Child Trailers

[navclbiker]

Hello all.
My boy just turned 1 :banana: and I'm looking for a new or used trailer so Mom and I can get on the trail together with Junior. What do I need to look for and what fancy shmancy stuff do I not need. I am short on cash so cheaper is better. But I don't want to go so cheap that I cause Junior to be uncomfortable. All feedback welcome! Thanks.
-Dave

[92degrees]

Burley. Used if need be.

[csm]

trek transit is a good choice too

[konstantkarma]

Burley De-light. I've seen many reasonable priced on Craigslist in your neck of the woods (NOVA). The two things I like about it are that it has an aluminum "roll cage", and the wheels are really nice...decent hubs and pretty light.

[cp43]

Not exactly a trailer recommendation... but, when my I was as young as Junior my parents put me in a rack mounted seat on the back of my dad's bike. I don't have any experience with child trailers, so I can't say how it compares, but if your bike already has a rack it might be worth considering.

Chris

[navclbiker]

What exactly makes the Burley so great as opposed to the $100 Schwinn/Target model? Details please. Inquiring minds want to know!

[djg]

Folks love their Burley trailers with a passion, so you should probably get one . . . but I didn't, so for a different view . . .

We bought a Bell model at Costco maybe 6 or 7 years ago for maybe 100 bucks or 125. It looked a whole lot like a Burley. I'm not saying it's identical, or that there's nothing to prefer about the Burley, but I've looked over the alternatives, and actually once borrowed a Burley and the things seemed pretty similar to me. There are certain things worth avoiding is some cheap trailers on the market -- plastic wheels, bad ventilation, no rain cover, but after you avoid certain problems, lots of things are fine. For the most part, the comfort and safety of your kids has to do with how and where you ride, and under what conditions, and things like bringing water and snacks for the kids and making sure they're properly dressed for the weather. It's not about the trailer.

Buying an expensive trailer doesn't cost a fortune, but it's not like buying a great road bike versus a pos -- a fancy trailer won't feel rock solid going around a corner at 30+ -- and you shouldn't pull a trailer around a corner at 30+ anyway. A fancy trailer will roll and handle more or less like a basic trailer. A fancy trailer won't be beautifully finished.

If you want to borrow a Bell, to see what it's like, you can borrow ours, which is in Arlington. The 6 year-old twins have outgrown it, so I don't think we'll be using it much.

[Steevo]

I had great success with the Burley De-Lite. Towed my daughter on the rough carriage roads at Minnewaska State Park many times - much to the surprise of other cyclists. She never complained, and even slept through some of it. Can't speak about the other trailers, but the Burley certainly did the trick.

The trailer is still in good shape, and will tow someone else's kids when I get around to selling it.

[navclbiker]

How young were your kids when you began trailing them? I'm reading reviews that say some models are too big for their 3yo. Mine is 1yo. am I being too ambitious on behalf of my tyke?

[djg]

How young were your kids when you began trailing them? I'm reading reviews that say some models are too big for their 3yo. Mine is 1yo. am I being too ambitious on behalf of my tyke?

Talk to your pediatrician -- the kid should be able to hold his head up as the trailer travels, including with a helmet. I've heard not to do it before 1, but I don't think that mine were quite 2 when we started. As for fit -- I think most trailers come with 5-point harnesses and the seats are not high. If the doc says the kid is ready, you can sit him in a trailer and see how it seems.

With little kids, it's also useful not to push it. When ours were small, they LOVED going in the trailer for 45 minutes to an hour. An hour and a quarter, not so much. Start small. When it's done, it's done.

[stephenyi]

I would recommend Chariot trailers over Burley. They're very well-built (as are Burleys) and also have some innovative features such as suspension and conversion options (jogging, hiking, skiing).

[konstantkarma]

Our main criterion for taking our sons out in the Burley was that they had good postural control. This usually goes along with being able to sit up well, and maneuver confidently at home. In retrospect we didn't take either boy out until they could walk. I am pretty sure that earlier than that would be OK. They actually look really comfortable back there, and usually fall asleep. We also provide them with a pillow, and lots of toys and snacks.

The Burley has a really nice harness system to hold the child securely. It also has an aluminum frame that encloses the trailer on the outside to buffer any impacts that might occur. The Burley also has a really nice tinted cover that can be rolled back for ventilation through a screen.

