Spotted in the Wild: Amazing DIY Kid Seat! -Updated!-
Check this out!
Awesome DIY kid seat, right? I was coming back from doing something or other at work the other day and I spotted this amazing contraption. If it looks like a waterproof, permanent kid-hauling seat made from materials available at any hardware store, that’s because it is!
Check out the clever attachment system. The seat is held on by those clamps and the tension on those rails running under the rack. There is even a failsafe chain (for theft prevention?).
A simple steel rod becomes foot pegs for the five year old passenger.
View from the right. I love this seat.
Here’s dad. He came back from a trip to Northern Europe, (aka, Bicycling Valhalla) with a lot of good ideas about making bikes a bigger part of his life. He came into Bike Works looking for some parts for another project and to do some work on this here bike. He got a very excited dude with a camera up in his face.
Thanks for being such a good sport, DIY Dad! Your Do-It-Yourself creativity and commitment to Pedal Parenting is inspiring! Keep up the good work, Nice Person!
-Update!-
I posted a response to what I read in the comments here and at the Craftblog, where this piece was reposted. Cheg it oot!
These things are so dangerous. If you have an accident and are thrown from your bike, your child is strapped to the bike and you can’t prevent what happens after that (often not good or worse). And this one in particular looks rickety and uncomfortable.
Hi J,
Thanks for your input.
If DIY Dad’s seat looks uncomfortable or rickety, blame my photography. In person it seemed, while homemade, just as sturdy and comfy as many of the commercially available bike seats.
If you are saying that bike seats are what are so dangerous, I disagree. Rather than parrot what my wiser (and more amusing) amigo, Julian has already written on this subject, I refer you to Totcycle and http://totcycle.com/blog/is-family-cycling-safe.html
Thank you for the comment!
Wow that looks like a death trap to me. Front mounted bike seat for the little ones and a trailer bike for the bigger ones. I can’t believe this got posted as a “great” idea. I’m all for DIY but this is terrifying vs. terrific.
Front seats and trailers and trail-a-bikes are all great solutions, right on! So are rear seats and tandems and box bikes and kids balanced on pegs. The point is, you don’t know anything about this family and how they use their bike.
Thanks for your concern but “death trap” is taking it too far. At this site, I’d rather folks didn’t insult parents or other cyclists by telling them, “You’re doing it wrong.” Transportation cyclists and parents of young children are both very risk-aware groups of people. Obviously this Dad thinks the seat he made works for his kid and the trips they take. To that I say, “Right on! You are doing it right!”
Nicely said.
Looks awesome! Nice job, DIY dad!
The look is a little more steampunk than I would want on my own bike, but the setup is very similar to (and I’m sure dramatically cheaper thank) a Bobike Maxi or Junior. And the frame looks much more solid than the plastic Topeak we rode with on a rental bike in San Diego. Nice job, DIY dad! Great footpegs,
Thanks for the comment Hum!
No three point harness = grossly unsafe. I say remove this post, remake it with proper materials. This is horribly unsafe, put your ego aside and get back to the drawing board.
Just to be totally clear, I didn’t make the seat, I only spotted it and admire it.
Again, this parent obviously thinks the seat he made is safe enough for his child and the trips they take. I wish I could ask him to tell us more, but he’s not here. Insulting him with “put your ego aside” and concern trolling are just not nice and not being nice is not okay here.
Why would I remove the post, just because you don’t think this other family’s child seat is safe? I’m not telling you to go ride in it. There aren’t any instructions on how to build your own here. Just this one simple blogger and dad’s appreciation for what another parent made himself.
[...] other day I posted a very short “Spotted in the Wild” post where I highlighted a DIY bike seat that I think is pretty [...]
I’m confused. Can someone please explain what makes this seat patently unsafe? I’m coming up with all kinds of crazy answers, but it would be far easier if someone could just explain the reasoning. Thanks!
I’ve read through the negative comments here and on Craftzine. What’s up? I think this guy’s seat is great if it works for him. All the vague, “it’s unsafe” comments make me so sad… I really want to see family biking accepted in the U.S.
This is a Dutch baby carrier: http://www.kinderwagensupply.nl/Kinderwagens/Groot/5300-2.jpg . I have seen them: http://clevercycles.com/bike/euro/eurobike-Pages/Image12.html . Meanwhile in the US, about 40 kids EVERY WEEK are backed over by THEIR OWN PARENTS. But bicycles and babies, yeah, that’s dangerous. Irresponsible! In conclusion, we are car-crazy in this here country.