Roadie needs a mom bike

[mommybike]

I'm looking for recommendations for a good sturdy bike that will be most appropriate to carry a child seat, yet still has that cool factor. Some things to consider: I'm used to the larger wheel circumference of a road bike, hauling a trailer is probably not for me.

[st0ut]

How old are your kids?
I towed a trail a bike on a trek 5200.
the stays where tooo fragile for a trailer though. A touring model make's good bet for family activies . The trailer is better than the child seat option for a varity of reasons. performance, safety plus you can stick all the baby stuff in the trailer too. Plus with out the trailer still a road worthy machine.

[masiman]

I used to tow a trailer on my high-end titanium road bike. I don't anymore because I need more kid seats than the two the trailer offers.

Depending on the mount style of the trailer, I would tow on a carbon frame like the 5200. The Burley mount would be most problematic I think because it mounts to the stays (at least it used to). Wike makes a skewer mount that I think some converted to work with their Burleys. I am not sure how Chariot mounts.

For better gearing with the trailer load, you might be better off with a mountain bike or a road frame with a triple.

[bab2000]

I'm looking for recommendations for a good sturdy bike that will be most appropriate to carry a child seat, yet still has that cool factor.

I have been intrigued by the Specialized Globe bikes as an upgrade to my Crossroads sport. And my LBS wrench agrees it is better choice that other bikes in stock for the price point.

I would think the womens frame (http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=33080) will provide good support for your requirements, and room for front bag if required. I like the Bone color offered on the sport, thus the link, if needed the plain version may provide similar function and save some $s.

The child seat will increase your center of gravity, depending on your height and upper body strength a 26" fitted tire may provide you a safer ride for you and passenger. Adding different tire tread pattern, (no MTB lugs) may also be option.

[Dolphran]

..., hauling a trailer is probably not for me.
Why do you think that a trailer is not for you? Before I used one I thought towing it might be a big deal, but I'm actually amazed at how transparent it is. Plus they are known to be safer than a child seat on your bike. For me the safety factor was the reason to go with the trailer even before I knew how easy towing one was!

[wyeast]

My wife tows a kiddie trailer behind her Salsa, so it's not something that's out of bounds for a road bike. Other than the wide load thing going on, the trailer itself doesn't weigh that much, it's mostly the weight of the kid which you're going to have even w/ a seat.

Alternatively, you can find a hybrid in a 29'er configuration if that's what you're aiming for. I'm not familiar with WSD 29'ers, so I can't suggest a specific model. Sorry. :(

[PaulH]

Having tried both, I have to say that the trailer is vastly better. Not only does it not mess up the handling of the bike, but it makes it easy to carry all the stuff that inevitably goes with the kid. Trailers typically attach to the rear axel and are perfectly compatible with road bikes.

Paul

[xeney]

I've been using the baby trailer to justify a new bike, and my husband is going to build me up a Soma Speedster for this purpose. I decided I wanted a road bike, but one that was pretty sturdy and with more relaxed touring-style geometry than my Bianchi Veloce. (Also it's very pretty. I'm sure that will make a difference.)

For a baby seat, which I also suspect will be in my future for short trips around the neighborhood when my daughter is older, I will probably use one of my old mixte road bikes that we've converted to single speed. If you want the kind of baby seat that goes in front, then you need a regular top tube, but if you are planning to put the kid on the back behind you, you can use just about anything that can handle a rack. I like the idea of using one of my mixtes for that because they have the low standover, so easier to mount and easier to balance at stops. I have two, both with 700c wheels, and I ride fairly wide tires on each which also helps with stability.

If you have hills you might need a geared bike for a baby seat, but I've been hauling up to 50 pounds of groceries on my Nishiki single speed mixte for years, and my kid weighs a whole lot less than that so I'm not worried about that factor.