Child Seats versus Child Trailers

[ElephantsGerald]

I'd like to take my 3 year old daughter with me on my Wisper 905SE every now and then, but I'm unsure whether to get a child seat or a child trailer. Does anyone have any advice?

My thoughts so far are as follows:

Child Seat Pro's:

• Cheaper than trailers
• The child is closer to you so you can communicate better
• The child is higher and has a better view of the world

Child Seat Con's:

• High centre of gravity - the optimum saddle height for pedalling on the 905SE (for me anyway) is already very high (I can only just touch the ground on tippy toe), so the bike is already quite hard to manage whilst at a stand-still - more weight up high would make this much worse
• Loads more weight on the back wheel!
• Hard to provide protection from the weather
• Hard to prop up the bike whilst strapping your child in

Child Trailer Pro's:

• Low centre of gravity, so easier to manage the bike
• Can take more weight than a child seat
• Can be used to cart 'stuff' around as well as children
• Built in weather protection
• Easy to prop up the trailer whilst strapping your child in

Child Trailer Con's:

• More expensive than child seats
• Restricted visibility for the child
• Harder to talk to your child
• Your child is more vulnerable down there at ground level (not sure if this is true or not?!?)
• The trailer is likely to get covered in mud and spray coming off the back of the bike

Specifically regarding the Wisper 905SE:

• How would you attach a child seat? - the child seat I've been considering (Hamax Kiss) seems to be designed to clamp onto the seat tube, but on the 905SE this is obscured by the battery, so the only option look to be clamping it onto the saddle post instead - would that work? Would it put too much strain on the seat clamp?
• How would you attach a trailer? - the trailer I've been considering (Avenir Shetland Trailer) looks like it attaches the the rear wheel hub - would this be possible on the 905SE?

All suggestions appreciated.

Regards,

Elephants

 

[levelgaze]

I have been agonising over this a bit recently, too.

The prime safety advantage of trailers over seats is that they (allegedly) are likely to stay upright if the bike goes over onto its side.

I can't commit myself to the idea of my little 'un being down at wheel level in a flimsy tube/fabric construction, though - I would much rather have him up high, in a big RED seat, so that everyone can see him. And I find that you are much more aware of them when they are just behind you.

I have a cheap Hammax. It fits on an Agattu. I think you shouldn't fix it to a seat post, though - it needs to be the frame.

 

[Danny-K]

I don't have any children and I don't yet have a trailer, so being patently unqualified to comment, let me continue by saying that a year or two back I came across a commotion on the Bristol-to-Bath cycle-path that might be pertinent to your decision.

A very small child in a 'safety-seat' (hah!) had somehow managed to slip/get his leg entrapped within the the rear seat-stay and the spokes of the wheel of his father's bicycle. He was wailing like a banshee. People were rushing hither and thither in panic. All attempts to free the little boy had failed. Women onlookers were openly crying and hugging each other. No one in the crowd had any tools to free the child. No one!

I quietly parked up, undid my saddlebag, and waded through the crowd with my tool roll, and set too freeing him. By this time the father was holding the child in mid air with someone holding the bike upright. The leg of the child looked severely distorted. Eventually and with some effort the child's leg was freed and they all ran off carrying the child aloft to a nearby exit/entry point where someone had phoned on their mobile for an ambulance to arrive.

If it was me, I'd go for the trailer. Not least because a two-wheeled trailer only transfers 10% of the weight to the bike, whereas struggling with a child in a 'high-seat' can make the whole plot unstable.

I looked out in the local papers for any reports, but I never did find out what became of the kid.

P.S. The bike looked about 100 years old, like an old 'Edwardian' sit-up-and-beg, the child-seat looked even older, homemade even. Modern plastic child-seats with straps for the child's feet are far superior to what I came across that day.

 

[flecc]

I too favour the trailer option, bike seats putting all that weight too far up, and it's a very long way for a little one to fall in any accident.

I've never heard of any accident involving a child trailer and I'm certain it's one thing drivers would avoid at any cost. I'm sure most would rather drive into a wall than hit a child trailer.

I would not use a child trailer after dark though, no matter how well lit.
.

 

[Erik]

I have a very good Bobike childseat on my Agattu, and no stabilty problems.

I also like to have my son close so we can speak.

The cons of a trailer:

The vehicle gets very long.

The vehicle gets very wide, so you have more conflicts and space issues with other road users.

All the entrances to cycle paths, that are not right next to roads, have posts to keep out the mopeds., and I would have to struggle getting the bike and trailer through.

 

[flecc]

But trailers can be much more fun for the nippers!

 

[levelgaze]

A 'bloke in a bike shop' told me that he felt that trailers were better when your ride was mainly on cycle paths; seats better when dealing with traffic.

 

[Blew it]

Hi all,

One for the "trailer cons". some while back, I rode up to a junction of cycle route and main road. Here in Swindon many of these junctions have staggered railings designed to prevent cyclists from speeding straight accross. This one also had a young lady with a child trailer firmly wedged in between the two sets of railings.

