July 9th, 2008 by 
Gregg
I have tried the trailer and the rear mounted seat, but hands down the iBert safe-T-seat beats both of these options. If you have more than one young child, the trailer is a better option. But if you have only one small child/toddler who wants to ride with you, the iBert offers a much better view, and more importantly, better interaction with your child as you ride. Everywhere we go, we get comments and questions about the iBert safe-T-seat from other excited parents.
Mounting the seat to the bike:
The iBert safe-T-seat uses a very simple mounting bracket (called the "stinger") that mounts to the steerer tube of the fork, just below the stem. It uses two bolts and takes only 5 minutes to install (actually, it took me 10 minutes but only because I had to move a spacer from on top of my stem, to below it.) A minumum of 3/4" IS required, so if you don't have any spacers on your steerer tube, you may be out of luck.
The seat itself slides on to the stinger bracket and attaches via a pin that is secured by a cotter pin. Without the child in it, there seems to be a lot of play between the seat and the mounting bracket. However, once the child is in the seat and secured, it was never an issue.
You do not have to remove the stinger bracket, to ride the bike solo. The stinger bracket swings around when you turn the handlebar, but it does not get in the way.
Loading your child into the seat:
It is helpful to have a bench or tailgate of a truck or trunk of a car, or something to lean your bike against, when loading and unloading your child from the seat. Clearance between the cables from the handlebar and the leg portion of the seat can be tricky, but not a big deal (I try to make sure my child points his toes a bit when getting in or out so they don't get hung up on the cables.)
Also, I have found that it is necessary for me to load my child, then secure the safety straps over his head, without him wearing his helmet. If he has his helmet on, the clearance with the straps is not enough to go over his head with helmet. Not a big problem, but something to remember.
The Experience:
Once loaded and ready to go, the iBert safe-T-seat offers a great ride experience. We can talk back and forth, point out different sites along the trail...just a really fun and unique way to share the ride with your little one. Everywhere we go, we get comments and questions and smiles from other cyclists and parents.
At first, with the added weight of the child attached to the steering of the bike, it takes a bit of getting use to. But after just a couple of laps around the driveway, this feeling disappears (you won't be bombing any gnarly switchbacks, to be sure, though).
Also, because of the position and the spacing of the seat, there is not a lot of space to hop down between the saddle of the bike and the iBert safe-T-seat. You can solve this by either lowering your seat for starting and stopping (so you don't have to hop down) or by using something to stand on (a curb works well) when starting or stopping in order to maintain proper saddle height for peddling.
As a parent of a young child, there is no better option than the iBert safe-T-seat...really. And no, I didn't get paid to say that. In fact, I paid for this product with my own money, at full retail price, this is not a free test product or something bought at an industry insider price. I first found out about this product from their booth at the Sea Otter this past year. I recommend it to any cycling parent with a toddler.
If I had to complain about one thing (and I think every good review has to include at least 1 think that isn't perfect), it would be that the ride might be more comfortable with some padding in the butt and inner thigh area of the seat. You would think a diaper would be the mother of all chamois, but we've been working up to longer distances of rides and harder terrain, so a little bit of padding would be nice.
Summary and Rating:
I would strongly recommend the iBert safe-T-seat. It is a lot of fun for my son and I, and it is a great way to get your youngster excited about biking. I've even moved up from laps around the local park to real singletrack rides. My only complaint is that I didn't find out about this product sooner! Had I known, I would have had him in this thing for the last year, as it stands now, we don't have long to go before he reaches the 38 pound weight limit (which means I'll have to get him on a balance bike (Skuut/Like-a-Bike/Glider) soon!
I give them 5 flamin' chili peppers overall:
And 5 flamin' chili peppers for value:
Do you have an iBert and want to share your experience? Please write a review on our site here:
http://www.mtbr.com/cat/accessories/extras/ibertinc/safetseat/PRD_418997_117crx.aspx
iBert Inc. Website:
http://www.ibertinc.com/
From the manufacturer:
-better than trailers
-better than rear-mounted seats
-better than other front mounted seats
-installs in minutes
Will it fit your kids?
The safe-T-seat is designed for children age 4 and under. The minimum age is 12 months as the child needs to be able to sit up well and hold the weight of a helmet on his/her head. The maximum height of the child that can use the safe-T-seat is 42 inches. Kids much taller than that will be uncomfortable. The recommended max weight is 38 lbs. Above 38 lbs and the maneuverability of the bike may be affected.
Will it fit your bike?
