# Child Trailer Recommendation



## miller_2727 (May 19, 2007)

Having a baby and the wife and I are looking to round up a bike trailer/jogging stroller. 
(I did a forum search and results were out dated and mainly focused on 'trailers' in general)

Any thoughts/experience/recs would be awesome.

Thanks in advance! :thumbsup:


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

You shouldn't use a jog stroller (for running) until your kid is at least 6 months old, and I would wait at least a year to use a bike trailer. It's nice you want to do these things with your kid, but infants aren't built for these activities. They can't support their heads, and they have problems regulating their temperature for the first six weeks. Stick to regular strollers for now.


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

miller_2727 said:


> Having a baby and the wife and I are looking to round up a bike trailer/jogging stroller.
> (I did a forum search and results were out dated and mainly focused on 'trailers' in general)
> 
> Any thoughts/experience/recs would be awesome.
> ...


If you are open to other possibilities, consider a child seat, too. I have used a Topeak for three years, since my daughter was a little over a year old. I (and more importantly, my wife...) feel very safe with that set up. It fits both mountain and road bikes. 
We have nice trips to the park, the playground, the pool, the grocery store and just around the neighborhood. She 'helps' pointing if we turn, calls out 'car back' / 'car up' and has a good ol' time chatting and singing. Being able to have a conversation or, in your case, point out things along the road, is a definite advantage over a trailer. 

The harness is easy to use, secure and, being a bucket seat, allows for a little nap on the way home. It comes with a very cool rack/quick release system, a large integrated reflector and two slots that can hold a rear light. I bought a second matching rack for the tandem and can easily swap the seat over in seconds. Great stuff. 

Here's a pic:
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/webmountainbike_2036_1739757


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

The issue with cheap (or affordable) trailers is that the seats offer no support, and your kid will be slumped over. Pay the extra money from a properly formed seat--- at least something that offers some support.


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## miller_2727 (May 19, 2007)

mohair_chair said:


> You shouldn't use a jog stroller (for running) until your kid is at least 6 months old, and I would wait at least a year to use a bike trailer. It's nice you want to do these things with your kid, but infants aren't built for these activities. They can't support their heads, and they have problems regulating their temperature for the first six weeks. Stick to regular strollers for now.


WOW...REALLY....Thanks for the heads up. I had planned to use the trailer to leave the hospital and perhaps take in a 14mile mtb ride on the ride home....weather permitting of course.  

Now, in all seriousness, I do not want this post to go down the parenting road. Let's keep it to my original question.

Thanks


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

miller_2727 said:


> I do not want this post to go down the parenting road.


The parenting road? WTF?


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## Export A (Mar 18, 2007)

some good recommendations right here.
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=117567


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## miller_2727 (May 19, 2007)

Just not wanting everyone to start chiming in about 'how they did this' and 'how they did that' with their kids......nothing personal.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

miller_2727 said:


> Just not wanting everyone to start chiming in about 'how they did this' and 'how they did that' with their kids......nothing personal.


But you don't even have a kid yet. Minimum, you're over a year away from using a bike trailer. That's what I'm saying. You don't need to buy one today.


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## stoat (Jun 25, 2008)

We've got a chariot and we're REALLY happy with it.

We got the infant sling for newborns so our son was in it at about a week old. The trailer has all sorts of clever attachments so it can be a jogging stroller, walking stroller, bike trailer and cross country ski trailer. I've only used it as a walking stoller and I just borrowed the XC ski attachments a week ago. I figgure we'll follow the rules and tow him on trails with our bikes when he's a bit older and can wear a helmet (~1year or so)

Some people think they're expensive but they hold their value very well - We could not find a used one anywhere.

This is when our son was 4 weeks at 6 months


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## hrumpole (Jun 17, 2008)

I'd also consider getting a used one off of craigslist. A lot of people buy these things and then either barely used them either because they were a bit overly optimistic, because their kids outgrew it, or because the kids simply didn't like it. I bought a Trek that way and have no complaints, but it's not a stroller--just a trailer.


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

We've got a BOB revolution stroller and an old trek branded chariot trailer. 

We thought long and hard about just getting a Chariot as our do-all stroller but decided against it after we tried to take the chariot apart one-handed- it's a good exercise for what it's like to try and get something in the trunk while wrangling a kid in the rain. 

THe chariot has a couple extra steps to take it down far enough to make it fit in the trunk of a honda civic, so for us it just wasn't practical as an all-in-one solution. Maybe you've got a bigger vehicle. If so, maybe it'd work for you. 

The BOB stroller is awesome. It collapses in two simple steps, It'll fit comfortably in the trunk of a small car, it's reasonably light, when open it fits between rather narrow aisles at the store and it'll go off road no problem. It works great as a jogging stroller- it's probably a little heavier that a dedicated jogger, but then that's not much of an issue when you figure yer little one will be packing on 20 pounds or so in their first year and getting heavier every day... the pound or two you're saving will be gained by your little one soon enough.

