celloshred

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Kid is 31# toddler.

15.5" frame.

Thank you!

DocsDad

No suggestion for the carrier as we intend to use a trailer for our grandson this summer. I'd like to keep his shifting weight lower than it would be with a carrier. They can get heavy. Maybe that's an idea for you too?

celloshred

Id prefer him to be above ground so he can see whats going on.

fietsbob 

There are [X ? brand name forgotten] that use a rear rack as the mount for the child seat,
the kit includes both , and the rack is theirs .. not generic, cross compatible..

Check with your Local Bike Shop, they're stocked in Ours (the town's, not mine), out here.

cderalow

I've got a topeak childseatII, which is huge, but works well.

with a smaller frame I'd be worried about heel strike.

gunner65

I-bert

celloshred

I got a Co-Pilot Taxi. Read reviews that the iBert is unstable and has cracked.

pierce 

i recommend a burley trailer. having 30 lbs of kid on top of a 20 lb bicycle is asking for grief every time you start/stop.

DocsDad

Agreed. Be careful, especially when dismounting. Either way... enjoy riding and welcome to the forum.

brianr2600

It looks like that bike can take a normal rear rack, so any rack mounted seat will work fine. As others have pointed out, when the child+seat outweighs your bike by a factor of two, some care will be required when starting, stopping, and unloading. I've done a similarly heavy child in a copilot taxi seat on a Trek 1.5 (triple) with good results. It's worth mentioning that as the child has grown using a tagalong like the weehoo igo is a lot more fun and we prefer it over the rack seat whenever possible. If your child is rapidly approaching the 40 pound weight limit of most rack seats, a tagalong might be a better idea.

gunner65

We have two of them been through hell. I take my 4yo on trail rides YMMV or the reviews you read were crap.

teicher

Another vote for the copilot taxi, it's a good carrier and comes with a great rack (blackburn ex1) that you can leave on the bike and use without the seat.

I have and use both carriers and trailers, and a lot of the success has to do with the passenger inside it. My oldest loved the trailer, while my youngest hated it. If they aren't happy, your ride isn't going to be fun and you aren't going to get very far.

And definitely move them to the tagalong/trailer bike setups as soon as you can, those are the most fun of all.

pierce 

if you insist on putting their seat on the bike, I'd suggest one of those seats that sits just behind the handlebars rather than the kind that goes in back.

I note those copilot Taxis are /max/ 40 lbs, if your kid is 30 lbs now, he'll outgrow that in a year.


awwww....

(from http://www.amazon.com/WeeRide-Kangar.../dp/B000FIH0EG )

celloshred

Great suggestions. The Weehoo looks cool, but pretty expensive. Any alternatives that are safe? The kid cant pedal himself yet.

The front rider also is interesting but Im worried my arms arent long enough to safely steer with him in front of me. Im only 5'6", hence the 15.5" frame.

celloshred

her Pierce, does the kid get in the way when you have to lean in?

is that WeeRide compatible with a bike rack thats attached to the seat post?

pierce 

if you got a little toddler on board, you shouldn't be 'leaning in' or bombing in any way. having your kid in FRONT of you serves to remind you of this.

I wouldn't trust a 30-40 lb kid on one of those seatpost-only racks, I'd want a VERY sturdy rack firmly supported from the rear axle.

strap a 35 lb of dogfood onto your seatpost rack, and try walking your bicycle. how stable is it if you have to pick up the front wheel a bit ? many bikes will want to flip over.

p.s. my kids are 18 and 22. its been a long long time since I had to tow them. We used a Burley trailer when they were small, they loved it.

xoxoxoxoLive

It's not cheap, but would last a little longer. (48 pound max) http://www.rei.com/product/815613/ye...-child-carrier Then you could always sell it on E-bay or CL. Has to be lots of people wanting the same thing, just not sure of the fit on the small frame.

pierce 

kinda rules that out... I believe the OP said they had a 15" frame.

xoxoxoxoLive

I guess so , I was speed reading through it. Because I really like Topeak stuff, but came across that one while looking. Nice catch, I have to admit you always seem to offer good solid advice on here. Your filling a void the Hybrid forum is missing, keep up the good work.

brianr2600

There is a baby seat option for many of the various upright tagalongs, which replaces the saddle. Not only is it a big drag like a rack mounted baby seat, it also make it completely impossible for the child to try pedaling. My advice is to find a used Weehoo or look for the older steel model on clearance somewhere. For smaller kids that don't pedal much and can't be trusted not to hop off the bike in traffic, the Weehoo is night and day better than the various upright tagalongs.