another trailer bike question
 

I've researched and researched and still can't figure out which trailer bike to buy for my smallish 4 year old son. In my area, no one rents them, so this is a big leap of faith! Is size and weight an issue between the Adams, Trek or In-Step? Some of the handlebars look very high and far away from the pedals? Some manufacturers age guidlines are from 2 1/2 - 6 (Adams), and 6-9 (Trek) for their starter bikes. Are these very different animals? Although the In-Step's hitch is not the best, it looks smaller than the others. Also what happens when the child pedals? Must he pedal at the same rate as the person in front? Since the wheels are smaller, must he pedal faster?

I will also be in the market for one of these pretty soon. No first hand experience yet though. From what I've read the hitch on the Adams is pretty cheap, loosens up, and this is bad. The Burley has a very stout hitch and I've never seen a post from anyone with a Burley that doesn't love it. I don't know about the gearing but I'm sure the little one can coast along or pedal backwards while you do all the work. I suspect they're geared pretty low.

My daughter usually falls asleep 15 minutes into most trailer rides, not sure if that will be a problem on a trailer bike.

Phinney and Milocontext, look at the other posts about Piccolo and Addams in this forum. I (and a few others) have indeed compared both and I have experience with both. I wouldn't qualify the hitch of the Addams as "cheap and bad". It uses a universal joint made with one short square section and two bolts, and over time, either the holes widen or the bolts narrow, so the Trail-a-Bike become a bit more wiggly. I used one for a full year and an estimated 1800 km, and of that, I would say that the first 1000 km worked quite well. If you consider that the average user won't ride that much with their child, it's fair to assume the hitch will be OK for them. OTOH, we do long day rides and loaded touring... and I still needed the trailercycle for another 3 years with the first child and 4 years with the second one.

As for pedalling speed, the trailercycle is geared independantly, so the child coasts or pedals if she wants to. In terms of RPMs, I found the Addams single speed had a too high gear, so she was pedalling more slowly than I, especially when going uphill.

As for falling asleep, I think my oldest daughter went close once... at the tender age of four, and near the end of a 90-km day ride, when I was slowly inching my way up a hill.

I just bought this one on ebay. It's a weeride co-piolot. I've only used it once, so any questions as to longevity of the hitch joints remain unanswered. They look ok and are fairly stiff now.

At about 7-8 mph when the child pedals you can feel the push. After that, not so much. It free wheels so the child can pedal or not as he/she sees fit. I've seen one that had a quasi bannana type seat on it with a backrest and straps to secure the child in.

This is only one small portion of my bike activities with my kids, so in the next 3 years if I put 500 miles on it I'd be surprised. For that level of use I suspect it's going to be fine.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=3691623593

thanks for the replies. I've heard the Adams is the best all around for the money. I don't plan to spend that kind of money for a Burley. We're not serious riders at this point. We just want to go on some extended family rides. I plan to haul the toddler in the baby seat on my bike as well.