# Child Bike Trailers



## Guest (Sep 24, 2008)

I'm in the market to replace my aging tralier, it wasn't built for daily use.

Burley, Chariot, and the host of others, what are the important factors to consider in addition to one kid or two? Why chose one brand over another. 

Technically this is a "which is the best child bike trailer"... but the readers would like logic to support answers, not just "Brand X is the Best!".

Thanks in advance!

G.


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## Rock Climber (Jul 25, 2007)

I only tested the Burley and Chariot so I can only compare those two. The main selling features for me buying the chariot was that it works so well as a jogging stroller (my wife runs about 15 miles a week with it and the kids). Second reason was when I put the kids in the burley with their helmets on the back part of the burley slumped them forward and they were really uncomfortable. The chariot has a mesh netting that has plenty of space for the bulky back of a helmet.

Overall I have been very satisfied with the chariot, but it is pricey. I did have a bent frame on it, but chariot replaced that for me.

Hope it helps


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## davelexipct (Aug 25, 2007)

*Chariot carriers rock our world*

Our family's vote is for the Chariot. We have a Chariot Cougar 1 and our 2 year old loves it. We have the jogger, bike trailer, and ski kits to go with it. (We had the infant sling but have since sold it on ebay for 50% of new retail). Reasons we think its totally cool:

1- The modular system allows you to invest in only one kid carrying thing. No need to get a jogger, AND a bike trailer, AND a ski pulk. Also, the kid can get used to being in the Chariot from a very young age (1 month, with the infant sling), so the transition to the Chariot's other functions is easy.

2- Switching between bike mode and jogger mode is easy. We do it at least once a day, and its no big deal.

3- The carbon fiber suspension is simple and highly effective. Excellent if you like going at speeds higher than a mellow jog.

4- For skiers, its really the best. It skis very fast and corners better than you'd expect on groomed surfaces. And at ~$150, the ski kit is much cheaper than the $450 you regularly pay for the Wilderness Expeditions pulk that is otherwise the standard pulk in our neck of the woods.

5- Resale value is excellent, which in the long run takes all the sting out of the initial investment. As a result, you don't necessarily spend more for a childhood's worth of Charioteering than having gone with something cheaper.

6- Tires take standard tubes. Some cheap trailers have "solid" wheels; that makes for a rough ride.

7- It looks very cool, AND all the active/athletic parents I know have one. (Don't go telling me that this factor is completely irrelevant...)

Other factors to consider: will you be carrying just a kid, or perhaps stuff instead; ease of moving trailer from bike A to bike B; local availability of spare parts/covers; quality of wheels and tires.

Dave


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2008)

Helps a lot, thanks!

For me, the most important factor is the comfort of the kid with the helmet on, and I knew that some had a recess for that, others did not. Probably why I'll go Chariot.

Nice thoughts on the suspension as well. I need to find one to test on the cobblestone streets here in town.

Room for lots if stuff is also important, given that lots of parents caravan on the weekend with gourmet picnic's in tow. Lack of storage space was a deal-breaker when stroller shopping, and will carry significant influence here as well.

I'm using a Nashbar trailer now. It is pretty aerodynamic, spacious, sturdy, and rolls well, but the current positive camber \---/ of the wheels is a little threatening, though never been a problem. I don't know if the wife nailed too many curbs (hopefully not parked cars), but I'll probably fix that with the Vice-Grips this weekend. Since it's steel, I can do that.

I hear ya about style and class points, but living in an urban environment and parking outside for hours at a time adds some additional liability for theft.

Any advice about locking these trailers or at least making theft a little more difficult?

G.


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## davelexipct (Aug 25, 2007)

We had a little trouble with helmet clearance with the Chariot, but only at the beginning of its use in trailer mode. Early on, its almost impossible to get the kid's helmet as snug as you would normally have on yourself, so it slips forward and over the eyes (annoying!) pretty easily, even if clearance is actually excellent. We are primarily hikers, and had a collection of slightly abused RidgeRest pads kicking around, and took one, chopped it a bit, and used it to pad out the back of the Chariot seat by about an inch, to improve helmet clearance. 

