For the past week we've been hiring a Christiana to see if it works for us as a way of getting toddler (and his sibling who is imminent) to friends, shops, nursery etc.
Have previously tried: Chariot trailer - but he really doesn't enjoy it (we think because it's too low to see anything out of and/or we can't hold a conversation with him); front child seat on upright bike- but it only works on very upright bikes, isn't very stable, and has no provision for sibling. So the Christiana form factor of "trike with big box on the front" seems to be our best option, and he's loving it so far.
Riding it is a bit weird at first, and if there's a technique to making it corner well at high speed, I haven't found it yet. The steering bar is attached to the back of the box but the point it actually pivots around is much further forward, so you don't pull one side of the bar and push the other, you push the bar sideways hand over hand and (on a tight low speed turn) end up holding the right-hand side of the bar in your left hand or vice versa. This also causes the rear frame to tilt so that you're leaning into the turn, which is fine once you learn not to fight it.
Mechanical disc brakes on front wheels with Y splitter to single lever on bar, plus (surprisingly effective) hub coaster brake on rear.
Our rental bike was the seven-speed hub gear version with aluminium frame: coped OK with most of our local hills but the one we're ordering has eight speeds so we have a granny cog in reserve for hills-after-a-long-day or hills-with-luggage. We elected not to go for the electric assist option.
Pics when we get to pick it up :-) Probably about two weeks. The hire and the sale are both through londongreencycles.co.uk who were very helpful and let us spend most of an hour on a Friday afternoon riding their cargo bikes around the block
Have previously tried: Chariot trailer - but he really doesn't enjoy it (we think because it's too low to see anything out of and/or we can't hold a conversation with him); front child seat on upright bike- but it only works on very upright bikes, isn't very stable, and has no provision for sibling. So the Christiana form factor of "trike with big box on the front" seems to be our best option, and he's loving it so far.
Riding it is a bit weird at first, and if there's a technique to making it corner well at high speed, I haven't found it yet. The steering bar is attached to the back of the box but the point it actually pivots around is much further forward, so you don't pull one side of the bar and push the other, you push the bar sideways hand over hand and (on a tight low speed turn) end up holding the right-hand side of the bar in your left hand or vice versa. This also causes the rear frame to tilt so that you're leaning into the turn, which is fine once you learn not to fight it.
Mechanical disc brakes on front wheels with Y splitter to single lever on bar, plus (surprisingly effective) hub coaster brake on rear.
Our rental bike was the seven-speed hub gear version with aluminium frame: coped OK with most of our local hills but the one we're ordering has eight speeds so we have a granny cog in reserve for hills-after-a-long-day or hills-with-luggage. We elected not to go for the electric assist option.
Pics when we get to pick it up :-) Probably about two weeks. The hire and the sale are both through londongreencycles.co.uk who were very helpful and let us spend most of an hour on a Friday afternoon riding their cargo bikes around the block
