Recreational & Family - Help us choose a trailer!

My husband and I need a child trailer for our 9 month old. We want to get a two-seater so we can still use it if/when we have a second child. We've narrowed our choices to the Burley Bee and the Bell Co-Pilot model A. Does anyone have any input on the quality, ease-of-use, etc. of these models? I can't seem to find many useful product reviews, so any input is welcome!!:)

Spend an extra $100 over the Burley Bee and get last year's Burley D'Lite (2006) on sale at REI for$359--much better trailer than the Burley Bee & Bell, and if you live closer to an REI store, have it shipped for free!

Where are you located? Lots of people sell theirs when their kids grow out of them. We bought our Trek (made by Chariot) used for $100. We'll probably sell it this summer as our kids have grown out of it.

The folks we bought it from used it 5-6 times. We've used it 5-6 times.

+1 on the used market. Craigslist has them fairly frequently. If you can afford it, spend the money on the D'Lite if you go the Burley route. That is a pretty good deal on the '06 closeouts at REI. Typically kids will ride in the trailer until 4-5 years old. With a 9 month old, you can regularly ride them in it this summer and for the next 3-4 summers. If you have a second, they can go in when they are ~1 (some have ridden with <1 year olds in baby carriers in the trailer). You just want to make sure they have good neck muscles for some of the jarring. My 7 year old still rides in ours occasionally but that is so the 5 year old a turn as stoker on the tandem. He is about ready this year to be on his own bike for our distance rides.

Good Luck, I hope you can find a good used one for the price of a new Bee.

We have the Burley encore, and I wish we had the d'lite. Every extra inch of interior space helps (our kids are 2 and 5, the 5 yr old is just about outgrown it now).

The Burley is also a much better stroller than our 3 purpose-built strollers (umbrella, graco, jog). Love the 20" wheels. General high quality, easy to use. There you go!

We have hundreds of miles on ours, between trailer and stroller uses.

Worth looking for used, but we didn't have any luck that route. You always hear about good deals, but we didn't find'em. Friends of ours did find a Burley 2-seater for $25 at a goodwill store way out in the boonies. Around here, people definitely had them priced to recover their investment.

Lemondsh: If you find a newer ('96-'06) Burley D'Lite or Cub used, in good/fine shape and with the all-weather cover for around $150-$175, it's a good deal, especially if it has the stroller attachment. Don't know where you live, but if you live in a metro area, check craigslist. There are bargains out there--otherwise consider the REI closeout on the '06 D'Lites if you have an REI close by.

If a new trailer is your preference, I'd go with Burley, Chariot, Trek, or Wike. The REI closeout for a '06 Burley would be a good choice. However, if you want to save some money, check eBay, Craigslist, or even garage sales for a good used trailer. I was emailing someone across the country in Washington about a Wike when I got a second chance offer on a '04 Burley Solo on eBay.

As far as reviews, do a search this site. There's lots of information here. Also, http://www.bicycletrailers.com/home.jsp is a good site with consumer feedback.

I would recommend going with one of the manufacturers I listed above. The resale value of these trailers is very good.

Believe it or not, I'm using a Pacific brand trailer I bought used on the cheap. I'm not crazy about the way it attaches (rear triangle clamp) and it's somewhat heavy but it stores well, pulls straight and rolls easy. You could probably get away with spending substatially less unless you are going to be doing some serious miles with it, I regularly pull mine 3-5 miles and have only occationaly thought of upgrading. :)

The nordic track trailer I used before this was not great. It had an even worse chainstay clamp and plastic wheels. The clamp twised into the spokes of one of my bikes and completly ruined a wheel. Luckily it was my tallbike and the wheel was a steel junker anyway, but had it been a different bike I would have been quite upset.

I love my Burley D'Lite. In fact, today was its first trip since last fall. My now 2.5 year old loves it and can't wait until this fall when his sister is old enough to ride in it with him. We already have her helmet.

I looked at several other sizes and brands, and kept coming back to this one. Last summer, I was the stay at home parent and we used it every day to go on outings, parks, museums, etc. Try and find on on craigslist, I see them there all the time.

I have an older Burley Solo and an Instep trailer (not sure which model). I can wholeheartedly recommend Burley - the Solo is well designed, well made, and easy to use.

The Instep trailer pulls fine and isn't overly heavy despite the steel frame, but it hasn't held up as well as the Burley. I bought it used last year and I've had it out perhaps ten or twelve times, and a lot of the stitching is coming loose. The seat on the side where my four-year-old likes to sit has a major seam that I'll have to restitch before I use it again, the seam above the rear window has come loose (the nylon has unravelled, not just the thread holding the seam), and some other seams aren't holding up well. Without the experience of the Instep, I don't think I would appreciate just how good the Burley is! I'm actually thinking about replacing the Instep with a Burley D'Lite - by the time I've restitched everything on the Instep I'll have a whole lot of time in the project, and free time is somewhat rare and valuable for me.

