What Do You Need to Know About Kids Bike Seats?
Important to know: your child is only ready for a child bike seat when they can sit upright independently for a lengthy period of time. As long as the upright seat is not yet possible, you should prefer to transport your child in a comfortable bike trailer for kids. What else should be considered before buying, what the advantages and special features of bike child seats are and what is important for assembly and construction is explained in more detail below.
The Childrens Seats for Bikes – Advantages and Special Features
Apart from the great advantage that your child can be taken safely and easily on various everyday journeys in a bike seat, as already described, the main benefit of a bike child seat is its ease of use when you need to get from A to B quickly with your child.
They are quickly fitted to the bike and ready for immediate use – even if the bike seat needs to be moved from one bike to another. Many models are lockable and can therefore be protected against theft without having to mount them from time to time. Compared to a bike trailer for kids, they are more affordable on the one hand and, on the other, simply easier to handle and more flexible to use, especially for short distances. The brands Thule, Hamax, Bobike and Britax Römer in particular have established themselves on the market as reliable manufacturers of safe and comfortable bicycle seats for infants.
The Kids Bike Seat – Safety, Design and Installation
The most important thing, both for the child and the rider, is to wear a helmet while riding. Furthermore, the child should never sit in the seat alone, but only while riding or under supervision. This serves as a precautionary measure, as even with the bike stand in place, it can never be ruled out that the bike will tip over.
When the child is "ready" for the child seat, which must be officially certified according to the DIN EN 14344 standard, it can be loaded with a weight of up to 15 kg (front) or 22 kg (rear). It is therefore possible to mount the bike child seat in front of the rider on the top tube or at the rear on the luggage rack or seat tube. Depending on the bike, it may be more difficult or easier to mount the seat at the back of the seat tube or on the pannier rack. If the kids bike seat cannot be fitted immediately, it is possible to "adapt" the seat to the bike using a plug-in adapter.
In order to provide better weather protection and increased safety for the child in the event of a fall, it is advisable to mount the seat behind the rider.
With regard to the design of the bicycle child seat, several properties come into focus:
- The seat shell should be padded in the back area and have side bolsters and a headrest (ideally with a helmet recess) to provide more stability.
- The seat should preferably have harness straps, but at least lap belts.
- The leg restraints and the backrest of the child seat should be height-adjustable
- There should be a hump on the seat to secure the child in the event of sharp braking.
- Be careful with exposed saddle springs: These saddles should be covered to prevent your child from pinching their fingers.
Decide on a Child Bike Seat
The child bike seat shows its advantages above all on shorter distances in everyday life and impresses with its flexible handling. In addition, today's models are very light and a lot cheaper than a bike trailer for kids.
If you are often out and about in the city, a bicycle seat for children is also the easiest way to saddle up the little ones quickly and easily. In the BIKE24 online store you will find a large selection of different brands and suitable child bike seats for mounting on the front and rear of the bike. If you have any questions or would like advice, you can contact our customer service team at any time.