| | |  | Volleyball Decor | Home » » » Kettler Flipper Child Bicycle Seat | | | | | | | Description: | | Kettler Flipper Child Carrier - Kettler 8947-570. | | | Features: | |
• Secure children's bicycle seat made of injection-molded, high-impact resin
• Attaches via universal mounting bracket that fits virtually any bicycle
• 7-position footrest with adjustable straps; adjustable headrest and backrest
• Pair of removable soft-sided storage bags; 5-point safety harness and lap bar
• 50-pound weight capacity; 3-year residential warranty (1 year institutional)
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Weight:
| 19.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 31.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 18.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 17.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 18.9 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 12 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 12 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Good luck getting this to fit your bike correctlyJan 18, 2009
By California Son
We bought this to go on my wife's Trek 800. We have a total of 4 bikes, but that is the only one we were sure it would fit (there were 2 bikes that were questionable) based on Kettler's site of Bikes that work and Bikes that won't. You should only believe the bikes that don't pictures.
If you expect this to fit your bike, the following has to be true. 1. seat post tube has to be round and between 28mm-44mm and have 6 inches of free space up and down. 2. bike has to have a "traditional" rear triangle design that is not too wide (never measured that, but the gist is that the seat rails must go by the frame, so if it's too wide, you can't slide the seat in.) 3. shifter cable has to either run straight up and down the middle of the seat tube or not be on the seat tube at all. 4. no side pull brakes, only V-style (side pull brakes block the seat rails). 5. this is the kicker. If you get all of the above right, Kettler has a dot on the side of the seat showing the center of mass. This dot can not be more than 10 cm (4 inches) behind the rear wheel axle. What this means is that the distance between the adaptor mount (the thing the rails slide into) and the axle must be at least 16" (the distance from the adaptor center to the dot when the rails are in the adaptor is 20"). 6. And the real kicker is you can get all that right, but when you pedal you can be hitting your child's feet with your heel on the way up. The seat has a decent range on the rails, but you can't move it back beyond the 10 cm, so you move it forward and hit feet or move it back and go beyond the limit.
I tried this on several bikes at a store and then gave up. The seat itself was nice or I'd have given it 1 star. The instructions are pictures, which would be fine if they were better at it. http://www.kettlerusa.com/Flipper.pdf A few words would help, even if they were in German. The support people were not as helpful as I thought they should be. It took a phone call and many emails to get to the point where they could definitively tell me why there is a 10 cm limit. (And their reason, that it is a structural issue (quote from Germany - "If the center of the red dot is more than 10 cm from the middle of the wheel away - the leverage effect of the seat and the fitting of the seat would be to high. The structure of the seat could get damaged --> and so the child could get hurt too.") is different from the reason given for the CoPilot
( http://www.bikedock.com/custom/pdf/08/CoPilot/Co-Pilot_Taxi_manual.pdf page 3, which is that it is a balance/braking issue. I know they mount differently, so take that for whatever you think it's worth. The instructions (the part at the beginning that is words) say " ยก The load centre (marked by a red point) may only be within 10 cm behind the wheel hub (explained in detail below)." The only detail below is a picture.
Kettler has a demo gif http://www.kettlerusa.com/flipper.gif showing how easy it is to remove the seat. It is easy to remove. The balance dot (not shown) was right above the large circle at the base of the seat. In my opinion, no way that seat ends up less than 10cm behind the axle. Just my opinion, but my wife's bike is so similar to this, I doubt I'm incorrect.
My thinking is that this bike seat has a better chance of working on old style men's bikes than anything else. I also think that more than half of these are not mounted to within that 10 cm limitation. It's kind of like wearing a helmet. If you don't have anything to protect back there, then don't worry about the spec.
In contrast to my experience with the seat, returning it, which I was dreading since so much time had passed waiting for Kettler's responses, was so easy I couldn't believe it. Thank you Amazon. All I had to do was box it back up and print something. And I had extra time because they extended returns due to Xmas. Good timing or the 30 day would have been an issue.
My recommendation is to only buy this if you can try it on the bike first. If you are getting a new bike anyway, get your LBS to order one to make sure it fits before you waste money on either the bike or the seat.
Good luck.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Time for wonderful bike ridesMay 26, 2008
By Anna
"The Swede"
Our son is just over 2 years old, 37 inches and about 36 lbs. It was very hard to find a bike seat that would hold his weight for now and for a while longer.
This Flipper is one of the few I could find and we decided to go with this due to the good price I got.
The bike seat was easy to assemble to the bike and the rides are great! Our son loves to go on a bike ride. He sits very comfortable and this seat will be big enough for another year or more. There is lots more to grow length wise and this seat holds up to 50 lbs! Fantastic - recommended for everyone that wants a comfortable and safe/sturdy bike seat for your precious one!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
He loves it!Jul 28, 2008
By Mom on the move
We purchased this product after shopping around several similar products and reading reviews. We needed a seat that would accommadate our 3 year old that is taller than most 5 year olds. There was a learning curve to installing the seat the first time and to getting on the bike with a 45 lb child on the back, but both she and her dad love it. The seat is comfortable for her - she has even fallen asleep in it. It is stable enough that her dad feels secure with her riding behind him. Now the whole family can ride together.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Great Seat for "Big Kids"Jul 25, 2008
By ES
"Emma"
Got this for my daughter and it JUST fits on my bike (ladies Raleigh mountain bike). Make sure you check that you have Kettler's recommended 6" of vertical frame free for installation (PDF can be found on their website showing bikes that can and cannot be fitted with this seat).
My daughter is 4 and loves the seat. It's also much better for negotiating suburban sidewalks than a trailer (plus you can have a decent conversation with your child, too).
I got this because it has the highest weight limit by 10lbs of all the seats I could find. My daughter will easily outgrow it height-wise before she reaches 50lbs.
The extra money for this seat is worth it. The construction is great and despite having fretted about the many complaints about the instructions if you actually READ them (there is some writing on there and it's not the usual safety blurb us old-hand parents usually ignore,) they are OK. Don't try and put it together in a hurry though, because there is a lot of attention to detail required.
I gave it five because it is just right for those with "big kids" who are not quite balanced enough for those cool handlebar-and-one-wheel contraptions which hook on the back of the parents' bike. A great seat for pre-schoolers and younger kids alike, with a smooth ride for the kid and peace of mind for mom or dad.
My only complaint is that there is an optional lock for it, so no-one can steal it off the back of your bike, but that has to be ordered by phone from Germany. Eek...
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Very HappySep 29, 2007
By L.M.
"L.M."
We bought this seat for my 11 month old and he has no problem sitting in it. He loves going for rides. We definitely recommend this seat. My husband said it was not bad putting together either. We are very happy.
See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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