We started our little girl in the stroller after 3 or 4 months (just walking, no jogging) and in the bike trailer at about 9 months. 

Good luck!


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

Chariot. Period. Get a double even if your only planning on having one kid. The other seat can carry all the kid gear and you can take the kids friends for rides too.


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## tdc3187 (Jan 6, 2009)

I have a chariot carrier as well for my two year old. I highly recommend it. It actually folds down fairly easily, but I also have an suv and I don't take the wheels off.


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## tdc3187 (Jan 6, 2009)




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## Leopold Porkstacker (Jul 15, 2005)

Although my wife and I have a Phil and Ted’s stroller, we bought a well-used (previous owner claimed over 500 miles of use) older Burley D-Lite trailer off eBay for $100. Have only needed to change a tube on it. Really well-made and sturdy trailer.


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## Plum (Mar 27, 2005)

X10 on the chariot, we love ours.

We are in the process of moving from a single to a double, as kid # 2 arrived in December. It appears as if Chariot had a price increase at the first of the year, single chassis are now $575, doubles are $675.

We really liked our single, made it easy to get in and out of places and was less obtrusive (although generally more obtrusive than a regular stroller) than the double, however now I'm buying a double anyway. The single has been offered to a cousin, but if he doesn't want it, it'll end up on ebay and probably go for about 1/2 the new cost, so not a total loss on the value.

We started our daughter at about 8-9 months on the paved path behind the bike at slow speeds. We liked the sling for walking or jogging, but it doesn't really offer enough security for biking for our liking. Walking was earlier, jogging was somewhere in between. The Chariot seating is much better than the seating offered by the burleys I've seen, which are more benchlike and don't offer much support from slumping. The chariot has a cutout for helmets in the back too, so it isn't over their eyes all the time.

The bob strollers are nice, but we didn't want to have a stroller for jogging and a separate trailer. Too much to store and be in the way. We're fortunate to live in a small town where everything is accessible by bike, so we don't end up hauling the chariot in the car often, so packability is less of a concern for us.

Plum


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## MrTiles (Feb 28, 2005)

I don't know a whole lot about burley's but I +think+ it can be converted to a jogger. My oldest son started riding in it when he was about 5 months. It's a d'lite and I think it's awesome.


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

MrTiles said:


> I don't know a whole lot about burley's but I +think+ it can be converted to a jogger. My oldest son started riding in it when he was about 5 months. It's a d'lite and I think it's awesome.


Nice set up on the Cross-Check! Are you running that as a nine speed?


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## MrTiles (Feb 28, 2005)

1x8 using an old xtr cassette and a DA barend shifter. Thanks!


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## bsaunder (Oct 27, 2004)

We use our chariot cougar 1 for bike duty and jogging/running duty. Really didn't like the cross country ski attachments and don't particularly like it for stroller duty. For Stroller duty, we much prefer a a BOB revolution - by stroller duty, I mean in areas of crowds or going into stores etc. The BOB is just better suited for that, IMO.

If you are going to be jogging/running with the chariot, I'd highly recommend the jogging kit and not using the stroller kit. For colder weather the chariot bunting is great and they have a toddler head rest/shoulder bolster that works well too. For walking with an infant, they make a great infant sling as well.

Both are not cheap - but both can be found semi-easily used for good prices (we just picked up a chariot cougar 2 at a pawn shop for $125 that was near new condition) and are well made to last a long time. We tried out at least a dozen other child trailers and strollers before settling on the Chariot and BOB - the only close decision was the Burely child trailer, which was really close to the Chariot in how much we liked it, and was less expensive as well - however our kid was much more comfortable in the Chariot and we preferred it for running as well.


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## morryjg (Jan 6, 2008)

Chariot. We have the Cabriolet and have put hundreds of miles on it with the kids. I liked it better than the cougar because it had room behind the seat for storage. We could pack both kids, picnic lunch, diaper bag, etc in the trailer without any problem. The harnesses for the kids are awesome, the attachment method to hook it to the bike is the best!


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

one hint on buying a chariot OR a bob- once or twice a year, REI has a 20% off sale for members- 20% off any one item in the store. That'd be $100+ off on a chariot....

We saved a bundle on our BOB revolution through REI...


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

CHARIOTCHARIOTCHARIOT!!!!!!!!!!!
we have the cougar2.

i had a cheap bike trailer that worked for about a year. after that, we decided we used it enough to warrant something good. i researched a ton, and saw the chariot. couldnt get it outt my head. dumping that much money freaked me out, but it was well worth it. 

the seating and retention system is the best out there. the ball-socket method of attachment is sure-fire. the attachments are really nice. we dont have the jog stroller attachment, but we do have the standard stroller "attachment." i have to say, it is easier to push than a regular stroller. i have even seen a woman jogging using the standard stroller wheels and not the jog stroller wheel. 

and when you see another family with a chariot, there is this, "aint this the greatest thing in the world" shared look.

i honestly cant recommend the chariot enough. people i talk to think i am a shill, but when it works, and is the best...what more can i say?

