Wiggles_dad

I'm considering getting a Yepp Maxi rear mounted bike seat. If so, what are your thoughts on using the Yepp Easyfit adapter to mount the seat to a Tubus Logo rear rack? This way, when I don't have the bike seat attached, I still have a usable rear rack.

According to the Tubus website:

"Question: Is it allowed to fix a child-seat on a tubus carrier?

Answer: No! Please, donīt. Our carriers are made of thin-wall steel tubes, which are not suitable to clamp a child seat onto them. We assume no liability for any kind of harm or damage, caused by noncompliance to this rule."

I assume this is a liability consideration given that they can't account for all of the different ways a child seat could be mounted to a rear rack and possibly clamp and bend their tubing. The way the easy fit adapter mounts, I personally don't see it being risk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBvQdhuA43c

The Tubus Logo is rated to hold up to 80 lbs. I would trust this rack to hold less than half of that weight, but am I missing something?

Thanks!

mel2012

I had an Easy Fit adapter attached to my Racktime Addit rack (the poor man's Tubus Logo ) for over a year for use by my daughter with a GMG911 seat (predecessor to the Yepp Junior). I now have a Qibbel Junior seat attached to the same rack and have used it for about 6 months. My daughter weighs about 50 lbs, so we're pretty close to the weight limit and I've not had any issues. You might look into that one instead if you're concerned about damaging your rack.

I do notice that the Addit is aluminum vs. the steel for the Logo, not sure if that makes a difference in the construction, though usually I would anticipate that the steel would be sturdier and less subject to fracture.

Wiggles_dad

Thanks for the input mel2012. I would trust steel over aluminium since steels tends to bend before breaking.

fietsbob

Topeak makes a rack child seat integrated to work together
TopeakŪ Cycling Accessories ? Products - BabySeat? II & BabySeat? II Rack

Disc Rack : TopeakŪ Cycling Accessories ? Products - BabySeat? II & BabySeat? II Disc Mount Rack

removing and putting your Tubus back on (if you even bought one yet) is not difficult.

the top of the LoGo is rather Narrow.

Peter Ronge

Hi there,

this is Peter from Tubus. We design and produce the racks of both brands Tubus and Racktime.
Regarding clamped/bolted childseats on our racks of both brands:

No guessing about the sense or nonsense on/of the content of our manuals and FAQ's , please !!!
Modern carriers are made of thin-walled steel-and aluminium tubing. For example, Tubus racks consist partly on tubes
with a wall-thickness of 0,5mm. That is fine as long as you hook your panniers on, or carry your beer-tray home.
But the tubes are NOT made to squezze them with any kind of clamp. They can crack easily by a clamp.
A childseat can fall of the bike within seconds after such a crack occures.
The childseat-industry don't care about any risk of such an attachment, which is really bad.
We don't want to be responsable for any injury or death of your babys, so please believe our manuals and FAQ's.
It is strictly prohibited to mount a clamp-based childseat on any of our racks made by Tubus and Racktime.
Thank you

Peter

cb400bill

Bump

Will H

Having used the Yepp Maxi seat for years, I'm pretty strong on keeping it for our 3rd kid. I would like to find a lighter weight rack for my wife's bike that can also fit this seat. So far, the only direct-mount options are the GMG or Steco

I can say the GMG is overly heavy, and the Steco looks to be too.

I've seen some solutions, like re-welding a Tubus, but would rather avoid those types of mods. Are there any stock CroMo racks that incidentally fit the Yepp Maxi?

We've had a Surly Nice Rack +EasyFit adapter as well as the direct mount to the Xtracycle Flight Deck II system, which we will still use. Just looking for a lighter option for m'lady.

Peter Ronge

Hi Will,

the racks of GMG and Steco are so heavy cause they have to be for the purpose to carry a child seat.
The weight of your baby + seat is not the only deciding criteria. The lever arm if the force which impact
onto the rack is much longer ( higher) compared to a pair of panniers hooked onto the rack.
In addition, racks for panniers hav often a "waist" below the loading area, cause the legs are welded a bit to
the middle ( view from the rear) underneath the platform.
This makes the rack stiffer against side-swing, but only as long as you carry load with a low center of gravity
(panniers)
As soon as you increase the lever arm of the force (child sitting high up ) the "waist" can be the weak spot.
The danger is, that the whole platform can break apart.
I hope that this explanation of a german is understandable....., if not, ask me for details.

best

Peter from Tubus/Racktime

Will H

Thanks Peter,

This makes sense, thank you for the explanation. That said, there is a big market for racks that can do baby seat and heavy cargo/panniers. Does Tubus have an interest or plans to produce anything that would fit the need?

fietsbob

You bump wanting a different answer?


They may have the market they want to pursue, and it's not the kiddy seat sector


My LBS Sells These :

https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/child-carrier, to do the job you ask about.

once the tyke is pedaling their own bike* , then put the light weight pannier rack on that bike.

* Those few years will fly by fast, in the long view..

Will H

I think I'll stick with my tried and true method of Surly Nice Rack with Yepp Easy Fit adapter bolted to it and Yepp seat on top. It's no heavier than the GHG or Steco rack all told, and once we are done with kid carrying, adapter comes right off and it's a great rack for other stuff.

If you've used this rack, you know it is very heavy duty. 80 lbs rated, and the lateral torque of a child on a seat has not been an issue in previous uses with kids up to 4 y/o. I've looked for evidence of anything being compromised or loose, but the bolts for the easy fit stay tight, all the contact points with the bike are very sound, and the rack has never flexed or bent under any load that I've put on it.

I'd love to hear from any Surly experts or staff on this topic. In general, I think these racks are about the best all-arounders for serious hauling, but would love to hear from the source on it.