Review of Bell Classic Bicycle Child Carrier

Bell Classic Bicycle Child Carrier
By: Bell Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 20
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Meant for attachment to a Road Bike

On: 2009-09-26

We purchased the Bell Classic Bicycle Child Carrier based on its reviews and as an economical choice for our almost 2-year old who will only get about 1 years use from it.

Now that it is on and we have test driven it, we like how he fits in it, and we feel comfortable with the safety it provides. It is nice, but not exceptional.

But getting the seat on....

Suffice to say that, as best as we can determine, this Child Carrier is made to attach to a road bike and not a hybrid bike, like ours (a Trek 7000). Our frame is thicker than that of a road bike, so attaching the seat to the rear fork was just barely possible with the hardware supplied. It was possible, but squeezing the brackets around the fork so that they were close enough for us to even begin tightening the nut took a lot of muscle! We also had the same problem as another reviewer, in that our bike has a quick-release seat, and does not have the kind of seat post bolt that the seat needs to be attached. We were able to remedy that by removing the quick-release mechanism, going to the local hardware store to purchase a 1/4-inch hex bolt (which fit in our bikes seat bracket), and using that instead of the provided 8 mm Hex Bold.

At one point in our construction of the Child Carrier, we got particularly frustrated, and tried to find some customer support. There was a 1-800 number, which was closed on the weekend, and absolutely zero on-line support. I have gotten used to having some sort of on-line resources available to me, even if it is only a copy of the owners manual, so the absolute lack of *anything* was very frustrating. (There is plenty of information for Bell bicycle helmets, but nothing for the child carrier.)

So bottom line, if you have a hybrid bicycle (or, heaven forbid, a mountain bike), be aware that it might not assemble as easily as it should, and you may need to make an extra run to the hardware store!

love it

On: 2009-08-28

We love this seat! Easy to install, easy to ride our daughter, and she loves it! Going to buy another one for our other bike.

More than I expected

On: 2009-08-27

This seat was easy enough for my wife to install properly the first time by herself. My sons feet fit fine in the stirrups and he feels safe when we ride. The seat is very sturdy and Im still trying figure out what one of the other reviewers was referring to when they said that this seat wasnt safe (I think they probably installed it incorrectly). You really cant go wrong with this seat and the price is likely the best youll find. The only thing that might bother someone is that the safety bar of the seat might touch your bottom; but it really doesnt inhibit me from being comfortable or pedaling.

Good seat for the value!

On: 2009-07-21

I am very please with this seat for the price I paid. I installed the seat on my husbands old bike, took about half an hour. It seems to hold my 2 1/2 year old, hes 31 lbs and 37 inches. I think the foot hold is a little shallow, my sons feet keep slipping out. One side of the seat belt strap was very hard to put through. Otherwise, its good for occasional use and get the little one used to riding.

Connectons in bad spots

On: 2009-06-23

We liked this product, but havent been able to get it to connect very well with our bike styles. Weve had to modify it a bit as far as getting a new bolt and we had to be creative with getting it to mount to the bike without being in the way of the brake lines.

Great seat @ great price

On: 2009-06-10

I purchased this seat last week and installed it over the weekend.
My 2 1/2 yr old loves it. It feels secure and not that difficult to install. I started and my husband finished it. Great seat, feels stable and was not wabbly. I was a little worried from all the negative comments. But I was pleasantly surprise by the ease of the whole thing.

Wouldn't attach

On: 2009-05-30

I bought this as a cheap option that would let me try out riding with my kid. I have a Specialized Hard Rock that has a quick-release seat post that is incompatible with the seat.

The instructions call for a bolt attachment on the rear part of the seat post, so if you dont have that it wont work out. The bottom brackets attach via friction/clamping onto the lower diagonal wheel legs that should work on any bike, but the seat post is the deal breaker. Hope it works better for you.

Good value

On: 2009-05-28

In addition to the positive reviews, I read a lot of the less-complimentary reviews and disagree. I thought the seat was relatively easy to put together. My 14-month old enjoys the ride and the price was excellent.

Needed a little work

On: 2009-02-08

The classic Child Carrier Seat is an ok seat for the price. I wouldnt expect it to last over a couple children. One child, as fast as they grow it it acceptable. I had to modify the carrier by extending the attachment arm to the seat. The provided attachemnt was too short, putting the carrier almost against my seat. I couuldnt even attach the bar assembly.

You get what you pay for.

On: 2009-01-20

I should have known better! A cheap, flimsy piece of junk. My daughter is only 25 lbs but my heels and her toes keep crashing together with seat as far back as it will go. Returning this and saving some $$ for a better carrier!

