Cyclists : Recommend me a good kids bike seat

[Draeger]

Our son is 11 months old and I'm looking to get him on two wheels from an early age. I've been checking out bike seats but I'm not sure what to look for. Ideally looking to spend about £50-£100. Go Outdoors have a good offer on the Avenir Snooze seat at the moment at £41 :-

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/avenir-snooze-reclining-child-seat-p136967

It's the type of seat that is rear mounted. I'll be putting this on my Cube Acid hardtail and not my Pinarello roadie. I assume these are fairly universal fitting wise?. What about where they attach to the bike itself, I assume they will rub the paint a little unless some sort of tape is applied to the frame where they mount?. I've got Lizard Skin protection on a few areas but would helicopter tape be a better bet for this?.

Any thoughts on the Avenir in the link above?. Any of you two wheelers bought a kids seat recently?. I'd have stuck this thread in the "Big bike thread" but I thought it might get better exposure out here.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice.

 

[Jonny ///M]

They mount on your seat tube and the clamp is wrapped with rubber but I'd still put a bit of helicopter tape around that area to stop it scuffing.

Ideally you need your front mech cable to be routed ont he downtube to leave the seat tube clear of any cables. If the cable does run there it's a pain in the arse but it is doable on some bikes!

The avenir looks alright for the price as it can be tilted back. The one we sell the most is the hamax sleepy which is reclined using the red knob you can see in the pictures so quite easy to use but it's a bit more expensive.

Edit: looking at pics I think your cable does go down the seat tube, as it should really on a mtb. Another option is a rack mounted kids seat IF your frame has the eyelets for a rack.

 

[Draeger]

Cheers Jonny. Yeah, I think helicopter tape is a must. My cables run down the downtube and the seat tube on the Cube so that should be fine. I'm going to go and have a look at the Avenir and see it in the flesh. Not wanting to spend a massive amount on one of these just in case the wee fella isn't keen on sitting in it but I can't imagine that will be a problem - he must have two wheels running in his blood from his dad!!. I had a look at the Hamax seats and they look good but as you said, a bit pricey.

How do folk find these rear mounted seats are?. What about the centre mounted ones that clip to the top tube?. They look a bit more awkward to ride with them fitted?.