The people at Polisport have come up with a great idea for shielding little ones sitting in front mounted bike seats from the
wind and rain – a front bike seat windscreen!
First thoughts on the Polisport front bike seat windscreen
Taking it out of the box and having a quick prod and poke revealed the Polisport windscreen to be a rugged piece of kit, with all components feeling sturdy enough to withstand day to day use. The wind screen itself is made from reassuringly thick and tough polycarbonate, so that it doesn’t wobble and flex and feel as though it will snap in half if you were to blow on it.
The windscreen is fixed to the handlebars by means of a plastic clamp that locks tightly around the stem, which stops any attempts of flapping in the wind. If you have a Polisport child’s front bike seat (the Guppy or the Bilby), you can rather niftily purchase a version that attaches the windscreen to the bike seat itself,which frees up handlebar space.
In terms of size, the Polisport windscreen is very shield like, and with two boys in the house I had to be on guard to avoid it being used as a weapon in a medieval re-enactment. Youngest son, T, would have won anyway!
Setting up the Polisport front bike seat windscreen
The instructions are printed on the outside of the cardboard box, which is not the best idea as I had to lug it outside in the rain for a good soaking. However, they are very simple and easy to understand, with a series of pictures demonstrating how to fit it to your bike, which is straightforward and involves nothing more than a couple of bolts and an allen key.
In terms of installation time, taking it out of the box, reading the instructions and fitting it took all of five minutes, with a couple of minutes extra for fine tuning.
Positioning (fine tuning)
Once you have the windscreen on your bike you need to get your child to sit on their front bike seat while you check the positioning of the screen to make sure it’s protecting their head and the hands. Thankfully, the fixing bracket raises, lowers and tilts so you can get it where you want it.
Some children’s front bike seats, such as the Polisport and Yepp Mini, have a built in handlebar so hands are tucked up nice and toasty behind the screen. Others require the child to grip onto the handlebars of the bike, so if you don’t want your little one moaning about the onset of frostbite, make sure it’s set up right for them.
Word of warning – don’t angle it too far back at the top, otherwise you’ll here the ping of screen against cycle helmet when you go over a bump. Amusing at first for little ones, but I’m sure the novelty soon wears off after riding over a series of speed humps.
A kids front bike seat wind shield in action
Riding with the Polisport Windscreen in place has been no different to riding without. There is no impairment on visibility, and it has also provided me with some protection from the rain which is an added bonus. I had expected to feel some buffeting, but this is not the case.
One thing to note is that the supporting bracket sits over the stem with a little bit of overhang on each side. This takes up some of the space alongside the stem where you might fit a front light, so the light would need to be shuffled along the bars a touch and this might reduce hand space for your child.
If you keep your bike outside, and don’t cover the windscreen, then you can expect to have to de-ice it on very cold days.
Review of the Polisport Windscreen – final verdict
The Polisport wind shield has held up to a full winter of daily use. It’s really helped to keep our 4 year old protected on the daily ride up to school, especially on rainy and windy days.
T has also provided his thoughts of the Polisport Windscreen:
‘It keeps my face and hands warmer’
‘It’s like being on a motorbike’
Where to buy the Polisport Children’s Front Bike Seat Windscreen
The “Polisport Bicycle Windscreen for Front Child Seat”, as it is formally known, is available at some local bike shops, and also on Amazon
Cycle Sprog was provided with the Polisport Front bike seat windscreen for review.
Comments