Do you want to ride with your 1yr old baby on a bike? Do you have a full suspension mountain bike?
Understand the options that are most suitable for your style of bike. Helping you get the Right Kids Bike Seat or Trailer.
Supporting you and your family to SMILE when you ride.
Overview: Full Suspension Mountain Bike
Squashed Triangle Frames with Rear Suspension:
This type of bike frame with front and rear (full) suspension is used on mountain bikes. Mountain bikes are really popular in New Zealand and if you do any regular type of mountain bike riding chances are that you have a full suspension bike. Unfortunately these frames are challenging to use with attached kids bikes seats, rear bike seats are not compatible at all, please read more below.
NOTE: Two New Zealand companies specialise in making a mid mount seat designed to be used with mountain bikes including full suspension mountain bikes. Mid mount seats are unharnessed so recommended use starts when your child is 2 1/2 to 3 years of age. Your best option for using your full suspension mountain bike may be to wait until your child is older. See Mid Mount Seats
Type of Riding: this frame design is used for mountain bikes that are used on challenging off road trails. Best match to mountain bike riding.
Design features that cause issues: Full Suspension Mountain Bike Frames
This is the most challenging frame to use with kids bike seats and trailers…
SMALL FRAMES – if you are considering a front mount seat then pay particular attention to whether you will have enough space in front of your body. The body position you ride in is very important to create room in front of your chest. Your lean forward body position makes a front seat very challenging to use with small frames. For more information on bike seats that match to small frames, please read Small Frames & Kids Bike Seats
NON-TAPERING FRONT FORKS – there are modern mountain bikes with non tapering forks that create stem diameters of 1.25″ = 31.75mm or 1.5″ = 38.1mm making them incompatible (too wide) to attach the special Front Seat mountain bike adaptor.
SUSPENSION – you will have front & rear suspension with the rear suspension positioned somewhere within the small triangle your frame makes. Front seat footrests can touch front suspension forks depending on the size of your frame and front headset angle. All rear suspension (full suspension) bikes are incompatible with any rear kids bike seat.
ELECTRIC BIKE BATTERY – Electric mountain bikes generally have the battery integrated into the frame making the frame diameter wide. This challenges attachment of kids bike seats.
REAR WHEEL HUB – Modern mountain bikes often have different rear wheel hubs to standard bikes. You will probably need to purchase a different type of rear axel for attachment of a bike trailer to your bike. Please check they are available before purchasing a bike trailer. This includes bikes with internal gear hubs.
Front Kids Bike Seats
A Front Kids Bike Seat sits right behind the handlebars so the child is in between your arms. Kids love this as they can see where they are going. This seat provides the best interaction between you and your child as they are right in front of you and you can see what they are doing.
Full suspension frames will only work in big frame sizes – medium if you are lucky, better on a large – bigger frames will have space for the front seat despite the forward lean of your body. Mountain bikes have what is called a Threadless Stem which means there is not very much space for attachment of the front seat mounting system. For a front seat to be attached you will need to buy the seat designed to work with a mountain bike. Some modern high end mountain bikes will have stem diameters that are too large for attachment.
Find out more about attachment:Â Will a Front Seat for Mountain Bikes fit my Bike?
Bike Trailers
A kids bike trailer is pulled along behind a full suspension mountain bike. This is a great way to carry one or two kids who will be well protected and comfortable. The trails you ride on will need to be wide to match the width of the bike trailer, so if you are hoping to ride on easy mountain bike trails in your local mountain bike park a bike trailer may not be the best match.
The trailer attaches at the rear wheel axel and you will find that for most modern mountain bikes the attachment the trailer comes with will not work (Kids Bike Trailers come with a Quick Release Skewer). If you have a modern bike, built in the past 4-5 years you probably have what is called a Through Axel, please check your axel type.
Find out more about bike trailer attachment:Â Will a Bike Trailer fit my bike?
Rear Mount Seats Carrier and Frame
A rear kids bike seat can not be safely attached to a full suspension mountain bike. A carrier can not be put on a bike with rear suspension so the carrier mount rear seat is not an option. The rear suspension placement makes it impossible to find 12cm of clear space on your seat post tube to attach the clamp needed for a frame mount rear seat, so again it is not an option. Â
Squashed Triangle Frames: Multiple Kids or Twins
Towing a double bike trailer immediately gives you options for two kids. Or a single/double bike trailer allows for a front seat to be attached to the bike. We would only suggest trying to mount a front seat if your frame size is medium or larger.
Your bike riding success is different to others… use our stories and support, get the right solutions.
Kids Bike Helmet Buying Guide
Get advice about choosing the right kids bike helmet for the type of riding your child does.
Biking with Babies on Board
Advice about riding a bike with a very young child. What do you need to know?
Cargo Bikes Explained
A quick overview of cargo bikes and how good they are for family riding!
Buying Guides
Solution Finder
Types of Riding Stories
Support and inspire other riders and families to ride
Share your riding outings, adventures and experiences on our quick and easy question and answer forms. Join us in helping others ride bikes. All entries receive a free shipping coupon and go into our seasonal prize draw.
goRide supporting women and families to SMILE when you ride