Experience with Bike Trailer/Stroller combos?

[kimba217]

My husband is thinking he wants to get a jogger, where I would like a bike trailer. I've come across models like the Schwinn Mark II and III, which would be perfect if they work well, but they worry me a little. Does anyone have experience, good or bad with these products?

 

[azgirl71]

I have a Schwiin one. It is ok, but noisy as a jogger. It is heavy to pull too. If I had the money I would get a Trek bike trailer. I could live wihtout it.

 

[miraclebabies]

I have the same bike trailer/ stroller combo that you are talking about. I really like our, we use it for bike rides only. I don't using it as the stroller cause the front wheel sticks out really far and it seems to be cheap. I really like the way it folds and it is easy to hook up to the bike. I used it last summer when my DD was about months old, I just stuck her in the middle seat and she did really well. When we have #2 it will be nice cause you can put up to 100# in it. I also have a instep jogging stroller that we use to go to my DH triathlons and martahons and it works better for us. It has a front swivel wheel, adjustable handle (cause we are both tall) and folds pretty compact. I would rather use that on long walks than unhooking my bike trailer.

 

[southpawboston]

I used it last summer when my DD was about months old, I just stuck her in the middle seat and she did really well.

was that in stroller mode or trailer mode? children shouldn't ride in a trailer or bike seat until at least one year of age.

 

[azgirl71]

was that in stroller mode or trailer mode? children shouldn't ride in a trailer or bike seat until at least one year of age.

I had Tucker in the trailer at 9 months with a helmet. We were only in my neighborhood and she did fine. I would have never gone to a busy are with her though. There is a lot of biking here. i have seen kids 6 month old in bike trailers. No the helmets do not fit them well. Tucker just got to where the helmets fit her, but only the GIRO ones from the bike shop. She cannot wear the ones you buy at WM. They do not fit well at all. Now for the seats you put on the bikeI agree our bike shop does not recommend those until over 1 yr and with a well fitted helmet.

 

[southpawboston]

I had Tucker in the trailer at 9 months with a helmet. We were only in my neighborhood and she did fine. I would have never gone to a busy are with her though. There is a lot of biking here. i have seen kids 6 month old in bike trailers. No the helmets do not fit them well. Tucker just got to where the helmets fit her, but only the GIRO ones from the bike shop. She cannot wear the ones you buy at WM. They do not fit well at all. Now for the seats you put on the bikeI agree our bike shop does not recommend those until over 1 yr and with a well fitted helmet.

the reason for the age limit on bike seats/trailers is not so much fitment of the helmet and concerns of falling (there's ALWAYS a concern of falling, regardless of age), it's because of inadequately developed neck muscles. even though a 9 month old can hold his head up, the jouncing and jostling of fast-moving bike seat or trailer over bumps can cause uncontrolled head movements which can result in brain damage (similar to shaken baby syndrome).

it is for this reason that we didn't let DD1 ride on a bike seat until at least age 2 (even thought the law in our state states age 1 minimum), and DD2 won't be riding until about 2 years old as well.

we're also going to upgrade the child carrier on my bike to one that has a suspension to help absorb some of the jolts from road bumps. a trailer seat doesn't transfer quite as much jolt from bumps as a bike seat, but close, and i don't think most trailers have any type of shock-absorbing suspension.

i don't know about the laws in AZ, but 6 months old in a trailer? that's way to young IMHO. :thumbsdown:

EDIT: btw, for anyone looking for a great source of info for bicycle child-carrier information, my favorite site is helmets.org. this site is amazing, it's basically the car-seat.org of child bicycling safety.

here is what they say about infants and riding on bike seats/trailers:

http://www.helmets.org/little1s.htm

it was reading that page that convinced us to wait until age 2!!!

