Kettler Flipper child bike seat

I decided to start taking my 1 year son on bike rides and researched quite extensively on child seats. If you want a seat that will fit most bikes, then this is definitely the one to get. I tried the CoPilot Limo first, but the included Blackburn rack required specific rear dimensions and mounts on the bike frame to fit the rack. Most aluminum frame bikes or disc brake equipped bikes will not fit the Co-pilot. I actually gave away a Specialized Rockhopper because the bike didn't have the mounts at the rear to mount the CoPilot's rack. The Cannondale I bought as a repleacement has the rear screw holes, but the bike was actually too wide in the back for the Co-Pilot also, so I had to return the CoPilot. I then saw the iBert seat and thought that will be my answer. I saw the thing in person and thought it was awsome the way it fits the stem and moves with the handlebar. But instead was disappointed to find out my Cannondale stem was too wide and short to fit what otherwise was an ingenius design, that was very cool when I saw it in person. Finally, I found the Kettler and saw the mount sandwiched the frame and requires really nothing more. Although the plastic inserts said 28, 30, 32, 35 mm frame diameters, I'm quite certain most bike frames are made in those sizes, and even if you happened to have a frame 1-2 mm off, the way the frame bar is sandwiched in and secured by the 4 long bolts, the mount will still fit. Women's bike is another story. There nothing standard about a women's bike -- The middle bar is just too fat, and most are designed to be curvy for cosmetic reasons anyways. So far, other people are right with how poorly the instruction is put together, but really there is not much to putting the thing together. 1. peel off 2 of the included inserts and place them inside the mount halves. Clip the halves on the frame and thread 4 long bolts with spacer. Before tightening, adjust the height and angles of the mount. 2. Follow the diagram to screw the seat on the plastic base. Adjust the seat belts. 3. Fit the footrest, put on some decal, secure the fabric seat with valcro. DONE! As for the complaint from another shopper about how removing the mount will take 10 minutes -- Not true. I doubt anyone takes 10 minutes to take off and replace 4 bolts...... But you probably will want a traditional rack under the seat because that will prevent the side to side motion that may happen with the suspension design of this rack.

I purchased the Flipper for my 40-lb. 2 year old because it has a higher weight limit than any other child bike seat I've seen. There was no clear warning from the manufacturer that it is incompatible with most women's bikes. (The terms "non standard" and "full suspension mountain bike" do not mean "women's bikes" to me.) When my son sits in it, the seat lowers so that it is resting on the wheel. We were very disappointed that we couldn't make it work on my bike. We otherwise liked the seat, so my husband has decided to use it on his bike. But now I have to spend another chunk of money to get a second seat.

The installation directions are SO BAD. There are a few words and some awful diagrams. More plastic parts, screws and connector pieces than I had expected for the price. Other HUGE complaint is that this seat only works with bikes of frame diameter 28, 32, 30, 35, or 40mm at the point where the seat support connects. This ruled out installation on 2 of my 4 very standard street bicycles. Another problem I am having is that the seat's foot rest does not clear my brake housing on the bike it is installed on and so I am now changing it to yet a fourth bicycle. Because it is a bigger seat for bigger children it will pretty much only work with a bigger frame bike. If you have a smaller bike or a woman?s bike, check the specs VERY carefully (for example your rear brake cable must run down the center back of the seat stem and connect very low or you will have to disconnect it to install the seat). Safety complaints ?there is no horizontal ? right/left stabalizer and the seat will swing from side to side unless you have a rear rack. It doesn?t come with a rack and one is not required for installation, but the seat does rely on it to some degree for stabalization. Safety complaints: There is only one pin connecting seat to bike. Adjustment for position of seat on mount (horizontal back/front) is a plastic catch and a bolt, so to move the seat back (for example switching between two bikes with different frame) requires tools and a minimum or 10 mins. I would not buy this bike seat again.

I never write reviews but this seat is amazing. Installed on my wife's 2005/2006?Ladies Schwinn Crusier Three.

1) DIRECTIONS are horrible as there are no words only pictures. So plan to spend an 1 to 1.5 hours putting it together. Once installed, it is worth every penny.

2) FEATURES I LOVED AND MAKE THIS WORTH THE $: **A**The seat and bar attachment are easily removed (~2 seconds) so you can ride your bike without the seat or change from one person's bike to another (you need to buy the mounting attachement for the additional bike). My wife loves the fact that she can quickly remove the seat for her own biking and not have to tote around an empty seat.

**B**The optional lock accessory you can buy for the seat, so someone else doesn't remove the seat in ~2seconds as described above. (It fits into the mounting attachment. **C** The seat back extends upwards so the seat grows with a taller child. AND The foot rests move downward so it grows with the child as well. **D** the saddle bads are great and can hold bottled water and the like. They also don't stick out and are secured with velcro on the sides and a plastic tab into the seat. (Little worry that it will be lost). **E** My daughter LOVES the fact that the seat is more "bouncy" than riding on the forks.

I looked around before purchasing this seat, and chose it because it sits on the frame, not the bar by the wheel so it has better shock absorbtion. I was a little concerned with the child harness, in that it only connects at the childs lap, and not at the chest also like a car seat. But i tightened it (my 15 mo daughter is very thin)and she cannot get out. I like the bar as well. I wasnt sure if it would be worth it to fork out over $120.00 for this, but it has been worth it! The only complaint i have are the pins that connect the seat to the attachment on the bike, there is only one, not one on each side. It still feels pretty sturdy, but i wish it had two. There is a hole for a second pin, but they didnt design it with one. I may call Kettler and ask them about this. Overall its a great seat, and we have gone on many hour rides.

Great seat. Many extra features. Very comfortable for our 1 yr old. The only problem was the instructions- impossible to understand.It had to be professionally assembeled.

Comments from The Staff:

Is there such a thing as a professional bike seat assmbler? Just kidding, I assume you took it to a bike shop? Others have said this, and glad you found someone to help. It's not that its hard to do, but the instructions could use some improvements.

We originally bought a Fisher Price 123 Child Seat and hated it! I don't understand how FP advertised their 123 Child Seat as "easy to install" with a straight face. The bars that support the seat weren't long enough and didn't attach well to the bike's frame. Also, there was a ton of individual parts that had to be assembled. We installed this on a Specialized mountain bike with no difficulty. Cost a lot more the the FP 123 but was so easy to install I thought I was doing it wrong. Seat was installed in 15 minutes and we were riding! Only 1 point attaches to the bike. All tools are included. Seat has foot straps, for the child, to avoid rider getting kicked or thrown off balance. Has a 5 point safety harness. Lots of visibility for the child and a high back seat. Storage pockets. Hold up to 50 pounds.

I have A schwinn hybrid bicycle with the front forks and shock seat so I was kind of skeptical about it fitting on my bike. Well I have to say it was A breeze, it attached to my bike on the down tube below my bike seat so it didnt effect my seats suspension. This seat was very well made and very sturdy. We enjoy riding on dirt paths with lots of obstacles (of course) and the seat took all the bumps and breaks extremely well. My advice, this is the one youve been looking for!!