Should it be a Trailer Bike, a Child Trailer or a Child Bike Seat?
Active parents can enjoy all day cycling with the kids using either a child trailer, a tag along or a child’s bike seat. Here’s some advice on which to choose.
Keen cyclists with young children have a wealth of products to choose from if they want to spend time in the saddle without worrying about whether the kids will get tired and spoil the fun. They can carry them in a child seat or pull them along behind their own bike either in a buggy or on a trailer bike.
There are pro and cons to each type of “bike” but the buying decision will come down to what type of riding the parents want to do, where they live and how old and/or heavy their children actually are.
Child Bike Seats
A bike seat for a child can be put on the rear or the front of a bike and is a great bike accessory to carry young children between 6 months and three years old up to a maximum weight of 40lb/18kg. With prices starting at around $80 they are an economical way of cycling with a small child but the biggest drawback to using a baby bike seat is that it can make your bike unstable, particularly with a hyperactive child.
Whilst strong safety harnesses keep the child firmly seated, side to side movements by the child force many parents to take their attention off the road which can compromise safety. For that reason, a child trailer pulled along behind the bike may be preferable.
Child Trailers
These are great little buggies pulled behind the host bike and have multiple uses as they can carry the kids and/or the shopping or even the family pet! With prices from $200, they do cost more than a bike seat but they can carry 2 small children plus the shopping and re-sale values are good.
A child trailer can cope with weights up to 100lb/45kg and, whilst they can be a little unwieldy on corners due to their length trailing behind the bike, they don’t affect bike handling. The kids can stay warm and dry in their own “bike” buggy and there are cool accessories like animal covers available from innovative brands such as Burley to keep the kids smiling while the parent exercises.
Tag Along Bicycles
Older children soon want to ride their own bikes but kids under 10 can get tired or bored easily, limiting the length of time parents can stay out on their bikes with them. Tag along bicycles which attach to an adult bike are the perfect solution and are great for teaching basic road safety and pedaling skills; they also allow the child to do some of the hard work as pulling a load of up to 70kg (bike plus child) can be pretty tiring!
Prices start from an affordable $80. The one drawback with a trailer bike is that they can really only be used in fair weather as the poor child can get very dirty in muddy conditions.
Choice of Bike for Cycling with Kids
A child bike seat may be preferable for young children up to 40lb in weight though a child trailer can be used for both babies and older kids up to 100lb. Neither encourage children to exercise, however, so a tag along may be the perfect solution for longer days in the saddle with the family in tow.