Hi,

I've got a 14 month old daughter and my wife has just given me the okay to buy a bike seat for her. Both of the bikes that I have that I'd use to go riding with her have rear bike racks installed on them already. I'm not sure if I'd be better with one of the bike seats that mount on the rear bike rack (e.g. Topeak BabySeat II) or one of the front mounted baby seats (e.g. WeeRide Kangaroo Child Bike Seat). Having the baby seat up front looks awkward, and uncomfortable and I worry that it would make the bike more difficult to handle. Plus one of the bikes I'd like to be able to use the bike rack with is a drop bar touring bike (Jamis Aurora Elite w/ disc brakes)- which has me leaning towards something like the Topeak. However, I've seen a (promotional) video for one of the WeeRide bike seats that show that the front-mounted baby seats give the kids much better site lines and make it a lot easier to interact with them.

So, what say you, Bike Forums?

I do not have any experience with the front mounted kid seats, but I do have a Bell seat that mounts on back. It is very secure, but having that weight on the rear of the bike is very awkward. Also, a minor issue, but when I stop I am used to swinging my leg back and over the read wheel to get off the bike. With the kid seat rear mounted I have to instead swing my leg over the top post.

I would try to sample both if at all possible to see which feels better for you. I was riding last week with my 2yr old in the kid seat and the weight on the back was very noticeable, but I was going along at a slow pace while following my other 2 kids on their bikes.

Rather than a rear of the seat / rack top carrier
[necessitating a step thru frame IMHO]
consider one of these
https://www.weehoobicycletrailer.com/

foot pegs? until grown large enough to pedal too..

My kids often fell asleep in the seats, and was thankful for the tall backs of the rear mounted seats.

We have both the back and front seats, and the front seats really offer a neat experience for kids that aren't that verbal yet. It's much easier to communicate with them when they're between your arms. We have the ibert, but it is true that it's not ideal for napping. Best case, they end up leaning against your arm, and that makes it harder to maneuver the bike. Yepp makes a seat with a higher back, though.

REI sells a number of front and back seats, and they have a very generous return policy -- if you're not happy with something at any time, for any reason, you can return it for a full refund. They will also install the seat, though there's generally a fee, and that's not refundable. We have a Topeak BabySeat and an Ibert, and have been quite happy with both, though the BabySeat is definitely better for napping. I do love those early "conversations" with a front seat.

ETA: Oh, and frame compatibility can definitely be an issue. The ibert works on my cruiser and on our xtracycle (a Specialized Globe) but not on my husband's road bike. The Topeak BabySeat works on both my cruiser and my husband's road bike, and is easy to swap between the two (if you buy a rack for each parent bike). We've really found this useful at times when one parent does daycare drop off and the other pickup.

I have been running my 2 year old around in a CoPilot rack mounted seat for the last couple weeks. She passes out pronto and when I get home she runs for her helmet. The seat is secure and safe, I can't recomend it highly enough. Only minor issue is that the plastic fits tight in the rack and so removing the seat is sometimes an issue.

Ron

Right there with ya! I have twin daughters, and a son. One daughter would be in the child seat in the back, two in the trailer. All were usually asleep in a short time. I loved the seat in the back, very secure, and the seat towered above their heads, so I knew they were good and protected. They all loved it.