You know how much you love riding your bike. But is it really true that you’ll have to put riding aside once a kid enters the family? Kids can ride their own bikes, of course, and come along with you on rides, but that can be a long way down the road. After all, there’s a lot of time between when they’re born and when they gain some bike riding skills. What to do until then?
In the right set of circumstances, that’s where a bike trailer can come to the rescue. Let me say right from the start that pulling an infant or toddler in a bike trailer isn’t appropriate in all situations. After all, riding a bike in an busy urban setting is dangerous enough…you don’t have to subject your kid to it as well.
But there are places where a bike trailer is an excellent idea for sharing your love of cycling with the newest members of the family. I’m thinking of bike trails away from roads, lightly traveled suburbs, rural settings, and even some dirt fire trails in the mountains like where I live.
Two of the main players in the bike trailer world are Burley and Chariot. I’m most familiar with the Burley line, and know that you can’t go wrong with this ‘homegrown’ company. They began from humble beginnings back in the 1980’s, when Alan Scholz decided that he needed something to pull behind his bike so that he could transport bike bags back and forth to a local flea market in the Eugene, Oregon area.
Out of this blossomed a company that makes a high quality product line covering everything from as basic as their Honey Bee to their deluxe Burley D‘lite trailer.
If you’re wondering what features you should be looking for in a bike trailer, here’s a list to consider:
- One of the defining features of a deluxe trailer is a suspension system. While it’s debatable how necessary suspension really is considering that there is some natural ‘give’ in the tires and in the hammock style seating, the high end trailers have an elastomer plastic between the axle and the body of the trailer to absorb additional shock.
- Is the trailer designed to carry two kids, or is it like the Burley Solo, which is narrower and accommodates one kid at a time?
- How easily does the unit fold down. In fact, how effectively does it ‘get small’? Do the wheels come off easily and does the tow arm disconnect quickly?
- Some of the models have easily detachable seats and safety harnesses, making it easier to clean up after Junior spills juice and snacks all over himself.
- UV protected plastic windows are important for protection from the harmful effects of the sun. Any kind of window is critical for toddler amusement…who would want to bump along behind a bike if they can’t see what is going on?
- Versatility in the ventilation system is greatly appreciated by the trailer occupant. Is there an ability to roll up the front window and still have a screen intact for those hot days? On the other hand, can the trailer be ‘buttoned up’ for unexpected rain showers?
- A lot of bike trailer owners appreciate an extra hitch assembly that can be put on a second bike, making it convenient to switch between trusty steeds.
- Getting back to basics…the higher end trailers are made of aluminum while the budget models may be made of steel tubing, contributing to a substantial weight difference between the two.
So if you’ve been a bit down in the mouth lately because you can’t see a viable way in which to share your passion with your newly enlarging family, take a trip to the bike store to look at their supply of bike trailers. Pulling the kids along in a bike trailer puts another enjoyable spin on taking a bike ride.
About the author: Ron Fritzke is a cycling product reviewer with a passion for ‘all things cycling’. His time spent pulling his kids around in an old school bike trailer are some of his fondest cycling memories.