There seems to be a clear distinction between child trailers: those costing less than £100 and then those that will set you back in excess of £500. I want to keep future world champion safe and sound but would appreciate any advice from those with first hand experience of either?
I'm mulling over a 'Chariot CX' second hand which I would imagine will hold its value. The Chariots and Burleys look really well constructed and have the advantage of converting to joggers so he can join me on a run at the weekend. However is there sufficient distinction to warrant them costing 5, 6 or 7 times as much as one from Halfords, which would also meet all required safety requirements.
Would one be able to cope with the likes of the Ridgeway or reasonable off-road tracks (I'm not thinking twisty singletrack here obviously)?
When only carrying one child (at the moment!) is there a real advantage over the cheaper and easier to store bike seat option? I'm thinking better stability etc for the rider of the bike?
Any advice from STW sages welcome..........
I bought a dirt cheap "instep" one (£65 from costco) and have used it all year, including quite a few forest trails. About two weeks ago I was at delamere and got carried away a little, didn't pay attention and one wheel of the trailer hit a tree stump, tipping the trailer on its side. Both my kids (aged 2 & 5)were absolutely fine, strapped into the 3 point harnesses. so I am fairly impressed with mine.
I've only used the cheap and cheerful ones, and they have been fine - mostly on the FC tracks around Aviemore. I'm not sure the more expensive ones are any safer.
The main criteria I'd be looking at would be ability to store flat for transporting / not in use, hitch type - some don't work with disc brake / qr combos and price. Personally, I'd buy one of the cheap ones off Ebay <£90 and give it a go.
A child seat can mean you can get on tracks that are too narrow for the trailer, but they can unbalance the bike and not fit some models. The ones that fix to a rack at the back are more stable, and can take a larger load, but the seat tube mounted ones offer a better more comfortable ride.
We've had both a 'cheap' one and now use a Chariot. As Geoff says, the less expensive ones are fine and will do the job perfectly well but i have noticed quite a difference with the Chariot.
Its lighter, making it easier to pull and the 'seat' is more comfortable for our son. It also folds up smaller so we can get it in the boot of the car. I also like the fact that we can fit the jogging kit to it and we take it to Delamere pretty regularly. I've also welcomed the fact that the wheels are well biult as i was forever re-truing the wheels on the old trailer
It wasn't cheap but i think its worth it, given that as you say it holds its value well.
£70 Aldi/lidl trailer perfectly adequate. just use common sense when choosing one.
child seats are a no no for me as I always wheelie when riding uphill
Chariot/Burley - Alloy - Lightweight
Sub £100 - steel - heavy
TBH I don't think that a child is necessarily going to be "safer" in one or the other.
I've had two Burleys bought secondhand, used for a couple of years, and sold for what I paid for them.
Thanks for the advice so far,
Ikimbunza, with your chariot,could it replace a buggy or are they not practical around town? I was thinking we could help fund it by selling the Quinny!? You say it fits in the boot, what car do you drive? That would be a bonus and if I could take it easily around the country I think it'd get much more use and would be more easily justified.
got a chariot cougar in the loft that the brother in law brought over from canada in august. very well made and easy to set up & take down - plus it looks very cool. the nipper's only 16 days old it may be some time before he get's in it. can't wait tho.
grantmitchell. Ours is only 2 months but there is a sling attachment for the Chariots that can be used from newborn when in stroller mode. While it's not reccommended for the bike mode, I may stap him in very securely as soon as his neck is strong enough and go for a gentle pootle round the park. The wife may have other ideas of course! I agree they do look particularly cool!
Don't know if this says anything but I work for Halfords and own a burley solo 😀
Dr-Bakes...
We've got the twin trailer so its quite a bit larger than a standard buggy but with our two year old he found the single buggy quite narrow and constricting. The double has space for toys and a pillow or two so he finds it comfy when he goes to sleep on road rides!
Not sure i'd want to use one every day instead of a standard buggy. We have the little buggy wheels which are useful when you stop somewhere, but the trailer is very wide and is not as compact when folded as a buggy.
We also had the baby sling which we used from six months in the bike mode. Highly recommended.
attractivefish..... I hear you!
Don't forget that the Chariots have suspension that a lot of the others don't. i think this makes quite a bit of difference if you are thinking of taking them off-road.
I think I'll shell out for a Chariot and try and recoup as much as I can in a couple of years when I sell it on. It may increase the number of hours I can get on my bike and will hopefully enthuse Jr_Bakes until he's old enough to go under his own steam.
I might even keep it so he can tow me round when I'm old and decrepit, so even more reason to get one with suspension!