The safe-T-seat is the most adaptable child carrier on the market today. It fits more bikes than any other front mounted seat. A minimum of 3/4 inch is needed on the handle bar stem to accommodate the stinger assembly.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
probably gonna be nixed by the moderators but…
new meaning for the term “the death seat.” we used to say “I got shotgun!” to ride in the front passenger’s seat, the other passengers would say “yeah, you got the death seat…”
Seriously tho, this thing looks really awesome and simple but a roll bar would be good for those OTB moments…
-S
July 10th, 2008 at 11:44 am
I hear ya..
I don’t even wanna THINK about going OTB with the young ‘un in the front! My wife would kill me.
Then I’d be the one in the death seat.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
So how does the iBert compare to the WeeRide?
July 10th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I have not tried the WeeRide personally, but the problem with seats that place the child in that position (located on top of the top tube, between the rider and the handlebars) is that you can’t pedal normally. You have to bend your knees out to the side to pedal.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I got the Wee-Ride as I thought the mount on it was more stable. I was turned off by the concept of the ibert being attached to the steerer and the kid turning with the handlebars.
Depending on your bike’s geometry and your legs, you might have problems with leg clearance with the ibert as well.
For all of the non-parents, save your criticisms. These are stable seats and as long as operation is on non-technical trails your chance of endo is nil. I’ve been riding with my daughter for over a year and not had any near misses of any sort.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:05 am
Cute toddler!!! My question is, does it come in multiple colors or just ninja turtle green?
July 11th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Green is the only color available. Not sure if the manufacturer has any plans for other colors or not.
You could let your child decorate the seat with stickers or something, perhaps, if the green is not to your/their liking.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Looks good. Been thinking about getting \The Kid\ out on the bike, but he’s still a wee bit young for it. Will keep this in mind.
July 13th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
I didn’t have a good look in the video and haven’t located this in a store, nor any better pictures. I am wondering if the ’stinger’ takes the place of some spacers. I’m just trying to calculate the amount of work required to get the stinger on and off my bike.
July 14th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Actually, Matt, the “stinger” goes over the spacers. So, you don’t have to remove any, just bolt the bracket around the existing spacers.
It’s not a lot of work to take it (the bracket) on and off, but I’m not sure you would have to (well, except for added safety in case you crash, or something like that.)
July 14th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
what about if you do an endo while trile riding? Where exactely is that jagged dagger of death located? Impailment is not my idea of a sweet wreck. Then I’d have to blame my kid.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Hi Gregg,
I’m a casual biker so forgive me for the lack of technical knowledge. I just bought this seat based on the reviews (it hasn’t arrived yet) and was looking for where to put it on my Rockhopper. Are the spacers that you are referring to the ones between the frame and the stem? I have 3 of those underneath the stem, and I was planning on taking those out, and attaching the Stinger directly to the post. If you attach it to the spacers, isn’t the seat susceptible to spinning around the post, like the spacers do?
July 15th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Hey Barry,
Yes, the spacers are under the stem. The spacers come in different sizes, but I’d say that if you have 3 of them, then you have plenty of room.
The bracket (stinger) is made to go around the spacers, and it makes the installation much easier and quicker. I suppose you could attach the stinger directly to the post (actually called the steerer tube), but I would check with the manufacturer first.
I have mine installed around the spacers and have never encountered a problem with the bracket spinning around.
Enjoy your iBert! Ride it for a while, then come back here and write a review in our product reviews section!
-g
July 15th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
First, before people go too nuts with the Q&A, you might want to excercise a little self-educating behavior and go to the manufacturers website. Lots of pretty pictures and informative words…
I had a Weeride (purchased when it was still called the Centric Safehaven), and then I got an iBert. The Weeride was great, but the major drawback was that it sat slightly lower and slightly more rearward which made me have to ride fairly bowl-legged. The iBert is better in that the seat is a little more out of the way of my knees (higher and more forward) - but even just a little bit more out of the way goes a long way and to me this alone makes this seat superior. The other advantage is that it weighs less (the mounting bracket for the Weeride is big, steel, and heavy). The dissadvantage of the iBert is that the child’s weight is hanging off of the steerer tube, but it’s really not that bad - once you try one you’ll see what I mean - it’s much less of a factor than I would have guessed. Another advantage of the iBert is that it’s much easier to remove the seat (as long as you don’t mind with the “stinger” pointing at your crotch). I now have it on a bike that also have a trail-a-bike attached to. I’ll put my 16-month-old son in the iBert and my 4-year-old on the trail-a-bike. If I just have one of them, I can easily remove whichever attachment I don’t need. OK, the truth is that I have bumped my knees into the stinger before (with the iBert seat removed) - it’s only happened once or twice, while standing, but it did more than tickle…
Riding: the paranoids like sasuqatch2 can freak all they want, but I used to mtb ride (I mean real, 1 to 1.5 hour-long rides) with my now-4 year-old in the Weeride and later the iBert when he was between the ages of 2.5 and 3.5 years old. Before then, it was just more mellow rides around the neighborhood (as I do now with my 16 month old). For trail-riding, the important parts are to ride slower than you would, on less technical trails then you would, in more control than you would, etc. Basically, up your safety and control a couple of notches compared to how you might normally ride, and the two of you will be fine.
