chyckadee

3.5 yr old ready to pedal, so considering options.

Piccolos seem to be holding their value - In Mpls/Stpaul they seem to go for almost $300 on Craigslist or more at the used LBS. I like the stability and relatively long usable life.

The Wee hoo is 370 at REI, so there's the annual refund which might shave off some, but with tax its likely to still to be $350. (I can't tell if it would qualify for the annual member coupon of 20% off. Trailers do. Bikes (other than Navarro) don't.) Its also new enough that no used ones appear to be available.

The coolness factor of the Wee-hoo is appealing. All other things equal, I'd prefer the option that will last the longest and hold resale value. Wee-hoo says it goes to 75# or 52 inches, which for my tall child is likely to be 8. I talked to another friend whose 9 yr old occasionally rides the piccolo (more often stoker on tandem and little bro is on the piccolo).

Anyone tried both and have a sense if one is more likely to be usable longer?
Since both are expensive, it seems worth an extra $50 for one that I know is new?

thoughts or recommendations?

Joyfulmama

I haven't used the Burley, but have used Adams, AlleyCat, and a few other cheaper trail a bikes. One thing that I have noticed about many of these, is that younger children are unable to reach the peddles to actually peddle. This is not only frustrating for the child, but caused quite a bit of instability and discomfort.

The Wee-hoo that I sampled at the store did not have this problem. It was easily able to go short enough for small legs. I was able to set it up for my 3 year old to peddle nicely. It's full back seat also allows small children to fall asleep during a ride. For longer rides the sleeping option is very nice. It has storage pockets that make it easy to carry snacks, toys, or other needed supplies. Carrying supplies has proved to be a challenge with some of the trail a bike products, although with the Burley I assume you could use panniers.

I have heard (although I cannot confirm this) that Burley is no longer making these and that has made replacement parts difficult to come by and is also inflating the price. In the time frame that I have been biking with kids (roughly 5 years) Burley has stopped producing these at least one other time. During that time period the Piccolo and Kazoo sold for high amounts, much like they are selling now. However, when the company starting producing them again, the prices came down dramatically and many people had a bike that they had spent more for, than could be purchased new. I think that I remember this product selling for around $250.

I really love the Wee-hoo product and if money wasn't an issue would have one for my son. Can you take your son down to the store to try both out and see what would work best for him?

We were able to get a compact Adam's trail a bike $150. After shortening the seat post, that is now working for our son.

chyckadee

thanks for the input joyful mama. of course supply and demand would make the price go up if burley isn't making any- i hadn't thought about parts, but thats also a good thing to consider. i pinged the wee hoo people about whether it can work with my crank forward bike (rans fusion) - not easily, but he called me twice today to talk it thru and suggested someone who might be able to help retrofit an option. if that doesn't work out I might just use a cheaper one then....

Joyfulmama

You are very welcome. I know that someone on this board needed a second rack for a Burley and could not get one. We were all brainstorming ways to "make" a different rack work. While I think the Burley is a cool product, I am uncomfortable with something that I can't get parts for. Especially since I am running it through multiple kids. Currently expecting our 4th baby and the oldest is 6, so whatever we buy needs to last!