Looking for advice: Hamax child seat + road bike

oheilis

Looking for some advice from those who would be more in the know on frame materials and the like.

Need to replace my bike. Have a 12km commute to work, so am keen to stick with a road bike. But commute also involves dropping off a 2 year old at a creche along the way, so I need something that can take a Hamax Kiss child seat.

Does this rule out all carbon frames? Are aluminium frames ok for this or do I need to be looking at something like titanium (hopefully not as choice is limited then and pretty pricey)?

Will most likely get something half decent around the 1500 mark, but just want to make sure I'm buying something that can withstand the weight of the child seat on the seat tube.

Advice welcome. Don't really need specific bike recommendations, just views on materials that could cope.

Thanks in advance.

rollingscone

Some of the less race oriented CX bikes might do, can't see why an Alu frame wouldn't do the job.

Although any excuse to buy a gorgeous steel bike should be explored.

oheilis

Would love to go for something like the Canyon Ultimate AL SLX 9.0, just not sure if it would be too much of a whippet of a frame to handle the bike seat....

Lumen

I would stick with aluminium. Modern al frames are fantastic.

Matt Bianco

I use a bike seat with a Giant Rapid with no problems - other options is to get a second hand beater for the commute and have open season on the road bike?

Hmmzis

I use the exact same child seat on my trusty alu Dolan road bike. No problems whatsover, the manual for the child seat does say that carbon frames are a no-no.

CramCycle

oheilis wrote: »

Does this rule out all carbon frames? Are aluminium frames ok for this or do I need to be looking at something like titanium (hopefully not as choice is limited then and pretty pricey)?

Any decent modern steel, alu or ti frame will do fine.

Lumen

I would avoid Ti.

el tel

I would agree that anything but Carbon composite would be grand.

I tried using a Hamax Siesta on my alu roadbike (not a light one by any means) but it was scary with the child on board - really twitchy at the front and super dodgy going up inclines or ramps, or generally manoeuvering! So I bought a Vitus Dee hybrid type thing

CramCycle

el tel wrote: »

I would agree that anything but Carbon composite would be grand.

I tried using a Hamax Siesta on my alu roadbike (not a light one by any means) but it was scary with the child on board - really twitchy at the front and super dodgy going up inclines or ramps, or generally manoeuvering! So I bought a Vitus Dee hybrid type thing

I lowered mine down as far as was reasonable and pulled the seat as far forward as possible. Definitely affects the handling but no issues once used to it. Also acts a great sail if I have a tail wind. If I get green lights all the way I can almost coast from Stillorgan to Donnybrook.

oheilis

CramCycle wrote: »

I lowered mine down as far as was reasonable and pulled the seat as far forward as possible. Definitely affects the handling but no issues once used to it. Also acts a great sail if I have a tail wind. If I get green lights all the way I can almost coast from Stillorgan to Donnybrook.

@Cramcycle, when you say "pulled the seat as far forward as possible", do you mean as near to the rear of the saddle as possible?

Thinking about it (with my brain that doesn't do physics), I'm guessing the further down the seat tube the bracket is and the closer the seat to the main triangle of the frame, the lesser the load on the seat tube?

oheilis

Matt Bianco wrote: »

I use a bike seat with a Giant Rapid with no problems - other options is to get a second hand beater for the commute and have open season on the road bike?

I'd love to @Matt Bianco, but with a 2 year old and 3 month old, I can't justify the dream machine just yet! Maybe in a few years once I can commit to getting out on it more than two/three times a year... :rolleyes:

That said, I'm commuting around 130km each week, so can totally justify spending about EUR1500 on a decent bike for spinning in and out of work!:D

godtabh

oheilis wrote: »

Would love to go for something like the Canyon Ultimate AL SLX 9.0, just not sure if it would be too much of a whippet of a frame to handle the bike seat....

Very interesting. I have the AL 6.0 was looking to get possible get a hybrid for a kids seat. Would this be suitable instead?

kenmc

I use a planetx kaffenback with a child seat, no issues besides being like cycling with a parachute when it's windy. disk brakes are a nice reassurance when carrying precious cargo.

CramCycle

oheilis wrote: »

@Cramcycle, when you say "pulled the seat as far forward as possible", do you mean as near to the rear of the saddle as possible?

Yep, My hamax seat has a pin inderneath so you can move it backwards and forwards fairly easily (not sure if they all do), as close to the saddle as I can without the littlelad being able to reach my rear pocket.