Other tips I would give:
try to train your kid to ride with their elbows-in. Elbows-in, and I can ride without being bowl-legged at all. When my son sets his elbows out, I have to ride a little bowl-legged…
1) get him/her excited with wearing a helmet - preferably before hand with an indoor bike, or some ride-a-long. If they’re already somewhat OK with wearing their helmet before you try to go on your first ride, you’ve got one less potential issue…
2) start with flat pedals and a lowered seat. It will give you more control. I now ride with my seat at normal hight, and with SPDs, but it took a while to build up that level of comfort.
3) In addition to you’re regular tools/water/jacket/spare tube, etc., be prepaired for them too! Bring snacks, DIAPERS/WIPES, changing pad, etc. I used to keep an extra plastic baggie next to my camelback in the garage with most of the essentials ready to go.
4) start with very short rides around the neighborhood, and slowly build up your ride times, and the level of “bumpyness” of the rides. (a loop around the outside of a grass playing field is more bumpy than pavement, but not quite like hitting the trails)
5) on longer rides, if possible plan mid-ride stops to a playground or duck-pond or whatever - something fun to break up the ride for the little one.
6) I attached one of those dorky side-mirrors that plugs into the end of my handlebar. On the road I’ll point it to see traffic behind me, but off road I’ll use it to watch my son’s face - it helps to monitor their enjoyment/tiredness, etc.
7) On the iBert, I use an extra strap that I loop between the two straps in the back to pull them closer together at about shoulder-blade height. Think of this like a sternum-strap for a Camelback, only across the back instead of the sternum. This will make more sense to those who own one already (or those about to set one up). It definitely helps to keep the straps on my kids shoulders and seems much more secure.
July 21st, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Okay, so I got my seat on Thursday last week, but I haven’t had a chance to give it a good go around yet. Just wanted to chime in a bit on my overall impression.
The seat did indeed install within minutes, although I did run into a little unexpected issue. I have a Specialized Rockhopper and like Gregg’s bike, I have a straight handlebar. Unlike Gregg’s bike, I have RapidFire shifters. Those along with the brake handles ended up in the way of the leg extensions of the seat. I had to rotate those up to make the seat fit. I’m positive, if I had the curved handlebar, there would have been enough clearance. That said, the new angle of my brakes and shifters are fine and I don’t notice it.
I ended up installing over the spacers and at this point, I don’t see anything wrong with it. I might try it directly to the steer tube (thx Gregg!) one of these days, but it should be fine the way it is.
I took it for a quick spin down the block and my knees do brush against the seat, but I don’t notice myself bowing the knees out or anything. All in all, I’m pleased with the seat. I’ll try to put in a more extensive review once I’ve given it a few more rides.
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
THESE KINDS OF CHILD CARRIERS ARE THE WORST!!! it’s simple, IF YOU GO DOWN, THEY GO DOWN! HARDER! spend the extra $ on a trailer!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Whoa there, scia…nobody is advocating putting your child in one of these, and then going to hit some jumps and drops.
And the reasons to choose a seat like the iBert over a trailer have little to do with price, and more to do with fun and interaction with your little one.
No parent will argue with you that safety is paramount, but there is no reason that you can’t ride with your child in one of these AND be safe at the same time.
It is up to each individual to choose what they ride, and what their children ride. But don’t try and invalidate a whole category of bike product (iBert, Wee-Ride, whatever…) just because it may be outside of your own personal comfort level of risk.
One comment that I read in the forums that I always keep in the back of my mind is … be a parent first, before being a mountain biking parent.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I’m back. Thanks for more great information and tips guys.
I got one of these a few weeks ago. On/Off is a snap, but I feel the stinger is very secure (the less parts, the less that can go wrong, right?). My daughter loves it (she found it off my bike this weekend and started pulling it around. Sadly I didn’t have time to take her for a ride at the time). I haven’t had any problem with her touching my controls. Although she did want to reach out and grab my arm during part of the ride (there is the interaction you buy this thing for). The only draw back is that steering took a little more effort, but it wasn’t a big deal once we got going. Now I just need to find some light trails we can ride and fun destinations! I’d totally buy again and am glad I ignored the fellow at the bike shop.