kiaora

don't recall if my post on this topic a couple weeks ago got picked. We have e 4 month old and are very keen on the kid-up-front idea. I wanted something a bit more substantial and with adjustable recline angle. We built a child seat onto the front of a bike by customising handlebars and stem. you can see it here: http://lovespreads.smugmug.com/gallery/3703321_weRTA#475828810_2jkHw

the bike handles like a dream (with a 5kg boy) and we can adjust the position as he grows

cheers, chris

Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:02:23 -0700
From: pedals2people@gmail.com
To: thethinktank@bikecollectives.org
Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] babies (up front) and bikes

We used a front seat with our daughter, and we all loved it. I would totally recomend it, but of course, every parent has to make their own decisions about how to carry their child on a bike, if, when, etc. My husband and I used the seat in the picture and also a Companion Carrier (made in Eugene, OR) with our daughter, Maddie, from 2-5 years of age. Though she outgrew the front seat at about 4 years. She was just to long and heavy for it.

http://johndogfood.com/john/reduced/06-12-06%20051.jpg

Compared to a rear seat and trailer, it did not affect the handling of the bike at all. I actually think it improved the handling for my bike. Compared to the rear seat and the trailer, it lended itself to conversation and our daughter become an active passenger when she was in the front seat. We encouraged her to hand signal, pointed out traffic patterns, and she rang the bell. With the kiddo in the rear, they are pretty much out of the picture, partication-wise.

My SIL uses it now (our daughter is 6 now) and began using it with my neice when my niece was 8 months old. Which i think is a perfect age for the seat and the kid. The model we had maxed out at 35 lbs. Something about the up-front position between mom/dad's arms is comforting for both kid and parent. Plus they get to see things, a nice bonus.

Did it affect my riding style? Yes. I had a hard time standing up to pedal up hills, and I definitely rode slower and more cautiously. Any disadvantages? Only that our daughter never napped when she was up front ;)

liza

On Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 10:38 AM, Mark Rehder <mark@drumbent.com> wrote:
On 26-Mar-09, at 1:12 PM, Bob Giordano wrote:

Not sure if this was discussed, but more and more i'm a fan of having the
child up front, in a seat on the top tube.  Asians and Europeans use this
method more often- almost non-existant in U.S.  Seems you have a more
intimate experience with your child.

http://www.amazon.com/WeeRide-Kangaroo-Child-Bike-Seat/dp/B000FIH0EG

...has some reviews of one model- and it lacks a few features but people
seem to like it.  Anyone have experience with this type of child seat?


This was invented by a guy here in Ottawa!  When I was working at a local bike shop he used to deliver them himself, since he lived in the 'hood.  As he ramped up production investors and managers came on board, and he later got squeezed out of his own company.  :(

That said, friends of mine who use this quite like it.  A trailer is still the safest but it's heavier and has more drag.  With the kid up front between your arms you can talk to it, and even protect it if the bike goes down.

Speaking of kids seats, whenever a bike gets donated to us with one of those awful old rear seats we remove the seat and destroy it on the spot.

Mark Rehder - Director
re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op
http://re-cycles.ca

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--
Liza Mattana
president
www.pedals2people.org
Spokane, WA

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