Looking for a Front Seat for a 27 lb child

A friend is looking to buy a seat you attach to the front of the bike for his 27 lb baby boy.  He knows soon he will be too big, but wants one to ride around this summer before he outgrows it.

#1 - Anyone have one they are looking to sell?

#2 - Thoughts on front mounted seats? 

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Permalink Reply by John C. Wilson on April 23, 2013 at 1:41am

By front mounted I'm guessing you mean the kind that mount on the toptube. To mount that weight to a toptube best to start with a bike that's built heavy. Dutchbikes are specifically made for this type of extreme service. Old heavy Schwinn cruisers. Old (like 1980s) mountain bikes. Twenty seven pounds and growing and squirming is going to bend or break anything light.

Permalink Reply by Anika on April 23, 2013 at 4:26am
The iberts go up to 35lbs. Biggest problem is length though. How tall is his child? My 2 year old hasn't fit in ours since the fall. It is fairly easy to find these used on the cheap.

Front seats are good for interaction with a child. They do impede leg movement and mounting depending on the bike they are attached to. And despite what looks like a lack of support in comparison to rear mounted, they are quite safe (although not great for child sleeping) - I speak from experience.
Permalink Reply by Grace Van Moer 8.25 mi on April 23, 2013 at 4:52am

+1 on the iBert, but length of kid's legs can be in issue.  Our tot was average height/weight and we were able to use our ibert seat until he was 3.5 yrs.  Troll craigslist - that's how we sold ours when he outgrew it last fall.

Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on April 23, 2013 at 4:57am

My kids got big fast.  We found that a trailer was the preferred mode of transport.  

Permalink Reply by annlaura on April 23, 2013 at 6:36am

I used and loved the ibert. My son called it his eagle's nest. He outgrew it by height before weight, like others.

Permalink Reply by Elizabeth on April 23, 2013 at 7:29am

We loved the ibert too.  Can't wait until my youngest is old enough for it!

Permalink Reply by Lee Roy on April 23, 2013 at 8:40am

My comical, but serious take on these is simple..., "Kid-a-Pult".

Do not buy one of these.

Permalink Reply by Anika on April 23, 2013 at 10:55am
Do you have an experience that backs this up?

My son and I were hit from behind by a moving car when he was 5 months old. He sustained zero injury which could not be said for me as a rider. Again, it is an approved carrier - far safer than it looks.



Lee Roy Carrier said:

My comical, but serious take on these is simple..., "Kid-a-Pult".

Do not buy one of these.

Permalink Reply by John C. Wilson on April 23, 2013 at 2:50pm

Sure kid-a-pult happens. Little kids could just as well be a sack of jello in an impact. Harness as much as you want and they come out anyway. If you want to assess the risk of that happening as small it's your kid and you get to make that decision. The risk is not zero. Catapulting force is going to vary with where the kid is carried and with the type of accident. I've seen a harnessed kid catapulted from a standard bucket over the back wheel carrier and I can't easily erase that image. Handlebar carriers strike me as even worse.

Then there's the little issue of how much faith you have in the strength of the single clamp that secures the whole business to the stem, faith in the strength of the stem (please at least use a steel stem), faith in how solidly that stem is jammed into the steerer, faith in the strength of the steerer. Anyone who works on bikes has seen all parts of the system fail, even before throwing in the unusual load that the front end of the bike was not designed for. None of this ever dissuades those who want to ride kids on bikes so have at it.

Anika said:

Do you have an experience that backs this up?

My son and I were hit from behind by a moving car when he was 5 months old. He sustained zero injury which could not be said for me as a rider. Again, it is an approved carrier - far safer than it looks.



Lee Roy Carrier said:

My comical, but serious take on these is simple..., "Kid-a-Pult".

Do not buy one of these.

Permalink Reply by Anika on April 23, 2013 at 3:03pm
Yeah - it can happen the same as any sort of accident can happen to any rider but to make a blanket statement not to buy one is not helpful nor supportive of someone who would like riding with a child.

Riding with kids is hard. Period. It doesn't matter if they are 2 or 10. And everyone has an opinion on whether or not you should do it. I've heard it all (as have both of my kids) from fellow bikers, motorists, police, etc. perhaps even you.

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