Everyone can ride an electric bike. Yes, even for parents who want to accompany their child on a ride.
You want to go somewhere with your child, but you don’t want to take the car.
Or maybe your babysitter bailed on you and you need to go somewhere but you don’t want to leave your child at home alone.
The great news is that you can fit a child seat onto your e-bike really quickly and easily!
What kind of child seats are available?
There are two main types of ebike child seat options available for you: seats that are mounted behind the rider and seats that are mounted in front of them.
With that in mind, let’s look at ebike child seats in greater detail so that you know everything you need to know about how to use them.
It’s time to turn your e-bike commute into quality time with your kid!
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What Ages Are E-Bike Seats Suitable For?
Most of the e-bike child seats you can purchase on the market accommodate children between the ages of around a year up to four years.
You could put a child a bit younger than the age of one in the seat, but you have to ensure your child can sit upright in order for this to occur.
That said, there are child seats that recline, but even these are meant to accommodate a child who can sit up when supported (such as when propped up with pillows).
When purchasing an ebike car seat, what’s more important than your child’s age is their weight.
Most seats can accommodate children that weigh no more than 44 pounds. You should never put a child who weighs more than that in an ebike child seat.
This is because it could damage the seat or make it more difficult for you to ride the bike due to the extra weight, which can be dangerous.
Rear Vs. Front E-Bike Child Seats
Earlier, we mentioned that there are rear seats and front seats for e-bikes.
Which one is best?
To help you find the best one for you and your child, here’s a guide to both.
Rear E-Bike Child Seats
There are two main styles that rear e-bike child seats come in: cantilevered and rear carrier rack seats.
Cantilevered
This style is very easy to use. It has a plastic clamp that slots into the bike’s seat tube. The seat has two prongs that clip into position onto the mount.
Removing the child seat has a quick-release system, making it really easy to use. Just make sure you fit the mount in such a way that it’s not too high or low so as not to inhibit your bike’s operation.
Some of these seats can be flexible, which can be good but larger children might bend them too far so that’s something to be wary of before fitting this to your e-bike.
You will have to pay more money to get a sturdier seat.
Best Cantilevered Child E-Bike Seat: Hamax Sleepy
Hamax Sleepy is one of the best cantilevered e-bike child seats on the market. It’s got an ergonomic seating position for your child while allowing your child to recline.
It’s built with a safety harness that has a smart belt buckle that your child won’t be able to use because it’s childproof. You can expect to pay around $120 for this seat.
Rear Carrier Rack Child Seat
These seats get fastened onto the rear carrier rack and are locked onto the top of the e-bike’s rack. They make use of a strap that’s placed around the seat post or tube for increased safety.
This seat design does make your child sit lower down, so that can be difficult to get used to at first because there’ll be extra weight on your e-bike’s back wheel.
Best Rear Carrier Rack Child E-Bike Seat: Thule Yepp Maxi
This e-bike seat by Thule ensures your child will feel comfortable because it has a shock-absorbing design.
It’s also got adjustable footrests and straps, and makes your life convenient in many other ways: it’s easy to maintain because it’s water-resistant while also being easy to clean.
The Thule Yepp Maxi Easyfit costs around $250.
Pros Of Rear Child Seats
- These tend to be more compatible with a larger variety of e-bikes
- They give your child much more support
- Your pedalling won’t be inhibited by having a child in the front of your bike
Front Ebike Child Seat
These seats work by getting fastened to the bike’s top tube, head tube, or a bar above the top tube.
There are different kinds: some child seats will be plastic seats that look like rear seats, and others will make use of footrests and saddles.
These are mainly for children who can hold themselves upright.
Best Front Child E-Bike Seat: Peg Perego Orion Front Mount Child Seat
This front seat makes use of one-click installation for greater convenience, while being comfortable for your child because the seat mounts onto the bike’s head tube.
This also ensures that you can maintain better control of the bike. It costs around $200.
Pros Of Front Child Seats
- They’re great for small kids who weigh less than 33lbs
- Since your child is in the front and sits between your arms, they can see everything around them
- It’s easier to communicate with your child when he/she is at the front of your e-bike
How To Ride With A Child On Your E-Bike
Before you even try to put your child in an e-bike child seat and take them for a ride, you first need to see how you can ride with increased weight on your bike.
A good way to test this out is to attach a child seat on your bike and fill it with a heavy weight, such as a 20-pound sack of oranges.
You’ll notice that you’ll wobble a bit when you start out, which is why you need to take your time and practice riding with the extra weight.
When you feel comfortable with the weight, then you can put your child in the car seat.
Other Things To Consider When Installing A Child Seat On Your E-Bike
In order to ensure you and your child stay safe on your e-bike, there are some important things to bear in mind.
- The bike’s battery. If your e-bike has a battery that’s fitted to the pannier rack, this will make it almost impossible to fit a rear bike seat onto it. Adding weight lower down the bike will help to keep the bike stable. Consider that bikes that have lower-positioned batteries will keep them secure, so you should therefore make use of front seat designs if this applies to your e-bike.
- Your bike might not be compatible with the bike seat. Before you purchase a child bike seat make sure that it’s compatible with your type of e-bike. Always read up about a child seat to be sure. In addition, it’s important to know that some child seats will need additional racks or brackets in order to work with your e-bike. These are not always included with the purchase of the child seat. You should also check and double-check that the child seat can carry your child’s weight. It helps to read reviews about the seat to ensure that it will be safely attached to your e-bike.
Related Questions
Can a bike seat affect the bike’s warranty?
You should always check your e-bike warranty before fitting a child seat onto it, but it probably won’t affect it negatively.
Just make sure that you fit it onto the bike properly and it’s compatible with the type of e-bike you own.
Should your child wear a helmet?
Absolutely! If your child doesn’t have a helmet, then he or she shouldn’t even be on an e-bike with you. You never know what could happen and you don’t want to risk your child getting hurt.
Conclusion
You can take your child with you for a ride on your e-bike, but in order to do so you first need to find the right child seat.
In this article, we’ve provided you with information about the different types of child seats for e-bikes, along with our top product picks.
Once you’ve purchased a seat for your child, it’s a must to ensure you follow the safety tips when going for a ride so that your child’s experience of e-biking is a pleasurable and memorable one that will make them love bikes.
