Re: [yak] Digest for yak@bikefriday.com - 2 updates in 1 topic

[Gary Keese]

I agree that bike seats are not a good idea - for all the reasons already mentioned. . We had one briefly but quickly switched to a Burley trailer, then later to a trail a bike, and then finally to a tandem with kiddie cranks.  I felt much safer with any of those 3 than with the bicycle seat.

On 07/20/2025 6:57 PM PDT y...@bikefriday.com wrote:

 

 

y...@bikefriday.com

Google Groups

Topic digest
View all topics

• Child seat for a small child 3 years old on Air Friday or AirGlide - 2 Updates

Child seat for a small child 3 years old on Air Friday or AirGlide

robert clark <ro3ert...@gmail.com>: Jul 19 08:33PM -0700 I'm with John ... though I'd offer as a suggestion ... the option of buying a 2 wheel bike trailer for the kid As it will be useful long after the youngster is riding their own bike   Burley's trailers were originally made by Alan, the same guy that got Bike friday going,,,   On Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 8:23:36 AM UTC-7 John Thurston wrote:

John S. Allen <jsa...@bikexprt.com>: Jul 20 01:58PM -0400 A child seat on the back of any upright bicycle designed for one person is a poor idea. The weight of the child high up in the rear lets the bike easily tip over when held by the handlebars.  The front wheel slips out from under and the bike rotates around a line connecting the handlebar stem and the rear-tire contact patch. The child cannot safely be on the  bike when the adult gets on or off but there is no way to avoid that. A child seat behind the handlebar poses a different hazard, a double face plant, and interferes with pedaling and handling. All the romantic "isn't it nice" pictures of Dutch parents riding with children in child seats merely reflect that they don't have anything better.   Bike Friday has good solutions  with the Haul-a-Day -- example here, scroll down -- https://cyclingsavvy.org/2021/04/e-bike-benefits-and-challenges-its-a-different-machine/ maybe also the EveryDay  A backfiets (front-loader) cargo bike or a trailer is also a good working solution and especially if electrified to compensate for the added weight. But best of all once the child is old enough to sit, hold the handlebar and pedal is a tandem, because the child is a full participant in the experience, not only pedaling but also able to make hand signals and help the captain scan for traffic. A Bike Friday Family Tandem, or any tandem with a kidback adapter, fills the bill! I had many good times with my son on a tandem when he was little. I'd describe the experience as priceless, and no less so because the tandem let me get out of the house and get some exercise, go to the local deli for lunch etc. when I was caring for him.   On 7/19/2025 11:33 PM, robert clark wrote:   -- John S. Allen   CyclingSavvy Instructor League Cycling instructor Author, Bicycling Street Smarts Technical Writer and Editor, sheldonbrown.com

Back to top

You received this digest because you're subscribed to updates for this group. You can change your settings on the group membership page. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it send an email to yak+uns...@bikefriday.com.

[frkrygow]

I understand the worries about loading and unloading a child seat on a bike. I've experienced those difficulties many times with several kids, as well as the differences in bike handling. (Admittedly, these experiences were on standard, non-folding bikes, including our tandem, but not on Fridays.) 

But as a practical matter, telling most couples that they should not use a kid seat is telling them to stop most of their bicycling until their kid grows. Certainly, as a young married couple, we lacked the money to buy a new and unusual bicycle just for carrying a kid. Instead, we used care to stabilize the bike  for loading and unloading (usually by locking the front wheel and leaning it on a wall, with one parent holding it). And of course I was very careful when riding, as I imagine almost all parents would be. 

I never experienced even a close call that way, which is of course anecdotal information; but if kid-seat crashes were a serious problem, I'd think they would appear in data somewhere. Despite decades as a "data head" with a passionate interest in bike safety, I've never encountered such data. Does such data exist, or are people merely imagining a minuscule problem, another "bicycling is dangerous" variant? 

Oh, and speaking of anecdotes: I clearly remember when one of the first local couples to use a kid trailer flipped the trailer and kid while making a sharp turn, when the inside wheel hit the curb. Nothing is without risk. 

Finally, I believe a bike is more stable overall when a heavy load is on the front wheel, directly controlled by the handlebars, instead of on the rear wheel. I've thought about, but never tried, touring with a tall backpack (e.g. Rick Steves Bag) fastened to a Friday's handlebars and a low rack just over the front wheel. I wonder if a kid seat mounted low and in front might be best.