At home with a newborn and imagining the days when I’ll be able to take her out.
What setups have people liked, or disliked, for riding with kids ages approx 1-3 yrs? Tips for building a bike to carry a kid? What styles of bikes are best and most conducive to different configurations over time?
Thinking about types of seats and types of bikes. Will start collecting parts once settled on a basic setup plan. Would like to use it for recreation, even some mild off-road, and maybe daycare drop offs, not a cargo bike and probably not a trailer.
Out of the 3 I tested (Thule charriot trailer, Thule Yepp rear seat, and shotgun front seat) rear seat is the best option by a mile if you like riding and for your child too. It offers a very similar experience as yours to the kiddo, and feels much better than the shotgun (except for MTB which I don’t do with my kid). The trailer is fine except for climbing (momentum creates a weird push/pull force that makes climbing very not enjoyable except if seated and super smooth, which is harder if you’re pulling 50lbs), except if there is any water on the road (your kid seats right behind your rear wheel, so the choice is either fully enclosed behind plastic windows, or getting all the dust debris and splashes) or if you’re going to ride bumpy gravel (very bad smoothing capability since tyres are pretty narrow and running tubes means high pressure)
Each stage has different ideal setups imo. When they are still pretty young the bike trailer is a great way to get out and begin sharing something you enjoy with your kiddo but the distance between you two doesn’t make it super conducive to talking with them and enjoying together.
We graduated to the Mac Ride (same concept as shotgun) basically as soon as they could hold onto the handlebars. We’d cruise around the neighborhood on the rigid mtb while they babbled away. Once kid A outgrew the Mac ride we got a Burley Kazoo and tossed kid B on the Mac Ride. We cruise all around town, rip flowy singletrack and now I’m doing kindergarten drop offs and pickups on that rig. Highly recommend!
I’m using a Stooge Dirt Tracker as my dad bike and would highly recommend but honestly anything decently upright should give you and the little one plenty of room.
My youngest is about to turn eight, but they all (three kids) spent some time in a Chariot and the youngest also experienced a Shotgun front seat. Chariot was cool for me, and they would fall asleep in it but you can tip it over… so be careful. My youngest still talks about the Shotgun, but it’s heavy going. If you don’t have one already I would suggest an e-bike would make these experiences so much better. I didn’t, but would have ridden with them a lot more if I did.
So I’m going to be nag guy, back in the day we stopped selling baby seats because of the risk of injury. I used a trailer for both my boys and yeah there is downside but mostly to the rider. Free world, but ask your lbs what they see and make an informed choice.
Our three-year-old has done trailer and rear rack seat (Thule Yepp family). He likes both and will make specific requests for one or the other. He’s happier on the seat because it’s easier to talk. He very much Does Not Get that talking through distance, rain covers, windows etc. is difficult. So I prefer the seat for the lesser rate of tantrums caused by frustrated toddler trying to talk, not understanding I can’t hear.
Now the difference is academic because he’s on his own pedal bike and just wants to ride it.
With my little guy I started with a rear bike seat which he liked and would fall asleep on but he wasn’t super chatty/it was hard to hear him and talk to him at times with him behind you. He did like it but he was more passive watching the world go past him without much view of what was coming towards him.
I bought a shotgun seat with some mini handlebars and instantly his level of fun and engagement on the ride went up. He points things out more, talks more, sometimes wants a cuddle and a hung while riding which I can do more easily. He has got tired and started to fall asleep after a big adventure with the shotgun and I’ve needed to try pretty hard to keep him awake to not fall off rushing to get back home which is a definite negative
The shotgun definitely wasn’t an option when I started riding with him on the back at around 10 months until he was around 2 years old. The rear seat was on a commuter style dad-bike I made from a side of the road frame and parts bin. The shotgun I’ve put on a hardtail to have some more room in front for him to fit.
We recently got a longtail eCargo bike with the monkey bar cage thing on the rear and he has enjoyed riding on the back of that and in the rear seat we got for the younger one when they are ready.
I ended up getting a ~10 year old Burley D’Lite X from a club member for $50 and so far we enjoy it! I can still hear my 15month old while cycling if something isn’t going well or she’s uncomfy. Towing the trailer isn’t too bad but definitely noticeable. I’m not sure if she needs a helmet but better safe than sorry even with the 3 point harness and a lap belt. Looking into a gravel or mtn bike to pair with the road. I would prefer a gravel with a shotgun option when she gets older.
