WeeRide in Choice Magazine review of baby bicycle seats
Choice Magazine, doubtless the most respected source of independent advice on a range of things reviewed a large collection of baby bicycle seats in June 2009 including products from Beto, Topeak and Okbaby.
And whilst we're prevented from sharing the results (Choice will charge you for that priviledge) - you'll notice that no other local website is referencing this significant survey - and we are...*wink*...draw your own conclusions and of course we highly recommend you buy the survey (link)
We're delighted to announce that we've installed a Store Locator on the website.
We've grown the number of Bicycle and Baby stores that stock our wonderful seat from about 40 to about 200 - and finding which one is closest to you was getting harder and harder - hopefully this will make it a bit easier.
We occasionally get parents keen to buy a WeeRide, who look at the maximum weight guidelines (18 Kilos), look at their child and think the seat will be too small or they'll out-grow it too quickly - they're wrong!
Firstly, it's important to remember that for babies, the first year of life is a time when they grow very rapidly. On average, a 3.2kg baby will end its first year at around 10kg, more than triple its birth weight. Growth slows down in the second year with, on average, two to three kilos added each year until the next major growth 'spurt' at puberty
So when can you start using a WeeRide, and when will your child out-grow it?
The short answer is that in Australia there is no law that specifies a minimum age, although the law requires that child must wear a helmet. That said - common sense would suggest it's around the age of 1 - since that is when a baby's neck is strong enough to hold a helmet. Of course all childern are different, we started riding with our daughter when she was about 10 months old, following advice from our GP..
Finally after a slight delay the newest shipment of WeeRides are in the country. We've spent the last couple of days getting the back orders out to the retailers.
"The bike felt balanced and really easy to manoeuvre. This was particularly noticable at low speed. At speed, it was less about the balance of the bike (which was fantastic) but the interaction with the co-pilot..perched up front was more engaged with the ride and the rider"
The review continues and says more really powerful things
This is a hugely significant difference between a WeeRide and rear-mounted seats.
Because the child falls asleep between your arms, on the balance of the bike you can continue riding safely - not usually the case with a rear-mounted seat.
This means you can go for day trips and not worry about the journey home when the little one will be asleep within 5 mins!
(bear with 15 secs of black at the start of this video - it's worth it *honest*)