Recommendations on Bike Trailers

I just bought a Instep one that was $70 at Target. I put it together and the bottom was quite flimsy. I have a 11 month old and a 4 year old. I was worried to older ones feet were going to drag on the ground eventually as it wore out and got older. Needless to say I took it back and am in the market myself!

I love this question, because we are looking at trailers too! Right now, we're eyeing Chariots and they look like a quality piece of work. I think the Cougar 1 (for one kiddo) is about $500 (but that doesn't include the kits you would need for biking, jogging, xcountry skiing, or slings for infants! etc.) Here's the website: http://www.chariotcarriers.com/

Go to a recreation or sports resale store to buy one. I got all my equipment that way and most of it was like brand new and half of what it cost to buy new. I used Kelty stuff mostly - backpacks, strollers, bike trailer and a third wheel bike (like a bike with one back wheel for my 4 yrold that attaches to mine but that was REI brand). I also buy from REI - great store and if ANYTHING goes wrong or you do not like it they will take it back, they run great sales in the spring.

A.,

I cannot seriously remember the brand of bike trailer that we bought my husband for fathers day years ago. But we heard some excellent stories about it from the bike store that we bought it from. The frame was made from the same metal airplanes are made from!! It was light weight, and had two cover options (one just a screen, the other with a rain/dirt/mud splatter plastic!!) AND it also switched to a jogger easily. We enjoyed this trailer for about 2 years, then we all lost interest in this $500 item. But man was it fun. The salesman that sold it to us told us about the accident he had while riding his street bike with his daughter in the trailer. She was buckled in (5 point harness!!) and he was cruising pretty darned fast downhill and slowed only slightly to make a turn, he skidded in the gravel and the bike trailer rolled one complete roll. He was pretty banged up, bloody knees, etc. and was ultimately expecting the worst when he got up to the trailer. Much to his surprise his daughter was laughing and asked if they could do it again! He didn't seem like he wanted to, but was very glad that the trailer was safe for his daughter. They still bike now, but she has her own bike. We bought our trailer at The Bike Shoppe in Ogden, Utah about 4 years ago. My sister-in-law now has the trailer to use as a jogger and I don't think she uses it. If we get pregnant again or decide to go with adoption and that happens again, then we'll be getting it back pronto! It was easy to attach to a quick change bike tire and we really loved it. If you bike a lot and really don't want to find a sitter ALL the time, pay the money and get a good one. If you aren't sure about biking and are just toying with the idea, try out a cheaper model and decide (but stay away from having accidents!!!!). We also took ours mountain biking and it worked pretty good as long as the trail was wide enough and my legs strong enough. That is another thing to decide Who is going to tow your tot?? My legs aren't strong enough, but my husbands were, however, he bought himself a nice fancy bike to ride and it didn't allow for the bike trailer, thus poor un-biker mommy got stuck with the trailer!! hahaha!! It was fun.

Hope that helps!
V.

REI has their '07 double Burleys on sale for $240 if you can still find one.

We bought the Chariot. It is at REI. Higher priced like a burley but it actually converts to a sweet jogger, walker, hiking or snowshowing trailer with like a $70/each attachment. There is a single or double.

We love it.

http://www.chariotcarriers.com/

I have to say that Burley trailers really are worth the price. We first got one of the cheapie ones from Target, didn't really know if dh would want to do it often, or if our little boy would enjoy it. Anyway, the cheapie on didn't last very long at all. Snaps coming out, fabric stuff didn't hold up very well. We finally bought the Burley from REI and it's great. Lots lighter, way easier to manuver, it's just really well designed. So far the fabric, fasteners, etc have held up really well. And the thing that finally pushed us over the edge was the resale value. In a few years when your LO doesn't want to/doesn't fit anymore you can sell it for a great price. Just make sure that you figure in the cost of all the pieces....
Good luck!

We used the Burley when our kids were young. It has what they call a moose rack that attaches to your bike frame rather than the seat post as most of the other trailers do. This means if your bike tips, the Burley stays stable. When I was expecting our second baby, my husband gave me the kit that converted the burley to a stroller. I still tell him 12 years later that was one of the best presents I've ever received. You could post a wanted ad on Craig's list and see if you can get a second hand Burley. We had the one that held two kids and LOVED it.

We got a cheaper brand and had no problems at all. Used it for all three of my kids. The frame was still wonderful after all that but the sun had worn away the cover. I wouldn't spend the money on a Burley. Do look for tires with an air tube, however. They give your child a smoother ride than solid rubber.

Have fun!

