Kids Bike Seats: Riding with kids from the start

For a ride to daycare, a shopping trip into town, or a quick detour to the lake: With a kids bike seat, you always have your little one with you. These seats are practical, affordable, and most importantly, space-saving. Unlike kids trailers, they hardly take up more space than your city bike – a plus in rental properties or at large bike parking areas. Plus, they're quick to install and easily removed when not needed. And they have relatively little impact on your bike's handling. 

Still, you should keep in mind that sudden movements from the child can become noticeable, especially when starting out or moving slowly. To avoid surprises, it's best to keep communicating with your child. This way, you know what's happening behind you, your child won’t get bored, and you can also explain important traffic situations. A wise move for independent cycling with the first balance bike or kids bike. 

Kids bike seats are safe and comfortable

The main task of a child seat: It must guarantee maximum safety. The requirements for a bike child seat are regulated by the DIN EN 14344 standard. It provides information about material quality, the necessary safety straps, and the maximum permissible weight. All bike child seats in our range are tested based on this standard. We also focus on high-quality products from well-known manufacturers like Thule, bobike, and others. This way, you can be sure that safe materials are used and that your young passengers' comfort is taken care of. Many child seats feature suspension. This better protects the children's spine when riding over obstacles. However, you should avoid trails or bumpy roads with a child seat to prevent injuries. An exception is child seats specially designed for mountain biking. More on that below.

Kids bike seats can grow with your child 

For your child to sit as comfortably as possible, the backrest and footrests on common models can be adjusted in size. A five-point harness system ensures that your child is stable and secure in the seat. The straps can also be adjusted according to the size of the child. So the bike child seat grows with your child. rear kids seats, mounted on the seat post or the luggage carrier, are approved for a weight of up to 22 kilograms, which roughly corresponds to a child's age of up to about six years. By law, the seats must be designed so that feet or hands cannot get into the spokes. Therefore, the footrests are equipped with additional restraints to secure the feet. 

Rear-mounted kids bike seats: Attaching to the seat tube

Most child seats for mounting behind the rider are now attached to the seat tube. The attachment is simple and stable. With these models, you are not dependent on a rack, and you can even take your child on a gravel bike – but only with aluminum or steel frames. Mounting on carbon frames can lead to serious damage since the child seat, with its two rods, requires a bracket to be bolted to the seat tube. Please pay attention to the allowed tube diameter, which typically ranges from 28 to 40 millimeters. Basic advantages of rear mounting include that the child seats offer more safety, less impact on handling, and also allow for sleeping positions. The benefit of this attachment is that you can still use bags on the pannier rack. Alternatively, you can retrofit a front carrier or mount a handlebar basket or frame bag. No matter how you solve your luggage problem, please don't shove your fully packed backpack in your child's face or force them to limbo under your messenger bag. Unfortunately, you still see this all too often. Also, it might feel unusual at first not having your child in sight. Tip: Here, a rear-view mirror on the handlebar can help. 

Carrying two children on the bike is possible 

As you might have already guessed, you can typically only carry one child in a designated seat. However, there are alternatives to a child trailer for transporting two kids. For instance, there are now cargo bikes equipped with a longer carrier rack. On these so-called mid- or longtails, you can attach two child bike seats in a row. However, this is not permitted on all bike models. So, please check in advance! If one of your kids can already ride a bike, you could add a FollowMe tandem coupling to your bike. The child's bike can then be hitched when its rider gets tired or at dangerous points in traffic, allowing you to continue your trip as a threesome. Lastly, you can also attach a child bike seat at the front and one at the back. But do pay close attention to the permissible total weight of your bike and familiarize yourself with the extra weight in a safe area. It's best to practice first with inanimate extra weights.

Leisure tip: Kids seats for mountain bikes 

If you're keen to share your passion for mountain biking with your little one, then MTB child seats are a fantastic way to do it. Your kid sits on a seat right behind your handlebar, getting a front-row seat to the action. Child seats for mountain biking either mount to the frame or use a support bar that attaches to the seat post and the fork steerer tube. Besides the seat, there's also footrests for the kiddo, and optionally, a small handlebar that mounts to yours, letting them get even more involved in the experience. Many systems feature a quick-release mechanism, so you can attach the child seat whenever needed on the fly. Just be mindful of weight limits, age recommendations, and whether your bike is compatible with the seat mount! 

Since there's no backrest, your child needs to stay awake and alert at all times on an MTB child seat. The trail's probably exciting enough, but keep that in mind when planning the length of your rides together. Also, remember to dress them appropriately on warmer days and don't forget the gloves! Their fingers can get really cold from the wind chill on the handlebars. Speaking of planning your rides: sticking to simple trails without jumps and drops keeps things on the safer side.