Customer Reviews

WeeRide LTD Kangaroo Child Bike Seat

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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Back in Spring we got him a WeeRide LTD seat. This fits between the handlebars and my seat. (There is also a non-LTD version with less padding. Both versions are sold with the mounting bar included; the separately sold bar is only for a family that wants a second one, to be able to quickly move the seat from one bicycle to another.)

It works great. But there are a large number of caveats.

First, it does not fit every bicycle. The Amazon reviews make clear that some people had to return it for this reason.

Second, I am 5'4" and it just barely fits comfortably. Anyone smaller than me would probably have problems. I did not have to change how I pedaled, or where my knees where.

Third, the 5mm hex key it comes with is so poorly machined it does not work. Anyone ordering the seat should also buy a hex key set if they do not already own one.

Fourth, my leg length allows me to normally stop the bicycle without hopping off the seat, simply pointing one foot tiptoe to rest while stopped. Anyone used to hopping off the seat when stopped would obviously have to change habits.

Fifth, my fitness level and bicycles number of gears allow me to bicycle up even the steeper hills I would ride on without standing. I never had the habit of standing while pedaling up a hill. I have not tried standing while Smiley is in his seat, but from the Amazon reviews apparently this does not work.

Sixth, the harness system is odd. Smiley can twist out of a shoulder strap, as he did in the above picture when smelling roses at the Owen Rose Garden. I assume this is intentional. If, heaven forbid, I was to crash then having the toddler firmly stuck in the seat is probably not the best option. But a wiggly child who does not follow instruction would need a different bicycle seat.

Seventh, the child can grab the handlebars. Smiley does not try this while I hold them, but if I let go of one to adjust my MP3 player or blow my nose he sometimes does. Be alert for this potential source of swerving!

Eighth, the routes I might bicycle are all on streets and paths kept clean of gravel and debris. By using a bicycle seat instead of a trailer, I am betting that my likelihood of crashing my bicycle is less than a motorist's likelihood of hitting my trailer. If I lived near gravel roads or where autumn leaves sat damp and made slipping a danger, a trailer would be the better choice.

Ninth, there is no hole in the seat large enough to pass a cable lock through. Where I live I am not worried about the seat disappearing while the bicycle is locked in front of the library or a store. In other locations this might be an issue; the seat comes off quickly and easily but is very bulky to carry around while doing errands.

Tenth, pediatricians currently recommend that babies under a year of age not use any bicycle seat or trailer. Their brains still slosh around too much for that kind of vibration to be safe.

Obviosuly the concept is great. But for us it did not work out that well. First probelm is that our 1 1/2 year old was to big/tall. When we first unpacked the seat we were astonished how small the seat is, at least to us the seat is tiny, in reality that is all that is needed and the design maybe on purpose inorder for the person to bicylce comfortable without it being too much in the way. But even still we found it uncomfortable to go for any longer trips than say a quick ride.

We have instead purchased the COPILOT LIMO rear child seat. And it has worked out very well, and out child has room to grow so the product will have a longer life span as well as able to go for longer rides more comfortably. We had the same reservations that anyone would have about the rear child seat, but this particular model COPILOT seems very stable and since we bicylce together our child can see the other parent as we ride together.

At first we werent sure if any child would be comfortable sitting in this, but when everything was attached and my 13 month old was sitting in it, he looked just fine. He was sitting up high enough that he could see everything without having to turn side to side (as in a rear seating bike seat) and we could definitely keep our eyes on him. He's still not sure about the headrest part and he keeps his hands down to the sides, but overall, he's extremely content when we go on bike rides. We have gotten tons of positive comments from other parents that see him in it. In our area most people use the bike trailers and a few rear seats. So this is definitely something people dont normally see around here. We've only seen one other Wee Ride on the bike trail.

