Originally Posted by vetmommy
In case anyone's curious, here are the results of our trailer shopping.
I sat my children (4.5yr 39lb and 2.5yr/28lb, both slender) in a Burley D'Lite and a Trek Deluxe Doodlebug. While the Trek seat (22.5") is wider than the Burley (21-21.5"), my kids were still hip-to-hip. ...
I have found that trailers, high end or not, are simply not wide enough for use by kids even close to the weight limits.
Mine is an older one, but I think the Chariot carrier is 1-2 inches wider than the Burley. But you are definitely close to the top age. In other words, you will be able to squeeze them in this year, but not next year.
Even though it is well thought of and well made, the design of the SideCarrier does not appeal to me. Even though the "bike width" is close to that of a trailer, I think that the "cycling width", i.e. the width of your vehicle + arms and shoulders + whatever free space you need to cycle is more than the cycling width of a single bike + trailer. And if you also attach a trailer behind your bicycle, you need even a wider cycling width. Or to put it bluntly, if you cycle on narrow trails, on trails that have dangerous posts at entrances or intersections, you won't be able to go through them without a major dismount.
As for your 4 year old child, if he is anything like my daughters, he will be much happier cycling on a trailercycle than sitting in a trailer. At that age, the only times I could keep my oldest kid in the trailer was when she was sick or overly tired, or when it was -20°C. The major difference is that cycling on a trailercycle keeps him busy and part of the action, whereas sitting in the trailer is passive.
As for pulling a trailercycle and a child trailer, I suggest you try it. Once you get over the first initial "cycling shock" – zigzagging around potholes takes a bit more planning –, I would say that pulling such a road train is actually
easier than pulling just the trailer with both kids. The start ups will take more time – always start in first gear – but at speed, the oldest child will contribute towards your top speed.
At 4, Ève did not pull her own weight but she pulled the trailercycle (i.e. I could ride faster pulling her on the trailercycle and pulling an empty trailer to get groceries than I could ride with her in the trailer), and at 5, she actually was a net contributor to our speed. Obviously, that's a different story when climbing a 17% grade on a loaded bike...