Depending on your long-term plans you might think about a single-kid trailer now. If you have another child you could either sell the single trailer and buy a two-kid trailer, or you could get a second single trailer and each of you pull one. My kids (4 and 2, but admittedly both large for their age) seem a bit cramped in a two-kid trailer, and the four-year-old seems to take perverse joy in squishing his younger brother when Dad's not looking.

My husband and I need a child trailer for our 9 month old. We want to get a two-seater so we can still use it if/when we have a second child. We've narrowed our choices to the Burley Bee and the Bell Co-Pilot model A. Does anyone have any input on the quality, ease-of-use, etc. of these models? I can't seem to find many useful product reviews, so any input is welcome!!:)


Yea, where are you located? I have a burley 2 seater thats a few years old....never use it anymore, and would love to sell it to someone who'll use it....

My husband and I need a child trailer for our 9 month old. We want to get a two-seater so we can still use it if/when we have a second child. We've narrowed our choices to the Burley Bee and the Bell Co-Pilot model A. Does anyone have any input on the quality, ease-of-use, etc. of these models? I can't seem to find many useful product reviews, so any input is welcome!!:)


Go with a Chariot Carrier - specifically the Cougar model. We have used ours as a daily stroller for 3 years. As a trailer we have been mtn. biking, road cycling and running errands. I have hauled two kids, firewood, groceries and never had one mechanical issue. It is difficult to meet our expectations, the Chariot has exceeded all mine. Only thing wore out after 3 years are the rear tires. Check out REI.com. They recently upped the price, however I would recommend this to anyone.

Go with a Chariot Carrier - specifically the Cougar model. We have used ours as a daily stroller for 3 years. As a trailer we have been mtn. biking, road cycling and running errands. I have hauled two kids, firewood, groceries and never had one mechanical issue. It is difficult to meet our expectations, the Chariot has exceeded all mine. Only thing wore out after 3 years are the rear tires. Check out REI.com. They recently upped the price, however I would recommend this to anyone.

+1 I use to pull a Burley but after trying the Cougar with the rear suspension I wouldn't go back. My son is so much happier in it. You can hardly tell it's back there until the boy starts telling me "Faster daddy!!"

Ron

YOu won't go wrong with a Burley or a Trek for that matter. I might offer some advice here however. I bought our trailer about 3 summers ago. I did all the research and was about ready to spring for a better trailer and then the voice of reason took over.

I went to Target and bought a $180 Schwinn trailer that has held up very well. It is in like new shape and we will probably sell it this summer since our kids too, have outgrown it. Keep in mind that it will be EXTREMELY hard to wear out a trailer. I probably have 200 miles total on mine and I would say that is quite a few comared to some.

Obviously 100 miles isn't very far by bike but with a child (let alone two) onboard that equates to quite a bit of time at family speed. We probably average 8 mph when we go on family rides, since my son is now riding his own bike. So we are talking about 25 hours of a kid sitting in a trailer. That is a LONG time for a kid to be content in a trailer.

We found that after about 20 minutes we were usually tired of listening to the kids complain and would end up heading for home. Basically what i am trying to say is that it is good advice to spring for a better quality bike. I personally don't think a trailer of the Burley cost is necessary for me.

Actually, it was a good decision. Like i said the trailer now hangs in the garage and is in like new condition still even though we used it quite a bit.

Some ride their trailer a lot more. I figure I rode about 8000 km with the child trailer.

We have a burly as well all three of my kids have used it. I would highy reccomend the burly great quality and you will have it forever. My two year-old loves going on training rides with daddy. Mine has gotten a ton of use over the last six years.

I am just about to order one from Bike Nashbar. I am on the verge of the big five O and have a one year old now and want a new trailer but don't want to spend big bucks on it. The price at Nashbar of $109.99 is the lowest I have found and will give it a try. It seems to do what the others do for a lot less money and we don't plan to have any more kids anyways. It has 16" wheels on it so I don't know if that will make a difference or not. Performance bike also has one for $179.99 and it has bigger wheels on it (20") that I also considered. The Burley's are great ones too but I don't want to spend $300 plus on one for something I won't use that often.

