recieved delivery of two mini ti_pin girls about 9 weeks ago and starting to raise my head above the parapet and thinking about getting them out further than a walk in a buggy. Looking at trailers to attach to my hardtail, obviously needs ability to carry twins but wondered if anybody can give me an idea of the pros/cons you’ve found using one? I guess my main thing is about how offroad they can go and babies stay happy? gravel and dirt roads ok? much space for baby kit? dish the dirt please.

Congratulations!!

You’ll get lots of conflicting advice on here as different people have different needs (& different budgets). I’ve used a halfords double trailer which I found really good for gravel and dirt roads. Took both children to pre-school most days through the forest, it folded flat really quickly and worked well. Now that they are older (5 & 4) they’re too heavy for me to pull uphill offroad, so it no longer gets regular use, but I have found it to be really durable.

Burleys are a lot more expensive and appear to be a lot sturdier, however, my mate has one and he has had to replace the fabric top as it split. They are also more awkward to unhitch from the bike (for passing through gates etc). That said a lot of folk swear by them.

If Mrs ti-pin has a bike why not get some child seats? My children much preferred the seats as they could see more and chat to us both.

I think 9 weeks is a bit ambitious fella. In any trailer they’re seated upright, so they need to be able to hold a non-wobbly head up really. You’re looking at 6 months minimum, I’d say

But, thinking ahead, on the subject of trailers…. I got a Burley trailer for my 2. They absolutely loved it! They’d it in there, happily waving at everyone they passed (this is a valuable public service, as it also puts a smile on other peoples faces too). I used to use it daily to ride through the park, to drop them in to nursery, leave the trailer there, then carry on to work. Doing that in reverse on the way home

Burley trailers are a quality bit of kit. Really well made, and so light, you can almost forget you’ve got them on. Plenty of room for them, and you’d be surprised how much kit you can fit in the compartment at the back. Ideal for heading out on bridleways. Places like Delamere Forest are ideal to go and ride, or anywhere with plenty of fire road

Oh… and congratulations!!! 😀

We were given a Burley Dlite (and have just given it away as we don’t have room for it) but they are very good. You won’t be able to put the girls in it for a while though – they need to be able to sit up on their own. Having two is great though – we put our girl in it and had to put a huge teddy bear in the other seat to give her some more support (as she would often fall asleep).
The friends we got it from would take their 2 kids out in it up proper mountains and proper off-road and the kids loved it (sometimes fell asleep even when bumpy). It only flipped over once with them in it 😯 but they were ok (and that was a really steep rocky downhill section). Absolutely no problem on gravel and dirt roads.

Twins eh? Well done and good luck, I’m sure you’re n that ‘vertical cliff-face’ learning curve ATM

We had a Chariot (Which are now Thule) Cougar with the infant sling insert that we were using as an offroad buggy pretty much from the start.

He then went into the baby supporter when he was able to sit upright and hold his head up, which we took out at around 14 months, by 7 months we were going for very gentle bike rides and 15 months we were taking him off road and he was loving every minute of it. The combination of fresh air and motion was brilliant for knocking him out as well.

If you’re planing on taking them on the bike as early as possible I would strongly suggest getting something with suspension as it really does reduce the jarring effect from speed bumps, going off kerbs etc.

yeah I know its a little while away yet but planning ahead and suspect I’ll be on fleabay looking for one locally.

dont need a buggy/trailer as we have the buggy.

I have an older girl so thought the vertical cliff-face’ learning curve would be shallower, nope its freaking straight upwards with twins.

any more suggestions? pro’s and con’s?

I’ll follow this with interest Joe as were after a trailer as well. A friend is selling one here which I think is a Croozer, which has the option of a baby sling similar to above. With this I think you can get them in there after a few weeks for some gentle trips.

I had a Burley D-Lite for a few years when the kids were young. My wife used to work shifts so it was a great way to get out when she was at work.

It was a very well engineered piece of kit. I bought it second hand (was immaculate) I looked after it and sold it for the same amount I paid for it about 3 years later.

They recommend that the children should be able to sit unaided (6 months?).

My two used to fall asleep as soon as they got in!

We’re big fans of Burley trailers here, use them in the hire fleet so they get lots of action.

The Bee is a great entry-level model although it’s not cheap. Plenty of space for two kids and luggage behind. The new models look like a step up too.

The Cub adds suspension and would be the option to go for if you wanted to do more than smooth off-road duties. (We use the rental cub which is a toughened up version).

Also worth looking at, if your budget stretches, are the new Thule trailers, which are superb products, but top dollar.

yeah the baby sling would be nice to let us get a going sooner. fab advice. Croozers look good for this. any others I should consider? like i say, dont need it to be a buggy as well, only really a trailer.

As a counter to your arguments, I went for a cheap one!

I picked up a Bumper Adventurer for about £80 with a discount I had. I was looking on ebay for a double trailer secondhand but it was about £50 for a cheap one that had been well used. I thought I’d pay a bit more and get a new one

Haven’t used it in a few weeks but I’ll be taking it on hols in August, and we’ve used it quite a bit near home and in the area. My kids are almost 2 and 3, I picked it up in early Autumn last year.

Its been great, I put in some extra padding under the seat to make it more comfortable. It’s used mainly on smooth or hardpack paths but its done some light off roading too

It used to be a guaranteed way of getting them both to sleep but they’ve grown out of that now, well my son has (who’s older)

Suspension would be nice, so would a solid floor plus the ability to convert into a bugger, but in reality I’d be paying a LOT more to get that. I’ve had stuff in the ‘boot’, and often strap a big bag to the back with a cargo net. That means I can then take even more stuff. If we go out for a family ride I’ll probably have spare clothes, wellies and coats in there for the kids, plus a picnic and drinks for all of us. Blankets inside the trailer for them too

It rolls along very well, on bumpy sections the kids do get bounced around a bit. You only really notice the weight on biggish uphills, otherwise its pretty good.

I’ve taken it out if some genuinely disgustingly muddy conditions where the whole trailer has been caked in mud. But the kids were happy and dry

Croozer do a baby sling so you can carry the wee’ns in safety. The Kid for 2+ version has suspension. It comes as standard with bike hitch, buggy wheel and jogger wheel. Plenty of carrying room and folds flat for storage.

I need a double one of these for a nursery drop off that involves bike there then walk home. Where do you store them at home?

A decent trailer, like a burley, folds down and comes apart in minutes. They take up hardly any space