Recreational & Family - How do you mount a bike with a child seat?

I just bought a second hand child seat for my 18 mo old son. Once the rear rack with seat is installed the seat itself sits way, way above my saddle. I cannot throw my leg over it. I tried the method of throwing my leg over the handlebars... This method failed miserably and almost gave my wife a heart attack.

I need to know a good way I can mount my bike with my son in the seat. My wife does not ride with me, so this has to be done solo. My frames are big 60 to 63cm, so there is no step through.

On a positive note, my son loved the ride and laughed the whole way.

Can I do this a better way or do I need to consider a trailer?

60 to 63 cm??? You must be TALL!

Can't help with mounting. Most folks with child seats who come in the shop have a compact frame or "women's" frame, either sloping top tube or step thru.

Step ladder?

60 to 63 cm??? You must be TALL!

Can't help with mounting. Most folks with child seats who come in the shop have a compact frame or "women's" frame, either sloping top tube or step thru.

Step ladder?

I'm 6' 3"

Front kick over the top tube. I used to ride with a rear child seat on a roadbike that size. This method worked fine.

Another options is to mount yourself then have Mom or someone else load the baby.

Another options is to mount yourself then have Mom or someone else load the baby.

The answer to that is posted here in my original post..


My wife does not ride with me, so this has to be done solo.

The answer to that is posted here in my original post..

She doesn't have to ride with you, just load the little one.

If kicking a leg up over the top tube was that big a deal for me, I'd switch to a different setup.

If kicking a leg up over the top tube was that big a deal for me, I'd switch to a different setup.

I've tried what I believe you are telling me, but I've failed miserably at it. My foot keeps getting caught in the cables as it swings over the handlebar. I'm not a young man anymore and I don't think I am as flexible as you seem to be.

I have a Bike Friday and am going to see if I can make the seat fit on that bike. If it works it should do a lot better.

The easy way is to go to the curb or find some nearby steps and even if you have to slightly lean the bike, those few extra inches make a big difference in mounting your bike with a child seat.

On the flip side, just look for a used step through frame bike and all your problems are solved. They are generally lower in cost than traditional frame bikes and you may find they are in better overall condition...when comparing bikes of the same year, make, and/or model. The way gas prices are, I see more step through bikes nowadays at the local stores because it's easier to mount/dismount and keep your load balanced.

I strained a glute or other muscle 'down there' swinging my leg over the bike a couple wks ago, resulting in crushing lower-back pain (I didn't tie the muscle to the whole pain thing until a few days of letting the various propagating pains subside under the influence of pounds of ibuprofen and ice, at first I just thought it was generalized back lockup).

Found myself immobilized with pain, standing straddling the bike w/ loaded panniers and a 7 yr old on the trail-a-bike really wanting to go go go. It turned out that riding was about the only thing I could do so we got home OK. I've definitely resumed stretching before and after activity, had let that slack off the previous month or so. Gone a few days now w/ no ibuprofen, after a week or more of max therapeutic dose.

It was the stationary leg, not the one I swung over, that flamed out on me by the way.

I'm not a young man anymore and I don't think I am as flexible as you seem to be.

Maybe not but I eventually swapped our seat over to a lady's MTB. Mostly for the baloon tire to cushion our kid's spine. Also partially because I got sick of the karate kick balance act. I'd swap to the Friday definately.

After trying it, I can say I'm not a fan of kid seats on roadbikes. Along with the above issues, the darn bikes are so light and the tires so large, it makes the COG that much higher and further back than with a MTB. And even on a MTB those seats make the bike kind of wobbly.

Sci-Fi brings up a good tip there too.

......I didn't tie the muscle to the whole pain thing until a few days of letting the various propagating pains subside under the influence of pounds of ibuprofen and ice....


The alliteration reminded me of Bugs Bunny:

"Watch me paste 'dis pat'etic palooka wit' a powuhful, pulverizin', pachydermous, puhcussion pitch!"

I hope you're getting better.

heh...

I'm much better thanks but definitely still feeling it so I get reminders from inside to keep the stretching up.

My foot keeps getting caught in the cables as it swings over the handlebar. I'm not a young man anymore and I don't think I am as flexible as you seem to be.
You dont have to get your foot over the handlebar. Stand next to the child seat, holding the back of the seat with one hand, and kick your foot over the top tube behind the handle bar. As the foot comes down move the bike back and grab the handle bar.

Simple:

take the bike to the curb and mount from the "high" side by slightly tilting the bike toward you.

Not as hard as it sounds....did this myself when my kids were younger.

Tip: Practice without the kid first.

My baby-rider is a woman's frame with a butterfly kickstand.
The kickstand keeps the bike from leaning to one side.
That way I don't have to worry about the bike tipping over, nor do I have to hold onto the bike, while loading and unloading my daughter.