I had an Equinox bike trailer( http://equinoxtrailers.com/ ) many years back when my daughters (now 19 and 16) were wee ones and it had a horrible hitch assembly but we used it around town and on a few vacations. I used it down in Amish country and it was great around there. I sold it after they got too old to ride in it. Maybe they improved the hitch design since then.

The biggest problem I had when my girls were younger is that they loved to throw there toys out of it which meant I had to turn around to retrieve them. It was always on a down hill of course!

I will post my impressions of the Nashbar one after I get it.

Will you use it strictly as a bike trailer? If you also think you might want a double jogger, I'd recommend the Chariot Cougar as well.

My 3-year old twins have practically grown up in the thing and it has been outstanding.

I don't have much experience with trailers but ours doesn't seem to make any allowances for the child wearing a helmet. so the back of the seat ends up pushing the helmet forward. My only advice is to check this out with your child before buying the trailer. I'm going to have to fabricate some sort of padding to make our trailer more comfortable for my son.

Do burley d'lites have the recessed helmet pockets?

I looked at the Burley's and I'm sure they're great, but went with a Chariot from REI. I love it and so does my 4 year old. Shes riding a bike with training wheels, but loves getting in the trailer with all her stuff for picnics etc. The Chariot has a great suspension and is super easy to fold-up and remove the wheels for transport. It's well-designed and beautifully made.

for 9 month old you want something with suspension!
Go with chariot.

I've been looking for a trailer myself the past few weeks. Just purchased a Schwinn Trailblazer trailer from Target today. On sale for only $129 bucks! Usually $160.

Anyways, it went together really quick and I am really happy with the first few test spins. I took my 3 1/2 year old daughter out and she loved it. It's actually much nicer than I thought for the price I paid. I was going to get the Burley D'lite but couldn't get past the price of $359 for a trailer.

It tows really nice and I was surprised how easy it was to tow as I couldn't even tell I was pulling anything besides my daughter sayiing "WEEEEEEEEEEEE"

I'll post a picture.

Eric

Here's a few photos. I'd say the second one tells the whole story :)

Eric

I bought the Nashbar Kid Karriage recently and have been bery happy with it.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=98&subcategory=1059&brand=&sku=9308&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Child%20Carriers

I bought it when it was $109, but Nashbar marked it down temporarily to $79.99 a couple of weeks later. I called them and they refunded me the difference - very nice. Honestly, I would have been happy at $109. Compared to several other ones I looked at at LBS and online, costing $179 and up (some wayyyy up). I just don't see that much difference to worth the extra clams. Some even look like very similar copies of the Nashbar.

My 5yr and 2-1/2yr are a tight fit inside, but apparently quite comfortable, since they frequently fall asleep sitting in it.

Towing the trailer with two young ones in it does add quite a load. My wife, riding trailer-less, often eggs me to go faster; my older boy does too. Poor old dad ends up huffin' and puffin'. Then again, that's why we use it with the MTBs, so I get a good workout at a safe slow speed around the subdivision, while getting the whole family involved. Isn't that what it is all about?

We love our Chariot Caddie! It doesn't have as many of the options, i.e. jogging stroller conversion kit included, but we have a separate BOB jogging stroller, so we didn't need that. I pull it using an old Schwinn Sidewinder mountain bike, and I have to agree with Volfy, I do get quite the workout with one or both kids in the carrier and me on that really heavy, Hi-Ten steel bike! But, the workout and getting everyone involved is the idea! And, BTW: my avatar shows my bike and our trailer, hooked up and ready to go! Good luck on your decision!

We purchased the Nashbar trailer as I said I was going to do in my previous post. We got it for the amazing price of $74.99 which was too good to pass up. It works fine for our 13 month old little boy! For what we use it for which is simple neighborhood rides it is more than adequate and I am sure it would do great on longer rides. We don't want to have to subject our little guy to 2 or more hour rides anyways. We ride to the ice cream stand or playground or bike trail or while on vacation typically with it. He would get too bored sitting in it too long although he does fall asleep it in easily!

The hitch works fine on all our bikes and it pulls fine behind you. It has the quick release pins for the sides and wheels that quickly pull out to fold it up.
The wheels are simply a stud on one side that you slide into a hole on either side of the trailer and then insert the pin through it rather than a typical quick release. I am sure it is a tad heavier than the burleys with the steel vs aluminum factor. As for the Helmet issue I do agree that when we put it on him and he leans back against the fabric back his head is pushed forward because of the thickness of the back of the helmut resting against the fabric back. I simply put a pillow behind his back so that it makes a space for the helmet above the pillow. I don't really see the need for a helmet with him in a trailer on our neighborhood rides as he is protected pretty good by the roll cage effect of the frame but we put it on anyways much to his chagrin!
I would recommend it to anyone especially for the low price of $74.99 at Nashbar!! (We used the Bike forum link)
I presume they are fazing these out for an upcoming updated model?