Mounts too close too parent seat....

On: 2009-01-02

This seat info states "up to 40 lbs", but our daughter weighs 33, and this seat does NOT fit her at all.

When installed (on the roomiest possible setting), her legs were pressed against the bicycle seat...

I would recommend this seat only for very small children.

Mounts too close to parents seat....

Ignore the negative reviews

On: 2008-11-20

I dont know what the problem was with so many people... I thought this was very easy to put together and attach to my bike. Its sturdy enough for my 2 yr old and we go on rides all the time. And not to be sexist, but I am a woman and I only had a wrench and a screwdriver. Buy this- its a great price and will fit your needs perfectly.

Great product but hard to install

On: 2008-11-03

I am really pleased with this product. Its great value and seems plenty sturdy and safe to me. It feels very secure on my bike and my son really likes it. It was VERY hard to install, lots of tweaking but I figure you get this when a product is universal. It all fitted eventually and I am very satisfied and have no concerns over safety. I have a 26" mountain bike with only a 16" frame, so this product works well for smaller bike frames too!

Good Basic Product for Affordable Price

On: 2008-05-27

Good quality product at a great price. Not as cushy or substantial as some others, but not as pricey either. This is a great way to ride with your little one securely. We are very happy with this purchase. One note, the handle bar gets in the way when my husband rides, so we dont use it and the leg openings are a little small for older toddlers. Otherwise, no problems.

Daughter luvs it.

On: 2008-05-19

Bought this for my daughter who was around 8 months at the time of purchase. She loves riding in it and it feels secure. Easy to install on my Schwinn bicycle. I too own a bike with a quick release seat and it is fine and perfectly safe. I do wish it reclined though, when she falls asleep her forehead rests on the bar in front.

FAIL!!!

On: 2008-05-03

I bought this to put on my womens mountain bike so that when my husband and I go out on rides together with the 2 kids, I could put my 2 year in this, and he could use the double bike cart for our older son (who isnt old enough for a bike but too big for one of these). I put it together myself and noticed after just step one (putting the bottom brackets on) that there was a problem... the bars are completely warped and crooked. Well, I take that back. It was only one that was warped. I continued to put it together, then took it out to put on the bike... and I just couldnt make it work. I may have my husband try again later, but I will probably just take it back and wait until I can afford something better.

Baby seat-bike

On: 2008-01-27

Arrived 5 days after promised but so far so good. Ended up being too complicated for me to assemble myself so I had to have a bike shop put it together for me. Anyone who is good at this type of assembly can do it though. Very pleased!

Great Little Seat

On: 2007-07-25

This seat is a great value, and I had no problem installing it...even with my quick release seat. Once youve got this thing bolted on, its very sturdy. I agree with other reviewers, I probably wont be removing it until my girls outgrow it.

Great Little Seat

On: 2007-07-24

This seat is a great value, and I had no problem installing it...even with my quick release seat. Once youve got this thing bolted on, its very sturdy. I agree with other reviewers, I probably wont be removing it until my girls outgrow it.

It's scary that something this poorly made is meant to carry children.

On: 2007-06-19

I wasnt looking for the cheapest option, but figured Id go with this model since it seemed to have about the same reviews as the $120 alternatives. Well, I was a shocked when I saw how flimsy the actual body of the carrier was. Id like to say it was sturdy when it was installed, except that the bottom mounts for the metal supports were so warped there was no way to mount the seat. You may think this is a rare occurrence, that is until you look at the non-New Classic model reviews (still listed as model 109459).

Also, dont bother if you have a quick-release seat on your bicycle. In fact, if you love or even remotely like the child you intend to use this with, dont buy this product.

Great Product

On: 2007-05-14

The seat was easy to install. We have used it several times and I feel safe and secure having my son on it. I wouldnt recommend uninstalling and reinstalling. Just keep the seat on the bike permanently until your child outgrows it.

A great product for very little money...

On: 2007-04-12

I purchased this child carrier seat for when we visit the grandparents. At home a have a trailer that both of our kids ride in. This little bike seat was perfect for the occastional use. Some of the shields that are meant to protect the child from the wheel are a little flimsy, so I would not want to take them on and off on a regular basis. Once its on the bike, it should probably stay there. But for our purposes where I didnt want to spend hundreds of dollars on a second bike trailer to be used for maybe a month out of the year, that was great bang for the buck. I had my 2 year old riding in the back and he was perfectly happy & safe.