To Ride or Not to Ride

Hi Shandell!
Great idea to bike around! I've a friend who uses a seat on back of the bike, I use a trailer. Main difference is that she uses her bike mostly for short commutes, while I cycle long distance (clipless pedals, road-bike, etc.). Since I might fall over--I did the other day in fact--I prefer the trailer because it does NOT fall over with the bike. Consider what exactly you plan to do with the bike, go for something appropriate for use.
Oh, when you go shopping, Golden Bear Bikes (Broomfield) has a great selection for all kinds of bike gear.
Good job mommin!
A.

DO NOT get one that goes on the back, the seat type ones are not safe. They are super dangerous, from every aspect if someone hit you or you fell over they tip over and go with you. Not to mention the child is way off the ground making for a bad fall even with a helmet on.
Get a trailer, one that has the mechanism that if the bike goes over it stand upright regardless. It has more of a metal cage so to speak and MUCH MUCH SAFER!
I had a Burley, got it at a garage sale, for $150, normally they run $300. Both of my kids were in it until last summer, both were totalling about 75-80 pounds together and it was fine. They are four and seven now and squished in it so I sold it.
You can get invidiual seating trailers or double trailer if you have two kids so you can put them both in it. Mine was great, had a place in the back I could ride to the store, park and have plenty of room for kids and whatever we brought along.

We went through this last summer. We went ahead and got a seat that attaches at first. But it made me feel so off balance that I hated riding because I always felt like baby and I were going to go down, especially when we went around corners but also just riding straight down the street. My daughter is small also...she too barely weighed 20 lbs. at 1 1/2 yrs old (when we were trying the bike seat). I let my husband try riding with her as well and he too had trouble, even after making numerous adjustments to the bike seat. We also considered the type of seat that you mount on the crossbar just behind the handlebars. Another bad idea because my daughter like to change gears on me...not fun. We finally went to a bike shop and got a trailer that seats 1 or 2 with storage behind the seat. The seat is suspended so it's not as bumpy for her and there are plenty of pockets for snacks and drinks within reach. Our trailer converts to a double jogger as well. I absolutely LOVE it and so does my daughter. Be sure regardless of what you decide that he always have a helmet on while you are riding. Have fun!!

I would like to suggest not to get the seat that goes right behind your seat. I know they go up to 40 lbs, but with my daughter she was only 25 lbs and she didn't fit very well in it. Also just like another lady suggested you will have to really hold on because when the kid moves it's hard to control the bike. I only used mine twice I think them off to Good Will it went. I would suggest getting a bike trailer that tows behind your bike. They are expensive, but maybe you can borrow one from a friend or yard sale's. I also think they still have to wear a helmet. You can find a cute helmet at Walmart for around $20.00 with knee and elbow pads for later. Our kids were able to wear them at around 1 1/2 or 2. Good luck

I just got a bicycle also and was pondering the same thing. We went with a seat that goes in front of u. We purchased it at walmart, the wee ride. U can got to weeride.com and check it out. When they sit behind you they can't see much but the back of ur head and a trailer....how boring for them. I worry that someone would hit the trailer since it's really low to the ground. The wee ride imade for smaller children and has a hand grasp so they have a place for thier own hands to be. My daughter loves it.

I've personally tried the seat on the back, seat on the handlebars, trailer and a trail a bike. By far and above the easiest and safest is the trailer.

With the seats attached to the bike and the trail a bike, any move the kid makes: pointing at a car, sneezing, picking their nose what have you, will rock you on the bike. Its very much the tail wagging the dog. It takes a lot to get comfortable with and can be very disconcerting. If you're not a strong rider, its probably not a good choice.

The trailer is its own enclosed unit and if you crash, your kids won't (been there done that). They are also freer to eat snacks, snooze, etc when they are in the trailer rather than on your bike. (find a cheaper, used one on Craigslist once you get over the sticker shock at a bike store)

Be forewarned though, riding with kids is like riding into a good headwind. Right now its me, kid #1 on a trail a bike and kid #2 in the trailer attached to the trail a bike. Going for a 6-8 mile ride is a lot of work, but keeps me in shape :-) Have fun!!

