WeeRide Kangaroo Carrier
Traveling through other countries, we've often noticed child cycling carriers where the child sits forward of the rider -- this allows them better visibility and puts them in reach/view of the rider, unlike seats that mount to a rear rack. My sister even went as far as to bring one back from the UK to use with her kids. We hunted, but couldn't find the same thing in the US until two years ago. Now we use it once or twice a week when weather permits. Aside from being a much safer and secure version of the one my sister has, the WeeRide Kangaroo has some other very clear advantages.
The injection-molded seat mounts to an extremely sturdy bar that clamps to the seat post and steerer tube. This allows the seat to be removed quickly and easily when not in use. This is done by unscrewing a single large bolt. Also, the carrier features a padded "face pad" which 1) keeps your passenger from messing with your handlebars and controls; 2) protects your passenger from smacking his/her face on the handlebars (assuming you left the four-point harness too loose); and 3) gives your passenger a natural place to rest his/her head when sleeping. In addition, the Kangaroo's foot cups are adjustable and flexible, but I've never seen a child get his/her toes anywhere near the front wheel.
A few caveats: The harness probably has six feet more webbing than it really needed, but I was able to clean up ours with a handful of safety pins. The seat is wide enough you have to ride somewhat bow-legged, but you get used to it pretty quickly. The footrests don't go down far enough for larger children. Don't expect to fit a three-year-old kid into it.
Our youngest just turned one, so we have at least another season with it, which we'll relish: We love being able to interact more with our passenger, and I'm sure the kid likes the view a whole lot better.
Here's a video with step-by-step installation instructions:
Available from Amazon
Favorite (15)
Alex
For those with Childern, CR and the American Academy of Pediatrics both recommend Trailers.
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/baby/2009/05/bicycle-seats-vs-bike-trailers-for-children.html
Chris
These are a terrible idea. They might be a little bit better than the rear child carrying bike seats, but I generally disagree with the concept of attaching a kid to a bicycle. If the bike goes down, the kid is going to get hurt, probably seriously. Trailers are the only safe way to transport kids on a bike; at least then they have a shroud of protection around them.
David Weisz
I loved the idea of this, but my kid is super interested in mechanical stuff and the head rest did not prevent him from fiddling around with the controls. I had to give up on it because he was always trying to shift the gears.
Rob
I agree with Chris, but I'm mainly commenting on how scary that kid looks...
Greg Wilson
Kids in front-mounted seats have lower accident survival rates than kids in rear-mounted seats, because just after the bike hits whatever, the adult pedalling the bike crashes into the kid.
Josh
I saw one of these in the park the other day. Left me thinking, now why didn't I think of that?
heh heh http://www.cutebabysupplies.com
JohnJ
I had a traditional "front seat" back in the early 90s'. Tube steel construction - and no "face pad". My kid went to sleep on every bike ride, and her little head just dangled forward from her shoulders. Ouch.
I switched to a rear mounted seat, and felt much better about the protection offered by the high side panels. Kid got to sleep whenever she pleased, and we were able to keep using the rear seat way past the point where she would have outgrown the front seat.
Never tried a trailer. They always looked like a pretty bumpy ride on those small wheels.
Trailer-bikes (like the Pathfinder) TOTALLY ROCK! My toddler loved it, and we kept riding together up past age seven. She could actually help me power up hills on that rig. I believe the experience helped her learn to balance too. We were done with training wheels on her first bike after about a week.
I wish the tow-bar models had been around back then. We used to take long rides with two bikes, and I had often had to tow her home with a rope. It wasn't very safe and we had to go pretty slow.
Karsten
I like this tool because it is dual purpose. It allows you to take your kid along with you on a bike ride so you don't need to hire a babysitter and if an object comes into the path of the bicycle, now the child will function as a shock-absorbing barrier between you and the tree/ car/ pedestrian/ fire hydrant.
Alan
I've used both front and back mounted kids seats, and to me the biggest advantage of the front mounted ones is that the bike balances so very much better. Because the bike handles well, the ride is much safer for both kid and adult with a front-mounted seat.
Eddie
I've used both front and back seats - I found the bowlegged pedaling with the front seat excrutiating.
Arvind
I use an iBert. My daugher and I love it!
I ride reasonably safe bike trails around my house and it feels safe. We have a Chariot trailer too, but the iBert is just perfect for a quick zip, hardly any setup required.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H4E7EO/
James
Any one who favours a trailer over a bicycle seat is a moron. Sure if you want to tow your kid along like a piece of luggage, at exhaust height below the eye level of motorists, in something almost impossible to transport in a car and when you get home is a nightmare to store - then a trailer is the PERFECT solution....
If you actually want to enjoy riding WITH your child - then something like this seat is the only real option.
And the idea that a bicycle with a trailer is MORE maneuverable @Alex's link - come on - are you serious - ever tried crossing a road with your children 5ft behind you - feel safe!!??
IBert - not a bad product - but puts all the weight on the front of the bike and there's no padding in the seat.
@Greg - really? What report are quoting that from? Oh wait - you MADE IT UP What complete nonsense - lies, damn lies and statistics - how about accidents per kilometer ridden - since you are FAR less likely to have an accident if you're not constantly distracted by the child behind you.....
Speaking from actual experience of using three types of seat - rear, centre (weeride) and front (ibert) AND a trailer - we settled on the WeeRide and use a trailer occasionally.
Michiel
@Josh, no.6 your comment sounds suspiciously like spam.
This is a pretty standard configuration on the Dutch streets:
http://gazelle.nl/site_files/php/dynamic_thumb_noratio.php?maxheight=390&path=/mnt/home/sites/gazelle.nl/htdocs/nl/assets/Fietsen/2009_specials_bloom_28_t7_d_aangekleed_popup.jpg
Also, a kid in front keeps a lot of the rain from your trousers.