For locking, we have a cheap cable lock that lives in the Chariot's mesh pocket. Anyone super motivated won't find that much of a deterrance, but we're not in an urban place and generally don't worry and haven't had any trouble. There are a lot of places to thread a lock that don't prove anything, given the modular features of a Chariot. There is a decent place on the side/rear frame that is good.

Dave


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## billygoatsteel (Aug 17, 2006)

Im another one for chariot, my two year old is in it almost daily. Yes to begin with he would slump forward when he fell asleep (not a good look), hitting bumps a little harder than usual buys you another five minutes so. I have an old model without suspension which seems fine. The one point I wanted to make was the thru axel towing connection- this is very stable allowing the bike to handle like normal. I tried a trailer that connected to the chainstay and my heel would hit it, attachments to the seatpost are another configuration I wouldn't touch. I have a double and it doesn't fit thru the front door, so it lives outside in the rain yet the cockpit stays dry, it's just a work horse for me and I love it.


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## KgB (Jan 13, 2004)

*another vote for the Chariot*

the suspension is really nice,it;'s higher end in every respect.
good resale value and longevity.


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## kalem (Jun 29, 2006)

This has been great info. Definetly sold me on the Chariot. We're expecting our first baby in February and am pumped on towing him around both behind the bike and the skis. 

With the infant sling can you put them in the trailer really young? Everywhere i've been looking it was recommended that they be a year or able to hold their head up.

I've been looking all over the place for a used one, anyone have any leads?


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## davelexipct (Aug 25, 2007)

*Trailer mode really only for >12 months*

Sorry, the infant sling is intended really just for the Chariot set up as a stroller or jogger. The widely held standard among doctors is that trailers are really only okay for kids older than 12 months, and then only with a helmet. The bouncing and bumping in trailer mode is really a lot more vigorous than in jogger mode, and there is certainly always the possibility of some kind of unhealthy car-bike-trailer interaction. In skiing mode I think that its your call; the ski setup really works best on groomed trails, and if you ski well within your ability, there really isn't any crash hazard. We had our kid skiing there at 6 months and found that the realistic limit was temperature and whether she was inclined to fall asleep and give me time for another half hour lap.

When the first birthday comes around and you can ceremoniously make the visit to the LBS for the kiddie helmet, I recommend always wearing your own ("like mommy daddy" is pretty powerful), and requiring its use on whatever trikes/push bikes you acquire, to avoid arguments later.

Enjoy
Dave


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## Trails4Two (May 12, 2008)

The one-year rule on the infant sling seems to be an American legal system thing. I have talked with Chariot users in Germany who say there is no printed age restriction there. That said, I would suggest basic sanity. We had our son in the trailer for road rides at 6 months. The sling is great because it really reclines the child back to a position that is safer and more comfortable for their big floppy head. I had another friend who was big into ski towing his son with theirs. He has both a Chariot and a BOB (must be nice getting pro deals...) and preferred the chariot in most cases.


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## HardyWeinberg (Aug 3, 2007)

When we got our burley they were still a local-ish co-op but that reason alone doesn't pertain any more with their new ownership structure. I never looked at (knew about) the chariot brand. I did look at box store trailers, and the burley's 20" wheels just blew away anything a dept store 16" or 12" wheel could give in performance. Both the usual benefits of larger wheels plus I believe superior hubs.

We didn't get a jog-stroller kit but our burley was a better stroller than our purpose-built 12" wheel jog stroller. I assume a chariot w/ 20" wheels also would.

We got the 2nd or 3rd 2-kid burley from the top of the line. If I had it to do over again I would have gone all the way to the top, the few extra inches of room inside would have gotten us another few months of 2-kid use before our now 7 yr old outgrew it for once and all. Of course it's not bad now to have a less ginormous trailer for just the one soon-to-be-4 yr old.

