Parents can take great pleasure in sharing a favorite pass time with their children. The use of a mounted child bicycle seat allows parents to bond with their children while enjoying fresh air, scenic views and great exercise. As with any potentially dangerous sport, the risks of cycling with your child can be minimized through education and proper precautions.
Size
You and your child can enjoy cycling together by investing in a Consumer Product Safety Commission, certified mounted child bike seat. The ibike.org website suggests that your child first be able to display good neck control and comfortably endure the weight of a properly fitted bicycle helmet before taking him cycling. This milestone typically occurs after the first year of life. The site also suggests children more than the weight of 44 pounds, occurring around age 3, are too heavy to ride in infant bike seats, reaching a mass that will dangerously affect your stability.
Effects
The stability of your bicycle will be altered by the added weight of a child in a bicycle seat. The added mass will increase the height of your bicycles center of gravity, requiring you to compensate for the changes in balance. Practice sessions where you strap an inanimate object bearing equal weight of your child into the bike seat and ride around until you feel comfortable can help to prevent an unnecessary injury to your young child.
Rear Seat
A rear mounted child bike seat places your child behind you, over the back wheel. Most rear mounted seats provide extra protection in the form of a plastic frame circling your child's back and neck. However, in the event of a crash, immaterial arm and neck injuries are still likely. The greatest danger occurs during the loading and unloading of the child when the bicycle is at a standstill, posing a higher risk of tipping over. Asphyxiation by helmet or seat straps can also threaten the safety of your child. The use of a rear-view mirror to monitor the safety of your young child is recommended.
Front Seat
Front-mounted infant seats provide greater stability due to the added mass being placed over the front wheel and not the rear. This type of seat allows parents to keep a closer eye on their child and enjoy conversations. Ergonomically, however, the front mounted seat can make cycling uncomfortable, even impossible, for some parents. Reaching around the child to hold the handlebars or bumping your knees when peddling increases your risk of falling. Children in a front-mounted seat should not hold objects that could potentially drop, catch the spokes and flip you face first into the ground. Rear mounted seats offer greater protection in the event of a crash.
Considerations
Only responsible adults with good cycling skills should carry kids in a mounted bicycle seat. Avoid busy streets, keep kids in a secure seat and not a backpack or sling, and use spoke guards to protect your child's limbs from catching in the tires. Ensure your mounted seat is equipped with a sturdy harness. Remember that the risk of injury to your young child is always a possibility when riding in a mounted bicycle seat. Minimize this risk by consistently fitting your child with a bicycle helmet.
Member Comments