I would find a used Burley if price is a factor. I had one of those cheap ones and they are so heavy. The added weight of the trailer made it nearly impossible for me to pull my 2 year old and 4 year old. Check into your purchase though because bike trailers are not recommended for babies, in fact Burley recommends children not less than 28 pounds ride safely in a trailer. Children should always wear a helmet. Even if the trailer doesn't tip it could still be hit by a car.

We got the Chariot, better than the burley. Yes it is an investment but we can take it on dirt roads and it does great. Our son loves riding in it. You can also get the attachments to be able to push it as a stroller and i use that for hiking on forest service roads. The money is worth it for the safety factor and the better more durable design. I will use it as well as a double stroller instead of buying another stroller when we have two kiddos. So it does save money in other places. But a little sidenote, my husband and I are very active bikers so we do use it once a week, and more for walking. So definitely be honest with yourself about how much you will use it.

I bought a used bike trailer for $50 and it works great. The brandame of it is master cycle. It looks like the Burley type. We live in the country with lots of dirt roads. rocks and, thistles and it has held up beautifully. When I tell my 2 yo grand daughter we are going bye bye she gets in the bike trailer instead of the car. She gets upset if I tell her we have to take the car. Look for a used one because your little ones will grow out of it fast.

We have a Burley and I love it. One thing about it is that it doesn't tip over if the bike does.

An 8 mos old however would not be safe in a bike trailer. The child has to be able to sit up strong, wear a helmet, and I just don't think I would put a child in any trailer until they were like 18 mos. My opinion there.

I love the Burley, it is durable, has a sun/bug guard on it to protect the kids and has extra storage for snack, water bottles and helmets. I love ours. I think you have to pay extra money for safety. I know Step 2 has one that is not as pricey but really good.

Hi,
I don't know if anyone's mentioned yet, but we bought our Burley d'Light (2-seater) used on Craigslist, which made it much more affordable. In fact, if you're in Colorado Springs, there was one listed this weekend for $100, which is a GREAT price! Good luck!

I ended up with a schwinn and really like it. It was less that $150 on amazon.com. I really think you'll be okay with any brand as long as you do your research. My only real advise is that if you get a convertable stroller (jog/bike trailer) check the front wheel that you use when it's a jog stroller. Make sure it's a "real" wheel--not just a plastic jobby. That made a HUGE difference for us. I had to get a newer model, but it wasn't that much more. Also, if you go into a retailer, they're going to tell you not to put the 8 month old in it...they go for a year before they recomend it. Just fyi. Oh, and if you need it, Walmart has toddler bike helmets for $8 (I found the same one at Toysrus and paid $15).

we have a trek that we loved! we got it used and it was 1/2 the price of used Burleys. it takes all of 30 seconds to set up and is much, much lighter than anything you'll get at Target, Wal-mart, etc. Keep an eye out on Craigs list and the classifieds, etc.
Couple things you need to look for....Does the frame go outside or inside the wheels. We went for outside the wheels...it gives an extra couple of inches of "collapse space" if something were actually to happen.
also, my peditrician said no way should we put a child less than 12 months in a bike trailer unless it had a completely reclining position. Just like in a car, they don't have the head control to be sitting up, facing forward during sudden stops or during a crash. And, I don't know that you'll find a helmet to fit a kid under twelve months...that, or our kids had small heads!

I've got a chariot (a bit spendy) that I adore. It has great storage in the back, has many attachments available (including for cross country skiing and a sling for babies), has air filled tires, etc. My friend has a cheap one that didn't hold up well. Another friend also has a cheap one that seems to have held up well to lots of cycling. However, it's much heavier than mine, it doesn't have air wheels, which is less comfortable for the little ones, and it doesn't fold up easily. I can push a few buttons on mine and stick it in my car. She has to use a pick up to take it places. The Chariot also attaches to the bike with a ball joint, so I imagine it wouldn't flip over if I did. The down side to that is you need to buy the piece that attaches to your bike, so you can't hook it on to just any bike without moving the attachment (easy to do, tho). Also, the cheaper ones seem to have the jogging wheel that stays with the stroller. I didn't use the jogging wheel with my bike, but it doesn't look like it can be used when the bike is used. So if you go for a bike ride and then want to stroller around town, you have to put on the attachment. I'm not sure about this, but I would definitely look at that feature if you want to use it for both purposes on one trip.

When the babies are done with it, my friend is going to use hers for her dog. Her cheapo has a hard bottom. I imagine that would be better for a dog than my cloth bottom one.

All of them, expensive and cheap, seem to have different aerodynamics. I imagine the insides either have different capacity or different angles for the seat. I didn't really check into that, but you might want to. My daughter complains with the chariot that there is no space to put her head back with the helmet, and it is uncomfortable.

