Hi,

I’m looking to buy a used bike trailer, but am not really sure where to start as a) i haven’t ridden in a while and b) am new to this parenting gig.

We’re currently in Portsmouth so riding around QE with the good lady and sprog in the trailer is the order of the day.

Any suggestions as to what to look out for? My son is 8 months old and wifey has to actually buy a bike first, so I’ve a few weeks yet.

Cheers 😉

You can spend loads or a little. If it’s just for smooth trails I basic one will probably do. I have one headed for the classifieds if you want first dibs? One tip I have is swap out the basic tyres for some large volume ones run at low pressure – adds a little suspension for the little one!

They are also ace for dragging the family picnic along too…

What budget do you have? Second hand burley croozers or thule chariots can be had for about £200-£300. I have some cheap Chinese supermarket junk and tbh it’s crap. Mini_fiat hates it. Put him in my sister’s croozer though and he’ll happily spend all day in there. The main difference seems to be the harness which in the cheapo one allows him to slump down. The burley’s is much more like his car seat and keeps him far better supported. Put him in his weeride and he gets properly excited. He even reaches out and rings the bell on my fatty and occasionally changes gear (much to my annoyance)

8 months may be a little young to get bumped around in a trailer in a normal seat too. Both burley and thule do infant slings for their trailers which do a better job of holding infants comfortably and safely.

I have a croozer and have affixed a baby car seat inside it for my 8 month old. It can get a little rough on lumpy roads or forest tracks. The croozer is good though. He sleeps quite happily. We’ve had him out 2-3hr rides with a break, in heavy rain and sub zero weather no problem.

@stumpytrek, yes, please. Let me know some more details

I thought we’d get one sorted for about £50 (knowing nothing about these things). So I guess I need to revise that.

I think you’re right @hot_fiat, I didn’t quite think about the logistics of my boy in a trailer being bumped and jiggled around something like QE park – while it’s no Derbyshire, it’s not super smooth either.

Thanks @glasgowdan, that’s a stellar recommendation for a product if ever i’ve heard 😉

Will get on the Google at Thule and Croozer stuff. I have and have had Thule stuff and the build quality is superb.

cheers thus far 😉

Chariot CX here, awesome bit of kit, used it with my boy (now almost 3) for the past 2 summers and with a new baby daughter I can’t wait to get out with her in the Spring. They love being able to see what’s going on and the combination of stimulation and fresh air knocks them out like a blow dart!

Best thing about Chariots is the way they also work really well as joggers and offroad buggies so if you and the missus are into running/camping etc you’ll get more use out of them, which helps offset the initially scary price tag.

They also hold their value really well.

Also a Chariot user here. We have the CX 2 seat version and have used it for 3 of our 4 kids. It’s still going strong which gives you an idea of the build quality and it’s had quite a lot of abuse over the years.

happy croozer owners here, on same vein as hatter with the Chariot it works great as a jogger and offroad buggy so brilliant for forest and beach trips and even now when kids are 3 and 5 they still jump in to rest the legs or pile their stuff in it

I have a croozer and have affixed a baby car seat inside it for my 8 month old. It can get a little rough on lumpy roads or forest tracks. The croozer is good though. He sleeps quite happily. We’ve had him out 2-3hr rides with a break, in heavy rain and sub zero weather no problem.

I have been successful on google – does the croozer or any other take an isofix car seat?

We borrowed a burley something (bee?) off a friend for a few years. V stable and comfy. Quality was excellent and it was very versatile. Multiple harness options and it could carry 2 kids, a picnic and a balance bike bungeed onto the rear. We did repeated big days out with this as it was such a good bit of kit and allowed us to get out to some great places over moderate trails.

This sort of thing would be fine for QECP/south downs.

We have a Croozer and love it. It seemed expensive at first but being able to get out and ride with the wee man either on my own or with my Mrs is priceless. We head out and have picnics, great day out.

Was advised not to jiggle him too much below 1 year old so that’s when we got it.

If you are intetested, here’s a slightly long and potentially boring video edited more for grandparents rather than general consumption but shows the kind of thing we do and how much he enjoys being in the trailer. This was 2nd or 3rd ride out a year ago. If you do watch, the last bit shows he enjoyed it.

[video]http://youtu.be/BSBGxXi38cw[/video]

I forgot to mention, I’m at Uni (mature student) so kinda broke. Not sure we have a spare grand for this, sadly. We have a ‘Jane Powertrack’ pushchair (as recommended in this fine forum) so off-road walks and a bit of running is sorted.

Unless I can pay with spleen. I don’t need *all* of it?!

Would be interested in hearing the answers to @ericmel’s Q too.

Will be keeping my eyes out on eBay and most likely find some stuff to sell…

Any more comments would be greatly appreciated 😉

Try the cycle hire or forestry commission hire places as they usually have a yearly sell-off of trailers.

We have a Croozer Kid for 2 which I managed to bag on ebay for £150. The best thing to do it setup a few saved searches on ebay for them and check them every couple of days. Most will be collection only as well as they are fairly bulky even when folded down. The Croozer models tend to come with all the kit to make it a stroller/jogger etc so that saves some pennies compared to the Chariot ones.

For an 8 month old you’d need the sling for it which I think are about £25 for the Croozers. I haven’t used ours for a while as mini matt is more interested in tooling around on his balance bike but if/when number 2 arrives it’ll start getting used again. They are great for going to the shops as well, loads of room behind the seats and you can fit even more in if you leave the little one at home.

Ours was in the region of £300, not cheap but not a grand. Resale seems good so jump quick if you see one on eBay but if you do buy new there is a good return.

@gravity … sort of sums things up nicely doesn’t it. I miss riding around there (from sheffield)

Thanks @yak, wise words. I don’t mind a bit of fixing of things or similar. Will see what I can find. We borrowed one from a friend in Canada, locally built and was an amazing bit of kit and would have suited him, a dog, picnic, a pile of other ‘stuff’ needed when venturing out with a little one. Sadly it’s a royal PITA to bring things back and it’s not like I could have got it in our suitcase.

Check the classifieds on here. There was a burley croozer about a week ago for £220:
Edit:
Linky linky

they’re about that much new from wiggle @hot_fiat 😉

cheers hot_fiat. Will have a think about it and discuss with the good lady.

That one is the newer model of what I have. £450(ish) new.

Northernmatt, do you carry just one ankle biter or two?

Both my kids have been fine in a Bellelli Bike Taxi

No suspension or fancy gubbins, but fine if you are just using it along road or paths for family pootles as we do. Two seater with a max combined load of 25kg.

£200 new from Halfords but considerably cheaper second hand, usually about £80 on eBay/Gumtree.

(No good at 8 months though. You need something with a proper supportive seat in it at that age IMO)

One at the minute. We have plans for another so that will change. Loads of room with just one in there.

Got it when he was about 15 months so can’t comment on baby slings or anything.

The croozer has a really large load space behind baby which comes in very handy. The baby sling is £60-odd hence I used a spare cheap car seat we already had and strapped it in to the frame. Very comfy and secure for the wee guy.