 

[azgirl71]

the reason for the age limit on bike seats/trailers is not so much fitment of the helmet and concerns of falling (there's ALWAYS a concern of falling, regardless of age), it's because of inadequately developed neck muscles. even though a 9 month old can hold his head up, the jouncing and jostling of fast-moving bike seat or trailer over bumps can cause uncontrolled head movements which can result in brain damage (similar to shaken baby syndrome).

it is for this reason that we didn't let DD1 ride on a bike seat until at least age 2 (even thought the law in our state states age 1 minimum), and DD2 won't be riding until about 2 years old as well.

we're also going to upgrade the child carrier on my bike to one that has a suspension to help absorb some of the jolts from road bumps.

i don't know about the laws in AZ, but 6 months old in a trailer? that's way to young IMHO. :thumbsdown:

I understand what you are saying. I can see how thta could happen. For me there was very little possiblity of a lot of jolting around as I am lucky if I can peddle the bike with the trailer... lOL. I am not used to all the gears the bikes have now. I end up walking my bike a lot. I have not been out this year at all. I am considering a bike seat on my bike instead of the trailer. I think i may have better luck. I can ride fine without her.

AZ does not have any minimums that I am aware of. I actually have seen people who have put thier infant seat in the bike trailer :thumbsdown:. We do have helmet laws for bicycles.

 

[southpawboston]

check out my edited comment above... :thumbsup:

 

[azgirl71]

check out my edited comment above... :thumbsup:

Thanks! I will check them out more tomorrow. i need ot go to bed now, but have bookmarked them. Thanks again!

 

[sfeitler]

I understand what you are saying. I can see how thta could happen. For me there was very little possiblity of a lot of jolting around as I am lucky if I can peddle the bike with the trailer... lOL. I am not used to all the gears the bikes have now. I end up walking my bike a lot. I have not been out this year at all. I am considering a bike seat on my bike instead of the trailer. I think i may have better luck. I can ride fine without her.

AZ does not have any minimums that I am aware of. I actually have seen people who have put thier infant seat in the bike trailer :thumbsdown:. We do have helmet laws for bicycles.

Having ridden with a trailer (a lot) and with a seat mounted above the tire (for about 5 weeks), I like the trailer a whole lot better. The seat mounted over the tire changes the center of gravity of the bike, making it harder to handle. A trailer just doesn't do that.

As for the original topic--I haven't seen the ones you're talking about, but I think this is an area where it's better to get a specialized trailer and a separate stroller. Our Burley trailer has a stroller attachment, and it's fine for walking around, but I would not use it for jogging. The most we ever used it was at the zoo, before we had a wagon.

-Sarah

 

[Jewels]

the reason for the age limit on bike seats/trailers is not so much fitment of the helmet and concerns of falling (there's ALWAYS a concern of falling, regardless of age), it's because of inadequately developed neck muscles. even though a 9 month old can hold his head up, the jouncing and jostling of fast-moving bike seat or trailer over bumps can cause uncontrolled head movements which can result in brain damage (similar to shaken baby syndrome).

Yeah.
I also look at it from the same point of view as why we don't like to see babies under 1 (at the min.) FF. Even if you aren't going fast you can still fall off your bike or have a collision of some sort. It really is unpredictable just like when you are in a vehicle you just never know.

 

[Jewels]

We have a Chariot and love it. It was recommended by our Chiropractor as it is lightweight and easier on your back to pull. How much the trailer weighs is important to me if I am going to be pulling 30-60lbs of children . . . which can quite hard but a good work out

I have also used it almost daily as a stroller for walking when I have more then one child and love it. They also hold their value extremly well and have a great warrenty.

 

[southpawboston]

Having ridden with a trailer (a lot) and with a seat mounted above the tire (for about 5 weeks), I like the trailer a whole lot better. The seat mounted over the tire changes the center of gravity of the bike, making it harder to handle. A trailer just doesn't do that.

there really are pros and cons for each setup. the center of gravity does become higher (but not as much as you might think) with a bike-mounted carrier making the bicycle itself slightly less stable, and it's also less stable parking the bike to mount/unmount the child. and, if the bike falls, the CHILD falls too . but then, statistics show that the majority of bike carrier accidents involving a motor vehicle eek are the trailers, not the bike mounted ones (and i ride DD1 in traffic, so that was a big consideration). also, there is a lot of data out there on trailers flipping over (it happens more easily than many cyclists realize). again, there are pros and cons, and one is not really "better" or "safer" than the other, they just fit different needs and applications. accident statistics show a pretty even split overall between the two types of carriers. that website i mentioned in my earlier post goes over the differences quite thoroughly. :thumbsup: the one thing that remains the same for both is the one year minimum age recommendation!