Any fall for a kid in a bike seat carries a heightened risk of injury. They are falling from a higher distance and lack the capabilities to protect themselves.
Trailers are basically roll cages for them and will often stay upright, even if the bike goes over.
Congratulations on becoming a parent. I’m so glad you’re looking ahead to riding with your daughter. For my wife and I, riding with her is a lot of fun and a highlight of our parenting journey so far.
We started riding with my daughter when she was about 17 months old. She’s now 3. We had the same questions as you when we were trying to discover what was best for our family. We live in Philadelphia and although it would be great to commute her around by bicycle, we realized the risk vs reward of doing that wasn’t in our favor. Instead, we chose to focus on longer rides with her along the region’s expansive rails to trails network, mostly the Schuylkill River Trailer. Because of this, we opted to purchase a Thule Chariot Lite trailer.
With the trailer, she can have her own space. We give her water, snacks, sunglasses, helmet, hat, and fan. She can’t drop anything along the way, and we pack extra snacks, clothes, diapers, underwear, wipes, and toys for whole days out in the storage section on the back. We can also use blankets to keep her warm in the early spring and late fall, and the trailer kept her dry when the skies opened up on us last summer. As others pointed out, it’s difficult to have a conversation, but we can hear when she needs something or is talking about something along the route. I use my road bike to pull the trailer.
We have such fun days out and we even took a vacation to the Netherlands last summer with our bikes and trailer. Whatever you chose, you will find the time well spent with your daughter.
I wrote this last year, though it needs an update now. This thread has me thinking I need to do another on carrying your kids around with your own bike. The bikes my kid learned to ride on
We have the Urban Arrow cargo bike, which is sweet, and I’m currently testing a Tern Quick Haul Long, which has been good now that both kids are a bit older. Chariots are fine but really suck your will to live uphill. The shotgun/macride is my son’s absolute favorite but hurts my knees after a while.
I have an Urban Arrow like Caley and absolutely love it, as do my kids. It’s pretty expensive, but would say it’s the most enjoyable bike I’ve ever bought. I got it when the older one was 2 but the little one started riding in it at 6 months using the car seat adapter. They are 6 and 3 now. I made some DIY attachments to carry their bikes with us places. I did a pull behind my bike for about 6 months before buying this. Having them right in front of me makes it much easier to hear them and talk about the ride and things we see and I also feel like they are a little safer
I have a rain cover which helps with rain and wind so I drop the kids off at school most of the year on my way to work (I still drive when it’s snowy or icy as one of my fears is going down with them in it). I can also fit about $300 of groceries in it when it’s just me.
So much fun riding slow! My little princess started in an old Trek trailer that was built for 2x 5/6 year olds so she was strapped in and packed with cushions and soft animals. She liked it but it had basic suspension so anything other than the bike path was hairy. Up to 2 she got terrified by anything over 20kph. Then I got a Larry vs. Harry Bullitt longjohn cargo bike with the cabin out front. That’s like an oil tanker on wheels once you load up the littlun and all the child accessories so great if you want exercise. The steering is something else but you can get the riding position close to road/XC and so we did some serious KMs on that. The cabin is like a rollcage and I fitted a 4-point go kart harness to lock her down right in the middle. Even if the bike rolled over her head would probably be inside the frame - not that it’s ever possible to be guaranteed safe. We moved house so I had to sell and she cried when I told her. Now she’s 5 and we’ve got a Tern GSD. It’s just amazing. I’ve taken her and a friend to the animal park 60KM away and we had a riot listening to their party tunes and stories on a Bluetooth speaker. The Bullitt was my favourite and I might buy one again just for me one day but the GSD is just an awesome package. I do the household shop on it every week and it does the daily school run all year round. Now she’s learnt to ride I have a follow me tandem attachment on my commuter MTB and we take that to the trials in the local woods. The tandem bit stays on your bike and the kid can detatch and ride solo, then just clip on again for the roll home. Takes your hill reps to a new level and hilarious having someone giving me feedback on my lack of speed on the 12% hill up to the trails… the attachment mechanism is heavy on your bike but very secure if set up right. She’s learned intuitively how to steer by leaning rather than steering just from being attached to me. I never taught her, just noticed her doing it one day. Anyway, there’s no age too early to enjoy bikes and it’s opened up whole new genres of N+1 Hope you have as much fun as we are
I feel like I’ve had them all and like others have said, they work better at different ages. My biggest advice is look for used stuff. Kids age out so fast and I have always found good deals on everything. Currently with a 4 and 6 who both ride Their own bikes. Unless we trade it all in for an urban arrow I think we have sized out of all of them for the most part.
