Carrying Children on Bicycles
Choosing a seat:
Use one of the special child seats readily available from good cycle dealers and child-care shops.
Most injuries suffered by children riding in child seats happen when the children’s’ feet get caught in the spokes of the wheel. So never use a seat without some sort of shield between the child’s feet and the wheel.
Also essential is a harness. Use only seats which come with a strong integral harness or to which a good pram harness can be securely attached.
If the seat is designed to be mounted on an ordinary rear carrier, make sure that you have a carrier, which can take the weight of a seat and a child (many can’t). Check that the seat’s fixing brackets are compatible with the carrier tubes.
Some seats are prone to rusting, particularly around the fixing brackets and the bolts, which hold them together. This can lead to them breaking in use, so go for a seat which has sturdy joints made from something more weather resistant than painted steel.
The more brackets, which fasten the seat to the bike, the better. The brackets should be robust.
Other good features are a high back, foot and hand rests, and wrap-around construction. As the cyclist, you may be glad of a fairly light-weight seat.
Check that the dimensions of the seat will let your child sit comfortably.
Choose a seat, which comes with good instructions about fitting and use.
RoSPA believes that accidents are much more likely with seats, which mount over the handlebars and/or front wheel. These seats can affect steering and balance. The child (and sometimes the seat too) can also be flung forward when the rider brakes.
Fitting a seat:
Be prepared to spend money on getting the seat fitted by a cycle dealer if you are at all unsure about how to do it yourself. Always ask for advice if you have a ‘small wheel’ bike (wheels less than 26 inches) as there may be fitting and balance problems.
If you fit the seat yourself, follow the instructions carefully and make sure all the brackets are tight.
If the position of your seat is adjustable, position it so that it does not interfere with your pedalling or steering. The further back a seat is, the more it will affect the handling of the bike.
Using a seat:
Children should not be carried until they can sit up well (usually about 6-8 months). When they are about 4-5 years old they are getting too heavy, and will complain about being cramped.
Always use the harness. Children often fall asleep in cycle seats, and might slip out if unrestrained. If you have a spill, or just have to brake hard, the harness will act like a seat-belt to lessen the chance of the child being hurt.
When you have no passengers, make sure that the loose harness can’t get caught in any moving parts.
Helmets small enough for very young children are available, but may be hard to come by. It is worth making the effort to find such a helmet because small children’s skulls are fragile, and it is good to get them into the habit of wearing a helmet as early as possible. If the weather is cold or wet, ensure that the child is warm and dry: it can be cold on a bike for a child, when they are not pedalling to keep them warm!
Practice riding on quiet roads first. It may take a while for you to get used to the effect the extra load has on handling, and the child may fidget. Getting on and off, signalling and cornering will all be a little more awkward, so you’ll need to re-learn how to do these things without a lot of wobbling. At 15Kg child is quite an extra weight, especially up hills, so take it easy and use the lower gears.
Slow down gradually, well in advance of junctions. The extra weight means stopping takes longer, and harsh braking will give the child a rough ride.
Make sure the child can’t reach any moving parts, such as brakes, which might trap little fingers.
The seat needs looking after. If you’ve been riding in the rain, dry it to reduce the risk of rusting.
Regularly check that the fastenings are sound and all nuts, screws and so on still tight.
Information courtesy of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents