Bicycle trailers and bike seats www.mobile-bambini.eu

www.mobile-bambini.eu
Bicycle trailers and bike seats
Bicycle trailers and bike seats
Traditional Bicycle Seats
In Austria a cyclist has to be at least 16 years
old to be permitted to transport a child in a child
seat. The child itself must not be older then 8
years. According to the cycling policy bicycle
seats can only be mounted in the back of the
bike. The weight of the child must not exeed 25
kg. Please note that rules and regulations vary
from country to country. When using a child seat
on a bike it is important that the bike has a stable
frame and stand, preferably wide tires and most
of all good breaks. Saddle springs, if present,
need to be shielded. According to regulations
the child seat needs to be firmly connected with
the bicycle frame. Every child seat needs to have
a harness system that cannot be opened by the
child. Footrests that are adjustable in height can
be changed according to the needs and the size
of growing children and guarantee that they cannot get caught in the spokes. Seats with a high
backrest that can be tilted backwards are ideal
for sleeping children. A backrest is also mandatory to support the head properly.
Tip: Take along your bike and your child when
you purchase the seat! Usually the bike dealer
can tell immediately which seat will be the right
one.
Extreme caution is recommended when mounting and dismounting. Never park a bike and
leave the child in the bike seat. Even with a double kickstand there is too much danger that the
bike topples over with the child.
There’s no reason to abandon cycling
when you have small children. On the contrary: many trips are twice as much fun in
their company.
Attention: children should always wear a helmet
in the child seat as well as in the bike trailer.
Apart from traditional bicycle seats and trailers
there exists a constantly growing offer of carrier
bikes (mainly from the Netherlands and Scandinavia) and many new innovations that are
bike and push chair in one can be converted
with a flick of the wrist.
Tip: Special adaptors are available for the
luggage rack to mount a baby car seat
(maxi cosi).
However, there are some regulations and notes
on safety that need to be observed.
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Light or stable construction
Trailers with a base made out of plastic or aluminium are much more stable and can therefore
also be used to carry loads. Frames that are only
covered with fabric are less stable but lighter and
can be folded up more easily.
Make a stroller out of it
With one or two additional wheels many models can be used as a stroller. Due to their size
and manoeuvrability however they are not really
suited for every day use. But they can be very
practical on holiday. In addition pushchairs can
be taken on the train free of charge, bike trailers
on the other hand are not permitted on many
long-distance trains.
Traditional bike trailers
Bike trailers are an alternative to bike seats. Their
advantage is that they provide more room for
parents and children and children sit more comfortably. It is easy for children to fall asleep in a
trailer or to play. In addition they are protected
from wind and weather. In the case of an accident they cannot fall off the bike, but sit in the
trailer. In addition most trailers provide space for
two children.
Hitch
If used frequently a high quality hitch is important. Easy and quick handling a small turning radius, lock ability and the possibility to use more
than one trailer with the same system are all
traits of a good hitch
Storage space
If the trailer is also used for longer or shopping
trips and to transport goods it needs a stable
base (not a frame with fabric) and a removable
seat. The model Ritschie 2 from Weber is very
interesting in that respect. Instead of an upper
part used by children the trailer can be upgraded
with a lockable lid.
However, there is a certain price difference between bike seats and trailers. It is possible to buy
a good child seat for around 50 Euros a trailer
(with room for two children) on the other hand
is considerably more expensive: prices range on
average between 250 and 1200 Euros.
Certain issues need to be considered when purchasing a trailer. The following points might help
you to find the most appropriate model for your
purposes.
If you want your children to have a comfortable
ride you have to consider the child-orientated
design, the seating comfort, and the heat and
weather protection. An over roll protection is
necessary to prevent that the passenger cabin
gets damaged in the case of an accident. The
wheels of the trailer need to be covered to prevent that children can reach them. In particular,
good breaks are important. Two-piece hitches to
attach the trailer on the bike are best because
they are easier to handle and safer.
One or two-seater
Two-seaters are “future-proof” and offer more
storage space. A one-seater is only marginally
narrower and lighter and, if anything, more interesting for sportive use.
Flexible of fixed seat
Adjustable seats with a headrest enable children
to sit and sleep in a comfortable position. For
children up to nine months baby carriers are
available as an accessory e.g. from Weber
Tip: Always take your own bike to the dealer
because each trailer doesn’t fit every bike!
