Decathlon Elops 100 Child Bike Seat Review

The Decathlon Elops 100 rear child bike seat quickly earned a high rating in our book. The quality of this seat for the price is unmatched. If you are on a budget or looking to save money in terms of a child bike seat solution, look no further.

After months of testing, we’re still impressed by the Elops 100 for its quality, comfort, user-friendly installation and mounting, plus minimal helmet interference. Learn more below about why we love this child bike seat and why we highly recommend it to families. The Elops 100 is available as a frame mounted or rack mounted seat.

Decathlon Elops 100 Review – Results of our Test Rides

The Decathlon Elops 100 comes in two different options – Elops 100 Pannier Rack Seat ($69) and the Elops 100 Frame Seat ($69). The two seats are exactly the same, except for their mounting systems which will depend on your bike or your preferred method of mounting.

You can also purchase Decathlon’s Elops 500 Rack ($35) to pair with your Elops 100 bike seat if you need a rack for a rack mount. Bike compatibility will be discussed more below.

For this review we tested the Elops 100 Frame Seat on Decathlon’s Btwin Riverside 100 Hybrid Bike ($299). The only other notable difference between a frame mount and rack mount is that a frame mount on this seat provides suspension, where the rack mount does not.

We spent our fall afternoons in Utah riding around town and on our local bike paths and trails testing out this child bike seat. Both my toddler and I thoroughly enjoyed our rides so much that the Elops has become one of our favorite pieces of gear – which is saying something for this gear-obsessed outdoor mama!

I am a sucker for a nice piece of gear. Higher-end products often suck me right in, even with the higher price point. This insanely budget-friendly Decathlon seat attracted me from the get-go with its sleek and minimalistic design. It didn’t feel like a cheaper product at all.

The Elops looks a bit similar to the highly popular (and 4x as expensive!) Thule RideAlong rear seat and was even mistaken for the Thule RideAlong several times when we were out riding. It looks and feels like a child bike seat that should be well over the price of $69!

Performance

There is a reason Decathlon’s child bike seat is quickly becoming so popular with families across the globe. This seat gives you pretty much everything you need for a rear child bike seat… for half the price. I tried to find a reason not to like this seat, and find where it had gone too cheap on materials or design. But at the end of the day, I just loved the Elops!

In terms of performance, I loved how the Elops 100 felt behind my bike. This seat is relatively lightweight in comparison to other rear seats. In part, it’s lighter weight because of its no-frills design and more basic features. But don’t be fooled… this seat truly has all the features a family would need for fun and comfortable rides around town.

The suspension from the frame mounting bars smoothed out some of the bumps in the road and was very much appreciated. Sometimes I forgot my kiddo was even behind me while out riding. It should be noted that only the frame mounted seat will benefit from suspension.

I was also pleased with the ample space the Elops had for helmets, which prevents the seat from pushing on the back of a child’s helmet. It’s a small detail that can have a huge impact on a kid’s riding comfort.

I also loved the curved design of this seat, which makes it smooth from every angle. On some other rear child bike seats you will see harsher angles or arm rests, but everything about this seat is smooth and comfortable for the child rider.

The set up, installation and mounting / dismounting of this bike seat is a breeze. It is simple and easy, something that every biking family can appreciate!

The feature I do wish this product had was some type of storage, but that is to be considered more of a wish not necessarily a need especially when we are talking about $69! And most rear bike seats don’t have storage either.

I also wish this product had a 5 point harness versus a 3 point harness, but again wishing here. Even the beloved Thule Ride Along rear seat doesn’t have a 5 point harness… and with that seat you are paying a premium of $280.

Size and Age of Child

The Decathlon Elops 100 fits toddlers and kids from 12 months and up to 48.5 pounds. After testing, we found the absolute best fit to be around 18 months – preschooler age.

Many rear-mounted seats, including the Elops 100, market their products to work with kids as young as 9 months. However, the American Association of Pediatrics recommends waiting until a child is 12 months old to ride with them on your bike. And we echo that recommendation!

Additionally, most rear-mounted seats (compared to smaller front-mounted seats) aren’t designed to be the best and snuggest fit for a child as young as 12 months old. However, we found the Decathlon Elops 100 to be one of few rear seats that work well for babies and young toddlers starting around 12 months.

