Friday, April 22, 2011

The iBert seat on the Brompton

I finally got to try out the iBert child seat on my Brompton M6L.  I attached it on yesterday, but wasn't able to use it.
This morning, Bea and I took the Brompton for a spin.  As you can see, the iBert seat sits a bit lower than usual compared to its position on a full-sized bike.  Yesterday, I thought that issue would be a problem but its really not.  I was able to pedal quite normally.
As usual, whether on a full-sized bike or a folding bike, Bea enjoyed her bike ride with Daddy.  Look at the smile on her face.  It's priceless!
Now for the bad news.  After I uninstalled the iBert seat, I discovered that the clamp of the stinger left a deep scratch on my head tube / stem.  And this is after I put black rubber foam padding around the tube precisely to protect the head tube / stem from these kind of things.  Imagine what the damage would be if I attached the metal clamp bare and without padding.  The abrasion would be bigger and deeper.
Argh!  
I touched it up with white nail polish.  It didn't erase the scratch, but at least its not that noticeable.
I guess that's it for the iBert-Brompton combination.  It's back to the Trek Allant for this child seat.  I don't want to further damage the head tube / stem of my Brommie.

If you don't mind paint chipping off your folding bike, then go ahead and install the iBert seat.  I think the head tube / stem can carry the load.  And you can pedal normally.

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6 comments:

  1. postApril 22, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    where can I get this kind of baby seat?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kris AblanApril 22, 2011 at 1:15 PM

    Hi, Buck! The iBert seat is not available in the Philippines. I ordered mine in the U.S. and had it sent here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LindseyJoyJuly 13, 2012 at 8:10 PM

    great review, i was wondering how this would work!! i am a mama of two and considering a folding bike in the near future.

    ReplyDelete
  4. sebsJune 28, 2013 at 3:20 AM

    Hi Kris,

    Thanks for posting this. I purchased an iBert for my Brompton, but it doesn't quite fit. The T-Bar is too short, and doesn't reach into the second metal loop under the seat. How did you manage to fit it? Do you have close-up pictures of the T-Bar without the seat?

    Thanks in advance! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kris AblanJune 28, 2013 at 5:57 AM

      Hi, sebs! I placed the T-bar just above the black thing on the front tube. Then I positioned the iBert seat as far back as possible so as not to hit the M-bar. Sorry, I don't have close-up pics of the T-bar on the Brompton as I gave away my iBert seat already. I hope you get to install yours successfully. Good luck!

      Delete
    2. sebsJune 29, 2013 at 12:11 AM

      Cool, I will try when I get home. Thanks for the reply. :)

      Delete

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