Comments on: Test: Carrying a Newborn on a Bike

By: Randi B.

Randi B. — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:01:57 +0000

Thank you very much Henry for your answer and your opinion. I will take it into consideration. I’m very happy to have stumbled on your website and will keep taking a look now and then for articles on this subject, as well as letting other friends know about it.

By: henry

henry — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:53:25 +0000

Randi, I must confess that I’ve limited experience with carrying kids in trailers. It just seems rather passive and uninteresting for the kids back there. Strapping a Maxi Cosi in an appropriate trailer would probably be safe, assuming you can find a way to dampen the shocks effectively. In a bike trailer the load (kids in this case) is directly between the wheels and the trailer is very light thus it must transmit considerable shocks to the passenger.

By: Randi B.

Randi B. — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:10:48 +0000

Thank you very much for such a wonderful website!
I just recently had a baby who is now 5-months old and I was wondering if there is any way of carrying him in a bike trailer. Would it be safe to strap in a Maxi Cosi? Or is there a bike trailer out there specifically for newborns?
We rode in a friend’s Gazelle Cabby with Maxi Cosi last weekend here in Italy near Valeggio sul Mincio (Verona) and my baby loved it, but we found it very cumbersome to transport it. We would like to easily take the bike to other areas in Italy in a station wagon (bike mounted on top or back of car, bike trailer in the rear compartment).
Thank you!

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:36:53 +0000

Hugo, I’m no expert but it doesn’t seem like a good idea.
The Steco-baby requires a stable platform and the rider of this bike is in racing position.
maybe you could make the steer much higher so you could sit upright. still you’d need to extend the frame either front or at the back to be able to mount the Steco-baby.
probably the best option for this bike is a trailer.

By: henry

henry — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 06:46:52 +0000

Hugo,
Please read the post. It explains very clearly why it is NOT recommended to carry a baby this way.

By: Hugo Martins

Hugo Martins — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:32:17 +0000

Dear all,

Can I apply this on every type of bicycle? (mine is this one: http://pt.ruadireita.com/bicicleta-specialized-fsr-xc_36721/ )

Is it the same as this: http://www.kinderwagensupply.nl/Autostoeltje-Accessoires/Fietsdrager/Steco-Baby-Mee-Bike-Fietsdrager/ ???

How can I adapt it to the front of the bike instead of in the back??

Thanks in advance for your replys.

By: Peter Wassink

Peter Wassink — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:17:25 +0000

“we’re thinking about a way to fix a MaxiCosi in it. The dealer told us to just put the MaxiCosi in and secure it using the belt.”
But if you think about it, thats excactly how the MaxiCosi is mounted inside a car…

Henry, a belated thanks for your reply.
Meanwhile the twins are here and no solution yet.
Incidently… shortly after moving house (yes to make room for them) I saw our new neigbour arriving home on his brand new very sexy looking grey fr8 kruisframe
Darn, how i wish that was the solution,
Might just have to buy one anyway

By: Christian

Christian — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:21:29 +0000

Dear all,

we’re expecting our first baby, and have to think about a way to get around in the future. Our favorite so far is a cargo trike. Due to the fact that few dealers are around in Braunschweig / Germany, who sell cargo bikes, we’ve only tried the Christiania and are quite happy with it.
However, we’re thinking about a way to fix a MaxiCosi in it. The dealer told us to just put the MaxiCosi in and secure it using the belt.
I’m not happy with this solution and therefore looking for a more robust and secure way, like fixing a MaxiCosi holder on the bottom of the bak where I can just click the MaxiCosi in.

Anyone experience with this? So far, I was only able to find this:
http://www.fietsenbestel.nl/product/2/149-01595/Babyzitjeshouder-Steco-Babymee-Babyzitje-In-Bakfiets-Excl-Montageplaat.html

Thanks,

Christian

By: HeleenH

HeleenH — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:05:11 +0000

I guess our different experiences show there is a difference in which a ‘mom on the schoolrun/ doing groceries’ and speed cyclists fall. Yesterday I held a poll on a forum of moms and none of them has ever fallen on their back, except for one who was carrying a baby on her chest who purposely landed on her back to protect the child.
This is the poll:
Val met de fiets
I.v.m. een discussie op bakfiets-en-meer graag jullie val-ervaringen Als je met de fiets valt, waar kwam je dan op terecht/had je de meeste schade?

Handen en knieën 46.43 % (13) (hands and knees)
buik 3.57 % (1) (Stomach)
rug 3.57 % (1) (Back)
zij 28.57 % (8) (side)
heup 17.86 % (5) (hip)
bips 0.00 % (0) (bottom)
eigenlijk overal 0.00 % (0) (basically everywhere)
ergens anders 0.00 % (0) (somewhere else)
Total votes: 28

I agree carrying a baby strapped on your body is not the first choice of transportation, but if for whatever reason there is no alternative, I firmly believe strapping them on your back is much safer than carrying it in a babybjorn linke contrapition on your chest like shown in http://www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl/2010/07/12/how-the-amsterdam-papa-rolls/ where I meant to put my first comment.
In the comments below my poll one of the parents added that when she fell while carrying baby on her chest, baby hit the steer first.

By: Henry Cutler

Henry Cutler — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:48:36 +0000

Peter,
We’ve done the bike for baby twins plus toddler a couple times, but in our Cargobike and not the Gazelle Cabby. With some creativity and construction the same principle could be applied.

Our standard solution for twin babies is a double Maxi-Cosi carrier. The front MC is mounted as far forward as possible on the floor of the box with a cushion underneath and nylon web straps on either side. The rear MC is secured the same way on a shelf that temporarily replaces the bench seat. A similar but more compact system could be used with the Weber babyschalen. It would just cost more than a couple second hand MC’s. You also cannot carry the babies around in the babyschalen as you can in the MC’s.

The Weber babyschalen are OK, if somewhat strangely shaped and very expensive for what seems to be a beer cooler foam molding with a simple fabric cover. The attachment is just a series of slots trough which you’re expected to thread straps. Melia in Rotterdam makes a rip-off of the Weber; lower quality and price.

Your 2-year old daughter will have to settle for sitting in a child seat on the rear carrier until the twins are mature enough to sit up. In the Cargobike we would then add the second bench seat to create three seats in the box but with the Cabby you’ll have to invent something since there’s no second bench available.