I bought a battery assist city bike last year, with the idea that we’d get a bike trailer to take the kid(s) to the nursery school, but we’ve since moved into an apartment where the the elevator is too narrow for any bike trailer. Does anyone know the legality of putting child seats on a bike with a one-sided kickstand (ie, doesn’t lift the bike off the ground like all the mamacharis do)? Or is there another way? I don’t have a back rack either, so if it’s legal, I’d have to get a back rack heavy duty enough or one of the Thule Yepps that don’t need them.
I’m looking for any recommendations because until now it’s been easy enough to push a stroller there and home then go to work, but from April my start time is much earlier and that won’t be feasible. I’d also like to use my bike to take the kids for rides on my bike rather than my wife’s too-small mamachari.
2 comments
Kids? As in two kids you want to put two child seats on a bicycle? HIGHLY illegal unless it’s a model specifically certified for two passengers (child seats)
One child seat also sounds highly impossible. You need a bicycle that has a load capacity of 27kg or more, you also need a bicycle which has a specific shape of rear carrier on the back, and lastly you 100% need a proper stand for the bicycle, not a one sided kick stand.
>If you want to attach a child seat to the rear carrier, make sure that the bike has a sturdy carrier with a load capacity of 27 kg or more.
>Of course, not all bikes are designed to carry children, so some carriers can’t handle the weight.
>The rear carrier has a different maximum load capacity depending on the model, and is marked with “MAX ◯◯ kg” such as class 18 and class 27.
>When installing a child seat, a carrier with the notation “Class 27” or “MAX 27 kg” is required.
>Even if it cannot be installed depending on the shape of the carrier
>In addition to the weight limit of the carrier, the shape of the carrier must also be checked.
>For example, a carrier with a special shape such as a “ladder type” cannot hold a child seat securely due to its specifications.
>In order to secure the child seat safely, the carrier shape must be a “standard type” with pipes intersecting vertically and horizontally.
>If you are going to put your child on a bicycle, we recommend a bicycle with a “commodity stand”.
>The “one-leg stand”, which is often found on sports-type bicycles, is unstable and easy to lose balance when loading and unloading a child.
>We recommend that you choose a bicycle with a stable “double stand” regardless of whether you are using a front or rear child seat.
>If two people are riding at the same time, use a vehicle that meets the standards for riding two infants together.
>If a bicycle is equipped with child seats in the front and back and two people can ride at the same time (one child in front and one in the back), the bicycle must meet the standards for riding with two children.
>A vehicle that conforms to the standards for riding two infants is a mark issued by the Bicycle Association of Japan.
>Bicycles with this mark are bicycles that meet certain safety standards and are designed to accommodate two children at the same time.
>For bicycles that do not conform to the Standards for Riding with Two Infants, either the front or the rear of the child seat can be attached.
(The stickers that say 18kg cannot have a child seat, the ones that say 27kg means it can hold ONE child seat, the mark issued by the bicycle association of japan, which isn’t pictured here, is required for two child seats to be installed)
https://preview.redd.it/b96g99oyw2ra1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=9633957b50ee3b754e06ed7fb696d713d94e0e2c
Is it legal? Probably.
Should you do it? No.