I bought an extra bar so that we could attach the seat to either my husband's or my mountain bikes. The one and only downfall is that for me (i'm 5'2"), I found out that i'm just too short in the torso area to allow for a comfortable ride for myself. Our handlebars do not adjust so i am in this crouched over position which doesnt leave a whole lot of room between me and my son. I kept knocking his helmet forward and it was just too awkward of a ride for me, so we can only have the Wee Ride attach to my husbands bike as he is much taller than me. Even though i dont personally get to ride with him, its a joy to see him have a good time. I think a taller mom should have no problem.

I have been looking for a front mounted baby bike seat for my son for several months and finally decided to purchase the WeeRide based on all the wonderful reviews. I am a single mom of a 2.5 year old, with very little extra time on my hands and was very grateful for the easy installation. The next morning when my son awoke we went for our first bike ride together. At first I was very hesitant because I couldn't get his feet in the foot holders...I thought his shoe might be too wide, I stuffed him into the seat and strapped him on, (he might not have fit if his diaper had been full)but he loved being up front and being able to see everything. He loved his steering wheel and feeling the wind in his face...and then I tried to make a sharp turn and pinched his knee between the handle bars on my bike and his seat. This happened twice, I'm pretty adaptable, I was willing to make wide turns when necessary if he loved riding with mommy, plus he's very tall for his age and my choices are extremely limited. Even the local bike stores were of no help. After about an hour he was done and didn't want to ride on mommy's bike any more..."my seats too small mommy"...

Before purchasing I did call the 800 number to ask about dimension and the woman I spoke with was absolutely no help, she said, "all I know is what you have read in the description." What's a mom to do??

I did a lot of research trying to find a system that would work well for our family. I have a 30 pound almost-3-year-old daughter and a 20 pound 14 month old son. We have a bike trailer that was given to us but I am not comfortable pulling it because I can't SEE them, and because I have heard so much about the weight being a strain if you aren't an avid biker. It needs a few repairs and I wasn't keen on paying for them if i wasn't going to use it. I decided on a front mounted bike seat but was really nervous, because I haven't ridden a bike in several years. I had just purchased a brand new Nirve Cruiser for myself (it's GORGEOUS!) and I wanted something that would fit well, be secure, attractive, and able to be removed if necessary. The Wee Ride line fit the bill and was nicely reviewed. I was really on the fence because I didn't think I really NEEDED the LTD model (extra padding, etc) but I could NOT see putting a red and black model on my pretty new leopard print bike. So I sprung for the LTD model.

When the item arrived it was well packaged and I was so excited. Minimal Assembly was necessary (adding the headrest/handrest to the seat) and then I was able to install it on my bike. I installed it in the front yard while watching both kids. It wasn't terribly complicated, but the hardest part was installing it without causing any damage to my current paint job on the bike. I did get one knick near the headstock. I had to use the bolts for the oversize headstock, and it was difficult to get the brackets on as the cruiser has a VERY short headstock. At first I was really worried that it wasn't going to fit, but it was fine. The bracket is VERY secure. I almost had to remove the front basket to get the bracket on. I will let you know right now that there is no way I will be taking that bracket off my bike anytime soon. PROBABLY never. LOL. It would be a huge hassle. I am happy that they offer extra bars for purchase if you want to switch the seat to another bike. However, when attaching the seat to the bar (with just one hand-tightened bolt with a large plastic knob to turn) I had a very hard time getting it to line up and attach right. Once I got it, I also decided that I wouldn't be unscrewing the seat if I could help it. You are able to adjust the distance the seat is from your own bike seat, and I moved mine as close to my handlebars as possible, because I really wanted as much leg room for myself as possible. I have a "cupholder" style drink holder on my handlebars, and I had to turn it around so that it is INSIDE the front basket, or the seat wouldn't fit at all. the cupholder is still not usable when I have the seat attached, which is a bummer, because the seat's headrest/handrest covers it completely.

