Thursday, October 27, 2011

Child Bike Seat for My Brompton

I blogged about the IT Chair last May and September and raved about its simple and straightforward design. You see, other than the IT Chair, I do not know of any other commercially-available child bike seat that can be used with the Brompton. I wanted one for my daughter, but I found the product to be very expensive (It's 210 Pounds in the BikeFix website).

And even if I had that kind of money, the IT Chair is not available here in South East Asia. (the seat is manufactured in far away Spain)

So, what's a Filipino dad have to do?

Fortunately, those blog posts caught the attention of one of my cycling buddies and he graciously offered to fabricate a child bike seat, based on the IT Chair, for Bea.  This week, he delivered it to me. (Thanks, Ariel! You're the best!)

And here it is! I call it the Brom-upuan. ('Upuan' is Filipino for chair)
Like the IT Chair, the Brom-upuan is made of stainless steel. There is a bar jutting out of the main frame so that one can install the extra saddle. And then there is a footrest at the bottom end. The only difference is how the Brom-upuan attaches to the bike. Unlike the IT Chair, the Brom-upuan does not have a quick-release clamp for the seat post. It's just a screw on. I put rubber foam under the clamp to protect the seatpost from scratches. I did the same thing with the clamp on the top tube.
So that you can see the difference between the two, I borrowed some pictures of the IT Chair from the Our Man Inside blog (Thank you Mr. Christian Payne!) and place them side by side with photos of the Brom-upuan.
IT Chair on the left. Brom-upuan on the right.
The IT Chair has a quick release clamp. The Brom-upuan just has a clamp with a screw.

Both products have foot rests for the child passenger.
So that's the Brom-upuan. I will test it with Bea and report my findings and observations in my next blog post.

27 comments:

  1. ganda kris! baka pwede meron version 2.0 na may small handle bar for the kiddo, jutting out from the kids saddle. but it wont be too compact anymore. overall i think i looks better than the original :)

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  2. Hi, John! Yeah, Ariel and his welder did a good job. I agree on putting a small handle for the little rider for added safety, but yes, the compactness would be compromised.

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  3. Hey this is great. I was thinking of getting one fabricated in Singapore but I don't have the contacts. Kris, do you think he would make another one for me? Of course I pay for it! I like how the seatpost clamp design allows quick removal. Let me know iliew@wefc.org.sg if you think he can! ;)

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  4. Hi, Ivan! Okay, I will ask my friend if he can make another one for you.

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  5. Thanks Kris. Ariel contacted me already. When you fold the Brompton, does the bromp-upuan stay firmly attached to the seatpost? I ask because the seatpost clamp doesn't look so strong. Also, I can see why you say in your test ride that the Bromp-upuan is not attached to the main tube. The prototype design differs crucially from the original. It would be a relatively simple fix, which I describe to Ariel. Email me if you want to find out more...

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  6. Hi, Ivan! The Bromp-upuan stays firmly attached to the seatpost because the clamp, although not quick release, is secured tight with a bolt/screw. I just bring an allen wrench with me if I need to untighten it. I'll check with Ariel if he gets to fix the main tube attachment. May be I can have mine modified.

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  7. Hi Kris:

    Would it be possible for me to speak with Ariel about ordering one also? Please let me know: chengwedding at gmail com

    Thanks!
    Jim

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  8. Hi, Jim! You can contact Ariel on Facebook. His name there is Ariel Arias ii.

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  9. Hi Kris!

    Thanks for your reply. I've tried to contact Ariel via Facebook, but haven't heard back from him. Is he available/interested in building a bromp-upuan for me?

    Thanks again!

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  10. Oh, I'll tell Ariel you're trying to connect with him when I see him this Sunday. I think he can have one fabricated for you. In fact, he just sent one to Singapore.

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  11. Thanks Kris. Were you able to get in touch with Ariel? Cheers,

    Jim (chengwedding at g m a i l)

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  12. Hi, Jim! Yes, I asked him about your query. He said he didn't receive anything. Perhaps you contacted a different Ariel. Here is his Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/arielariasii

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  13. Hi kris im so interested to have this brom-upuan perhaps i can purchase one set and ship to jkt

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    1. Hi, Jerry! Okay, I will ask Ariel if he can fabricate for you.

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    2. Hi kris thanks,, how long it will take to fabricate for me?

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  14. Hi Kris!
    Sorry to bother you again, but I tried to contact Ariel using both my wife's and my facebook account but haven't received a reply (this is in regards to asking him to make an IT chair). Would it be possible to have him email me directly? chengwedding at gmail com
    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Jim! I talked to Ariel last week and told him about your interest. Unfortunately, he won't be able to handle your order at this moment due to other commitments. Maybe his schedule will free up in the 4th quarter. Sorry, Jim.

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  15. Thanks Kris. I'll try to ping him then.

    Jim

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  16. hello
    is it still possible to contact this guy and have one child seat produced?
    thanks!

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  17. Nope
    I am in Italy and was wondering if he could make it and ship it here.

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    1. Oh, you're pretty far from us. I think it's going to be cheaper if you order it from the UK instead. Here's the link: http://www.bikefix.co.uk/it-chair

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  18. I already know that link but it's very expensive for what you get.
    I was expecting it would be cheap erto get it from philippines. Is that possible?

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    Replies
    1. I will ask and get back to you if it's possible.

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    2. Hi Maurizio. Sorry my friend does not fabricate it anymore.

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  19. Thanks a lot. Hope to hear from you soon

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