by contributor Dan Beeby

Princeton University defines a cyclist as “someone who rides a bicycle.” I ride a bicycle. A lot. I’ve done so in a semi-serious way for 25 years and I commute a dozen miles per day in New York City. So, it’s no wonder that I have a strong desire to imbue a sense of cyclophilia in my young daughter.

My mother-in-law knows this and in that spirit she gifted my (then six-month-old) daughter a CoPilot Taxi  bike seat, which I immediately installed on my beater bike. Then I waited (and waited) until the baby was one year old to take her for a spin.

Now for a disclaimer: young infants should not be taken on bike rides. Common sense. New York State and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission dictate against it. But if your greater-than-one-year-old has good neck strength and a need for speed, get yourself a CoPilot, a very small helmet, and hit the road.

In my neighborhood, the CoPilot Taxi is ubiquitous. You’ll see one mounted on the back of nearly every other bike and for good reason: it’s well built, solid, and easy to use. I’ve been tempted by the iBert and Weeride seats (which mount on the bike’s top tube, are smaller, and might provide a more realistic riding experience for the child) but the “tandem” riding position of the CoPilot is more comfortable and strikes me as being safer.

The seat is relatively easy to mount on the included Blackburn EX-1 rack (which serves double-duty as a regular old bike rack when the CoPilot is not on the bike). However, the design suffers from some over-engineering: it has no fewer than three redundant safety latches. First, the “nose” of the seat is designed to click under the front rail EX-1. Second, there’s a heavy duty nylon strap/buckle that wraps around the seat post. Third, the seat has a “tongue” on the rear base that locks behind the back of the rack. And finally there’s a small locking pin to ensure that the tongue doesn’t (somehow) pop loose. It’s difficult to “opt out” of any of these (which is a testament to its thorough design), but it seems that one or the other could have been left on the drawing board.

The bike has three additional systems to hold baby in the seat. There’s a locking lap bar (which is a fun plaything for her to swing up and down while you’re trying to strap her in…it’s also a good place to pinch little fingers). In addition, a three point harness comes over the shoulders and snaps between the legs (be sure to secure this before attempting to clasp the helmet to her head, which I found to be the most challenging task by far). Finally there are leg straps—I haven’t had to use these, but my passenger isn’t prone to kicking.

Dismounting the seat can be a bit tricky. I’ve found it best to unstrap it, unlock the “tongue” pin and push down the “nose” as you punch the base of the seat backwards. Then lift the “tongue” and slide the seat back on the rails until it’s free. Another piece of advice: if you have more than one bike pick up another EX-1 rack at your local bike store or Nashbar for around $40.

The ride performance suffers a bit when you’ve got 25 pounds of baby sitting over the rear wheel. The steering becomes lighter and the back end tends to swish around more. Standing on the pedals into a hill is not recommended unless you like weaving side-to-side. As with any bike configuration, though, you quickly become used to it and your “co-pilot” does, too.

Until I can afford one of these for my Brompton foldable bike, I’ll gladly continue to pedal around with the CoPilot.

Steer Clear or Revere?  REVERE

Pros:

• Well-made
• Ubiquitous (read: cheap — I’ve seen them with rack for $60 on Craigslist)
• Safe

Cons:

• Child is out of view
• Added weight over rear wheel

PS – click for a video of my copilot daughter singing through Prospect Park