Britax Child Bike Seat

Anyone else intimidated by the idea of adding a 6-foot trailer to your bike to transport your child? I certainly was. And still am. The idea of keeping my tot within arms’ reach and not adding length onto my bike is much more appealing to me. So I guess I’m more of the “bike seat” type of gal than the “bike trailer” sort. It was this realization (and some research) that lead me to the Britax Child Bike Seat. We were recently offered the opportunity to try it out and couldn’t be more happy with our experience.
For current bike owners, one of the most important things to think about when searching for a bike seat (aside from safety features), is bike and bike seat compatibility. You see, each child bike seat can require a little something different. The Britax Child Bike Seat requires round tubes and at least 6 inches below the seat post collar for proper installation and no rear tire interference. Basically, men’s bikes and most women’s bikes are good to go. But if you’ve got a full suspension mountain bike, a comfort cruiser with an extra wide-angled bike seat post, or a carbon fiber frame, this bike seat may not be for you. I would recommend watching the online video explanation, if you’re like me and not up to snuff on your bike anatomy.
Once we established the seat was going to fit, we brought home the seemingly too-large-for-a-bike-seat box. When we opened the box, its size made more sense. The seat comes nearly 100 percent assembled. How cool is that? We pulled it from the box, determined which adapter worked for my bike (thankfully I had already learned so much about my bike’s structure), and voila! We attached the “Click & Cruise Bracket” and attached the seat just like that.
The next step was to adjust the shoulder straps, foot rests and back recline positions. This was a bit trickier than we anticipated simply due to kickstand and balance issues. All adjustments were an easy click or slide, but we found an extra set of hands quite helpful to balance the bike and wiggly toddler. Thankfully, the Britax Child Bike Seat has a rather tall backrest and deep seat that really kept our little man contained during the dance party he decided to have during the adjustment process.
Once all items were adjusted, including our tot’s helmet, off we cruised. Cue little man giggles. The fresh air, the fairly unobstructed view of his surroundings, the ability to pat his chauffeur on the back … he loved it all. Bouncing up and down with the seat’s built-in suspension was icing on the cake. Oh, the giggles!
In addition to its safety features and Henry’s obvious affection for the adventure, we love our Britax Bike Seat for its practicality too. We can buy a second “Click & Cruise Bracket” to put on hubby’s bike to allow us the ability to quickly and gracefully switch the seat from one bike to the other. And, the seat’s cozy cushioning is not only reversible to adapt to most color schemes, but its machine-washable! Woot, woot!
Basically, we love our Britax Child Bike Seat. For those of you interested in a trailer alternative, we highly recommend checking it out. So does our little man.
Price: $145
To buy: amazon.com