Seat is outstanding. CRITICAL to know: Many bikes actually don't have the proper seat stay (tail part of frame) to mount the child seat - here's what you must check on your bike before you buy - or be prepared to get creative - and don't expect help from Topeak or the bike shops because I'm sure they prefer not to hold any liability... The two bars which go from the rear axle of every bike up to the back of the seat post are called the seat stays. (See wikipedia for a diagram on bike parts).
The manual literally reads "The Topeak BabySeat is designed to work on frames with seatstay rack mounts AND threaded dropout eyelets only. Do not use the Topeak BabySeat on frames without these fittings for safety reasons."
Much to my shock, many bikes do not have screw mounting posts on each seat stay and Topeak doesn't point out that BSII requires a bike with these posts. The reason is that the black rack (which serves as the base of the baby seat) has two steal bars which extend from the front of the rack down to the top point of the seat stay and it serves to stabilize and hold stationary the rack and ultimately your baby. (Without them it would just pivot on the screws which connect at the axle) and the whole thing would flip back to the ground.
The problem is, the rods are pre-bent and have pre-drilled holes which are specifically engineered to connect to a dual connection seat stay. My wife's Schwinn Sierra only has the patented Schwinn single point seat stay - not compatible; nor did my Novara (REI) Mnt. Bike, or either of my parent's cruisers. Moreover, we went to the bike shop today and a ton of the bikes on the shelf don't have them. Topeak literally says the child seat will not work or mount on bikes without them (the guy at REI urgently reminded me of this when I asked him about clamping it over the phone..., so what's a desperate father to do? I found a creative, but VERY SAFE fix. I recommend you try to find a bike shop to advise if you really want this seat, but be fore-warned - it very well could not work at all with your bike. As a business person I am shocked the engineers at Topeak designed such an innovative product, but got away with designing it like that - they probably lost a huge portion of the addressable market by that single move. Still, it is a great - innovative seat! Topeak Babyseat Ii With Rack
If it cost $40 less, I would rate it 5 stars. It was easy to install and adjust to the size of my three year old and one and one half year old. Both get "antsy" on trips in their car seats but love the Topeaks on extended bike excursions. I question the usefulness of the "suspension" as I'm unable to see any give when I put all my weight on it. I will recommend these to others but look hard to find a good price and be prepared to take some time getting used to handling your bike with a much different weight distribution.
We researched a lot of baby seats and tried 2 others, and this is the most convenient and comfortable one we know of. First of all, the quick-mounting set up is great because we both like to take our son on our own bikes and then we also have a tandem that we like to ride as a family. Second, the racks mount in the standard way, instead of using dorky little bars and clamps on the seat-stays. Third, the seat itself is much more comfortable for our son because there is room for the helmet without him leaning his head forward. This was well worth the investment for us.
I did a lot of research on which type of device to put my 2 year old in when we go on bike rides. I've always been kind of weary of the rear bike seats and trailers b/c I wouldn't be able to see my child. After lots of research I decided to splurge on this seat...... Took it for a 2 mile ride today and it absolutely exceeded my expectations. This seat is a little pricey but is definitely worth the money. My daughter is very sensitive to new things and does not hesitate to express her feelings! She loved the seat. The springs were great, I could feel her bounce as we went over bumps. I think she enjoyed being so close to me while we rode. She gave me "back rubs" while we rode.
I will say though, like with all bike seats, the weight distribution was off and it took me a while to get the hang of it. In fact, I stopped and was coming to a stand as she shifted her weight and I was not able to over power the bike. We both tipped to the side into the grass. I fell into the bush with a few scrapes, but the seat protected her so well that her little sunglasses didn't even fall off. It was incredible! I love this seat and I now feel very comfortable with her being in it. I did lower my seat though, so I would have a little more control when I come to a stop.
My brother-in law has one of these so I was able to see it in action. My husband rode his brother's bike while my two year old daughter test drove the seat, which she loved! We had a bike trailer buggy for two; but my son can ride his own bike so we didn't need such a cumbersome item hogging up space any more. I love that the Topeak BabySeat will attach easily, to the frame with which it came, and doesn't take up any additional space! We went with this bike seat because it has a removable & washable padded liner, safety "cocoon" styling, padded safety bar, shocks, and five point harness. The front attached baby bike seats do not have the safety "cocoon" like the Topeak BabySeat does -this was the main reason why we bought it! This seat is solid, too. When my husband put it on his bike I shook it to see how secure it was -the seat didn't even move! Amazon has the best deals because we saw this same seat with rack attachment at REI for $180!!'
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