Recreational & Family - Chariot

Hey parents

Anyone have any good feedback on Chariot trailers? I'm looking for a good one for two kids (4 months and 3 years old). I hear they're very good...

Marla

I have a cougar that I am very happy with. My 3 year old grandson loves it. I got it when he was one this the first year he stays awake for rides. The ride puts younger kids to sleep fast.

Nothing but praise from me for our Cougar 2. Mr. Jim is right when they're younger it puts them to sleep. Very well thought out and well built. You may have to buy a special holder for your 4 month old though.

One of the nicest quality trailers built. Avoid getting sucked into all the accessories unless you are really going to use them. I.e., the stroller is nice, but I rarely if ever see them being used as a stroller. Their shocks are nice, but for the most part a pretty low return for how much extra they cost.

Scope out your needs, things like do you need as large as possible to carry things along with the kids like shopping trips or do you need it narrow so that you can use it as a stroller in stores. If you are going to be on paved or packed trails almost always, you won't need shocks. If you are a x-country skier and will use it in sled mode, then get a model that can take that attachment.

Love my CX1. Can't find a single fault with it and we cycle nearly every day during the season. Safety and comfort for my passenger was the driving force behind our choice in the Chariot. GL!

Our burley was a much better stroller than any of our strollers, I imagine the Chariot would be similar. However, yeah, we replaced the burley this year (insurance settlement otherwise would have done without) but didn't bother getting the stroller setup since the youngest inmate is now 4.5, post stroller age for sure.

Excellent trailers! We have a single & a double!! Super stable -- I even watched my husband ride off a curb w/ one of the Chariot wheels -- the trailer didn't tip and my husband didn't feel any difference!

I would agree re: the attachments. I have the stroller attachment for the double and it is super cumbersome to maneuver the thing around.

We've got the Corsaire XL, their biggest one. We haul two two-year-olds to daycare and back and I love it. It's really sturdy, and so far the kids have plenty of room. The section in the back for holding items is bigger than I expected it to be and they have all kinds of leg room in there. The only attachments we got were the fenders because we planned to use it in all kinds of weather (although I was a puppy last winter and we didn't bike because the kids were too young to tell us if they were cold). The hitch is great - the trailer comes off in seconds. I swing by the house on the way to work and drop off the trailer - takes no time at all. The kids love it, too.

Oh, but the stroller attachment is necessary if you use the trailer for transportation rather than just for fun -- sometimes the kids are asleep or you don't have a good place to lock up the trailer, and then you want to keep them in the stroller while you go into the store, etc. We don't just stick our daughter in the Chariot and go for a walk, but the stroller option is essential if we want to lock up the bikes and do something else without waking her up. The jogger is also very good -- I prefer it to my regular jogging stroller.

The only downside I can think of to the Chariot is that it is very difficult to lock it up. I don't know if other trailers are any better in that respect.

Our second child just outgrew our Chariot Cougar 2 that we have used for about 7-8 years. Our younger son is mentally handicapped, so we kept him in it until he physically outgrew it, 2-3 year beyond typical kids. They really were the best thing on the market at the time (imo), but haven't compared them all lately.

What I liked:
- Suspension... Our daughter stopped complaining about rough roads! (we stay on pavement, or rail trails)
- Padded 5 point seat belts, the sewn design stays in place. The hidden buckle is easy for adults to unbuckle, but difficult for the kids (our son tried).
- Hitch, dirt simple ball/socket design that works really well. Attaches in seconds. If you ever pull a cheap design with a spring at the hitch point, the difference is amazing. Attaches to the axle and doesn't scrape up the frame.
- Folds easily enough, although perhaps not the most compact.
- Great overall design that looks great, pulls great, ample storage, etc.

What I didn't like:
- Difficult for kids to wear normal bike helmets. We bought the smooth ones that looked more like skateboard helmets.
- Difficult to switch seatbelts from 1 kid to 2, as you have to unlace and relace the seatbelts through the padded "Y" piece. I never liked the feeling of pulling one kid sitting to one side and not having their weight centered.

Overall we were really pleased with this trailer, and never had any problems with it. Highly recommended.

I love my Chariot. I think my avatar is still of the Chariot attached to one of my bikes. My girls, or at least one of them, has outgrown it, but I still think it's one of the smartest purchases I have made. It is very stable, safe, and the girls always seemed to have plenty of room in it.