Need Opinion About Bicycle Trailor.....

I cant wait for Christmas so I can get myself a bike trailer. I have two children and this will be so much fun for us to get out of the house. Hopefully I will get my husband to join us. We both have bikes and dont ride them anymore cause the kids cant ride theirs yet. We like riding together even though he is much faster than I so it may get us back in the habit.

I got a seat from Walmart for about $40 so I could take my 2 year old and let my 5 year old ride her bike. My brother had gotten a seat from a bike store for $100 and after seeing the one I had said they liked it a lot more for many reasons. I love the seat and my 2 yr old loves the seat, too. I have never fallen or felt like I was going to fall and I have actually never even heard of someone falling- so I don't know of the true risk there. I just like the ease of the seat, and we don't have much storage, so I didn't want to have to store the trailor. We also got one of the seats that you can easily take off for when we don't want it on the bike. I have friends that have both and I don't know of any that are unhappy with either. Happy deciding, and good luck!

I have been interested in the trailer idea too. I am not sure I like the idea of a small child high up behind me...if I fall on the bike...the kid goes down too.
The bike trailers...newer ones...have no-tip mechanisms...you fall...the bar twists so they stay upright.
Cost is what is keeping me from buying...good trailers seem to cost over $100.

I have a trailor, I like that instead of the seat because my child is close to the ground, it is also big enough to make people see you better. what i do not like about the seat is if you fall for some reason so does your child. We started putting my child in the trailor at a younger age than your daughter

I've had both a bike seat and a trailer for my son. He much preferred the baby seat when he was younger, as he wanted to be closer to me. The trailer worked well after he was about 3. They are really quite removed from you in a trailer, and it is difficult to hear them and respond to their requests. I found that once he was old enough to take care of himself, he was very happy back in the trailer. But the bike seat was very, very useful and important in our daily lives when he was younger. While neither are cheap, you can find both at the used kids' stores (Lil Traders, for example, here in Tucson) or at Play it Again Sports. They only sell items that are safety checked and within two years of purchase date, so you can rest assured. Good Luck!

We did a lot of research and decided on the Chariot. We love it!!! We got the strolling attachement, it's the best purchase we have ever made. I use it every day...no kidding! It's easy and roomy and I love the trunk space, we walk or bike to the grocery regularly and have plenty of room for milk, etc.

A trailer is safer and you can carry things in it with your child ( wipes, water, first aide, etc.)
K.

As several people before me have said, I prefer the trailer. I have to say that I have not tried a child seat, but we have the Chariot bike trailer and are really happy with it. Although they are buckled in, there is room back there for them to be comfortable. They can bring a blanket and make it cozy. Also, ours has plenty of pockets for holding sippy cups, snacks, toys, etc. It is also a really versatile piece of equipment with all of the conversion kits they sell. We purchased the "jogging" kit and are very happy with it (it's easy to change out), but they also sell others (skiing, hiking, strolling). Good luck in your decison!

You may or may not have gotten this piece of information, but you can also purchase handlebar seats that allow you to put your childseat in front of you on the bike. I have one for my son and he loves it. I also purchased a "windshield" for him being up front. Check at www.onestepahead.com if you're interested.

I would go with the trailer. I ended up purchasing both because the baby seat on the back of the bike made it heavy. It would fall over on its own and when I put her in it, it was so top heavy that I had to struggle to keep the bike from falling over with her in it while I buckled her in and got on it.

I vote for the trailer, much more stability, balance and safer. Plus kids can lounge back there, take naps or bring toys to hang out with. Great idea, have fun!

Hi Klkshsu,
My husband and I bought a trailer for our daughter and we have loved it! The only thing is now that she has gotten a little heavier, I see that she wont be able to sit in it for much longer, so we are now going to buy a seat for the back of the bike. She sure has loved it though, she gets to bring her blanket and any toys she feels she needs to bring on our ride. Have fun whatever you decide!

I prefer the trailer. I feel like it's safer. Plus those hold up to 100lbs, I don't think you could put your child in the seat up to that weight. I found one for around $100 and it's great.

We had a child seat on the back of my bike. I like the little fuss of the seat (easy storage, less moving parts, etc.), but you have to be careful getting on and off with the child in the seat. Without your weight on the bike it gets really top heavy and can fall over even if you're holding on to it. You just have to be aware of the physics of the situation.

It would have been nice to have a trailer, but I don't think I would have taken it some of the places we went.

Good luck,

M.

Klkshsu,

I bought a Wee Ride from Amazon.com. It puts the child in front of you on the bike. I (and my 21 month old son) LOVE IT! It is better than a trailer or seat behind you because you can see and talk to your child without having to turn around.

Good luck!
L.

I'd go for the bike trailer because your child can sit in that much longer than he can fit in the childseat attached to a bike. They won't really outgrow the bike trailer for a long time, so it would last you much longer. And if you plan on having more than one child you can get a trailer that seats two like I did. I bought mine for $40 on www.Craigslist.org