The lowest shoulder strap adjustment on the Elops 100 is low enough to securely fit against a younger toddler or baby – it’s very similar to the Burley Dash’s lowest shoulder strap adjustment. The Burley Dash is another rear seat that we recommend for fitting younger toddlers and babies more securely.

You can see below where we tested this seat with both a 2-year-old and 14-month-old. For both children the shoulder straps were on the lowest setting and both children had a secure fit.

2 Year Old vs 14 Month Old in Decathlon Elops

You can then see below where we compared the Elops 100 with the Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi. We used our 14 month old baby tester to test the fit in terms of the shoulder straps on both rear seats.

Min Shoulder Height Setting: Decathlon Elops 100 vs. Yepp Nexxt

It should be noted that our 14 month old baby tester was wearing a thick jacket in his photo with the Thule Yepp Nexxt bike seat. This made the difference in fit look less dramatic as far as where and how the straps hit his shoulders.

But the fact remains that the smallest setting on the Thule Yepp Nexxt is higher than the Elops. Its shoulder straps don’t have the same snug and secure fit as Decathlon’s seat on a baby or smaller toddler. You can see where the Elops 100 is truly a better fit for younger toddlers and even kids as young as 12 months.

You can also see from the comparison photos how the Elops 100 provides better support in terms of the actual body of the seat. The Elops has arm rests and is a more enclosed seat, which provides better support and cocoons your child while riding. This feels especially important when using rear seats with babies to young toddlers.

Seat Body Comparison: Decathlon Elops 100 vs. Yepp Nexxt

With the flexibility to adjust the shoulder straps up higher, the Elops 100 will fit kids up to pre-school age as well. Our oldest tester was 2 years and 5 months. He was still using the smallest shoulder strap setting and won’t be moving it up anytime soon. This bike seat will work with this child for several years, at least until he is 4 or 5.

The sweet spot and best fit for the Decathlon Elops is around 18 months to pre-school age. However, the Elops 100 will also work better than other rear seats for kids 12 months – 18 months.

Weight

The maximum weight recommend for this child bike seat is 40 pounds for the US and 48.5 pounds for Europe. Decathlon states on their website that any child under 50 pounds can use this seat, however we don’t recommend going above the European rating of 48.5 pounds.

Harness System

3-Point Harness

The Elops 100 bike seat has a basic 3-point harness. The straps form a “V” and come up and over your child’s head to get it on and off. 3-point harnesses aren’t our favorite design as they make it more difficult to use with a helmet. You either need to loosen and then tighten the straps after pulling the “V” over your child’s helmet, or you need to put your child’s helmet on after buckling your child in.

After you have buckled the 3 point harness, you will then move the slider adjustment up on the harness. You can see this in the picture above.

While the slider certainly can remain close to the buckle like in the image above on the left, raising the slider (image on the right above) helps prevent your child from breaking free of their shoulder straps. When that slider is higher on the chest, it severely limits the space in which a child could try to slide their arms out of the straps.

This particular feature is pretty unique to the Elops 100. While the similarly-priced Bellelli Pepe‘s straps have the same design, they are longer and don’t allow you to raise the slider adjustment up higher on the smallest of riders.

When taking the harness off, you will need to slide the adjustment slider back down to give more room for the straps to go up and over your child’s head. We greatly appreciate this little detail, especially on a 3-point harness, where they don’t have the additional safety support from a hip belt.

Buckle

The Elops 100 features a child-safe, two-handed buckle system. To release, you push down with one finger on the grey button in the center of the buckle. Then while the button is still pushed in, you will take your other hand and squeeze each side of the buckle with your forefinger and thumb. The buckled will then release. The two-handed approach would make it near impossible for little hands to figure it out.

Shoulder Strap Placement

There are two shoulder strap heights to accommodate the size of the child rider. To adjust the height of the straps you will simply pull the shoulder straps from behind the seat and then rotate to slide through the shoulder strap hole. You can then move the straps up or down repeating the same steps. This takes a matter of seconds to adjust.

Shoulder Strap Holes: From Front and Rear,

The shoulder straps feature pads around the straps that rest against your child’s shoulders. These pads tend to slide down as the fabric and design don’t do much to keep them secured in place.