By the way I had an equinox trailer in the early 90's for my older 2 daughters (now 19 and 16) and it was of good quality but the hitch assembly to the bike was a poor design with these 4 ropes you had to sling around the frame to secure it! I hated it! I sold it many years back when they out grew it.

I don't know too much about either of those- I've looked for info on Bell and couldn't find anything.....Burley is top of the line with high resale, but I don't know much about the Bee (most people seem to get the D'lite as far as I can tell). Still, Burely is probably a better product, it is such a highly respected brand. How much do you plan to use it? If on occasion, go with Bell. If very often, get the better quality product with better warranty.
I'm trying to find one that has the recessed helmet pocket so the helmet doesn't push forward on the head. I know the new Burley makes them.....how about older ones, or other models?

Believe it or not, I'm using a Pacific brand trailer I bought used on the cheap. I'm not crazy about the way it attaches (rear triangle clamp) and it's somewhat heavy but it stores well, pulls straight and rolls easy. You could probably get away with spending substatially less unless you are going to be doing some serious miles with it, I regularly pull mine 3-5 miles and have only occationaly thought of upgrading. :)


Here's a few photos. I'd say the second one tells the whole story :) Eric

I agree with both of these points - you can do fine with something inexpensive.

I got the InStep "Quick 'n EZ" model at Target (http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1/602-5407212-9567847?ie=UTF8&asin=B00006JHVN) last year, which sells for $100 full price or discounted for $75. Also available on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-InSTEP-QE125-Bicycle-Baby-Bike-Biking-Trailer_W0QQitemZ220109683564QQihZ012QQcategoryZ64648QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) for $80.

44166

It's made by Pacific (which now owns the Schwinn brand) and I believe it is largely the the same as your Schwinn, Eric. It has an easy hitch that is quick-release once you install it on your rear dropout. Have not had any problems with the stitching coming undone, though I've only used it one season.

My kids love it. They might like a higher-end trailer better, but they don't know any better!

Not to hijack, but on a separate topic, I'm dealing with a tagalong-type trailer wheel for the first time. I'd love some help from anyone who's experienced with these - thread here (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=295132). Thanks!

Another vote for the Nashbar, safe, durable, has good features. I just couldn't see dropping another $100-$200 for a Burly or other brands.

We purchased the Nashbar trailer as I said I was going to do in my previous post. We got it for the amazing price of $74.99 which was too good to pass up. It works fine for our 13 month old little boy! For what we use it for which is simple neighborhood rides it is more than adequate and I am sure it would do great on longer rides. We don't want to have to subject our little guy to 2 or more hour rides anyways. We ride to the ice cream stand or playground or bike trail or while on vacation typically with it. He would get too bored sitting in it too long although he does fall asleep it in easily!

The hitch works fine on all our bikes and it pulls fine behind you. It has the quick release pins for the sides and wheels that quickly pull out to fold it up.
The wheels are simply a stud on one side that you slide into a hole on either side of the trailer and then insert the pin through it rather than a typical quick release. I am sure it is a tad heavier than the burleys with the steel vs aluminum factor. As for the Helmet issue I do agree that when we put it on him and he leans back against the fabric back his head is pushed forward because of the thickness of the back of the helmut resting against the fabric back. I simply put a pillow behind his back so that it makes a space for the helmet above the pillow. I don't really see the need for a helmet with him in a trailer on our neighborhood rides as he is protected pretty good by the roll cage effect of the frame but we put it on anyways much to his chagrin!
I would recommend it to anyone especially for the low price of $74.99 at Nashbar!! (We used the Bike forum link)
I presume they are fazing these out for an upcoming updated model?
I doubt it. Nashbar tinker with their online pricing all the time. I've seen the same item alternate between two different prices day and night. Presumably because day shoppers are willing to pay more??:rolleyes:

BTW, I noticed your trailer is hitched NOT directly on your chainstay. Can't quite tell if there is a separate attachment piece or not. I clamped mine directly to the chainstay and it seems to work very well. I did end up replacing my rear disc brake with a rim brake, because the disc forces me to mount the hitch further forward on the stay, such that my shoe heel would occasionally strike on the hitch nob. No big deal.

The hitch on our Nashbar trailer is simply a clamp that tightens down on the rear chain stay and you have a safety strap you connect also by wrapping it around the stay and clip it to the D ring on the trailer tongue. Plain and simple just clamp it to the chain stay and off you go!
It seems very secure once you tighten it down and is vinyl coated on the jaws of each side of the clamp so it won't mar your paint job too much.