 

[QuassEE]

I ride, and I have a Chariot. I wouldn't have it any other way--it's the only trailer that functions as a great trailer, a decent stroller (wider than a standard doorway or else I'd say a good stroller) and a great jogger. Well worth the money, especially with a 20%-30% off single item coupon from REI.com. Look into it--they really are the best option out there.

-Nicole.

 

[AdventureMom]

We have a Chariot and love it. It was recommended by our Chiropractor as it is lightweight and easier on your back to pull. How much the trailer weighs is important to me if I am going to be pulling 30-60lbs of children . . . which can quite hard but a good work out

I have also used it almost daily as a stroller for walking when I have more then one child and love it. They also hold their value extremly well and have a great warrenty.

I ride, and I have a Chariot. I wouldn't have it any other way--it's the only trailer that functions as a great trailer, a decent stroller (wider than a standard doorway or else I'd say a good stroller) and a great jogger. Well worth the money, especially with a 20%-30% off single item coupon from REI.com. Look into it--they really are the best option out there.

-Nicole.

So glad to read this! We're thinking about plunking down money for a Chariot... .... . So I'm glad to see you guys like it. I went to REI and fiddled with it and it seemed so much better in terms of suspension than the other one they had (Burley, maybe?). Have either of you tried it with the infant sling (in stroller mode)?

 

[azgirl71]

Having ridden with a trailer (a lot) and with a seat mounted above the tire (for about 5 weeks), I like the trailer a whole lot better. The seat mounted over the tire changes the center of gravity of the bike, making it harder to handle. A trailer just doesn't do that.

Thanks, Sarah. I have been wondering that. I may just shop aroud for a new trailer. I do not care a whole lot for the double. It is ok, but not for me.

 

[azgirl71]

We have a Chariot and love it. It was recommended by our Chiropractor as it is lightweight and easier on your back to pull. How much the trailer weighs is important to me if I am going to be pulling 30-60lbs of children . . . which can quite hard but a good work out

I have also used it almost daily as a stroller for walking when I have more then one child and love it. They also hold their value extremly well and have a great warrenty.

Jewels how much do these run?

 

[sfeitler]

I ride, and I have a Chariot. I wouldn't have it any other way--it's the only trailer that functions as a great trailer, a decent stroller (wider than a standard doorway or else I'd say a good stroller) and a great jogger. Well worth the money, especially with a 20%-30% off single item coupon from REI.com. Look into it--they really are the best option out there.

-Nicole.

Wow! The Chariot looks nice. We have a Burley, and it's a fine trailer, but not good for other tasks. Fortunately, I don't need a jogger, but it would be lovely to have the ski option. If I was in the market for one now, I'd try to justify the cost of the Chariot...

I think my friend had a Trek trailer, or maybe it was Schwinn--it tipped over once when they made a nice, easy turn. They stopped using it right away... not all trailers are made equal!

-Sarah

 

[sfeitler]

Jewels how much do these run?

Not Jewels, but REI has them: http://www.rei.com/search?vcat=REI_SEARCH&query=chariot&x=0&y=0

They're a bit pricey. But there's a 20% off coupon for March--look at www.rei.com for info on that.

-Sarah

 

[azgirl71]

Not Jewels, but REI has them: http://www.rei.com/search?vcat=REI_SEARCH&query=chariot&x=0&y=0

They're a bit pricey. But there's a 20% off coupon for March--look at www.rei.com for info on that.

-Sarah

Thanks, Sarah. I may just end up sticking with what I have. DH will throw a fit if I ask for htta kind of money for a new bike trailer.