when the kids were younger we were selective about where we went riding with kids and stuck mostly to multi-use paths and quieter shore town roads on the east coast of USA.
Thule ride along rear seat worked well when they were little. We could hear them talking and engage with them. When they ultimately fell asleep the were supported. It was nice to have but don’t feel that it was the best option… probably wouldn’t buy it again but it didn’t take up a lot of room.
The burley trailer also worked great for a wide range of ages. Both kids took naps in them and unhooked it to use as a stroller at destinations was great. If you think ahead and get the right one, 2 kids can fit. The pockets on the side could hold a water bottle and snacks which was awesome and the cover meant that when you get caught in a rain shower they stay dry. Traveling to a park/playground or beach, the trailer could haul buckets and the loads of stuff kids come with. Downside was they were kind of far away and hard to hear.
we had a Mac-ride. It was amazing for trail rides and even quick spins around the block. I think as others have pointed out the kids are more engaged up front. You can have a conversation about all the things they see and hear them the entire time. Snacks and water are harder and usually require a stop. Major downside is if they fall asleep it’s hard to keep going and if you have a bigger kid they will outgrow it fast.
finally we got a weehoo which is like the burley kazoo. Of course we bought it when my 4 year old was too big for the MAC ride and the trailer was in a different state. He had no interest in his balance bike at all… he used the weehoo for 3 months before deciding he loved his balance bike and learned to ride a regular bike in 3 weeks. It was great for that little time and he loved that he could “make us go fast” by peddling. Another thing I probably wouldn’t buy again
With all that said, congratulations. Sharing your love of Riding with kids is awesome.
And if anyone has a suggestion as to ways to pull/tow the kiddos and bikes when they get tired please let me know
The MacRide is SO MUCH FUN, particularly if you have some trails/gravel to ride. Some of my favorite memories with the kids at that age are MacRide conversations. They do outgrow it fast, but it was so worth it.
We tried the trailer and didn’t love it for the extra length/storage/parking issues. We’re on our second longtail cargo e-bike and it’s still in use, despite having 130-140lbs of kids now (7 and 10).
Having had two (now very much not) little ones, I was a big fan of trailers, as they can be moved between bikes. We had a two seat covered trailer, which was great for lugging both of them and stuff, as it kept them dry, but it was cumbersome.
By far the better option was a Weehoo single wheel trailer/tag along. Not suitable for really young kids, but it’s great for kids age 2 to around 10, allows them to pedal too, but they are strapped in so unlike normal tag alongs they can also fall asleep safely. We did all types of riding, including singletrack, with only modification being much longer/better mudguard.
Had a trailer on loan from a friend for a couple of weeks, but I found it a massive amount of faff as we don’t have a garage so the getting it all out, hitching, putting the kids and stuff in was a pain. I think if you can leave it all set up in the garage it’d be a good option.
Had a hamax rear seat which clamped to the seat tube via stays which gives a nice amount of suspension. Fairly hard to talk to kid but good for zipping around to nursery and first years of school, good for a day out but friends who had front seats always say how much fun they had. Not an option for me as my long legs just weren’t ever going to be able to accommodate that amount of space. Hills weren’t really a problem, although you can’t get out of the saddle without the centre of balance going crazy (this is on a CX bike in my case, might have been ok on a hardtail or other flat bar bike).
Graduated to an analogue long tail cargo bike which was grand for a couple of years but overlapped with the age when they were both able to ride their own pedal bikes which would get more use than the cargo bike.
Whatever you get I think it’ll 1) get the kid excited about bikes in general 2) get them out of the mindset that the car is the default option to get around. These days we mostly walk to school but the kids know that the car is not coming out to make a walkable/rideable distance.
Hope you have as much fun as we are 