Do you want to ride with your young child on a bike? Do you have a bike with a small frame? Is all the information telling you that bigger bikes are better for this type of riding?
Understand the options you have. Helping you get the Right Kids Bike Seat or Trailer.
Supporting you and your family to SMILE when you ride.
Overview: Small Bike Frames
Small Frames – what is the issue?
Small bike frames and kids bike seats are often incompatible…
Why is this? The obvious answers are the right ones, being small means the frame is physically smaller in height & length. Or, in other words, the rider is shorter so the distance from the seat to the handlebars is less and the distance from the seat to the pedals is less.
How does this cause problems? It doesn’t cause issues for every type of bike. But if you have a smaller frame and therefore less distance between the seat and the handlebars your body position becomes more important. The more upright your body position the better for attaching front seats. It also doesn’t cause issues for every type of seat. But if you have a smaller frame and you want to directly attach a seat to the frame understanding riding safety and weight transfer becomes more important.
The two worst scenarios are…
- A small bike frame that puts you in a forward lean and a kids bike seat that attaches in front of your body
- Small frames (any style of bike) and a rear frame attaching seat
Small Frames – Front Seats
Front Seat: It is important to understand your body position on your small frame and how this will influence your ability to use a Front Seat. The more upright you are the more space you will have for a front seat. If you also consider your handlebar type and how handlebars that sweep back to meet your hands allow you to be very upright and create great space in front of your body. So this should be telling you that the type of bike you ride is very important to make using a front seat enjoyable. If your frame type puts you in a forward lean position and your frame is a small one you are very unlikely to have enough space in front of your body for a front seat.
There are different ways to attach a front seat to your bike depending on the type of handlebar stem you have. The best attachment for short riders is a standard adaptor that requires 20mm of space mounted onto a threaded handlebar stem. This scenario puts the seat itself in the best position taking up the least amount of space – the front seat will be close to upright giving you more room in front of your chest.
Find out more about Handlebar Stems & Space by reading Will a Front Seat Fit my Bike?
Small Frames – Rear Seats
Rear Seat: These types of seats attach in two ways. Either to your carrier or directly to your frame on the seat post tube. Only carrier mounted rear seats will work safely with small bike frames and the seat needs to be clamped onto the carrier as far forward as you can possibly get it. This is to avoid tipping or lifting of the front wheel because of weight high at the back of your bike. Frame attachment on a small frame means the rear seat will sit a long way back (behind the middle of the rear wheel) and it will cause tipping and balance issues.
As the adult rider on a small frame bike, even with a carrier seat attached, you need to be aware of the potential for your bike to act in this way. As your child gets older/heavier the lifting may begin or occur more often, it is also more likely to happen when riding up a hill if you pull on your handlebars to gain some leverage/momentum.
Find out more about Riding Safely with a Rear Kids Bike Seat
Small Frames – Bike Trailers
Bike Trailer: Small frames will have no problem towing a bike trailer. Any type or style of bike is compatible. This is an instant solution if you are worried about attaching a kids bike seat and how that might affect your enjoyment of riding. Bike trailers attach at your rear wheel hub and there is a solution for attachment for every type of modern bike. There are also different types of bike trailers that match to different riding environments, along with single or double seats.
Find out more Will a Kids Bike Trailer fit my bike?
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