Thinking about it (with my brain that doesn't do physics), I'm guessing the further down the seat tube the bracket is and the closer the seat to the main triangle of the frame, the lesser the load on the seat tube?

I think the closer the seat is, the less law leverage it gets, which means it feels like less force on bumpy roads but that could be my own limited physics messing with my head, the lower down it is, the lower the centre of gravity, again, no physicist but should be more stable. I was using my road bike until recently, now have it on the wifes road bike as the saddle is so low that I can walk it like a child on a pedalless bike if I want. Not as nice on the knees though. In my head it feels more stable but I never felt unstable on my own, correct size, bike.

circular flexing

I found the main issue with kids on the back is to make sure you are using strong wheels - I had my kid on the back while using Mavic Aksiums and one of the spokes broke pretty soon after I started doing that. Would recommend 32/36h rim for this job.

JC 3.14159

I've used a Hamax Sleepy seat on aluminium and steel frames (cyclocross and tourer). It's unstable, but usable. Keeping the seat forward and low does help. But this cuts out the possibility of using pannier bags on a rear rack - the seat will block the rails. You won't be able to wear a backpack either, with a child in the seat. Might be an issue since it's your work commuter too.

It sounds like you have your seat already, but some other brands have rack-mounted seats which might be more pannier-friendly (but more solidly connected so less suspension for the child)

The cyclocross (Giant TCX) is a lot more wobbly/flexy when loaded than the tourer (Salsa Vaya). Either is ok though. Big volume tyres are good for comfort. Discs are far better for stopping, and less risk of cables/cantilevers getting in the way of the seat hardware.

Your child can be fairly close to your back without major issues (but yes, they'll spend a lot of time playing with your pockets etc).

One thing to keep in mind though - swinging your leg over the bike can be tricky when the child is in the seat. Old-style horizontal top tubes will require a fair amount of flexibility to mount the bike. The more compact the frame, the better. The 'normal' way that you probably get on a bike (lean bike towards you and hurdle it with your knee) doesn't work when you have a (significant) cantilevered load on the back.

Even more important is learning to dismount without roundhouse-kicking your passenger with your heel.

Finally, I've tried a few types of bike stands. Nothing really worked well for me. Single-side ones are no use because the bike sits at an angle and cannot be loaded in that position. Double sided ones worked ok, but clipped my heels. Best solution I found was to keep a strip of velcro material around the handlebars (I think it came with a lock mount or something). Park next to a tree or fence or whatever then use the velcro strip to clamp the front brake handle to the handlebar. It'll stop the front wheel kicking out under you during your acrobatic loading/mount/dismount routine.

Finally, the Giant had extra bar-mounted brake levers which I found useful - less of a stretch during the aforementioned acrobatics.

CramCycle

JC 3.14159 wrote: »

I've used a Hamax Sleepy seat on aluminium and steel frames (cyclocross and tourer). It's unstable, but usable. Keeping the seat forward and low does help. But this cuts out the possibility of using pannier bags on a rear rack - the seat will block the rails. You won't be able to wear a backpack either, with a child in the seat. Might be an issue since it's your work commuter too.

Mine seems OK with a backpack

It sounds like you have your seat already, but some other brands have rack-mounted seats which might be more pannier-friendly (but more solidly connected so less suspension for the child)

After doing alot of research, my opinion is too stay away from these as the seatpost ones cause less impact on the back. May not be enough to make a difference but I wasn't adding to it. After all my reading, trailers seem to be the safest, but unfortunately safety and risk assessments cannot overcome a mothers fear, so I got a compromise with the child seat but it was not my preferred option.

Your child can be fairly close to your back without major issues (but yes, they'll spend a lot of time playing with your pockets etc).

That was when I realised he was too close, kept grabbing my belt or back pocket.

One thing to keep in mind though - swinging your leg over the bike can be tricky when the child is in the seat. Old-style horizontal top tubes will require a fair amount of flexibility to mount the bike. The more compact the frame, the better. The 'normal' way that you probably get on a bike (lean bike towards you and hurdle it with your knee) doesn't work when you have a (significant) cantilevered load on the back.

I forgot to mention that, it is awkward as hell, doable, obviously but awkward. Another reason the OHs bike is better for it.

Even more important is learning to dismount without roundhouse-kicking your passenger with your heel.

I use an awkward backwards hop or if there is something to lean against, the more risky front round house kick (clearly know nothing of martial arts)