Fastest bike on the road that could take a child seat?

[philoio]

Hi I’m new here, I have been cycling for a few years now and cycle every day for work. I am looking to get a new bike using the good ol cycle to work scheme but I am struggling to choose. So I thought I would ask here.

I have read a bucket load of review and explained but am still none the wiser. I had a chat with my local bike shop but they did not seem to have anything that really fitted the bill in store.
It seems I have unusual requirements… In a nutshell I want to be as fast on the road as possible but be able to ride down steps and strap a child seat to the frame on occasion. Must also be enjoyable to ride.

I was thinking something like a genesis croix de fer but nowhere local (Southampton) seems to sell them. Any suggestions?

Cheers Phil

 

[PpPete]

Steel tourer with rack-eyelets is good for the kind of child seats that mount on racks... I had a Rhode Gear (aka Co-Pilot) seat on the back of my 531 framed Dawes Galaxy for a number of years when my kids were younger. Not really the sort of thing that's ideal for riding down steps though.... it can be done without damage by a sensitive rider using chunky tyres, but chunky tyres means not going fast...

Surly Long Haul Trucker, or Kona Sutra might be worth looking at.

 

[philoio]

Cheers for the reply Pete, I should probably clarify i dont intend to ride down steps with the baby on board.

 

[mcshroom]

What sort of steps are you looking at riding down? If it's just from pavement to road then any Cyclocross bike or tourer should be able to handle it (with a little care). I do this not too infrequently on 28mm tyres on my tourer.

If it's a flight of steps, then I'm not sure you're going to find a bike that can cope with them and go fast.

 

[HLaB]

Fast down steps and child seat If they are a serious amount of steps and high and you go down them often, I can't imagine any fast will cope.

 

[Edge705]

Hi I’m new here, I have been cycling for a few years now and cycle every day for work. I am looking to get a new bike using the good ol cycle to work scheme but I am struggling to choose. So I thought I would ask here.

I have read a bucket load of review and explained but am still none the wiser. I had a chat with my local bike shop but they did not seem to have anything that really fitted the bill in store.
It seems I have unusual requirements… In a nutshell I want to be as fast on the road as possible but be able to ride down steps and strap a child seat to the frame on occasion. Must also be enjoyable to ride.

I was thinking something like a genesis croix de fer but nowhere local (Southampton) seems to sell them. Any suggestions?

Cheers Phil

Crikes Phil go easy when you have the child on board you will not beleive how unstable it can make a bike feel I had my baby seat strapped to a racer (road bike) it rested on a back rack bolted to the seat stay eyelets it felt ever so unsteady at times a kind of like back heavy. As me lad got older it became even more risky and I stopped using it when he was 4. Now if I had my time again I would be going for a firm strong hybrid slighlty on the wheighty side but solid and a minimum 35mm tyres Just my opinion but then again when the childs not on the bike your stuck with something that would be slower than a standard road bike

Im not sure if this is of any help but my advice would be to try before you buy maybe borrow a work colleagues bike or rent one?

 

[StuAff]

If by 'local' you can stretch to twenty or so miles, Velocity Bikes in Cosham are Genesis dealers.

 

[ColinJ]

I suspect that Phil wants a fast bike which is fun to ride when the baby is not on board but which can be press ganged into domestic transportation duties when necessary!

 

[philoio]

I currently ride a trek district, nice bike but after a year on single speed miss gears for speed and long distance.

The steps requirement - i want a bike that that can handle a little rough such as rolling down a handful of steps with care. Can a cyclocrossbike take it?
The child seat requirement - i don't want to clamp a seat to a bike that cant take it... and yes i ride very very carefully with my little one on board and not down any steps!

 

[StuAff]

I currently ride a trek district, nice bike but after a year on single speed miss gears for speed and long distance.

The steps requirement - i want a bike that that can handle a little rough such as rolling down a handful of steps with care. Can a cyclocrossbike take it?
The child seat requirement - i don't want to clamp a seat to a bike that cant take it... and yes i ride very very carefully with my little one on board and not down any steps!

I'm pretty sure that if a CX can handle, well, cyclocross, it can handle a few steps. Road bikes aren't fragile either, btw