# Which child's trailer should I choose?



## David Patterson (10 Jul 2012)

My wife has just had our second child very recently and we want to go cycling as a family so I was looking to buy a trailer for the child to sit in but also able to convert into a buggy.

it would appear that the child has to be 18 months old to use one; is that correct? If not, which trailers are available / recommended for new born babies?
I want (obviously) for my baby to be safe so I want to buy one that will be both comfortable and safe for the baby without having to buy a Rolls Royce of trailers.
As a family, we will just be looking to cycle on footpaths, old railway tracks, cycleways etc so I do not need one that will work on mountain tops! I was looking at a Chariot trailer but was going to cost nearly £900 for what I thought I needed. Surely there must be other options.

Your help and advice would really be appreciated.


----------



## ianrauk (10 Jul 2012)

For my litlun' I bought the Adventure AT1 from *Amazon.co.uk*, for £200. It does convert into a buggy, but the front wheels and handbar are an extra £47 also from *Amazon.co.uk*. There is also a 2 child version. the AT3





As to regards the age. As soon as my boy was able to hold his head up, he was in there and we were away. He absolutely loves rides in his buggy.











It's very stable and easy rolling. Has plenty of room for toys, clothes, nappies and more. It also has a large boot for even more gear.
The harness is 4 way and straps the child in nice and tight.

The front has 2 coverings. The first is a fly screen. This also stops kids throwing things out of the trailer. The second is a clear plastic rain screen. Both can be rolled up to leave the front open. As you can see in the pic above.

At the top is a flap which can also be rolled back to reveal a clear plastic window.

The bracket to the bike is stainless steel




This is attached to your rear wheel through a QR lever. It also has a failsafe strap that wraps around the chainstay/seat stay. You can see the strap in the very top picture. The buggy can also be flat packed for storage/car boot.

The only negative I can think of is if you want your kidda to wear a helmet, the way the seat/rear compartment is angled, the childs head would be pushed forward. My kidda doesn't wear a helmet so it's no problem.

For £200 you can't go wrong and you wont be disappointed.

ps oh yes... he has his own private number plate..


----------



## David Patterson (10 Jul 2012)

thank you very much for your very informative reply which has been extremely helpful.


----------



## junglegusset (11 Jul 2012)

I can +1 what Ian says. I bought one on his recommendation after researching pretty much every option. There are slightly better trailers but for sensible money the AT1 seems the best bet. My local bike shop price matched amazon and had it in the shop in a few days. Might be worth seeing if you can support your LBS.


----------



## ianrauk (11 Jul 2012)

junglegusset said:


> I can +*1 what Ian says. I bought one on his recommendation after researching pretty much every option*. There are slightly better trailers but for sensible money the AT1 seems the best bet. My local bike shop price matched amazon and had it in the shop in a few days. Might be worth seeing if you can support your LBS.


 
Nice one. Glad to hear it lived up to what I said it would.
They are certainly worth the money imo. And just as good if not better then trailers that cost 2 or 3 times as much.


----------



## David Patterson (11 Jul 2012)

junglegusset said:


> I can +1 what Ian says. I bought one on his recommendation after researching pretty much every option. There are slightly better trailers but for sensible money the AT1 seems the best bet. My local bike shop price matched amazon and had it in the shop in a few days. Might be worth seeing if you can support your LBS.


 
thanks very much junglegusset. I'll have a word with my local bike shop and see what they can do.


----------



## User169 (11 Jul 2012)

You can get seats for very young babies for some brands, although I think they often come as an extra. I've got a "kid car" trailer and I think our baby was in it at three months or so. Bought it second hand as they're pretty pricey new.


----------



## Andrew_Culture (26 Jul 2012)

This has been one of the most useful threads I've read in a while, and that's really something!

Now... Does Endomondo have a 'cycling towing spawn' setting?


