Thule Yepp nexxt Mini

Product Information

For parents with one kid to bring along, using the bike seat will be the most convenient because we can just mount the seat on the bike and leave it there when not in use. They are also very easy to install and depending on the variants, some are front and some are rear mounted. Thule is one of the most popular options when it comes to bike seats and this company also comes with tons of variants to choose from. We love their seats because you can count on the safety and durability too.

Front-mounted seats are smaller than rear-mounted seats because they have to fit between the adult rider and the rider’s handlebars. All of Thule’s front-mounted seats are designed for babies and toddlers 20 – 33 lbs, or 1 – 3-years-old. Rear-mounted seats can be bigger because there’s more room in the rear of a bike, so they typically fit kids longer, up to 6 years old. To test a child on the larger end of this range, we enlisted the help of a 2.5-year-old who weighs 30 pounds. She was obviously much larger than our baby tester, but still fit the seat just fine. In addition to stem diameter requirements, you also need a minimum of 21 mm (0.83″) in vertical space on the stem for mounting. Like the vast majority of front-mounted bike seats, the Nexxt Mini’s shoulder straps are notheight adjustable. Shoulder straps should fit like a car seat – a range from slightly below to slightly above the shoulder. If a child is too tall and the straps start significantly lower than their shoulders, the straps have a much higher chance of sliding off. Because a front-mounted child bike seat is only used for about a year or year and a half, this potential sizing problem is less of an issue. Our primary tester was 12 months old, 22.6 lbs, and in the 82nd percentile for height and weight. She fits very comfortably in the seat, and based on Two Wheeling Tots’ past experience with front-mounted seats, will probably fit just as comfortably for about a year to a year and a half.In comparison, the Nexxt will be a slightly more affordable option and this variant seems to fit a wide range of bikes as well compared to Yepp or many similar seats. As for the age range, we can start using them from when the little one can sit on their own or suggested from 9 months to 3 years old or around 33 lbs. in weight. Another noticeable difference between Thule Yepp Mini and Nexxt is the shape of the seat as well but features wise they are identical. Thule Yepp Mini and Nexxt Design Before getting started, there are some factors to consider too and it is to ensure that we are safe while enjoying the ride. First, both adults and the kids must wear protective gear or at least bike a helmet. It can be a bit difficult to find the correct fitting for the kid’s helmet but we can choose the kids variant and make sure that it is properly fitting the head as well as secured. Second is recognizing the bicycle laws in your place and what we must wear including the kids. You can see in the image below that the should strap is just above our 12-month-old tester’s shoulder. It fits perfectly and keeps her snuggly in place. We had a much harder time fitting the straps to our 2.5-year-old tester. The shoulder strap starts significantly below her shoulder and we were less confident in them staying put.

If this isa concern for you and you want your child to be able to ride longer with you up front, the Thule Ridealong Mini’s shoulder strap system doesoffer two different heights for a more comfortable and accurate fit as kids grow.Be aware that many seats (including the Thule Yepp Nexxt Mini) say they can fit children as young as 9 months old. Many states actually have laws prohibiting the use of a child bike seat until a child is a year old, and many physicians also advise against use before a child turns one. Ask your doctor if you’re concerned! We prefer to err on the side of caution and don’t test child bike seats with children under one year of age. That said, they didstay put during our ride. You would never buy this size of bike seat for a child her size. This should be the scenario of your child has used this seat for about a year and half and is ready to move on to rear-mounted bikes seat in the next few months. From an adult rider perspective I could tell I was carrying a heavier load with my older rider, but it didn’t bother me. The only slight irritation was that because she was taller, the top of her helmet was in my line of sight the whole time, but it didn’t actually obstruct my view.