Other features that I like are the thick aluminum drop outs that hold the wheels. These are securely welded to the frame, and give the trailer a fairly low center of gravity to add to the stability. Also, the mechanism that attaches to the bike allows for 90 degrees of rotation, so if you lay the bike down, the trailer stays horizontal.

I can't speak for the other manufacturers out there because I haven't tried them, but the Burley is a really nice piece of equipment. So much so, that we are going to keep it after the kids grow out of it so that we can use it for our bike camping trailer.

[dauwhe]

We inherited a Burley from my sister-in-law, and Cristopher has been on four or five rides so far. He usually falls asleep. We started when he was 11 months old, but his neck seems quite strong.

I thought I'd hate the trailer, since I hated a BOB single-wheel trailer (felt like a devil was trying to make me crash by twisting the back of the bike). But the two-wheel trailer seems fine. The hills seem a little tougher, though. I wonder why? :cool:

Dave

[pdmtong]

buy a used one if you can. YMMV. My kid was bored after 30 minutes. she'd fall asleep or get fidgety. In the end she didn't like being in it and I didn't like having to borrow a tank of a mtb with a rigid rear to pull it (our mtb's are 4-bar full sus). And I personally didn't like to pull it for more than 30 minutes. I don't like the child seat/rack approach from a safety standpoint. So my foldable burley got used, but sparingly. sold it for what I paid...$200. BY age 2.5 she had gotten on her own 12" bike and the trailer was history. FWIW she also did not like being in those child backpacks. So...it may work well for you but in our case it was a short time, minimal use item that I am glad I did not pay top $ for.

Also IMHO, kids need to have a reason to "ride" since they won't ride for the sake of riding. In other words forget pulling them on YOUR training ride. There needs to be a park or ice cream waiting on the other end of the journey. would you like to be strapped at ground level in a five point harness with ony a book and your squeaky toy for an hour? like the other poster said...start short and see how it goes

[dwightskin]

The new trailers from Burley and Chariot are quite incredible. They have oodles of "comfort" features for the kids and are really flexible for adults (turn into joggers, skiers etc).

Having said that, used Burley D'lite trailers are a great value.

Here's why:

1) Hitch mechanism - nothing is left on the bike
2) Fold down to 8" high in like 2 minutes - great for storage and transport
3) Excellent components - wheels, bolts, everything is well made, won't get all rusty in 5 years like the schwinn,bell, costco, etc.
4) Replacement parts are available
5) Stitching is done in the USA and is bulletproof.
6) Still have resale value of $100 or more 5 years later

But my kids liked riding on the seat (Topeak) on my bike the best. I'd put my daughter on there and she'd chat, chat, chat. But you can't do that with 2 kids. . . .

[KeithS]

My 12 year old started out in the Burley when she was 8 months old. I put the kid carrier (not quite a car seat but a hard shell with a solid harness) in the Burley harness and she was just fine. She started talking at about 9 months so she had a running commentary on our rides. It was really special dad and daughter time. She got her first helmet and wore it without complaint. When her brother came along we did the burley behind the tagalong. At 8 and 12 they still talk about it. I bought the Burley used and sold it to a friend to haul his grand kids.

[bozman]

Look for them on your local Craig's List. I got mine there for under $150. Most are not used very hard and only for a short time.

[timto]

I bought a chariot used for our new twins. The attachments for jogger/stroller/bike come off /on very easily. We use it in stroller/jogger mode mostly (too young to be behind a bike) but the things are great. MORE manouverable than our regular stroller, light too and well built. We have a model with suspension and you do notice it working - it can adjust for different weight totals. Compared to a friends nordic cab - it bounces around much less, weighs less and generally i prefer it more.

Very low profile. I love ours.

http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/cougar.php

[jhcakilmer]

+1......Chariot Carriers

We've had two, just sold the last one in 2007!

We took it everywhere....biking, hiking, traveling....and it's stood up to a lot of use. Construction was very solid, and initial comparision with other makers it seemed like higher quality materials.

Lower profile than others, and was more compact when folded down.....easier for transporting.

We were sold on the Chariot, so I don't have experience with the Burley, more than initial comparison, but the quality seemed great.

We bought both of our Chariots used.