Sent from my FondleSlab using Tapatalk HD


----------



## jdtate101 (26 Jul 2012)

I got the ST3 for my two. It's a bit heavier but built like a tank and will take LOADS of punishment, plus it's got those wheel guards which really help keep the tyres safe in the urban obstacle course. My two love it and still fit at 5 & 3.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventure-S...sr_1_7?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1343330666&sr=1-7


----------



## Hebe (26 Jul 2012)

I have the AT3, it's been absolutely fine. It is quite wide though, something to think about if the trails you want to use have any barriers/bollards on them.


----------



## jdtate101 (27 Jul 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> This has been one of the most useful threads I've read in a while, and that's really something!
> 
> Now... Does Endomondo have a 'cycling towing spawn' setting?
> 
> ...


 
Don't know about Endomondo, but on Strava I've setup a 'bike' that weighs in at the max 100lbs, which should account for the bike (20lbs), trailer (30lbs) and children (50lbs), it automatically adjusts my energy expended levels up as it's damn hard pulling that lot about, especially up any hills no matter how low your gearing is.


----------



## User482 (7 Aug 2012)

We used our Croozer trailer from about 3 months - but you need to buy a special seat at extra cost. In retrospect, it may have been a bit too young - I collared a pothole one time and it had our daughter in floods of tears. I would say 6 months+ is fine, as they have much stronger necks by that age.

Croozers and Chariots are expensive, but they are available on Ebay and hold their value quite well. We bought ours used for about £200. Croozer are better value as they come with the towbar and pram/ jogger converter included, and have an enormous boot.


----------



## arallsopp (8 Aug 2012)

AT3 for us too. Works a treat. It'll take far more weight than I want to be towing


----------



## JuanLobbe (15 Aug 2012)

Just got hold of an Adventure Duo from a mate. Anyone know where I can get a rain cover for it?
ta!


----------



## 400bhp (23 Aug 2012)

ianrauk said:


> For my litlun' I bought the Adventure AT1 from *Amazon.co.uk*, for £200.


 

Just looking at this from the other thread.

The spec states


> Maximum cargo or cargo/child combined weight 18 kg/40 lbs


 
18kgs...


----------



## ianrauk (23 Aug 2012)

400bhp said:


> Just looking at this from the other thread.
> 
> The spec states
> 
> ...


 

Blimey, that's very conservative.
The trailer can hold far more then that.


----------



## 400bhp (27 Aug 2012)

ianrauk said:


> Blimey, that's very conservative.
> The trailer can hold far more then that.


 
Ian, could II ask a favour? I have been trying to get dimensions of the Adventure AT1, in particular the width, off the internet. I realised that to get to the school off major roads requires going through a point with a bollard that is about 1.2m wide. Could you tell me the width please?

Someone has posted a review on Chainreactioncycles that states the external width with wheels is 72 cm (28").

Thanks


----------



## ufkacbln (27 Aug 2012)

Andrew_Culture said:


> This has been one of the most useful threads I've read in a while, and that's really something!
> 
> Now... Does Endomondo have a 'cycling towing spawn' setting?
> 
> ...


 
You jest!

Friends of mine set both their children up with accounts and records their mileage!

But back to more serious matters.

Age is a bit controversial.

Chariot do a whole range of accessories from birth to "too bleedin' heavy to pull anymore"

Other people secure car seats in and basically use the same age ranges as the car would have in a car seat.

One site that might interest you is Josie Dew although her attitudes to cycling and children are often seen as a little "eccentric"


Once you have attained that degree of trust in your ability, you can plant a baby on the bike. If you're worried about instability (in my experience, children do anything but keep still), practise cycling with a 15 kilo sack of potatoes - or better still a live cow.Once you have attained that degree of trust in your ability, you can plant a baby on the bike. If you're worried about instability (in my experience, children do anything but keep still), practise cycling with a 15 kilo sack of potatoes - or better still a live cow.

Molly also relishes the speed of the descents - top speed achieved so far is an eye-watering 36mph.
Rocketing downhill on a bike with a whooping infant is probably not the sort of advice you find in your average childcare manual - which is partly why it is so enjoyable. And when I reach the bottom of the hill it is sometimes quite a relief to find Molly still attached to her seat and not lost to the wind a mile back up the road. But for both of us, there is no better way to travel.


