Which child's trailer should I choose?

[David Patterson]

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.

1. 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?
2. 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]

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]

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

 

[junglegusset]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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]

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]

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

 

[JuanLobbe]

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

 

[400bhp]

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...