Baby/child bicycle trailers.

Hillbilly · Tue May 16, 2006 10:23 pm

Hi

Am considering purchasing (hopefully second hand) one of these to cart son (4 months old) around in on the back of my bike and start using that instead of the car. Village and back is an 8 mile round trip so seems a good way of getting some additional exercise also.

Have any of you had any experience of these? Can you recommend a make?

TIA

ina · Post: # 20153Post **ina** » Tue May 16, 2006 10:38 pm

No experience - just a bit of advice: Make sure it's VERY visible. In Germany (and some other European countries) car drivers are used to bikes with trailers; here they aren't. They hardly bother to respect a cyclist, let alone one with a low trailer at the back. Get yourself kitted out with half a dozen flags in various luminous colours - or better still, automatic flame throwers that go off every time a car gets too close!

(Sorry. Do you get the impression that I don't have a particular positive opinion of British drivers, at least not where bikes are concerned?

)

albert onglebod · Wed May 17, 2006 6:46 am

Get a long thin cable so that you can lock the trailer to the bike and the bike to something immovable when you leave it.
A bicycle stand that fits under the pedals on your bike will mean you dont have to try to hold your bike up and get the nipper strapped in all at the same time.

Hillbilly · Post: # 20164Post **Hillbilly** » Wed May 17, 2006 7:41 am

Ina

Thats one of my main concerns about this whole set up really - safety. I see quite a few of them on the road now and yes, they have flags and are VERY visible. I think I will still worry though for the first few months. Luckily the only road I am likely to be taking is almost straight, very wide and not hugely busy during the day

Albert OB

I was wondering how that worked - so you do need a bike stand! OK I'll add that to the list then. Thanks. Did you have one or do you just know stuff?

Shirley · Post: # 20173Post **Shirley** » Wed May 17, 2006 10:51 am

Ooh you are brave - I must confess to thinking them a fantastic idea and would have loved one, but having cycled solo on the main routes I don't think I'd do it to be honest... especially in tourist season when the roads are crazy.

I'd use one to go on a cycle trail though - although Jonathan is now too old anyway. I hope to get him cycling asap and we can find some good trails on the sustrans website. www.sustrans.org.uk

ina · Post: # 20177Post **ina** » Wed May 17, 2006 11:49 am

Hillbilly wrote:- so you do need a bike stand! OK I'll add that to the list then.

Try to get one that is fixed to the hub of the rear wheel, rather than under the pedals. They are less wobbly, especially if you have a trailer or/and your shopping on the back of your bike!
There are double ones, too - like you get on a motor bike (I think the postie bikes have them). They are the safest, I believe.

albert onglebod · Sat May 20, 2006 4:22 pm

Hillbilly wrote:Ina

Albert OB

I was wondering how that worked - so you do need a bike stand! OK I'll add that to the list then. Thanks. Did you have one or do you just know stuff?

No I've got a little rectangular trailer for my bike(not the kiddy kind) but it attatches in the same way and those are the things I discovered were essential.

Tigerhair · Post: # 20461Post **Tigerhair** » Sat May 20, 2006 9:13 pm

I'd try one first. My little boy HATED it....

ina · Post: # 20509Post **ina** » Sun May 21, 2006 10:03 am

We grew up on bikes - there was no question of hating it or not, there was no other option. And our parents certainly had no time to discuss with us whether we liked to be on a bike or not!

Ok, we had no trailer - they weren't in vogue back then. We had a seat behind the handle bars. Wobbling wasn't on, it would have endangered the cyclist (and the rest of the traffic).

Hillbilly · Post: # 20564Post **Hillbilly** » Sun May 21, 2006 8:07 pm

Tigerhair wrote:I'd try one first. My little boy HATED it....

I'm kind of with Ina here - he won't have much of a say. I am hoping that as he is only 4 months old - he'll accept it as 'norm' (rather like being in his slings).

Millie · Post: # 21067Post **Millie** » Sat May 27, 2006 9:33 pm

My dd loves going in hers. I have to admit Ive never been on the road with it, only ever use the pavement. When we go on bike rides my dh has the trailer on his bike, and the amount of women that coo and aww at them, I have to keep stopping for them to catch up! I must get back into riding my bike, esp as I had a dream I rode to the next town and back last night. Have no idea why I did, think its a sign lol.

I picked dd bike trailer up cheap 2nd hand from a bike hire place nearby, maybe try your local one?

Happy cycling!

albert onglebod · Sun May 28, 2006 8:21 am

you see them on ebay quite often.My dad used to give me a ride to school on his crossbar when I was 5 .It was lovely. I was desperate for my own bike for years after that. I think some of the modern kiddie trailers can be pushchairs too and can have the seats removed to convert to ordinary trailers. Mine is the phillips trailer(no seats) that is in the Argos catalogue.

circlecross · Sun May 28, 2006 10:18 pm

I fancied one of these, but dh had same concerns eg visibility. I got a seat for the back of the bike, and when ds was 1 yr he either hated it, or fainted with fright (he seemed to be asleep, but I'm not so sure...). This year, he loves it! He even tolerates his cycle helmet. I digress. I would have loved to have a trailer, but yes, make sure you truss it up like a Christmas tree - those drivers have gotta be there you know, and can't stop for cyclists, poor things.

Susan

2steps · Post: # 21219Post **2steps** » Mon May 29, 2006 11:04 am

I wanted one of these but could never afford one

they sell pretty well on ebay if your looking for a secondhand one :) I also found this http://www.motherearthnews.com/DIY/1981 ... le_Trailer
that we were going to have ago at but haven't gotten round to to