----------



## ianrauk (27 Aug 2012)

400bhp said:


> Ian, could II ask a favour? I have been trying to get dimensions of the Adventure AT1, in particular the width, off the internet. I realised that to get to the school off major roads requires going through a point with a bollard that is about 1.2m wide. Could you tell me the width please?
> 
> Someone has posted a review on Chainreactioncycles that states the external width with wheels is 72 cm (28").
> 
> Thanks


 

Yup, I have just measured 70cm's.


----------



## 400bhp (27 Aug 2012)

Thank you very much. I just went and measured the gap - 1m is probably a prudent guess so 70cm will do nicely.


----------



## Andrew_Culture (7 Sep 2012)

Cunobelin said:


> You jest!
> 
> Friends of mine set both their children up with accounts and records their mileage!



In a way I wish I hadn't read that, but in another more accurate way I'm glad I've read that.


----------



## Stephenite (9 Sep 2012)

Just bought a Croozer Kid For 2!!!!!!!! Secondhand for 2000kr - a little under £200. YAYYYY!!!!

Have to wait until tuesday until we try it out tho. At the moment it's in the lounge - it's a bit big isn't it? There's lots of space behind and under the seats for camping gear, shopping, etc. Very simple to open up and fold down. The wheels come off and on quickly. One thing i'm not overly impressed with is the bracket for attaching to the bike. It hangs on the back-axle, and is not flexible enough to lie the bike down whilst the trailer remains upright. Don't know how important this will turn out to be though as i won't/shouldn't be riding fast enough to crash. That's a thought - can you get studded tyres at 20"?


----------



## Lyn (13 Jun 2013)

I'm in love with our Croozer Kid for 2. I could go on about it all day - how it's easy to tow, comfy for the kids, how they never get wet in the rain, etc. Yes, you need to buy add-ons like child seats for the really young ones (we used the child seat - not the harness - from about 4 months though our boy was a long lad), and we also bought the rain cover which provides extra protection in downpours. But we've had it for almost 3 years now, our 5yo still fits in on rainy days and the kids love it.
There's more here:
http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/blog/our-future-cyclist-takes-to-the-road.html


----------



## irw (1 Mar 2021)

Hey folks- just to bring this thread back up, I'm currently looking for recommendations for a trailer suitable to take our little one out on some rides, whilst I'm actually at home and not on tour. Most of them seem to be built for two children, which presumably would make it a bit hairy on corners as she'd have to be sat off centre. Unfortunately the Adventure trailers recommended earlier in this thread don't seem to be available anymore, and most of the ones that look half decent seem to commend a somewhat premium price. Now that I'm between jobs, I don't really want to spend a fortune, but at the same time I'd like something safe and ideally not something that has the style of a car from the 70's...Any suggestions?


----------



## BurningLegs (1 Mar 2021)

Some of the trailers for two children actually have three harnesses in them so you can carry one child in the middle or two with one on each side so worth checking an internal photo of some of the two seaters - they might still be appropriate and provide plenty of space for toys and snacks!


----------



## Drago (1 May 2021)

irw said:


> Hey folks- just to bring this thread back up, I'm currently looking for recommendations for a trailer suitable to take our little one out on some rides, whilst I'm actually at home and not on tour. Most of them seem to be built for two children, which presumably would make it a bit hairy on corners as she'd have to be sat off centre. Unfortunately the Adventure trailers recommended earlier in this thread don't seem to be available anymore, and most of the ones that look half decent seem to commend a somewhat premium price. Now that I'm between jobs, I don't really want to spend a fortune, but at the same time I'd like something safe and ideally not something that has the style of a car from the 70's...Any suggestions?


I can recommend the Spokey Joe as an inexpensive but very capable and reasonably well made and designed trailer. Not sure if they still make them though.


----------