I was nervous about riding, and the weight distribution, so I tried it with no kids first. It was so simple! I barely had to alter my pedaling. I was impressed. I put my older and heavier child in it first. The ride was a breeze. At first I thought that she was "leaning" back and forth as I was pedaling (side to side leaning) and I asked her to stop because it made things a bit wobbly, but I still didn't really feel "unsafe." As soon as she stopped, it was a perfect ride. She loved being able to see what I see, and point things out to me. It was a totally new experience for both of us, and we LOVED it. I went for a ride that was twice as long as I usually do, and longer than I ever anticipated I would go with a her, especially the first time! When we got home, I switched and took my son, who is younger and 10 pounds lighter. I noticed right away that the "leaning" sensation was worse with him. It wasn't because they were intentionally leaning, but it was because he didn't have as good of control of his center of gravity, and his body rocked back and forth with my pedaling. Eventually he got the hang of it and both of them seem to be able to sit more still in the seat. He also loved the ride. I had been mildly concerned about them keeping their hands off the brakes and handlebars while riding. I had no issues with my daughter and almost none with my son. They loved the handrest and it is just perfectly positioned.

The only effect I noticed on myself, was that the wider pedaling action, though not really noticeable while riding, did make my butt a little sore afterward. Like different muscles were being used and my butt was not in as good of contact with the seat as it is without the WeeRide installed. Keep in mind I have a large Cruiser style seat. This is SUCH a cool product. We are ordering a second one so that my husband can put one on his bike and we can ALL ride together! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Please see my uploaded photos on the product page to see what the seat looks like :)

I went with this seat after trying to decide between this and the Ibert. I went with this seat because it had more padding and also had the front piece so that my son could rest his head. The Ibert would have to attach to the handlebars so that the seat would turn with the handlebars. This was a dealbreaker for me. I didnt feel it was safe to have him turn with the handlebars, especially if we had to make a sudden turn, I wouldnt want hom to get whiplash. The wee ride sits between the handle bars and seat, and is very stable. I'm 5'10" and was very comfortable with this seat on my bike. I did have to ride slightly bowlegged, however it really wasnt that noticeable. My son loved the ride, and we rode for 3 hours without any problems.

Great product and extremely easy to install. Actually, I was so excited to take my 18 month old son for a ride, we put it together as soon as it came in the mail. He absolutely loves it and did not want to get off the bike. The seat seems very safe, sturdy and secure. The fact that its more in the middle of the bike helps with balance and control... it really wasn't any different than riding by myself. A+

This seat was easy to install and has worked very well. The harness is comfortable as the buckle system is well-designed for a seated child. We did find the platform/head rest interesting but removed it when the edges of the platform came to close to the handlebars, leading to a situation which could pinch a child's hand quite significantly. Test out turning the handlebar without the child seated to look for this potentiality.

I couldn't find this product in local stores so couldn't imagine how it looks like or fits on a bike. But the reviews here did help me make a decision and I ordered it from amazon.com. Note that this product includes the mounting bar. I found the guide could have had better pictures to make it easier for install but since the assembly itself wasn't that complicated I was able to install the mounting bar and the seat with ease. I was amazed how easy it is to mount and unmount the seat from the mounting bar. Also you will really have to see how small the seat actually is. For a better feel, just go the weeride's site to see pictures and video. I have a 26" Mens' NEXT PowerX Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike and had my own suspicions bcos of the rear suspension but it fitted well and my first day experience was great. My 18 month old enjoyed the ride. The only thing to mention on the negative side is that you will have to pedal with feet a bit farther apart than normal but it wasn't that big of a deal. I could hardly feel once I got along with the ride. Overall I think it is a great product.

I researched 4 different types of products - the rear trailer, like the Burley Solo, the rear child seat like the Pilot, that installs on top of a carrier attached to the rear bicycle wheel, and the front seat that installs on top of the handle bar - and finally this one, which installs in between the handle bar and the main saddle. I must say, this product is the best compromise of all the alternatives. I ruled out the handle bar-perched seat because it just seemed really unsafe and unstable. It also looked very uncomfortable. i also ruled out the trailer because it was too expensive for my budget (the good ones like Burley) and storage would be a problem in our 850 sq. ft. condo. Between the rear child seat and the wee ride, the wee ride offered more safety (low center of gravity), and the chance to interact with your child all the time. The wee ride scores great on these fronts. The only reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 is because it seems like my daughter will outgrow it within a year. For now, she loves it!