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1xzHHugjPO0dnxN0sWkapA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.ggpht.com/_kHj12FNnvg8/SIz2Kx25fAI/AAAAAAAACgE/Oncm0_dLrbw/s800/IMG_0019.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/weltyed/WeekendOfJuly25th?feat=embedwebsite">Weekend of July 25th</a></td></tr></table>

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## ispoke (Feb 28, 2005)

Depends on how much money you have and how much your wife likes to tinker. My wife did not want to assemble/disassemble something in order to convert from stroller to jogger. So we have a Bob Revolution jogger and a Chariot trailer. That's why we both still work - to earn enough to get all the toys!

If your budget is lower, just go down the price scale and look at options. Still you'll end up with both a jogger and a trailer if your wife doesn't like to assemble and disassemble. Especially when she's alone and holding the kid under one arm and only has one free hand to get the stroller out of the house (as mentioned by someone above).

Regarding convertable trailers, the Burley and Chariot are within $50 of each other equivalently configured, so I'd splurge on a Chariot. The adjustable leaf spring suspension is nice, as are the triple sun/rain/screen covers. We love our Chariot and got a double even though we only have 1 kid. The actual wheel-to-wheel difference in width between a single and double is only about 6". And with a double you can haul a friend's kid too so playmates can ride together. This helps you keep involved with other new parents who may not buy any cycling products for babies yet are willing to pedal around town and to the park with you...


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## fracisco (Apr 25, 2002)

*Burley Hitch to Nexus internal hub - enough thread on axle?*

Just picked up a Burley d'Lite over the weekend at Costco. I plan to connect it to my beach cruiser that has a Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub. My question, if anybody else has encountered this, is "Are there enough threads in the Nexus hub's axle to incorporate the 'hitch' part under the axle nut?" At first glance there does not appear to be enough threads, but before I go off and try to find a longer axle, I want to see if anyone else has encountered this, yet.


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## fracisco (Apr 25, 2002)

*The solution*



fracisco said:


> Just picked up a Burley d'Lite over the weekend at Costco. I plan to connect it to my beach cruiser that has a Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub. My question, if anybody else has encountered this, is "Are there enough threads in the Nexus hub's axle to incorporate the 'hitch' part under the axle nut?" At first glance there does not appear to be enough threads, but before I go off and try to find a longer axle, I want to see if anyone else has encountered this, yet.


I finally broke the trailer out of the box today and assembled. I confirmed that the current 'standard' Burley forged hitch will not work with Shimano Nexus hubs: the axle is too short because the Burley hitch acts like an additional washer on an already just right axle length.

So, I found online a Burley Alternative Hitch 9.5mm nutted that will replace the current nut, and will allow the trailer to be attached to the rear axle. Damn thing is $40/per, and I need one for each cruiser.


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## fracisco (Apr 25, 2002)

fracisco said:


> So, I found online a Burley Alternative Hitch 9.5mm nutted that will replace the current nut, and will allow the trailer to be attached to the rear axle. Damn thing is $40/per, and I need one for each cruiser.


Shimano Nexus axles are 3/8"....9.525mm in diameter. So back go the 9.5mm nutted Burley hitches, and here comes a Burley classic hitch.


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## ryball (Sep 19, 2008)

Another vote here for the double Chariot. Even if you are only planning on having one kid. My buddy got a single Burley and envies my double Chariot every time we go out. Like someone else said, you can put groceries or your kids friend in the second seat.


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## DaftPunk (Jul 1, 2009)

*I can't believe no one already said it...*



MrTiles said:


> I don't know a whole lot about burley's but I +think+ it can be converted to a jogger. My oldest son started riding in it when he was about 5 months. It's a d'lite and I think it's awesome.


A Surly Burley!!!

Sorry


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## miller_2727 (May 19, 2007)

*Burley Bee*

Is anyone using the Burley Bee model?


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## jfmcgowan (Apr 18, 2011)

I am very happy with the Burley D'Lite I've owned for about 6 years. I have the stroller kit for it too. Pushes extremely well, particularly if you want to stroll on non-paved surfaces.

I used to take both of my kids in it all the time, plus it has a cargo area in the back which was always great for blankets, toys, picnic lunch etc. Now the kids are getting too big to take them both, plus my son wants to ride his own bike now (with training wheels.)

Tows great behind all of my bikes. If you can find a used one (I'm not sure they make them any more) it is a great trailer.

View attachment 230191


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## Potential Roadkill (Jan 27, 2005)

I had a Chariot that I used when my youngest was an infant in Germany. They work like a champ. Now that I'm getting ready to be a grampa I'll probably buy another one for the grandkid to go for rides with me. Once they're about one, you can teach them to use their own camelbak and give them a handful of fruit roll ups and be good to go for hours.


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