Hi Shandell,
Please check out Bobobike bike seats. They sit in *front* of the driver. I bought one of these last year and we bike nearly every day. The seat fits babies who can sit with their head up through about 30 or 35 lbs. My daughter feels stable and I have peace of mind having her so close to me. I just could never get comfortable with the trailers. Seats in back of the driver make the balance of the bike very awkward. But the Bobobike seat balances easily and its not difficult at all to ride with her. My daughter now loves ringing the bell as we go along. Now that she is older, we can talk a bit about kitties and squirrels and cars and colors, etc... as we go along. I bought mine online from OneStepAhead.com I think. I usually see several of them on eBay and other sites. Get out and have fun!!

Just remember that if you get a trailer or not they need a bike helmet. The problem with that is they don't make them for kids under two. I ran into this problem last year when my son was one and I got a new bike. My suggestion is that if you can, just go on a ride by yourself. See if your neighbor of husband could watch them. I hope this gives you some options.

A.

I tried out a friend of mine's attaching seat last summer and didn't like it at all. I felt really off balance....and my son didn't weigh very much either. I ended up getting one of the bike trailers and LOVE it! I got one that can seat two (good thing since we have another on the way), but he can sit in the middle so it's not off balance. The weight limit is much higher so you'll be able to use it for longer. Plus, I feel like he's much safer in the trailer than perched way up on the bike with me. We got one that converts into a jogging stroller....which I love....it's soooo easy to push and turn! They are really reasonably priced at Target and Costco....and well built too....you really don't have to get an expensive one. Good Luck and Have Fun!

I have the trailer that you pull behind. A couple of things. With a seat that you attach to the bike, if you go down, the baby goes down too. That is why we chose the trailer. One thing I did notice with the trailer is that it really only can fit one kid, it is a really tight fit for two. The other thing that we noticed is that without the plastic cover, the bike tires pick up rocks and throw them into the trailer in the childrens faces. So we always used the rain cover. My kids have outgrown ours, though so we dont use it anymore. It was good while it lasted.

We have done both and by far the trailer is best. Not a cheap Walmart trailer though. We had one and it hurt my back to pull it around. Now we have a double Burley and I love it. My 4 and 5 year old fit well and we can even put a small cooler in the back. The cover is breathable but waterproof. My kids love to go for a ride, we are distance riders which is why my 5 year old rides with me and not on his own bike. The other part about the nice trailers is that you can get a tag a long bike and attatch the trailer to that to pull 3 kids. About the only downside to a trailer is that if we ride in town I worry about how wide the trailer is in traffic. Not all of our streets have bike lanes. It is fabulous for trail riding though.

I haven't actually gotten one for myself, but I have been researching this same subject. Here's what I've decided. Because I have so many kids, I'll probably get the seat that attaches to the back as well as the little trailer, but if I only had one or two children, I would probably do the trailer. The main reason why is because if the child is riding in the seat that attaches to the back of the bike and you crash, they are more likely to get more seriously hurt (helmet or not) not to mention traumatized. If you're towing a trailer behind you, you probably won't fall over on the bike anyway, and even if you did, the trailer would stay upright. The trailers can usually hold two kids if you want, and most can be detached from the bicycle and pushed like a stroller if you want to. It's more versatile that way, especially if you're riding your bike "to" someplace rather than just to ride. They do have a new type of seat now, though, that you attach to your bike in front of you but behind the handle bars so your child rides in between instead of in back. If I got an attached seat, I'd probably go with that kind. So. Hopefully that helps. Just remember that the bike trailer is going to be a little heavier and probably will take some getting used to steering the bike while towing. But in my opinion, those are safer. Plus you can tow both kids at the same time if the older one is small enough. Good luck, and have fun riding!