One Step Ahead Child's Reclining Bike Seat

When I was a child, my parents used to take my brother and me on bike rides in our neighborhood. It was an experience I wanted to have with my own daughter once she was old enough. Of course, the bike seats in the 1980s were very different than the bike seats available for children today. So, when I purchased a vintage beach cruiser to take my own daughter on rides in the neighborhood, I quickly became overwhelmed searching for a bike seat that was safe enough for my precious cargo. After several hours of internet searching, I was completely befuddled. I had no clue if I should get a rear child seat, a front seat, or a trailer to pull behind me. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to have the chance to review the One Step Ahead Child’s Reclining Bike Seat.
The One Step Ahead Child’s Reclining Bike Seat was exactly what I was looking for in a safe and comfortable seat for my little one. Safety was my top priority and I was reassured to hear that the seat is one of few to be safety-crash tested. In addition, the seat is manufactured in Italy where transporting children on bicycles is very popular. The seat is a rear model, so my daughter sits behind me. I like this style because it is easy to steer and maintain balance. The bike seat will fit on 26” and 28” bike frames and additional support arms for more unique bike styles are available for purchase on One Step Ahead’s website.
One of my favorite features of this seat is its adaptability. The seat adjusts to fit children from 9 months to 5 years of age. It can handle children weighing anywhere from 20 to 48 pounds. Some seats can be expensive, so having one that can be used for such a long time is a huge bonus. Not only does the seat accommodate a wide age range, the feet rests also consider sizing. The rests can be adjusted in 10 different positions and the safety leg straps have plenty of length to last several years. I wanted a seat that would last until my daughter was ready to ride beside me and I have just that with the One Step Ahead model.
While the bike’s age range is my personal favorite feature, the other standout feature is definitely the reclining seat option. My daughter and I haven’t gone on rides long enough to merit a possible nap, but the option to recline her seat into seven different positions is a feature not found on other bike seats. The idea of a child in a bulky helmet flopping around on a bike is certainly not appealing, so the seat recline makes longer treks where a child may fall asleep much easier. Other great features of the reclining bike seat include rear reflectors for visibility on the road, a heatproof and water repellent seat cushion, shock absorbing springs in the seat for all those bumpy roads, and comfortable arm rests where the child can hold on during those speedy down hills.

My little lady loves her new seat!
The seat only seems to have two setbacks. The directions are not the easiest to follow, so it did take some time and trial and error to get the seat mounted correctly. I wanted to test the seat with my daughter immediately, but it took about 30 minutes to assemble. Also, if you have two riders in the family and want to switch the seat to another bike, additional mounting hardware is not currently available for purchase. However, for me, the positives of this seat far outweigh any negatives. I know my daughter is safe and comfortable when we are riding.
Overall, I love the One Step Ahead Reclining Bike Seat and so does my daughter. I know we have several more years of bike riding memories together.
Price: $104
To buy: onestepahead.com