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A good harness system can save lives. Straps
need to be easily adjustable. A two seater
should offer the possibility to place the child in
the middle. This is advantageous with respect
to the centre of gravity. If that is not possible,
place a single child on the right hand side. The
trailer also needs a proper lighting system that is
independent from the bike, have a red back light,
a white reflector in the front and a red one in the
back, as well as one yellow reflector on each
side. Trailers, wider than 60 cm need two red
back lights as well as two red and two white reflectors to clearly indicate the width of the trailer.
Make sure that your trailer has a solid base.
Physical injury is possible if the bottom of the
trailer is made of fabric only.
According to Austrian regulations all trailers need
a bendable flagpole with a brightly coloured banner that is at least 1,5 m high.
Tip: Some trailer can easily be converted
into jogging or everyday mall stroller. Make
sure that goods transport is also possible
with the trailer – for the time when your
kids have outgrown it.
Gazelle Cabby
This cargo bike is well suited for long and short
distances. It is very easy to manoeuvre and has a
comfortable seat for two children. With an adaptor also babies can be transported in their car
seat. A rain tent and a cover provide additional
comfort. The patented, foldable and detachable
box saves you storage space. For more info visit:
www.gazelle.nl or YouTube. (Price ca. 1400)
Christiania Bike
These famous carrier bikes can also be used to
transport children. You can order them at the bicycle dealer of your choice.
www.christianiabikes.com
Bakefiets
2 or more children as well as all your shopping
can be transported in such a carrier bike. A user
friendly transport bike that ensures absolute cycling pleasure. The cargobike is extremely manoeuvrable, convenient and light steering. The
kids sit in a tough wooden box in front of the
rider. There are three-points harnesses that keep
them safe. For more information and prices visit:
www.bakefiets.nl.
Trail-A-Bike
In specialist shops various models of these child
bike trailers are available. They enable parents
and children to go on longer cycling trips together, without the need that the child cycles on a
separate bike because they get tired more easily. This is also a good method to introduce children to traffic safety topics while the child is safe
in the back. Prices range from 100 to 300 Euros.
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Taga Stroller Bike
Taga understands itself as a multifunctional vehicle for urban traffic. The design focuses especially on the needs of parents and children
wanting to be mobile without a car. It combines
a carrier bike and a push chair function and can
be made into one or the other in simple and easy
steps. “Taga is more modular, comfortable and
manoeuvrable than a bike and is very safe it is
cheaper than a car, better for the environment
and your personal health” (quote from the Taga
website. The Taga stroller bike can be purchased
in shops all over Europe. For more information
visit:www.taga.nl
TrioBike = Bike +
Pushchair+Carrier Bike
This new carrier bike, designed in Denmark, is a
fantastic invention for the transport of children.
After dropping off the children at the nursery the
carrier part can be detached easily to use the
bike separately. If both parents have such a bike
one can drop off the child in the morning and
the other picks it up in the evening. Or the carrier bike can be used as push chair. This carrier bike is available as a double or trio bike. The
simple version of this carrier bike costs around
1700 Euro. Push chair part and bike alone cost
around 1300 Euro each. More Infos: www.triobike.co.uk.
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Project Partners
BAMBINI’S main objective is to achieve
a shift from a car-dominated mobility behaviour towards a more sustainable & energyefficient mobility in the future. This is accomplished by affecting the travel behaviour of
children (0-6) and their parents – starting as
early as possible – at birth and throughout
kindergarten.
Coordinator:
FGM-AMOR, Austria
Karl Reiter
Tel: +43 316 810451 23
www.fgm.at
Partners:
Center za zdravje in razvoj Murska Sobota,
Slovenia
Tatjana Buzeti
Engergy Agency of Plovdiv (EAP), Bulgaria
Bogdana Bogdanova
www.eap-save.eu
Mobiel 21, Belgium
Elke Franchois
www.mobiel21.be
City of Munich, Department of Public
Order, Germany
Bianca Kaczor
www.muenchen.de
DTV Consultants, the Netherlands
Don Guikink
www.dtvconsultants.nl
Development Agency of Eastern
Thessaloniki (REACM), Greece
Kostas Konstantinou
www.anatoliki.gr
BAJO, Poland
Wojciech Bajor
www.bajo.com.pl
Regional Agency for Environment and
Energy of Ile de France (ARENE), France
Céline Meunier
www.areneidf.org
Agency for Energy and Environment’s
Protection Management - Brasov (ABMEE),
Romania
Camelia Rata
www.abmee.ro
Municipality of Hisarya
Ivanka Bogunska
Agency for Energy, Environment and
Sustainable Development Salerno Salerno
(AGEAS), Italy
Agnese Germino
www.ageassalerno.net
The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not represent the opinion of the European Communities.
The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
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