Bikes with trailers, perfect for…

Bike, Bike equipment, Gear, News, Technical — By Outdoor Adventure Guide on September 14, 2010 at 5:16 pm

Family camping trips of course!

The break point between cycling as an independent, picking your style, route and effort, and getting children involved is huge. So huge as to make it almost a different activity.

Gone are the challenges between friends, the long rides for the hell of it, the wobbles back from the pub. All that suspension, or lack of weight, or carbon you’ve invested in over a decade means nothing when there are several smaller people who can’t keep up for various reasons (like not being able to stand unaided, let alone maintain umpteen mph).

Suddenly having essentially selfish activities shut down was a bit of a shock, especially since I’d just invested in a mountain bike of such complexity and beauty that I’d go and stare at it for longer than I spent riding it. Bouncing off rocks, both on and off the bike, became a no-no because time was demanded, and enjoyably spent, in child-world. But I still liked riding.

After a year of me going for a ride and everyone else staying at home, we bought a bike seat and I revitalised my first mountain bike. Amelie could sit upright in it and safely fall asleep when necessary, and I could go for a pedal along graded trails. She liked the experience and when Florence came along we bought a trailer – at about eight months old she and her older sister went in and off we all went.

Now Amelie can ride by herself, Florence has stabilisers and we have a third daughter, Eliza. The big issue now is that distances have compressed again because the older girls want to be under their own power. Unless we tow Amelie’s bike (which she really doesn’t like) and encourage the younger two into the trailer, we regress to training trips. But hey, it’ll all come good. Put the effort in now, keep them keen and we’ll be back on the road before we know it.

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Product name: Cycle Trailer: ST3 steel 2-seater

Price: £169

Contact details: Madison.co.uk

With large 20” wheels for easy rolling, a mesh and clear roll-down window, small storage compartment behind the seat and pockets for drinks and snacks in easy reach, this is a very tough, user-friendly trailer. It’s incredibly quick and easy to mount, using a single pin that fits onto the rear axle which is then fastened to the trailer female-type mounting with a locking pin. You might need a longer skewer for the rear wheel; they’re about five quid. This system has securely held the trailer in place over some slightly tricky terrain without any comedy ‘trailer overtaking bike’ moments like Olive and her sidecar in ‘On the Buses’.

This particular model is steel, which means it’s a bit heavy (14.5kg) for lugging around and pedalling up steep hills, but it is certainly ding-proof. The water-resistant material makes up the sidepanels, floor and seat and again seems highly-specced – we’ve had no wear over three years of consistent use. The harness can be adapted to single and double use, and two five-year-olds have happily fitted in together for an hour-long journey.

As an enthusiastic but not particularly skilled or fit cyclist, a cruising speed of about 10-12mph seems fine allowing for the odd hill.

Other spec bits – don’t slip the seatback into the crossbar and you have a cargo trailer, not that we’ve used it for that. The wheels are on quick-release skewers so you can get the whole thing flat in about two minutes, and the same for re-construction. It’s still quite a large square thing and the clear windows don’t want to have anything vaguely pointed resting on them, so bear that in mind if planning to put it in a packed car.

There are loads of trailers on the market, ranging from £70 (as seen in a local car part shop) to £550 (Burley Cub). Alloy trailers are lighter and suffer no disadvantages aside from a higher price (£30 more for the AT3 version of our trailer).

Rating: 4/5: versatile, tough, easy to set up and use and a fair price

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Product name: Wee Hoo iGo

Contact: www.weehoo.co.uk

Price: £240

Wee Hoo iGo bike trailer

This is a bit different, being a sort of bolt-on recumbant bike. The Wee Hoo has a single wheel and a long arm that pivots off the seatpost of your bike. It’s another sturdy object which is heavier and a lot less easy to collapse than the trailer, despite only carrying one child. When out in it with our three-year-old – pictured – she enjoyed pedalling and liked the security of the seat with the handles. It’s smooth and easy to pull, and the child has a relaxed ride. The Wee Hoo was better for longer journeys than the trailer in terms of effort – whether we had any valid input from the children was a moot point but they liked pedalling away. There is less resistance from a single wheel, of course. It’s stable and goes round corners easily enough, despite its length.

It’s very well though out; the chain is fully encased, the harness retains and is still comfortable and the seat angle lets a child doze off. There is a flag but we forgot to put it on.

We’d prefer to keep the Wee Hoo on the bike most of the time because it’s a bit of a wriggle to get the slots to line up, but that then means you have a very long bike/trailer combo and you’ll need somewhere equally long to store it. It suits urban cycling with slightly older children who can’t be released into the madness of the city.

Rating: 3/5: Terrific build quality, great for town, takes older children who can contribute to the ride. Not as versatile as a trailer.

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Product name: Bicycle seat

Price: From £20 to £80

Contact details: Rutlandcycling.com

This is a seat we’ve had for years and has carried our children from eight months to four years. We have no idea of the make of model, but it wasn’t very expensive – about £30 – and is typical of one that fits behind the rider. Things to watch for are:

Fit it high enough so your pedal stroke doesn’t clonk the footrests of the seat.

Make sure you can get on the bike when it’s in place; if you can’t swing your leg over the crossbar you ain’t going nowhere…

Once you’re moving these are very stable but you can feel a child moving around so you need a modicum of confidence on a bike.

Small children high up on a bike should certainly have a helmet.

There are loads of different seats around, from saddles which fit on the crossbar in front of the rider, to seats that go on the crossbar, to relining seats on the back. The seats in front are fun to use because you’re putting your arms around your child and able to talk to them very easily. There’s a slight disconnect with a rear-mounted seat, but most children are excited enough by being on the bike to enjoy the ride. Cycling and accessory stores are the best places to buy seats, mainly because they’ll know what fits and do it for you.

Rating: 3/5: Slightly more exposed than the Wee Hoo or trailer, but incredibly convenient and easy to use.