I recommend moving the shoulder pads firmly against your child’s shoulders and ensuring your child is pushed back against the seat at the beginning of each ride to attempt to keep the pads in place. While the pads may still slide down, if adjusted initially it will prevent or slow the process of them sliding.

Seat Material/Venting

The Decathlon Elops 100 child bike seat is lined with a thin, felt-like material. It is then reinforced with some slight cushioning and padding through the back rest, on the bottom for your child’s sit bones, and a small area up high where contact might be made with a helmet.

The padding and cushioning reminds me of a memory foam type padding. While not the highest-quality padding we’ve seen, we found it to be more than adequate to make our rides quite comfy. There is very little ventilation with this seat.

The shell of the Elops is made from a strong, durable plastic called Polypropylene. This plastic is known for its fatigue resistance and strong properties. However, Decathlon does recommend to keep this seat out of full sunlight or harsh freezing conditions as it will age plastic quicker. I would also agree that preserving this seat and storing it inside would be wise as the plastic is not as thick in places as other bike seats we’ve tested.

Helmet Recess

The Elops 100 seat has a slight recline which creates a recess or space for your child’s helmet. This is a huge bonus and an important feature in terms of comfort for your child. I tested this seat with several different helmets – Giro Scamp, Giro Tremor, Smith Zip Jr. – and every helmet had plenty of space to coexist with the seat and not cause the child’s head to be pushed forward.

Helmet Recess: Decathlon Elops 100 vs. Yepp Nexxt Maxi

Foot rests

The foot rests on the Elops 100 can be adjusted to accommodate the size and height of your child. There are 4 different settings. While there is no tool needed to make the adjustment, it wasn’t as easy as adjusting the shoulder straps. You need to squeeze in the lower adjustment piece on the backside of the foot rests to release the foot rest as a whole, and then move to your desired setting. When placing the foot rests back in, you need to give it a little bit of force.

What I did love however, was the strap design of the foot rests to secure your child’s foot in place. They strap in from an angle and worked really well in terms of actually securing my child’s feet and keeping him from kicking me in the back or interfering with me while we were riding. The loops were quick and easy to snap in.

Bike Compatibility

The Decathlon Elops 100 offers a frame-mounted version or a rack-mounted version depending on your bike. You can typically identify if your bike is compatible with a frame mount seat by checking the seat tube. You need 4.1″ of space to attach the mounting block.

The mounting bracket of the Elops seat is one of few brands that is designed to work with bikes that have cables or wires running down the seat tube.

If you instead need a rack-mounted version of this seat, then the Decathlon’s Elops 500 Rack ($35) is a compatible rack.

For more details about determining whether a child bike seat will work with your bike, check out our bike compatibility guide.

Mounting System

Frame-Mounted:

• A bracket will attach to the frame of the bike. Two bars come out from the child bike seat and attach into this bracket.

• The two bars attaching to the bracket provides frame-mounted seats with suspension and allow for movement while riding, which creates a more comfortable and smoother ride.

• Any wires that run along the seat tube of your bike should be compatible the Elops 100 Frame Seat.

• You will need 4.1″ on seat tube to mount the bracket.

Rack-Mounted:

• A rear pannier rack will allow the seat to mount to your bike. If your bike doesn’t already have a pannier rack (or the correct size or weight capacity) then you will need to purchase a compatible rack.

• Rack-mounted seats don’t have suspension unless the seat has built in springs. The Elops 100 seat does not have a built-in suspension system.

With both the rack-mounted and frame-mounted seat, a red safety strap is intended to secure around the frame of the bike. You will also find that a handle was designed towards to the top of the bike seat to allow for easy and simple dismounting when you want to take your bike seat off your bike completely. Little details like that on budget bike seat were surprising, but well appreciated.

Bottom Line on the Decathlon Elops 100 Child Bike Seat

The Decathlon Elops 100 Child Bike Seat is nothing short of awesome for the price. The quality is great, it has a sleek and minimalistic design, is lightweight, comfortable for your child, easy to use, and has features that are on par with everything your average biking family would need.

While it doesn’t have the extra bells and whistles of more expensive seats (like the ability to recline or magnetic buckles) this bike seat easily made its way to our Top 10 Child Bike Seat List. We can’t wait to see more families enjoying this incredible, budget-friendly bike seat!

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