The Chariot can hold 80 lbs, I think (it's a double). I don't know about the cheaper ones. My daughter is 5 and just under 40 lbs, so lucky me - I can carry 2 5 year olds in it.

Hope this gives you some things to consider when making your decision.

A.,

I can't respond about particular brands, but here are some tips that I have picked up:

1. Look on Craig's list, or if you can wait a bit longer, check out garage sales. We got a Burley d'Light, which was originally $350 for $40. It was well used, but still in very good condition.

2. If you are going to spend serious money, get one with a stroller handle, as this increases the usability of it. We have a walking/play group, and one of the other moms bikes over with her son in the trailer, then pops on the handle and walks with us, then pops down the handle and bikes back home. It's pretty cool.

3. Look for one with a full plastic (bug?) shield. My toddler absolutely hates the wind in her face. She will NOT ride in our trailer unless the plastic guard is down, no matter how hot it is.

Best of luck,
S.

We love our Burley. We purchased it from REI at the end of the year, and we bought the last years model when the new models were out, so we saved a lot of money. One of my friends just did the same thing, and saved at least 50% off the current price.

Hi A.,
I didn't have time to read all other responses so I hope I'm not repeating. My husband is a Burley dealer. These were his thoughts:
All burley trailers meet the European Union safety standards which are much more stringent than the ones in the U.S. They are all built with a roll cage so they offer excellent safety.
The best testimonial I ever heard about a Burley was that a mom had her two kids in one and the trailer was hit by a car. Because it wasn't attached correctly, the trailer disconnected from the bike, rolled for some distance, and then came to rest on the side of the road. The kids were fine. (The attachment is different now and has been field-tested for staying attached.)
You know how much your children's safety is worth. Cheap trailers are cheap for a reason and that reason is that they aren't very good quality! You can't get replacement parts for other brands, and they have little if any resale value.

He recommeded you look at the Burley "Honeybee", which you should be able to buy for about $350. It comes with the stroller attachment already included. The next model down, the "Bee", is basically the same thing for $100 cheaper but it doesn't have the same restraint system as the Honey Bee, nor does it come with the stroller kit.

On a personal note, we love our Burley D'Lite and our son does, too. He would walk up to it last summer and say, "Whee?" when he wanted to go for a ride. We also got the ski attachment and that has been a blast as well. The stroller kit is great, especially for two kids, and you get a good deal (though I know it sounds costly) with the Honeybee since you get the stroller kit as well as the bike trailer. It's pretty easy to make the change from bike trailer to stroller.
I can sincerely say that if you compare Burleys with other brands, side by side, there is just no comparison, even to the untrained eye. Or, to the mother's eye (mine), when we were in the market. Others are smaller, have skimpier frames, and the windows and fabric aren't as longlasting.
Our friends have an older Burley and that one could still be sold now for a decent price---so, you should be able to get some of your money back once you're finished with yours.
Make sure you have a good, well-fitting helmet for each child! Have fun--it's so nice to go for a ride with the kids.

We love our Chariot. My husband did most of the research on this one so I don't have details of why he picked it, but we have really liked it.

I love my Burley and I am actually on my second one, we just updated to the new de'lite model. After much research and testing at a bike shop, which I highly suggest doing with your bikes and your kids, I went with another Burley. If you are wanting it for mostly biking and strolling (it has a stroller attachment, not included), Totally go with the Burley. They are fabulous and the pull on it is so much better then the other brands, even the Chariot. However if you are wanting it mostly for other things like running and skiing... with minimal biking then I would go with the Chariot. They are versatile with many attachments that you can get and they are a bit cheaper. Burley also has a ski and running attachment, although I have heard the chariots are better for those two. So, if you are a serious biker or want to do it alot, go with the Burley other wise, I am sure any will do :) Good luck and have fun!
E.

Check www.craigslist.com for used ones. the price is always better and they're usually in good condition. brand etc hasn't really mattered to me i like most of them (expecially the fully colapsable ones)

When i bought my bike trailers I baought them from Shopko. I am sorry I do not remember the exact brand... I paid about $100.00 (on Sale) it was a stoller/trailer combo which I DO recomend! I loved them. My first one got left behind in a move...OOPS... but at they were litterally my transportation for me and my two little ones for awhile because of car issues... I had to use the good old heel toe express they hauled my children and often groceries... and when my children had outgrown the trailer and were riding their own bikes I sold mine for 75% of the value because it was still in great shape.

ENJOY your ride...
I found it fun to keep a small toy/ blakets/ and a radio in the tralier... you would be surpeised how many times my babies took a nap while I was huff puffing away :D