Recreational & Family - new to bike trailers

I've got a 8.5 month old and we think he is ready for the instep bike trailer that we purchased recently. I'm new to this trailing a kid and was hoping to get some recommendations on getting started, safety and tips. My idea is to get the thing hooked up and take it for a ride (minus the kid) to see how it is to pull it, turn and figure out the width of the trailer. I'm curious about helmets for infants of this age too. Any info would be great.

Good news: your trailer is no wider then your handlebars. On your test run, add twice the weight of your child to the trailer.

I just did some research on this same thing and cannot come up with a definitive answer. My wife is expecting our third child in the end of May and we really like to bike, but I don't think that is going to happen this year with the infant. There is definitely not any helmets for infants that I could find or that was recommended. From what I read, most infants don't have strong enough neck muscles to support a helmet. Most articles didn't recommend riding until at least 1 year of age and some states have laws against riding with infants. With that being said, the Mgr of the LBS rigs the infant carrier in the trailer and rides that way. He has over 20,000 miles on his trailer with his 2 kids and this is the way he rode with both of them. I don't know how safe or unsafe it is for the baby, but he said it worked. His kids are older now. Some people will swear to you that it isn't safe for the baby and others will swear it is safe??

Either way, good luck!

:thumb:

I rode a couple hundred miles with each of my kids in the Burley double wide. Yes, get used to the width, but also, check to see if it is centered behind the bike. My Burley was wider to the left than the right. Just had to plan appropriately when passing poles, curbs.....oncoming bikes! Have fun!

I just did some research on this same thing and cannot come up with a definitive answer. My wife is expecting our third child in the end of May and we really like to bike, but I don't think that is going to happen this year with the infant. There is definitely not any helmets for infants that I could find or that was recommended. From what I read, most infants don't have strong enough neck muscles to support a helmet. Most articles didn't recommend riding until at least 1 year of age and some states have laws against riding with infants. With that being said, the Mgr of the LBS rigs the infant carrier in the trailer and rides that way. He has over 20,000 miles on his trailer with his 2 kids and this is the way he rode with both of them. I don't know how safe or unsafe it is for the baby, but he said it worked. His kids are older now. Some people will swear to you that it isn't safe for the baby and others will swear it is safe??

Either way, good luck!

:thumb:

I read an interesting article about this subject and it has changed my mind for the meantime. It basically says that you should not have your child (under one year) in a trailer. So I think I'm gonna wait till August when he hits the one year mark. I did take a ride with the trailer and it is definitely a different experience. Lot more to think about. When the time comes, we won't be built for speed.

For what is worth, here is the link.
http://www.bhsi.org/little1s.htm

One rule I have found is to not exceed 15 MPH. No problems keeping it under that on flats or uphills but some downhills are harder to keep it slower. The reason for that rule is because it is more likely to flip going faster. I don't have any children, just dogs. And I tow dogs in my trailer and I know others who do as well. I don't really hear stories of children, just the dogs. I know of a few people who have flipped a trailer with their dog in it so it must not be too hard to do. I've never had it happen to me though. I think it's most likely to flip during a higher speed turn then on a straight road.

Tiff :)

Good news: your trailer is no wider then your handlebars.

WHAT? The OP runs 32" wide bars!!! Wow!

I'd definitely put helmets on the yutes in a trailer.

And dog's right, most two wheel trailers are easy to flip at higher speeds.

One rule I have found is to not exceed 15 MPH. No problems keeping it under that on flats or uphills but some downhills are harder to keep it slower. The reason for that rule is because it is more likely to flip going faster. I don't have any children, just dogs. And I tow dogs in my trailer and I know others who do as well. I don't really hear stories of children, just the dogs. I know of a few people who have flipped a trailer with their dog in it so it must not be too hard to do. I've never had it happen to me though. I think it's most likely to flip during a higher speed turn then on a straight road.

Tiff :)

Wow, the directions say no more than 10 MPH, but I guess I had not thought about going downhill. Flipping with a child would not be good. I think I'll just have to hook it to my mountain bike. The disc brakes will 185mm rotors will be very helpful.

In my opinion, 9 months is a good starting point for a single child. For the second child, you can start a bit younger (6-7 mo.) if they can sit unaided. This is because the other child will keep an eye on them.

My children don't wear helmets in the trailer, but they are strapped in securely and the trailer has a steel frame. The most useful accessory for a toddler is a neck pillow, as they are extremely likely to fall asleep whilst travelling. Obviously it is a good idea to travel more slowly than usual, and to take it easy over bumps.

A road bike would be OK for towing, but be warned that you may not have low enough gearing with all the extra weight.

We just bought a bike trailer for our son who is almost 5 months. He loved it! We stayed off the street and did not go too fast. He was starpped in tight and has a very strong neck so that it was not an issue. It seemed great but now we have been reading about not biking before one year... so we are not sure what to do.

http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo209/revx/P4240123.jpg

Warnings about 1 year mainly stem from US legislation, which seem to be aimed at carrying babies in rack mounted seats or backpacks rather than trailers.

The BHSI link posted earlier is an appalling piece of scaremongering. It looks like it was written by someone who thinks cycling has a similar risk profile to skydiving.

+1
Warnings about 1 year mainly stem from US legislation, which seem to be aimed at carrying babies in rack mounted seats or backpacks rather than trailers.

The BHSI link posted earlier is an appalling piece of scaremongering. It looks like it was written by someone who thinks cycling has a similar risk profile to skydiving.

My pediatrician at the time didn't even ride a bike, let alone a car as crappy as mine, so how the heck would he have been doing anything other than covering his liability angles, if i had asked him? Our car is a tiny compact, paid for, economy vehicle; the ride is not buttery; i witnessed my daughter shaking around more in the car than in our bike trailer, and her comfort was connected to the shaking (she still prefers the bicycle trailer to the car, which makes two of us).

At the time, I figured if joggers can jog on an MUP at 8-10mph with their kids in an unsprung, front-wheel-debris spraying contraption with the sun beating down on their babes' bare faces, putting my kid in a trailer (Chariot CX2) equipped with an infant sling, at the same speeds, with full fenders and fender flap, and proper sun protection (a full built-in sun shade) was better, even if the holier-than-thou-mother-cartel frowned upon it. Give those grumpapotamuses something to grump about!

Bottom line is, after consulting your state's laws (and do consult the law directly and not some site's abridged interpretation), make your own decision based on you and your child's needs. I find it liberating to no longer be wholly dependent on our car for all of our family's needs. Never mind that it's healthier and cheaper, too.