with a trailer the aerodynamics are worse and you need to close the
trailer's insect net (and probably the rain cover) when cycling to
prevent mud and dirt being thrown into your child's face as well as
keeping your child out of the wind (which may dry out your child in the
worst case).

No matter which method you choose, in any case you should mount a rear
fender to your bike (to protect from dirt and mud and wet) and ideally a
front fender (to protect yourself from having dirt thrown in your face).
You'll need a bike stand, too (although you might be able to live
without one if you use a trailer).

Safe cycling....

On 18 ÜÐà, 15:37, Bernhard Agthe wrote:
Hi,

Squat'n Dive wrote:
I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes

...

Most has been said, the main points seem to be:

With a "rack seat" (whether mounted to the seat post or the rack), first
you need a very good bike stand (usually the two-foot version along with
a spring to keep your front wheel pointing straight to prevent your bike
from falling over). But your child is protected from the wind by the
parent's body and I guess, your child is pretty safe.

The only real bad thing I often see is a parent with a child (in a
rack-seat) where the child wears a helmet and the parent wears a
back-pack. The child's head is then forced sideways. This looks very
uncomfortable for the child.

A trailer, on the other hand, is also very safe, allows even very young
toddlers to be carried (either via specialized add-ons or via the
car-seat). The risk of the bike falling over has no influence on the
trailer (your child can't try this particular mode of self-destruct) and
you have the ability to carry two childs and/or some freight (in the
trailer, on the bike rack and on your back). Additionally, you don't
need to force a helmet on your child.


What do I need a helmet for? I don't wear one, does my kid need a
helmet?

On Mar 16, 2:28*pm, "Squat'n Dive" wrote:
I'm looking for a child seat options. Thinking of mounting the seat on
the seatpost of my bikes
but I believe both the 29er and the "fitness" bike can take racks.
The child is 3 m.o. and I'll have to wait until he can sit unless
there are lay flat options.

All seats I saw are forward facing which seems odd as deceleration
forces that I could develop vastly
surpass whatever puny acceleration I could accomplish.

Thanks.

Dear S,

It is madness to adopt any child seat design other than this:

http://tinyurl.com/ydyz3of

Please, think of the children!

Cheers,

Carl Fogel