WeeRide Kangaroo Child Bike Seat

I’m an avid outdoors-man and as such I hate the winter time. I get cabin fever when I am cooped up inside for any length of time. Kent Bicycles recently sent their WeeRide Kangaroo Child Bike Seat and I couldn’t wait for a day warm enough to try it out with Maggie. I jumped on the first opportunity.

The Basics of the WeeRide Kangaroo Child Bike Seat

The WeeRide Kangaroo Child Bike Seat is a center-mounted bicycle seat for children over 1-year-old and under 40lbs. The seat attaches to a support bar that mounts between your seat post and the frame head tube. Installation is relatively simple if you have some basic “hands-on” skill. It took me approximately half an hour to complete the installation. Once the bar is installed, the seat can be easily detached with the simple removal of a single fastener. The seat includes a safety belt that straps over the shoulders and lap.

WeeRide Kangroo Child Bike Seat Features

Most child bike seats sold today are designed to mount behind you, which is odd considering it completely obstructs their view of the road ahead. Their view is so limited, in fact, that in my experience, they lose interest in the ride altogether. Having a rear-mounted child seat is also dangerous as it shifts the center of gravity away from the frame of the bike to the rear of the rider.

The WeeRide Kangaroo Carrier keeps the center of gravity where it belongs which adds up to a more comfortable ride for the rider and the passenger. A center-mounted seat also adds the protection of the rider’s arms being positioned around your child. Probably the single greatest increase in safety is having your child within your view at all times.

Another advantage to the seat being mounted in front of the rider is the opportunity for conversation. If Maggie was mounted behind me on the bike, conversation and interaction would be extremely limited. She couldn’t see anything until we had nearly passed it on the path. With her seated in front of me, on the other hand, we had a lot of conversation. She pointed out nearly every interesting plant, animal, rock or bird that she saw. Before the Kangaroo Child Bike Seat, she would have missed all of it. Your child can be heard, seen, and attended to far more easily than a rear-mounted seat.

Maggie loved the padded armrest molded to the front of the WeeRide Kangaroo carrier. The added level of comfort was immediately obvious in her posture. She even commented on how nice her “table” was. If nothing else, it gives your child something to hang on to during the ride which can reduce strain and tension on their spine.

The adjustable foot cups are a very welcome accessory. Traditional seats can leave your child’s legs and feet to dangle uncomfortably. Having a place to rest their feet also reduces strain and tension on their spine, which, in combination with the armrest, amounts to a dramatic increase in passenger comfort over traditional seats.

My Overall Review of the WeeRide Kangaroo Child Bike Seat

After I finished installing the seat, Maggie and I packed up the bike and headed off for the C&O Canal, a very popular local biking path. Upon arrival, I set up the bike and began to buckle Maggie into the seat. A note here would be to stand with the bike leaning on you slightly as buckling your child in without your own body weight on the bike can cause it to tip even with your kick-stand in place. I plan on purchasing a wide-style kick-stand to fix this.

Once she was secured, I hopped on the bike and we headed down the trail. Maggie was so excited to be able to see what was ahead! She loved being able to tell me which direction to take or pointing out the dogs that people were walking. She also waved to nearly every person we passed. Her unobstructed view made all the difference in maintaining her interest throughout the ride.

I overheard several passing cyclists remark on how fantastic the child bike seat was. Their comments ranged from “Wow, look at that! It’s got an armrest.” to “How cool! She can see everything!”. One even stopped to ask about the child bike seat. They were currently using rear-mounted seats and, after seeing how much more comfortable, safe and entertaining the WeeRide Kangaroo was, they swore they were going to purchase this child bike seat for their bikes too.

The WeeRide Kangaroo Carrier is a home run in so many categories, it’s impossible not to recommend it! It’s comfortable, easy to install, easy to remove, and safe. What’s not to like?

The WeeRide Kangaroo Carrier is available at Amazon.com. If you need to take 2 children with you, check out my Joovy Cocoon X2 review!