Eventually, after removing the little one, I carried the trailer, tipped sideways, through the "trap". After strapping the squirt back in like an F14 pilot the lady thanked me and rode off declaring " thats the last time I come this way".

This is how we did it 50 years ago!.

Up to the age when I bought my first motorcycle, My little brother often rode with me on my Bitza bike. With the help of the local mechanic, A small saddle was fitted to the top tube, A pair of footrests were clamped to the downtube and two extra rubber grips slid onto the handlebars. The best rides were when hearing the Fire siren go off, we would quickly clamber onto the bike and go like the clappers down a steep hill towards the Fire station and watch the pumps going out. when flying down this hill, little bro would brace himself against the footrests, let go of the handlebars and lean back against me laughing his head off.

Of course, we came a few croppers, the first time was also when I discovered this 6 year old had a far better grasp of the English language than I thought, talk about a trooper!. Later he was assigned to gearchanging duties, shifting the Sturmey Archer to the next gear whenever I called "now".

Me and my little Bro carried on riding in this way until I could hardly see over his head, and his knees were up under his chin. I quickly cobbled up a little single speeder for him to ride himself. This of course was unsatisfactory, "It hasn't got any gears" "I have to do the pedalling" "It's not so much fun".

If you stop and think about carrying a child in this way, to start with it's more enjoyable, It is much easier to answer the ten-a-minute questions about everything you ride past. your arms passing each side of the child is reassuring to them. Finally, resting their hands on the handlebars means they are actually riding the machine with you. Even more so if things like bell ringing duties are assigned to the shotgun rider.

The Nanny state of course requires the child to be strapped into an ejector seat look-a-like complete with 5 point F1 harness, so I suppose it's not even worth thinking about

Happy days.

 

[levelgaze]

If you stop and think about carrying a child in this way, to start with it's more enjoyable, It is much easier to answer the ten-a-minute questions about everything you ride past. your arms passing each side of the child is reassuring to them. Finally, resting their hands on the handlebars means they are actually riding the machine with you. Even more so if things like bell ringing duties are assigned to the shotgun rider.

There are front-mounted child seats available - I like the idea, for the reasons you state (and also, of course, since the child might act as an airbag in case of a collision...).

 

[levelgaze]

Well, I have switched to a trailer - a friend had one for sale, so I thought I'd try it out. The little 'un loves it, although we can no longer chat as much as we used to (perhaps that's why he likes it...).

It's certainly heavier / more noticeable going up hills! But I'm happy that he has some decent weather protection, which isn't really possible on a seat.

 

[ElephantsGerald]

I ended up getting a Halfords Trailer Buggy, which my daughter is delighted to be pulled about in .

Its pretty good, apart from the gap where the fabric wraps around the frame at the front, which let in quite a bit of water when it rained on us.

The only other problem was the bracket that fits onto the bike axle - the dimensions of the hole were just too small to fit onto the fat axle on the Wisper 905; I had to attack the bracket with a metal file to get it to fit.

Regards,

Elephants

 

[flecc]

Glad you got fixed up in the end Elephants. I've noticed how A to B magazine's Henshaw family switched Alexander into a trailer as soon as they were able and they seemed to prefer that option. We'll be able to observe how they accommodate their latest addition, Orlando.
.

 

[carigada]

I have a Hamax Sleepy rear bike seat, an old Burley Solo trailer and a Tagalong. I have three shildren and the two oldest have now progressed through these three options to independant bikes. My youngest is now 4 and she is now a little heavy for me to feel safe with her on the bike seat when I am not riding the bike. I always worry that the bike will fall over due to her weight if I am not astride it. She is not old enough yet that I trust her to hold on for dear life on the Tagalong. I find the bike seat makes it a little difficult getting on and off the bike as you cant swing your leg around the rear of the saddle.

If anyone wants the Hamax Sleepy, I am happy to let it go for the price of transport or free if the buyer collects.

 

[JohnInStockie]

So whats your solution for the 4yr old? I have a child seat and a Trail-Gator, but am a bit nervous about the Trail Gator, and the balance is awful with them in the child seat.

John

 

[carigada]

She goes in the trailer for now, with a fluorescent orange flag flying on a pole on the back of the trailer to make it as visible as possible. I pick my routes carefully so that we aren't on main roads, just quiet urban roads, cycle paths, and bridleways. I will also use a footpath if it's unoccupied as this allows me to remove her further from the traffic.

I find that I get an enormous amount of courtesy from motorists. I have never once had a car stop and wave me across the road when I am cycling on my own. This is a common occurrence when I have a Lucy in her trailer on the back.

I have unfortunately had to take the stand off my Agattu because the trailer attaches to the frame where the stand is bolted on.

 

[essexman]

A 'bloke in a bike shop' told me that he felt that trailers were better when your ride was mainly on cycle paths; seats better when dealing with traffic.

This for me is it. I'm comfortable with a trailer for cyclepaths and quiet sunday rides. For going through peak time traffic at all hours of the day i want the child seat.

The story about kids getting body parts trapped\damaged applies equally to both a trailer and a seat. There are well known solutions to stop this happening for both.

PS my son wont go in my new trailer, but likes to put things in it