Trailer trash(ing)

['nother]

After months of hemming and hawing, today I made a somewhat impulse buy on a Bell 2-child trailer at Toys-R-Us for a whopping $75. Since I'd been looking at Burleys, Chariots, and others that cost more than 6 times what I just bought this for, I'm now only slightly curious as to what I'm missing out on.

This has everything that the "big boys" advertise (rain cover, stroller conversion kit, 5-point harnesses, reflectors, flag, storage compartment, etc.), and it's actually styled very much like the Burley. Very sturdy and easy to attach to the bike, stable ride, folds up very compactly for storage, etc. etc..

Took my girls (18 mos. & 3 yrs.) for a 1/2 hour ride, they loved it! So is it just marketing/markup or is there really $400 worth of additional trailering goodness in the Burley that I am cheating myself out of?

[alanbikehouston]

When I compared "expensive" and "department store" trailers, the two differences I noticed were the systems for attaching the trailer to the bike, and the quality of the wheels and hubs.

The expensive trailers usually had a sturdy attaching system, plus a "secondary" safety chain of some sort. The low-end models tended to have simpler attachment systems. There was recently a recall by the maker of many of the brands of department store trailers due to a possibility of trailers coming off the bikes.

So, regardless of brand, it is a good idea to check the security of the attachment to the bike before each ride, and maybe also at "breaks" in the ride.

The difference in wheels and hubs is less important. Very few people are going to be putting thousands of miles on a child trailer. A basic wheel set does the job of "around the neighborhood" riding just as well as an expensive wheelset.

Something that varied, but was not related to price, was comfort. The trailer I bought had a seat that sagged under a child's weight, causing the child to slide forward against the safety harness. I put a cushion under the seat, and that cured the problem. That particular trailer had a harnes system that worked well for one child, but with two children, had them pressed against each other. Again, not related to "price", just to the design itself.

[KrisPistofferson]

I've got the Bell trailer for my dog, and I've looked at the Burley, the main differences are:
The Burley is lighter, and a better quality steel. The Burley has more tig welds than bolted-together parts, like the Bell. The Burley has more heavy-duty and water-resistant nylon canvas.
They both have the same features, the Burley is just sturdier and better made, HOWEVER, most people will not use a child enough to wear it out, and a trailer isn't a bike. What I mean by that is that on a bike, you've got a whole lot of components and moving parts that all follow Murphy's Law, a trailer has MUCH less that can go wrong with it, so I don't feel as if I'm missing out on anything. The same could not be said if I owned a Next MTB!
I REALLY like this trailer! I bought it initially for the dog, but I use it to tour (I've always despised panniers, and it keeps all the weight off my bike,) and I take it to the grocery store and recycling center. I've had cars with less trunk space! So the Burleys ARE nice, and have a really good resale value, but all both of them do is haul around 100 pounds or less, so don't feel bad for spending less.

['nother]

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, I don't feel bad at all! Actually I'm quite happy not to have have lightened my wallet as much as I could have (guess that's always easy to do with cycling equipment!). Even if the quality level is so massively worse than Burley, I figure I can do a lot of repair (or heck even replacement) work with the $400+ I saved. But actually we own a Bell jogging stroller, and I was quite pleased with how that held up, which is in part why I decided on the spot to grab this trailer. Certainly not the cream of the crop, but it's not junk either.

I suppose if I was regularly going to take the girls out in heavy weather (unlikely) or on long-haul trips (even less likely seeing as how they get cranky after a couple of hours in the *car*!), I could justify spending a lot more but that just ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

I suppose to be fair I should use it for a while and report back, maybe I'll do that. So far, so good.

[PaulH]

We have an InStep Turbo Trailer, which is about the cheapest one available. It must have about a thousand miles on it from taking our daughter to summer camp, school, and holiday camp. It has been use in sun, rain, ice and snow -- lots of heavy weather.

There are duct-taped holes in the top from having it blow over in strong winds (note: it does this only when empty -- like all trailers, it is very stable with a child aboard.) Other than that, it is in fine shape. I 'd have to assume that the Burley is much better, but the InStep seems to hold up well under harder-than-average use.

Paul

[hrcarol]

I have a $100 InStep trailer that I'm very happy w/. I've thought of getting a Burley just because I'd like something lighter but, when it comes right down to it I'd rather spend the $$$ on a new bike for me.

[Anthony King]

It may be of note that trailers are famously easy to find used. Kids outgrow the trailer, parents sell it. That $400 Burley can be had for half the price.

['nother]

Well, I'm still happy with spending less than half of half of a new Burley. I'm with hrcarol on where I want to spend my $$$. :)

[Mhendricks]

Something that varied, but was not related to price, was comfort. The trailer I bought had a seat that sagged under a child's weight, causing the child to slide forward against the safety harness. I put a cushion under the seat, and that cured the problem. That particular trailer had a harnes system that worked well for one child, but with two children, had them pressed against each other. Again, not related to "price", just to the design itself.

Just curious where you placed that cushion. Inside the trailer compartment or outside between them and the frame. Thanks.

[alanbikehouston]

Just curious where you placed that cushion. Inside the trailer compartment or outside between them and the frame. Thanks.

There was six inches or eight inches of empty space between the seat and the floor. Under "load", the seat panel would sag forward. I found a cushion that was about two feet long and two feet wide and eight inches high and filled that empty space. Made for a better ride.

I discovered there is a "brief" window of time where kids seem to like the trailer. Under a year old, the roads in my area are too rough a ride. By age three, they want to ride their own bike, not sit in a trailer. I think the trailer I bought ending up costing about $20 per actual ride.

[DieselDan]

The safety strap is a CPSC requirment.

[jcs575]

I also got a Bell trailer. I found it at Toys R Us right before Christmas. I got it for 39.99. I called Bell to make sure that it wasnt discontinued or recalled. I love it. I have a 2 yr old son and he also loves it! I didnt want to invest in a burley if I wasnt going to commit to the whole bike riding thing, so far so good :)