Hi, I have a son who's almost two. We live near some nice trails, and I recently saw a nice bicycle for sale so had to get it. But then, what to do with my son while I'm biking? I thought of buying a bicyle trailer for children (kind that looks like a tent) - they had one on sale too for 75 dollars. But my husband says it's going to be winter soon and by the time the spring comes again, he will be too heavy to pull on a trailer - or he may not be too heavy right away, but he would be soon enough that it won't be worth an investment - we should have gotten it a year ago for it to be worth it. (Just to clarify - the weight limit on the trailer on sale is 100 lb, but my husband thinks even if our son is much lighter than that - 30-40 lbs by next spring-summer? - it just would be too much of a workout to pull - especially on a hill.)
So, a question for you is, how long did you use these bicycle trailer for kids for? Until your child was how old/how many lbs?
If it's too late for us to get the trailer, does that mean we won't be able to enjoying biking with our son until he learns to ride on his own? My husband talked about tandem bikes, etc., but THAT seems like too much of an investment for something used for a short time. Did you put some kind of kid back seat on your regular bicycle? Please let me know how you enjoyed biking with your young child before s/he learned to bike on his/her own. Thank you!
Thank you all for telling me your experiences! I did pass on this $75 one because it could not be coverted to a stroller, but I may even just buy a $100 one at a store, or look for one at garage sales. I do definitely plan on getting a trailer. Good to hear about experiences with the seat that goes on the back of adult bicycle (not so stable, it seems like). Thank you!
BUY IT!
My husband bought one for his bike and they have a great time on their little trips. My son tends to fall asleep when they go for their rides! :)
I bought a seat that goes on the adult bike. My daughter screamed and cried and I found it hard to get the hang on having the extra weight on the bike. We never used it.
Go for it! $75 bucks is nothing if you see the worth that you will be spending quality time with your son outdoors--bonding etc. Priceless!!! I would get the trailer and he won't be 100lbs anytime soon. You have plenty of time to use it. GL
M
I bought our bike trailer when my daughter was almost 2 and she is almost 5 and we still use it all the time. It isn't hard to pull them behind you and it might be a little heavier, but it isn't that bad. My daughter loves going on rides. I give her snacks and toys and books and she could go forever. I typically stick to trails only, never on the road.
Sometimes my daughter likes to ride her own bike but then gets tired, so I use bungey cords and secure her bike on the back of the trailer.
I would highly recommend the trailer. We love ours! Ours was under $100.00. Best investment.
Most bike trailers go up to 100 pounds. I can't imagine he would weigh that anytime soon!!
I used the trailer up through 4.5 years (46 lbs) - more my son's choice than mine. Even now (almost 5) I still pull it along in case my son gets too tired to continue biking. I figure we can ditch his bike in the woods then come back with the car to fetch it later. It's good for hauling stuff on our longer bike rides too.
I never found my son TOO hard to pull - I could still do hills with him in the trailer, even though he's on the heavier end of the scale. Sigh...I remember how we used to breeze past my friends with him in the trailer. Now he's on training wheels and we're way at the back of the pack, trying to learn how to keep safely to the side of the road, braking, keeping your eyes on the road, not falling off. Nerve-wracking!
My only real complaint with the trailer is that it's a pain to store if you don't have a garage or big shed of some sort.
Get the trailer!! Even if you have to pay full price. My 5 and 3 year olds get in it together and I have no problem pulling them. I am not a strong biker but my bike does have gears. I'd do your research and bet a good trailer, even if you pay more. Some of them are very small.
We use ours in winter too! Granted we're not in MN> :) Pile the blankets on top in Fall and have a great ride.
My husband and I have looked into this also and will get one the spring. My daughter currently weighs 40 pounds at 3 yrs old. She is the size of a 4 yr old, height also. A friend of mine still uses hers with her 4 yr old and 2 yr old.
100 pound limit would give you at least until she is 5 or 6. We were actually discussing my daughter's weight last night. She is totally into horses. Talks about riding her horse. See, we had gone to a fair and they had pony and camel rides and she went on over and over. I was on craigslist and saw some people selling those spring horses that a child can ride. i told him we could get her one for Christmas. They go up to 75 pounds, depending on what one you get. He told me she would be over that by Christmas-so gaining 30 pounds in 3 months. Men seem to think kids gain a lot of weight at once and don't separate out the age difference between the child and you or I gaining 10 pounds in a couple of months. I would go for it. If anything look for a used one now that the season is winding down and people are looking to get rid of their extra stuff.
Oh you'll get years of use out of it. When we first got ours, our intent was to use it for my little guy (who was 18 months old) and both he and my then-7-year-old used to ride in it together. I used to bring my older son to school in it - he was curled up but thought it was a blast. We used it with both little boys in it many times (maybe 75 lbs together). It's especially helpful because you can use it to tow extra stuff. We used to bike to the Fourth of July fireworks in Boston and would use the trailer to tow our youngest child as well as blankets, food, drinks, etc. 40lbs in a trailer really isn't that tough a workout.
We started with a child seat on the back of the bike. I think they go up to around 40 pounds. Then we switched to a trailer bike which has the extra handlebars, seat, and pedals. It took awhile for my son to grow enough to reach the pedals and pull his own weight, but everywhere we went people thought it was cool and would wave to us. We used it up to age 7 when he was able to ride on his own.
