# Newbie needs kids trailer/buggy/carrying device HELP!



## jenniel73 (Sep 9, 2008)

Hi there! I am very new to the biking world but I'm anxious to get my 3 year old and 17 month out and about. I'm trying to decide what the best way to do that is. We decided that we should probably get some kind of trailer and a mounted back seat as well. I have a burley dlite 2007 i can pick up for $300 or a Yakima Tot Rod (not sure of year) for about $150. Is there a prefered brand? I haven't seen them in person but the burley looks so much sleeker/more comfortable. Also I can pick up a CoPilot Limo for $75. Do these fit most bikes? I'd hate to purchase it and then find it doesn't fit. I have to move on this stuff today and I'd like to make the choice that will best serve us for the long term. 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

Burly is probably the best, but a Yak trailer should be good. For $150 I'd do it. Most trailers will hold 2 kids. I would not put a seat for a kid on a bike. I just don't like them.

Any trailer will fit on any bike with a few minor exceptions. Do not put a trailer that mounts to the wheel stay on a bike with CF wheel stays. Other than that you should be fine.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

The Co-Pilot Limo child seat should have a posted weight limit of 40lbs. It takes a lot of installation and the child and weight are high off the ground (making for a more difficult to balance load and a harder fall....).

The Burley trailer has a 100+lb weight limit. Trailers pop on and off the bike without any tools required and the weight is low to the ground. Plus a trailer won't fall over when you let go of the bike.

You are going to get a lot more use out of a trailer, it will have a much better resale value and trailers are much safer and comfortable for the kids.

If you can afford it trailers are the way to go.


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

jenniel73 said:


> Hi there! I am very new to the biking world but I'm anxious to get my 3 year old and 17 month out and about. I'm trying to decide what the best way to do that is. We decided that we should probably get some kind of trailer and a mounted back seat as well. I have a burley dlite 2007 i can pick up for $300 or a Yakima Tot Rod (not sure of year) for about $150. Is there a prefered brand? I haven't seen them in person but the burley looks so much sleeker/more comfortable. Also I can pick up a CoPilot Limo for $75. Do these fit most bikes? I'd hate to purchase it and then find it doesn't fit. I have to move on this stuff today and I'd like to make the choice that will best serve us for the long term.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


If you can get a Burley DLite for $300 I would get it. You will likely be able to sell it for $300.00 in 2010 or 11 for $300. They hold onto most of their value in my experience. 

For the 3 year old you are fast approaching the end of the "trailer toleration" years. Take a look at the guy on the left.








This would be a possible configuration for you.

Scot


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## jenniel73 (Sep 9, 2008)

Those are great pictures! At what age do you think the bigger one would be ready for the trail a bike? I would love to have her on one!


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Another one to look for is the Trek Rocket- I think trek sold them from 2000- 2002/3?

The great thing about the trek rocket is that it's just a rebadged Chariot, so all the chariot accessories work on it. If you find someone who doesn't know what they have, you can get them pretty cheap. At least, that was my experience...


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## Scot_Gore (Jan 25, 2002)

jenniel73 said:


> Those are great pictures! At what age do you think the bigger one would be ready for the trail a bike? I would love to have her on one!


As I re-call it was age 4 for us (she's 12 now). We sold the Burly (for what we paid for it BTW) and bought the trail-a-bike with the money. She was still at an age where long rides made her sleepy and more than once we had to pull over to let her nap trailside to avoid her falling off. She would no longer get in the trailer, that was for babies!!!!! The trail-a-bike only lasted a season, and after that she was on her own bike most of the time (with the trail-a-bike for longer distances at times as well).

Just this weekend she was complaining that her bike was slow and heavy. I offered to buy her a road bike, but so far, she's not biting, maybe next year. 

Scot


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## wooglin (Feb 22, 2002)

I put my son on a trail-a-bike at 4, and he was fine. Given your situation I recommend the trailer for the time being with both kids in it, then a trail-a-bike in about a year for the older one. Then in another few years you can put the older kid on the back of a tandem using a child stoker setup, and the younger kid can graduate to the trail-a-bike. 

I second, third or fourth the recommendation against a child seat mounted on the bike. 

4yo and trail-a-bike


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## Sledgehammer03 (Mar 7, 2006)

I've got two 4 yo boys. They still like to ride in the trailer, I just don't like pulling them both. They have been using the trail-a-bike for about a year now, for short trips. We alternate, 5-7 mile on the trail-a-bike, then switch. Couple weeks ago we did a 25 mile ride, this way. (BTW, trail-a-bike is attached to mom's bike)


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

My daughter rode on a trail-a-bike for about a year before I finally made her learn to ride her own bike. The one thing I didn't like about riding a bike with a trail-a-bike attached to it is that, despite me outweighing my daughter about four-to-one, she could lean over and affect the direction of the bike combo. Why would she lean over? To see the road past me, of course. This resulted in a few nervous times when the road turned one way and the bike was leaning the other with me yelling at my daughter to stop leaning! She finally figured it out and we had a lot of fun going on rides.

Before you pull away from a stop, always make sure that your child is ready. Once, while waiting for a car to pull out of a parking spot the driver let me pass so I jumped on to the pedal and the bike became really light really quickly. My daughter was adjusting her sunglasses when I decided to pull away and she flew off the back of it. Everyone got a good laugh out of this, including my lightly bruised daughter.

Towing a bike trailer should not give you any weird handling quirks but you should feel the extra weight of the trailer and its precious cargo holding you back.


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