Once upon a time, I cycled the length of Britain – from Land's End to John O'Groats (above) - on my wonderful Raleigh Randonneur touring bike. (I wrote about that experience on Ertblog two years ago in this post). I never imagined as I cycled those long miles that one day I would attach an enormous child seat to the bike!
But that day has arrived. Karen and I cycled from Chalfont St Giles to Chalfont St Peter today with Owen strapped into our new Co-Pilot Limo seat. I was impressed how little impact the seat and a 20lb child had on steering and cycling, though our route was almost entirely flat. We'll see how we get on climbing Silver Hill out of St Giles!
Here's Owen in his new seat.
Finally, a word about the Randonneur. I've neglected it in the last few years, taking my Cannondale Road Warrior fast hybrid on our bike holidays. But riding it this week was a revelation, reminding me how brilliantly it coped with Land's End to John O'Groats. It took me the length of Britain without so much as a puncture. It's a real shame that Raleigh abandoned the touring bike market not long after I bought the bike in 1997.
Ertblog 
I bought an identical bike in 1995 and in 1996 cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats and back again . It is still my main bike and has done many miles since. It’s a great bike.
Hi, have you ever experienced any frame wobbles or “shimmying” with the Randonneur when touring with heavy-ish loads? Quite a few people seem to complain about this problem.
Ruben – no, I find the bike very stable, although I’m not the fastest cyclist in the world! It did me proud on my recent Wales to Buckinghamshire ride.