I’m I risking fork failure installing this kid seat this high on my steerer? The seat can’t be installed any lower without cutting the excess steerer.. which I don’t really want to do. Also, don’t want to lower my stem- Surly fit is a weird and I am old.
Max weight for the seat is 35lbs, my toddler is 25lbs
by slapsbelly
23 Comments
Its Surly. So the kids will get light duty stitches for their parents dumb fuck mistakes. Go for it
the kid is gonna be swinging in the opposite directio that you are turning. The bike should be fine, the headset isnt gonna be too happy
Did you actually try putting your kid in this? Their body is going to be where your torso goes and the bucket part will hit your arms when you try to steer.
I’d try a different kind of seat.
If you’re questioning it then it’s probably not safe for your baby.
Steel steerer tube. You’ll be fine.
Its going to be great when they bring the kids back to the work shop for them to measure the lacerations from your tape measure 📽️🤣
I would just mount it to the top tube
I feel like the structural integrity of the steerer tube is besides the point. Your kid’s torso and your torso are going to want to be in the same space at the same time. I don’t understand how this is rideable.
Do you have access to a rear rack mounted seat? They’re safer for both the kid and parent.
Source: I’ve done standardized testing on many child seats at my previous job, and wouldn’t stick my hypothetical kid on a front seat.
Bikes are designed to handle the weight of an adult male out of the saddle sprinting / breaking while riding out of saddle. The additional weight of the toddler is negligible. This will not be a problem unless the bike has some design flaw to begin with.
However, I don’t think that’s an ideal position to be in. Unless you have unusually long arms, you are going to be slightly hunched forward and hovering over the toddler’s head.
These seats are more comfortable for bikes with a back swept bar where both rider and occupant can be up right., and where your hands are going to be mostly out of the way of the toddler’s hands.
I personally dont like any weight from big bags on my front because it’s heavey and kinda clumsy to the point that it’s not exactly what I call safe, so I could not imagine this being safe.
Isn’t kid seats supposed to be on the back of the bike with a seat attached to the seat tube and then brackets attached to the seat or chain stays for additional support?
And for a follow-up question…as is, wouldn’t you be sucking on the kids’ head and likly getting randomly goudged in the eyes, mouth, and ears from random slobery kid fingers reaching out ?
Forget fork load, I’d be more worried about having my balance thrown off by a very wiggly toddler. That’s why I opted for a trailer with a roll cage!
i had one of those seats about 20 yrs ago, i swear it mounted to the top tube not the steerer
As teenagers (60kg plus) we always dinked on the handlebars. Never a problem.
why does the excess steerer need to be cut if you put it lower? but yeah i doubt this will do much damage to the steerer – the bearings are going to take the beating more than the steerer.
I guess I should have clarified that this seat is designed to attach to a steerer/quill stem. Kazam ibert front load bike seat.
Surly!
in most shops I’ve worked in, we’ve considered these airbags. Any sort of front-end collision will result in the child absorbing the energy. yes, the same can be said about rear rack seats as well, but most people dont run into things in reverse.
I’ve always guided people towards child trailers. and don’t forget helmets for you and the kid.
Honesty, you should just bite the bullet and cut the steerer tube. Even without the kid seat, it’s not great to have a ton of steerer above the stem, it’s a great place to hurt yourself in a crash.
I’d say it’s worth a try since you have it already. I’m mostly wondering about handling with a 25 lb kid. I had a cheaper version of a Shotgun seat that sits on the top tube and we really liked it. It made things a little awkward since I couldn’t slide off the front of the seat and my legs had to go wide, but was nice and stable and secure for a 2-3 year old.
i had something like this attached over the rear wheel. Had my kid in it a couple months and paid the money for a Burly Trailer The trailers are so much safer. you can go down and the trailer will not flip.
Read the instructions on the seat mount, if you’re installing the seat how it was meant to be installed you’re fine. The bike isn’t going to care, it’s a steel steerer tube and the frame and fork are made to hold up a 300lb rider cranking as hard as they can on the damn thing.
There’s a whole lot of opinion here, but if you’re following the manufacturers directions you and your kid will be just fine.
FAFO but it’s your kid that will be paying the toll instead.