Which child trailer?
 

We have just acquired an early 90s vintage Santana tandem. We are now looking for a trailer to take our child along. Since we intend to have another child fairly soon, we are looking for a two child trailer. We understand that bike trailers are for children one year old and up.

It seems that with bike stuff there are often two or three brands/models that are head and shoulders above the competition. Any specific recommendations? We have a Chariot baby jogger which we like, but don't want to overlook other brands.

Test

Burley . . . quality/convenience/folds

Yep. It's been several years since I had to drag a trailer around but the Burley is still as good as the old days ;) I turn mine over a couple of times and pulled the hitch a part on a sign post once but it was still going strong after 2 kids and about 8 years of abuse. The fact that they fold just makes them better.

By the way, get the older kid on the tandem as soon as you feel comfortable with them riding. I started both of mine at 4 years old and they loved it! I used to pull the trailer and tandem with the older one so that it would slow me down enough for my wife to keep up. It never worked that way but it was a nice thought :)

I like the Burley deLite.
1. It has a little bit more shoulder and elbow room for two kids.
2. Don't know about your bike but the Burley alternative hitch will work with a rear disc or hub brake.
3. Real spoked wheels.
4. Folds flat in about a minute even if you don't know what you're doing.
5. Demand for used deLites is high so you can resell it after 4 or 5 years for about half of the new price. Everytime that you use it you're not paying a baby sitter so it can pay for itself.

Ebay... thats what I am doing. Oh yea, and burley is the way to go. Why would I choose anything else? My tandem is a burley! :p

Thanks for the replies. Looks like the Burley D-Lite is the clear frontrunner.

I think the LBS sells these and will check it out there. Looks like list is $400 or so which is kind of steep, though.

The Burley D'Lite was one of the best purchases be made. You can use it on rail trails, etc... when the child can sit up (6 - 9 months). We have the stroller kit, and it is the stroller of choice for the zoo, theme park, etc... I think we are in our last season, but it has served up well. Our kids are now 6 and 3 and hopefully our 3 yr old will move to the Piccolo by late summer, but I'm sure we'll still use the trailer.

John

P.S. The alternative hitch is nice, not cheap, but works very well...

Hmm, i will have to go check on ours in the morning (In bed now) We have a trailer for 2 that works like the burley (looks the same and folds) but it didn't cost anywhere near $400. I can't remember but I don't think it was even $100. But it does have real spoked wheels and folds flat very quickly.

-D

Another very good trailer is the Chariot. Not cheap though. Its hitch works on a different principle than the Burley Alternative hitch, but it's a very good and easy to use hitch too.

I think some Chariot models are (were?) also sold in U.S. and in Canada under Trek brand name.

A couple of other trailer discussions:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=126690
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=167511
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=148590

I had a Burley and liked it well enough. I did not like how the fabric failed on it. We only had a partially covered space to store it. The nylon failed in one season. Replacement was almost the cost of a new trailer. I always thought hitching it up was kind of a pain and wondered if the plastic parts would break. They seemed sturdy enough but just not as good a hitch as I expected for the kind of money it was (~$350 at the time). I really did like the ride well enough on it.

From the other threads you can see my responses that I very much prefer the Cycletote over the Burley. It pulls easier than the Burley. Tracks better (inline and not offcenter, feels less like a train with the seat hitch), rides smoother, far more durable fabric. If you plan on doing some distance riding with the trailer, you will appreciate the Cycletote strengths.

Good luck. Any trailer you get will be thoroughly enjoyed by your kids I can almost assure you!

I've had good experience with the Wike.

A few comments.

We got our Burley D'Lite on Ebay ... you can get some deals that way, though it might not be worth the work.

Since it was an older model, this might not be fair, but the fabric went bad very quickly in its storage on our covered patio. It was attacked by a kind of mildew. Although its still functional, its not beautiful. I note that someone else has had fabric problems too. This is outdoor equipment, and I expected a little better.

The folding, at least on this model, is not something you would want to do every day -- too hard to get the wheels on/off even with the QR.

It has the stroller attachment, but it is a 2-seater, which really made it too wide to use for shopping. It won't fit through most check-out lanes. The trailer hitch in front is a hazard to those around you in that scenario also.

Finally, it turned out that my daughter didn't like the trailer that much. We had to wait until she was old enough to talk clearly to know why. Turns out she was lonely back there. This is the problem with having a sociable child ;-)

Someone mentioned having to go slow enough for mommy to catch up. Yes, that is a problem. When the family goes on a outing with my daughter on the trail-abike, I frequently have to stop pedaling and let just my 5 year old power the bike in order to give mommy a chance.

There's so many variables its hard to make a hard-core recommendation. But if I had it to do over I'd have gotten a smaller trailer. Burley's may last forever, but childhood doesn't, so I'd probably get a cheaper newer model that would look good for at least 2 or 3 years. Of course, if you have nice dry barn where you could stow it away for the grandchildren, you might feel differently.

But if there was some way to make it possible, I would consider getting a narrower one-child trailer. For instance, if you're always going out with mommy, then the 1 year old could go on a bike seat with her while you pull the trailer.

I'm still putting the tandem together/getting it adjusted so I'm still browsing for a child trailer.

Anyone have any experience with the Trek Doodlebug? It's available in three levels ($250, $350, $450) and each has a "roll bar" which is the most appealing feature to me.

Check it out at the Online Trek Store.

Only one even worth buying Bike-Caboose built in Sandpoint, Idaho, Most practical of all whether children cargo or combination of both.

Thanks for the tip, but I can't seem to find this unit via a google search. Website?

Love my Chariot Caddie and so do my kids! :-D

+1 for the Burley. It's been the Gold standard for at least 15 years.

Due to fundage I bought a used schwin for 100 clams. Pretty happy with it. Not a burly but much less expensive too. Well built and light.