Accessories

Phone home
My favorite part about this seat is that when I put my baby boy in it, I feel like Elliot from the movie "E.T.". I usually put a blanket over my son's head when we ride in order to get the full "E.T." effect. My son loves Reece's Pieces too, which makes it all even better. I wish his finger lit up. He's pretty much worthless. But the seat is great.

Almost perfect!
I got this for my 18mo. old boy after reading all the reviews for rear mounted seats and then came across the iBert. It all makes so much sense to have your kid on the front. We interact easily when he's in front without him looking at my butt the whole time if he were in the back. I can see where he's looking and pointing and curious about things. Incredibly easy to attach and then remove the seat with the pull of a single cotter pin. The additional weight and balance for me is barely noticeable once you get going, and I can also easily put him in and take him out on my own. The only drawbacks for me are that I have a 12 speed Bianchi roadbike and I needed to turn the handlebars upward to make me more upright. When I first took him out before that, my chest was bumping and pushing his head forward a little bit. So while this solution works fine the iBert is definitely more suitable for an upright style bike like a mountain bike or a cruiser. Additionally, my legs do brush along the sides of the seat, but again, i got used to it very quickly-it's not uncomfortable-just different. Even with those two cons, the pros far surpassed my expectations and there is nothing better then taking a ride with your little man.

Sweet solution for families
My wife, who doesn't ride a bike frequently, had no problem adjusting to this setup. It is very stable. She is 5'8" and her bike allows her to pedal quite comfotably without hitting her knees on the seat. We ride together, but she likes having our 1-year old close, whereas normally she would prefer that I do any extra carrying or transporting, etc. when we do outdoor activities with the baby.

I have only 2 drawbacks with this seat:
1) There is no head support for baby, so when they fall asleep, their head is unsupported.

2) The "stinger", the metal piece that holds the seat to the bike, has to be removed with an allen wrench if you want to switch it to another bike. This is a VERY minor operation, but for long rides it would be nice to switch from one bike to another more easily. So far it looks like a 2nd stinger, also a good solution, would cost $27 shipped, which is steep to me, considering that $27 is about 33% of what the whole seat cost me (shipped). It would be great if a 2nd stinger were included with the seats.

teacher
My son loves it. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep our balance if we ran into bumpy road but it handled like a champ. It didn't fit on my husband's new mountain bike but it fit well on mine.

Good, but kind of a "beta" version.
I really like this seat. I've used it almost daily since spring came around. I'm a tall rider and have had no trouble with knee clearance. I ride in a fairly busy city most times, with all sorts of bad drivers, and quick maneuvers are no problem.

THAT SAID:

1.
The harness/strap system on this seat is cheaply designed and built and could be greatly improved on. Finding a good snug fit takes some work, and there have been times when my daughter (while falling asleep or twisting to see something fly by) has worked her shoulder out from under one of the straps. Not good on Westminster St.

2.
Speaking of sleep, what would it cost to fix-- or, even better, make a removable/washable-- pad to the crossbar? If your kid falls asleep, there's really no place for them to rest their weary noggin.

3.
The stinger system for mounting the seat isn't as solid feeling as I'd like. If I have to jump on the bike sans kid for a trip to the corner store (seat makes a nifty grocery holder), the empty seat rattles over every bump like it's not really latched on. It is, of course, but there's a too much play, I think.

Overall, it's a great seat. It does the job well. But I can't help but wonder how great it would be if they just took a little more time with it. A better harness, a place for kids to rest their heads and a more reassuring fastening system would go a long way.