Anyone have any experience of cycling up the cols in the alps with a child bike trailer? or for that matter the Lake District in UK. Any top tips (apart from be fit) – braking issues on descents? prefer to put them in a rear seat (with long chainstays on bike or counter balance panniers on the forks! although anti-sun/rain misery solution would need to be fabricated for the child seat). In alps this summer and whilst will do some ‘dad’ training time it’d be nice to go as a family for a day out with plenty of breaks. Contemplating spxnking £££ on a Thule Cougar child carrier… Think I saw someone at top of Alpe D’Huez looking smug with his trailer conquest once

Have cycle toured in real mountains fully loaded with panniers including a 1200 metre ascent that was brutal. I now take 2 kids (2 and 4) to nursery in a Thule trailer that includes a hill of 200 metres, probably 30 metre ascent and I can’t imagine doing proper hills with the trailer. We met people doing it with 1 toddler and it was ok, but needed very easy gearing. It would be a great holiday though!

I’ve taken our daughter up some 200-300m climbs in our trailer (Burley Dlite). I would need some silly low gearing before I’d try some big Alpine passes.

There are basically 2 issues – even the lightest trailer + child + child junk will be 20kg+ and if there is a head wind it’s doubly brutal. The other is that you can’t stand up or mash away on the pedals because a lot of kids will not thank you for the sickness inducing “push-pull” motion.

It would be a great challenge and definitely do-able, just worth practicing and making sure you get the right gear. Also, kids have minds of there own and sometimes the trailer isn’t for them, so be prepared for a miserable slog with a crying child!

thanks – idea is not for it to be misery – if buy one will have to laps of lakes where live with a bag of spuds 🙂 gearing isnt so much of an issue but losing control is – what they like on descents?

They’re fine handling wise, but I always keep the speed sensible on descents (say may 25mph). The main issue is you end up with loads of momentum and the trailer is unbraked, so if you hammer the brakes on the trailer tends to lift the back wheel up. Heat build up could also be an issue if you were in the Alps.

Trying to take one down steep offroad trails is funny for the same reason.

Can build up some quite alarming speed at descent, you’ll need good brakes and maybe consider a coaster brake for mountains?

all good – clearly I not going to be silly about this – I can train as much as I like (which clearly isnt enough as Im very lazy) – the idea is to do something together – well more like so the Mrs can speed off for a bit and get the training done while I slog on and then we have a picnic 🙂 Anyone just used a bike seat in the hills? Looked at a top of the range hamax this week – actually I bought it in Halfords and then took it back – even with touring geometry it was hanging off the back so to be safe on a steep hill I figured Id need so much weight on the forks I may as well buy a “safer” trailer

I’m not sure I’d recommend using a child seat in the Alps. They make the front wheel light on the flat so on a steep slope I dread to think how it would handle. I have used a Chariot in the mountains around the Garda Lake but as someone already said the passengers don’t apreciate it when you have to stomp on the pedals. Perhaps the best solution would be a trailer from Tout Terrain. They have one wheel so move with your bike and won’t turn over if when you go round a corner too fast which is all too easy in a two wheeled trailer (I speak from experience).

thanks – yes seen those TT ones – but attach to seat tube which not keen on- and yes bike seats clearly not designed for steep hills…
Will just buy fork out for a Thule one I think and see how we go. Can always do laps of the park 🙂 Thanks for the comments – I’ll close this thread now. Cheerio

Thought id just update this in case anyone else unsure how to enjoy alps on bike with small child/baby.

Bought a Thule Chariot Cougar. Lots of money but money well spent. Was fine to get up big cols incl Stelvio etc. Wife carried all the baby stuff and bike kits and tubes etc in panniers on her bike. Limiting factor was how long my 9 month year old would sleep in the morning (about 2 hours) plus about 30-60mins where he was happy to sit and enjoy it. Other key thing was the heat – didnt use on days over 25oC and lower than that better unless you want a child with pink cheeks. If he cried we stopped, fed, had a ‘run around’ etc but we tended to do one big climb early on and do something else in the afternoon (I was also happy to rest..) .Used an old alu mtb with carbon forks and fat road touring tyres …and disc brakes. 160 rotors were fine just pulsing on and off to keep downhill speeds low but had to stop once to let them cool and carried spares and mineral oil. Like his Dad he wore helmet on all downhills and everything was checked at top of each hill/col to be sure was safe. Downsides? Been an object of fascination from other tourists on bikes or motorcycles at rhe top of the hill. Upsides? Great to get back on bike and cycle with the wife again. Lastly on gradients up to about 9-10% a reasonable pace could be kept. When got to 12-15% was granny gear at 22/36 which meant although fine it was slow progress. Did have a bit of excess weight though. Toys arent light 🙂