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Average Rating
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3.67/5
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# of Reviews
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3
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MSRP
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$ 90.00
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Weight
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More Products from Ibert
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Description:The safe-T-seat is more than just a child carrier, it’s 6 years work of a mother and father who were disappointed with the family bicycling options available. The bicycle trailers were great for us but terrible for the kids. They couldn’t see anything but dirt and rocks and when we closed the front flap to keep the muck out of their faces, they got too hot. Plus, it was BORING for them.
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Submitted by
isaacstokes
a Cross Country Rider
from boulder,co,usa
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Bottom Line: | I have to say this is a killer product. I love it and my 22 mo old son Logan loves it this year even more than last! I'm actually doing some mild trail riding and he and I both have big ass smiles plastered on our faces.
The EXCELLENT review below pretty much gives all the pertinent details. I love the iBert for many reasons but chiefly because it's so portable. Instead of humping the entire Burley trailer down to Crested Butte (he hates the trailer anyhow), just throw the light and compact iBert in the car. Excellent-a! I really can pedal pretty much unfettered on my Blur with him riding co-pilot. The closeness you have to your child, you can really wisper right in their ear, is priceless. I think getting the mirror so you could see their face is an excellent idea (review below). The steering is fine, just a little more deliberate. Getting on/off a little tricky at first (smaller Moms with a standard top tube might be little nervous?), but it's pretty seemless now. I actually have a Maverick Speedball on my bike (great product), which makes seat lowerings for starting out a snap...not the designed purpose I'm sure, lol.
Anyhow, 5 star product for sure. I saw something similar in Italy years ago and vowed when I had a son I'd get one. The Euro have the best bike toys. Get one!
Only minor demerits are the harness system, which is a continous loop and a tough to adjust with squirming little guy, and the seat rattles a bit before the child is in it (not after).. a little unerving, but actually solid.
Finally, don't leave this thing around not on the bike. Logan wants to get in then too! And it not stable just sitting on the back patio, etc.
Ride on! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mtbhead
a Downhiller
from San Joser, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Not going to tell you... | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Trailhead Cyclery | | Strengths: | Best toddler bike seat out there. Well designed. Super easy to install. Lightweight (vs. the Weeride). Easy removal of the seat. My older son loved it, now my younger one does. | | Weaknesses: | Color (though it does match my Kawasaki). With seat removed, you can bang your knees into the stinger if you're not careful (when standing on steep climbs in particular). Had to add a strap to the back (see below). | | Similar Products Used: | Centric Safehaven (now known as the "Weeride") | | Bike Setup: | Ironhorse Sinister Comp used as my dedicated "kids bike". iBert in front, Trail-a-bike in the back. Upgraded rear shock to a newer air shock to be able to adjust sag/spring-rate as needed, and better pedaling. | | Bottom Line: | I had a Weeride (purchased when it was still called the Centric Safehaven), and then later I got an iBert. The Weeride was great, but the major drawback was that it sat slightly lower and slightly more rearward which made me have to ride fairly bowl-legged. The iBert is better in that the seat is a little more out of the way of my knees (higher and more forward) - but even just a little bit more out of the way goes a long way and to me this alone makes this seat superior. The other advantage is that it weighs less (the mounting bracket for the Weeride is big, steel, and heavy). The disadvantage of the iBert is that the child’s weight is hanging off of the steerer tube, but it’s really not that bad - once you try one you’ll see what I mean - it’s much less of a factor than I would have guessed. Another advantage of the iBert is that it’s much easier to remove the seat (as long as you don’t mind with the “stinger” pointing at your crotch). I now have it on a bike that also have a trail-a-bike attached to. I’ll put my 16-month-old son in the iBert and my 4-year-old on the trail-a-bike. If I just have one of them, I can easily remove whichever attachment I don’t need. OK, the truth is that I have bumped my knees into the stinger before (with the iBert seat removed) - it’s only happened once or twice, while standing, but it did more than tickle…
Riding: the paranoids can freak all they want, but I used to mtb ride (I mean real, 1 to 1.5 hour-long rides) with my now-4 year-old in the Weeride and later the iBert when he was between the ages of 2.5 and 3.5 years old. Before then, it was just more mellow rides around the neighborhood (as I do now with my 16 month old). For trail-riding, the important parts are to ride slower than you would, on less technical trails then you would, in more control than you would, etc. Basically, up your safety and control a couple of notches compared to how you might normally ride, and the two of you will be fine.
Other tips I would give:
1) get your toddler excited with wearing a helmet - preferably before hand with an indoor bike, or some ride-a-long. If they’re already somewhat OK with wearing their helmet before you try to go on your first ride, you’ve got one less potential issue…
2) start with flat pedals and a lowered seat. It will give you more control. I now ride with my seat at normal height, and with SPDs, but it took a while to build up that level of comfort.
3) In addition to you’re regular tools/water/jacket/spare tube, etc., be prepared for them too! Bring snacks, DIAPERS/WIPES, changing pad, etc. I used to keep an extra plastic baggie next to my camelback in the garage with most of the essentials ready to go.
4) start with very short rides around the neighborhood, and slowly build up your ride times, and the level of “bumpiness” of the rides. (a loop around the outside of a grass playing field is more bumpy than pavement, but not quite like hitting the trails)
5) on longer rides, if possible plan mid-ride stops to a playground or duck-pond or whatever - something fun to break up the ride for the little one.
6) I attached one of those dorky side-mirrors that plugs into the end of my handlebar. On the road I’ll point it to see traffic behind me, but off road I’ll use it to watch my son’s face - it helps to monitor their enjoyment/tiredness, etc.
7) On the iBert, I use an extra strap that I loop between the two straps in the back to pull them closer together at about shoulder-blade height. Think of this like a sternum-strap for a Camelback, only across the back instead of the sternum. This will make more sense to those who own one already (or those about to set one up). It definitely helps to keep the straps on my kids shoulders and seems much more secure.
8) try to train your kid to ride with their elbows-in. Elbows-in, and I can ride without being bowl-legged at all. When my son sets his elbows out, I have to ride a little bowl-legged… | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
anotherbrian
a Cross Country Rider
from Rocklin, CA
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | Lets you ride with your kid. | | Weaknesses: | Mounting system is suspect. I wouldn't trust it with my kid. | | Similar Products Used: | Wee-Ride | | Bike Setup: | Turner 6-Pack | | Bottom Line: | I tested but chose not to purchase the seat. The Wee-Ride is trail proven (search the Nor Cal forum for lots of threads) and much stronger than the safe-T-seat.
Riding with a young child is wonderful, and I highly recommend getting a front-mount style seat.
Save some money though and buy the less expensive but better quality Wee-Ride. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
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