One other thing I like about our burley, which some burleys and some chariots don't have, is a frame outside the wheels to keep them from getting munged up in stuff. Here is a burley w/o that exterior frame and here is one with it just another thing to keep an eye out for and think about.


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## tron (Mar 5, 2004)

What is this infant sling? I have a 1 year old and only just started taking him out on the trailer. The only problem is that he hates wearing a helmet. He spent most of the ride trying to pull it off. Also, I realized that the tires were kicking dirt right into it, need to get some fenders on the back.


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## davelexipct (Aug 25, 2007)

*Infant Sling*

See:
http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/accessories.php?accID=2

Its a hammock sort of thing that provides a more reclining position for the kid, and some foamy rails on the side to support them when they're floppy.

Our kid for the first couple of months didn't like the bike helmet, but we stuck with it. One trouble is that its really easy to accidentally clip neck flesh with the buckle. You'll just have to make it be pretty loose. Also, when she would lean back, the helmet would get pushed forward and down over her eyes (annoying!). We took an old foam Ridgerest pad, folded it in half, and cut it to a useful size to pad out the seat, to create more helmet clearance room. That has worked pretty well, and she's gotten completely used to the helmet. In fact, you should hear the grief I get if I manage to forget it.... "daddy, bofu hat!!!"

Dave


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## Trails4Two (May 12, 2008)

The infant sling is a chariot-specific insert that changes the child's position (more reclined). 
http://www.rei.com/product/696025 
http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/accessories.php?accID=2

I don't know if it could be used in non-chariot trailers. Interestingly, it does now say that it is not intended for cycling - it didn't say that three years ago.

They do make a cycling approved version for 3-18 month babys
http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/accessories.php?accID=3

As to the helmet issue: much depends on the trailer design. Does your trailer have a recessed space behind the child's head for a helmet to fit into? If not, that could be a big part of the discomfort (try wearing your helmet and laying flat on your back!) You can sometimes help this by putting a folded towel behind ihs back to scoot him forward a bit so that the helmet doesn't push his head forward.

We also had problems getting a good helmet fit for a 1 yr old. If it was too loose at all it would slide down over his face and cause howling.


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## tron (Mar 5, 2004)

I have taken to folding a towel behind him to all the helmet clearance. He likes looking at the helmet and seeing me with the helmet on but the second it goes on his head his hands go up to push it off. It takes some distraction for him to forget. He is over a year now so he is beyond the sling.

But, I will say a tip i saw from someone else on this board where they latched the car seat to the trailer like you would in the car. That way the baby is supported. Probably not the safest thing and our car seat did not fit in there correctly anyway.


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## Trails4Two (May 12, 2008)

I had heard of the car seat trick as well. But I can certainly say that our single-wide Chariot is too small to cram our car seat into.


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

I have the Chariot. Years ago, I had a Burly. The burly was fine, but I truly believe the Chariot tows nicer. 
The ONLY negative I experienced with it is that my son is a MOOSE and he only fit into it comfortably from two the almost three and then he hated being in it for more than a few minutes at a time.


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## mtncullen (Apr 18, 2011)

*Single Wheel Child Bike Trailer*

If your interested, check out a new bike trailer available called the Cavery Cab. It is a single wheel mountain bike trailer designed for off road riding. You can find it at www.caverycab.com !!!


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## Hippienflipflops (Oct 18, 2006)

Everyone needs to excercise some sanity with the age and helmet thing. My daughter is 18 months right now. We started pulling her in the bike trailer at about 6 months. We didnt use the sling. We contemplated the baby supporter, but never bought it. We took it easy the first few weeks and did just 20 minutes to a half hour then built up from there. We now ride for 2-3 hours several times a week. We still dont use a helmet in the trailer, but that's a personal choice - given the harness system and trailer build we believe the risk to our daughters head to be minimal barring the most extreme of circumstances.


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## SuperJETT (May 28, 2008)

3 year old dead thread, resurrected by someone trying to sell their trailer.


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## Alex.C (May 15, 2010)

At risk of more thread necromancy anyone know what happened to the Cavery Cab? The website is now just a domain squat/link farm....


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