Having a child is probably one of the best things that can happen to anyone, if not the best. However, kids can get it the way with our hobbies. The good news is, you can always find ways to get your kids involved. In fact, it is best to share our hobbies and interests with our little ones – start them young! On the other hand, biking is one of the easiest ways to enjoy the outdoors. For the more extreme, hardcore cyclists, taking some easy days and bringing your kids along is a great way to bond with your family. And for that, you are going to need a bicycle child seat.

There are various types and brands of child bike seats, each with its own set of pros and cons, but I will talk about what I have – the Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi, and what I like about it.

Why Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi?

I already had a few child seats in mind and was about to call suppliers for enquiries, and I never really knew Thule made bicycle child seats as well. We decided to go for a ride at the Canning Reserve in Maribyrnong one day and I thought I needed a security chain/cable. So I went into a nearby bicycle shop and saw this thing in the corner. Loved it!

As much as I love reading reviews before buying anything, this one made me skip my SOP. Simply because I think it looks cool and slick at the same time. Most of all, I love the simplicity of the design. What do I mean by that?

Let’s get to the details.

After the purchase we went straight to Canning Reserve, as planned. We all had our bikes including the little one’s. The only problem is, she cannot keep up with us and I was dying to have a decent ride along the Maribyrnong River. So I thought, I have the child seat in the car, might as well install it here. And so I did.

What’s in the Box?

Inside the box you will see the following:

  • Child seat, saddle, release bracket with 4 bolts – all tied together
  • Extra bolts x 4
  • Allen key x 1 (included in the bag of bolts)
  • Keys x 2 (duplicates)
  • Manual
  • Safety Guide

Also, there is a tag that says, Baby Innovation Award Winner 2017 by Baby Stuf – that’s gotta be something.

Assembly and Installation

Note: Please refer to the owner’s manual and safety guide to ensure your child’s safety. The following photos are only meant for sharing my experience with the product and to give you some ideas.

It is safe to say that this is something you would normally do at home but if you just can’t wait, like me, make sure you have a cutter or a pair of scissors handy because this gave me a bit of a problem.

Release bracket installation – use the provided Allen key to attach the release bracket into the frame as shown in the photo below. Refer to the owner’s manual for proper installation guide.

Next, you will need to attach the seat onto the saddle. This is a very simple but we need to ensure our kids’ safety so again, manual.

The final step is mounting the saddle into the bracket, and locking the release bracket using the provided key.

That’s about it. Strap your kid in safely and you are all set!

Final Thoughts

  • This product is on the expensive end. You can definitely find cheaper alternatives with good quality but more often than not, you get what you pay for. When it comes to aesthetics, this one hits home in my opinion.
  • Easy to install. I managed to install this product in a park, straight after purchase, with no tools on hand. And it only took about 15 minutes. Could have been faster if I had a pair of scissors or a cutter.
  • The frame mounted design offers a very simple and fast attach/detach mechanism. We don’t ride with our kids all the time, especially when we mean to explore unfamiliar and relatively unsafe terrains. For that purpose, detaching the saddle and the seat from the bike is a breeze and leaves you with just the release bracket on the frame — neat.
  • When it comes to safety, I still think the rear carrier mounted models (Thule has them as well) are tough to beat. However, I am certain that this frame mounted model is safe as long as the safety guide is followed. More importantly, Thule is a trusted name in the industry and to me it’s reassuring.
  • For the past 5 days that I’ve had this biker child seat, I have used it at about 13km on both sealed and unsealed surfaces — works a treat.
  • Is it worthy of the Innovation Award? I believe so.

Useful Links

For information on the exact model that I have, click here.

If you want to explore other similar products by Thule, please check out the links below:

Have fun!