Hello,

I am a former bicycle racer trying to return to cycling after an accident and having a child. He is now a year old and I do have a kettler child seat but would like to now purchase a trailer for longer rides and commuting. I am considering the Chariot side car because it puts him next to me on the inside of the lane. This would mainly be used for long recreational rides, errands and commuting (taking him to daycare, going to work and back). The side care cannot be used on most racing bikes and at this point I don't want to take him out for long road rides. When we get to that point I will get a rear trailer.

Anyone ever use one of these sidecars? Anyone have any input or comments?

Thanks in advance.

I have seen one in use by two people who were riding up Le Petit train du Nord (a very nice 200-km rails-to-trail bike route in Québec) and they liked it very much. They were 2 adults and two children of about the same size (twins perhaps) travelling with 2 adult bikes, one child bike and the Side Car. Children alternated between the Side Car and the single bike.

Prior to that sight, I didn't like the concept at all and I don't think I like it much more afterwards. Here are my comments – both positive and negative.

– The Side Car is wide. According to the website, the "door pass through" is 32 in., which is 0,5 in narrower than their 2-children trailer. However, when you ride with the Side Car, you need a little bit more elbow room on the left side whereas when you ride with a trailer, your elbows fit within the trailer's width. So practically speaking, your "vehicle" will be 36 inch wide; whether it is a problem or not depends on where you ride. BTW, I'm not sure that the "32-in door pass-through" is measured at the end of the left handlebar grip.

– I found the Side Car cockpit relatively small. I have visions of my children NOT fitting there when they were dressed in Winter gear. A quick look at their website reveals that shoulder width is 15 in for the Side Car vs 17 in for the single child trailer and 25 in for the two-children trailer. Most of their 1 and 2-children trailers also have lots room to carry stuff, whereas the Side Car has almost none.

– With the Side Car, the bicycle leans very well, so you don't need to dream of the sidecar flipping over in a tight turn. Still I am not sure I would have been able to do a few of the emergency manoeuvres I have done with the bike + trailer or even bike + trailercycle + trailer "road train". Before you ask, most of these manoeuvres were to avoid other "cyclists", and once it was a bear, but never a car (and yes, I ride with cars).

– Installing the Side Car is not a chore, but it takes longer than installing the trailer behind a bicycle. Think about it if you need to remove the side car twice a day to bring the bike inside your home.

– I noticed a few significant scratches on the bike where the Side Car was attached to the bicycle. Nothing serious; I woudn't mind them on my commuter, but wouldn't like those on my nice touring bike.

– Conversation with your boy might be a little bit easier with the Side Car than with the trailer. But then, I don't do conversation when I ride or drive. On the other hand, I had no problem hearing my daughter in the trailer and when I used the road train, my two daughters never had any problems speaking to eachother.

– Watching the kid. There isn't really a need for that, but since I ride with a helmet-mounted mirror, I just need to look up and see the child in the mirror.

– I have not tried the Side Car on ice or on bad trails, but I have done my share of all-season riding with the trailer and some off-road riding with the trailer too (very slowly, mind you). Now that my kids are too old for the trailer, I still use it fairly often to carry lots of food or bulky items.


Late addition:

One feature my 2000 Chariot carrier lacks is a meshed seat. With a good headwind, the trailer acts as a parachute.

Hello,

I am a former bicycle racer trying to return to cycling after an accident and having a child. He is now a year old and I do have a kettler child seat but would like to now purchase a trailer for longer rides and commuting. I am considering the Chariot side car because it puts him next to me on the inside of the lane. This would mainly be used for long recreational rides, errands and commuting (taking him to daycare, going to work and back). The side care cannot be used on most racing bikes and at this point I don't want to take him out for long road rides. When we get to that point I will get a rear trailer.

Anyone ever use one of these sidecars? Anyone have any input or comments?

Thanks in advance.

It's a new enough product most of us haven't had a chance to look them over- so could you explain why it can't be used with most racing bikes?

It is not incompatible with all road bikes, but with compact ones (i.e. most modern-geometry road bikes). The reasons for incompatibility are stated here (http://chariotcarriers.com/html_english/sidecarrier_incompatibility.htm).

From what I have seen, the major problem lies with the part of the frame that attaches to the bike.
– There needs to be room around the bottom bracket to attach the attachment bracket (may be a problem on a bike that has really short chainstays).
– The frame has to be far enough in front of the bottom bracket to clear the foot and pedal.
– The front triangle has to be long enough to allow proper steering of the bike.