Like I said for $75 you can't beat it! We only go for short rides with him in the n'hood to the play ground and ice cream stand and also up to the bike trail.
I put a pillow in it that supports his back and that allows a space above his neck for helmet room.
I could simply cut a hole in the fabric I guess to make a pocket for his helmet back.

The nashbar trailer looks very similar to the other posted pictures from Target and is probably made by the same company.
I would recommend it for any casual rider out there! Our little Jack loves it!

I bought a Nashbar Kid Karriage for $40 used on Craigslist. I had several problems with it. My bikes are mostly vintage Peugeot ten speeds with narrow chainstays. The Kid Karriage attaches via a clamp formed by two pieces of steel that have a 90 degree bend in them. The two parts of the clamp are coated with a black plastic. The two halves clamp around the chainstay via a bolt through the two halves. The bolt has a large plastic knob that you turn to tighten the two pieces together around the chainstay.

The first problem. The clamps are made for large diameter chainstays and would not hold to the narrow portion of the Peugeot. I tried to move the clamp forward since the chainstay is larger in diameter toward the bottom bracket but then the heel of my shoe would hit the mount or the front of the Kid Karriage would be so close to the rear tire that debri from the tire left a streak on the Karriage.

I tried wrapping the chainstay to make it thicker but the next problem was that the mount would rotate about the chainstay and start rubbing against the spokes. This would not happen on short rides like around a block or two but beyond that, the plastic knob would start to work loose allowing the mount to rotate.

A third problem was the way the wheels mounted. They are mounted with a pin that has a cloth safety strap ( the chainstay mount has one as well ) which holds the pin to the frame so it does not get lost. The problem is that I would find the cloth safety strap coiled around the axle after some rides so tight that it made removing the axle quite a chore.

The good part. The Kid Karriage is well made and is light. The frame must be aluminum. No bad stitching. Nothing broke. No tears or rips. It had both a mesh and vinyl like fold down cover held in place by Velcro which I liked.

I sold it on Craigslist because of the mount and bought a Burley that must be 12 years old for about $100. The Burley is also aluminum but it has more aluminum. The wheels have an aluminum guard around them so you bump the aluminum guard not the wheels. The mount is really good. It is designed so it cannot rotate. It sits in the triangle formed by the chainstay and seatstay. It even works on a Peugeot mixte. The design is not affected by the diameter of the chainstay.

I believe that Burley no longer uses this design having gone to a design with a part that attaches to the axle. The trailer than is attached to the axle part via a pin.

The Burley axles are like a bicycle front quick release axle with no strap so there is not the problem encountered with the Kid Karriage.

The Burley is pretty well made and durable too. After a decade, no tears or rips. It only has a mesh cover held by snaps so I would not want to use it in rain. The new ones seem to have a vinyl like cover like the Kid Karriage.

I've owned a couple cheap trailers WITHOUT good luck. I accidentally tipped the first Schwinn from Target at very low speed (don't ask), and the seat belts broke! Luckily nobody was hurt as our kids tumbled out on their heads. We replaced the belts with new ones, and my 4 y.o. son broke them again one day by hand when he was ready to get out. I stripped the fabric and gave to a local outdoorsman to haul gear with.

There is some excellent advice on this thread already on what and wear to buy quality trailers from Chariot, Burley, Wike, and Trek. I'll just second the advice, and warn to stay far away from the department store models.

After several years I still love my Chariot Cougar 2, and would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Sunflowerfly

We originally purchased a InStep trailer for our 15 month old son and after about 20 minutes we realized it wasn't going to work. Everything about the trailer was cheap including the price. We then looked at several quality trailers and settled on the Chariot Cougar 2. Wow what a difference and I mean well worth the extra money. The build quality is excellent and he is so comfortable that it makes everyone happy.

EB

We now have over 1 year with the Nashbar trailer $79.99 special and have no problems with it. It folds down easy and wheels come off with quick hitch pins for most of the connections. We don't pull our little guy for more than 5 or 10 miles and it more than serves the purpose. Not much cargo room but then we don't pack much when we ride anyways. We are down on vacation right now in Rhode Island and cycle over to Galilee every morning for a ride and a coffee and watch the boats go in and out of the harbor and it works great! He loves going for rides in it down here!

I know the Burley's and others are way superior in many ways but we just couldn't justify the price for something we use infrequently and also will not need in a few more years once he graduates to a real bike or one of those tow behind one wheel tagalongs.

We would recommend the Nashbar to the casual user any day! Especially for the price of $79.99!