Dr_Bakes
I'd vote for something steel and heavy. Anything to slow you down on the climbs.
How long till you take Bakes Jr over the log jump?
I don't know much about trailers, but the one julianwilson have seems to be pretty tough. It did a good job to keep his spring safe, with MY trajecting skills...
have a look at the croozer range.
only a short step[ down from the chariots but much cheaper and come with more attachments. Rolled Jr in morzine in his and he was fine.
Used it all over the continent - off road walking, off road and on road riding, round town (with the little caddy wheel, not the jogger arms). Great bit of kit, folds down very flat and goes on the back of the van easily.
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Will it have Chris King hubs? Maybe small wheels and towing will be the next niche?
You could practice on night rides by taking it in turns towing us 😀
Stoner, that looks great and as you say seems to be quite a bit cheaper but still loaded with features.
Whatever I get will be blinged to the Maxxxxx Dave! I'm a little concerned I may have to splash out on a bike worthy of towing the likes of these things!
Unfortunately, looking at the specifications, you're about the only one who would fall under the maximum load for a tow over Shotover!
Will Bakes Jr be in his Freeride romper suit with slip-ons to match Daddy's?
I'll have to get a romper suit to match his!
Don't worry there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to take your turn on the uphills Mattie_H, when your bike's not upside down of course!
I have a Burley Bee (with QR and chainstay hitches) I keep meaning to put up for sale. Let me know if you are interested.
http://www.burley.com/products/child/bee.cfm
Burley make great trailers and I believe they don't currently have a UK distributor so they are hard to get hold of at the moment
😉
£80 here. Alloy so very light. Bike clamp was a pile of tosh so I made a better one. Used for commuting, (except Dec-Feb), & odd trip around Cannock Chase etc. Folds, but still bulky to store. Keeps kids dry but if very wet they have all-in-one waterproof suits from littletrekkers.com
Changed the wheels to Skyway Tuff II's because I'm an old BMX fan.
Nothing better than finishing work & picking boys up from nursery in the summer. Love it.
Burley etc very good quality & you'll get your money back if looked after.
Do it.
Your going to take your young child off road!!!!!!!
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Do it they love it make sure You ride within your limits and let them out now and then,extra bit of padding helps to for sleeping
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Rich
Another Chariot CX owner here - it's light, folds down well and copes with rougher terrain then you'd think possible without waking a sleeping child.
They all do the same basic job - and I've followed postierich's Burley far enough off-road to know that it'll cope with stuff pretty much just the same - but the sus and the seat on the Chariot makes it a bit more comfortable and the weather proofing (for wet and cold) makes it useable in pretty much any conditions (sub-zero snow/rain included).
It's good with the jogging wheel, easy to push and steer. We never used the stroller wheels we bought. Pair with a little foldup push chair for roudn town (Quinny Zapp in this case) we never needed anything else.
Oh and they're an investment - our's will be transporting it's second occupant in a few months, when he can hold his head a bit less wobbly!
When you get it can we all have a go in the back ?
i'm on the lookout for a good deal on a 2 seat croozer - £340 seems best price so far. cant wait for a spring of trails with Jnr!
We've been using the Chariot Cougar 2 seater for a few years now. Like everyone says the cheaper trailers work as well but the Chariots are much lighter which does become an issue if you take your kids with you on training rides like I did with my three. The other point worth considering is that the coupling on cheaper trailers is usually a something that attaches to the frame which then damages the paintwork etc. The Chariots have a nice ball and socket coupling which attaches through the QR axle and doesn't damage the frame at all.
petrieboy
If you are interested I have a 2 seater Croozer 535 in [url= http://tinyurl.com/yzxxzx7 ]Orange and Grey[/url] that I am reluctantly considering selling.
It's been a great trailer, but since my youngest two are up and running on two wheels 🙂 I fear it is now likely to sit in the garage collecting dust 🙁
Let me know if your interested.
Cyclesense at Tadcaster showed me a single wheel child trailer they'd found on the net and liked the look of but they had decided not to stock as parents thought it would fall over (any BOB users on this site?). It might be worth giving them a buzz and asking about it, 'cos it did look like a good design - no flipping when you catch a kerb for example.
Found it
[url= http://www.tout-terrain.de/2/products/trailer---kids-bikes/singletrailer/singletrailer.html ]German uber-cash single wheel trailer (you know you want one to go with your 6 inch carbon full suss)[/url]
And why no one wants one - scout around until you find the price
mrbotticelli - had not really considered 2nd hand as they dont seem to come up on e-bay - never the less, what sort of condition is it and ho wmuch have you got in mind. e-mail in profile.