Any Chariot Sidecarrier owners out there?
 

Recently picked up a Chariot Sidecarrier at a great price and plan on hooking it up to my 1989 Bridgestone MB-1 (specs indicated the attachment tube will have enough clearance at the bottom bracket). Because of other priorities, I probably won't get to it for a couple weeks. I figured I would put this on the Forum to see if there are any concerns, pitfalls, assembly hints with the bracket, ride control, and its overall feeling as a bike trailer. One more question: is it possible to hook a Burley trailer such as a Nomad to haul gear while using the Sidecarrier, or that just too 'wide' to handle safely? Thanks!

Central Oregon has had some mild weather the last few days, so I put the skis away & started working on the Sidecarrier. Installation of hitch: There's lot of bike incompatiblity for Sidecarrier use, but I was confident the hitch would work on my Bridgestone MB-1--it did, but barely! Not much wiggle room when it comes to installing the hitch on the bottom bracket, but the V-brace that attached to the down tube was almost too shallow an angle to allow the hitch to hang parallel to the ground. Last setting did the trick, but it still isn't perfectly parallel. Chariot said 10 minutes for the install--it took me 35 minutes. Once done, the carrier slid on the hitch rather easily, locked it in place and I took it for a test ride to see how everything rode. Rode surprisingly well, did not affect handling of the bike itself. Hardest part was dismount--easy to whack the Sidecarrier with your right foot as you dismount, but once you've done it, you are not apt to do it again. Took it out again with 30 lbs. of weight in it, and again it performed well! Next I'll see what it's like to pull a Burley Nomad at the same time, but that'll wait until Spring.

I saw this product about a month ago and was intrigued. Do you suppose that it might be argued that a sidecarrier boosts any added safety elements to riding with children on public roads?

Not sure about any added safety benefit vs. a tow-behind bike trailer, except that your child is closer to the shoulder of the road than with a trailer, and the bicyclist is probably less distracted by having a child next to them rather than behind them. You do need to allow more room for the width of the Sidecarrier in regards to curbs and road shoulders.

Pac-Mule
 

This light weight sturdy trailer has a locking weather-tight lid. It has a 81.6 quart capacity. Many customized features can be added.

www.pacmulebicycletrailers. com

I'm not sure the pacmule would work with the Sidecarrier in place because the pacmule attaches to the seatpost of the bike and the connect bar looks as if it would hit the Sidecarrier in a turn. The Nomad attaches low opposite the Sidecarrier and looks like it may work w/o interference. I'll give it a try on the next warm sunny day in Central Oregon!

Tried the Burley Nomad in back of my Bridgestone MB-1, with the Chariot SideCarrier attached on the right side of the bike--no issues or concerns came up after a trial run. Nomad comes close to rubbing the SideCarrier on an extremely tight right turn, but does clear--I think the wider D'Lite would probably bump the SideCarrier on a tight turn. With the Nomad attached, the whole set up is no wider than with the SideCarrier only, the Nomad's width on the left side is no wider than my MB-1's handlebars. With the two trailers attached, it's definitely granny gear time going up a hill, but on the level & on the downhills the setup is smooth with no wobble. FYI--REI is selling the SideCarrier at a discounted price of $288 through Sunday 5/13.