My DD is 3 and loves the trailer. When it's chilly we just strap her in and wrap her up in a blanket or make sure she has a coat, warm pants and mittens. We toss a hat in the back for stopping at a park (not on her head because her helmet is on her head). Consider borrowing one or see if a bike shop will let you roll around the block before you buy one. We got ours off Freecycle.
My son is almost 6 and my daughter is almost three. They both climb in together all the time. The six year old can ride a two wheeler, but he just thinks it's fun to ride with his sister sometimes. Buy the trailer. Look on craigslist, there listed there all the time. We got ours for $25 at a yard sale. It's been used so much, I would have paid full price.
The trailer we had had a weight rating. Check to see what the rating is on the one you are looking at. I think ours held 2 kids and up to 100 lbs. But at that weight, I couldn't really pull them very well. It had to go on husband's bike.
Other than that... we went alone or not at all, until our son got training wheels, lol.
Good question, i am considering a bike trailer purchase soon too. I already roller blade with a jogging stroller and love it!, but id like to bike more, plus my oldest has a brand new bike that she worships. I dont have the option to let my husband or someone else watch my youngest.
So i guess what im saying is, let me know how it goes.
also......a long time ago i bought a kids bike seat that clips onto the back of a bike(for when my oldest was2), i used it once and hated it because i have huge kids, it was wobbly and unsafe.
We don't have bikes...but I would get the trailer.
2 reasons why:
Some great ladies answered my question way back during spring about what wagon to buy. A lot of ladies warned me that pulling 2 kids was way more difficult than I might think.
I am not in the best shape...but I'm not a wimp either...no problem pulling my kids in the wagon. Sure up a hill it's a little more work, but we are talking about that awesome invention called "the wheel". ;)
Once kids pass the 1st year they really slow down as far as growing goes.
I know my DD has grown but she has been around the same weight for over 2 years now. My son is the same. They are growing and changing...but it's not like he's gonna put on 10lbs. between now and spring. Ya' know what I mean?
Have fun!!!
we always used a seat that attached to the bike but i dont remember the weight...the trailers are good but to me they are best if you are riding on wide paths that are very smooth, so you might want to take that into consideration...you might be able to find one of the trailers or the seats on craigslist for a decent price...
My son was 4 this summer and I had no problems with using the bike trailer. He is just over 40lbs
We never had a trailer. But, are you going to have more kids? Won't it get plenty of use up to 100 lbs and then more kids?
We used a child seat that attached to the bike seat and held my son with a harness - don't forget the helmet for him!
In a couple of years, you can get one of those tagalong bikes - it's one wheel and a seat with pedals that attaches to one of your bikes. We bought one and used it for 3 kids!
I'm still using our bike trailer for our five year old AND two year old! It goes to 150 lbs, but it's a tight squeeze with both. For ease and room, I usually like to only take one. They weigh about 80 lbs combined, and it adds to your workout but it's not crazy or anything. I have some large hills around me too! We have an Instep dual, and it's awesome and we got it at walmart for $100! It folds up in a snap and fits in our coat closet -the sides collapse down. It also doubles as a stroller. GREAT trailer and has held up well!
One thing we're looking at that kids love is putting the tandem, wheeled and pedaled extension on the back of one of our bikes for the five year old. He loves to bike -he just can't keep up with us or go as long, and with that he gets to pedal and help, but he can stop and rest if he needs to. They are easily and quickly hooked and unhooked from your bike.
We bought ours on Craigs list and use it a lot. We also have the handle to convert to a stroller which is nice. It's a smooth ride and a lot easier to pull behind a bike than I thought. I have pulled up to 80+ lbs before with 2 4 year olds in it. It stores a lot in the back too.
BUY IT! We have used it for our 2 daughters (now 4 and 5) up till this summer. Our son is 5 months old, so next Spring, we'll use it for him. WE LOVE IT!!! Ours is also able to be a stroller which I think most of them are. Which could be a good all terrain stroller if you don't have one.
I pull my 80 lb son, and 30 lb daughter in my trailer, I hardly feel it. It is supposed to carry up to 100lb, but I figure 10 more won't hurt!
We enjoyed it so much in the spring - now the weather is cooling, we will be going out again - although I think I am going to make my lazy son ride his own bike.
My daughter is 3.5, and she still loves the trailer. Even when your kids don't ride, they are so handy for carrying snacks, changes of clothes, picnic blankets etc.
HAH! I pulled my daughter in her trailer well into her fifth year, when she weighed fifty pounds. On occasion, I also pulled two children, so the weight went up near that maximum hundred...and this was on all-terrain trails, up and down hills, etc. I am no super athlete, either...I do love biking...but you CAN do it. I would still pull her at 55 lbs and age six, but she's too tall for it now. Now I use it for my 17 month old...what a great purchase! We have already gotten YEARS of use out of it, with no end in sight!
I think trailers are safer than the seats that attach onto bikes...look at how each attaches, and you'll see what I mean.
We did receive a "child tandem attachment" as a gift and we used it last summer and most of this summer for our eldest (through years 5 and 6.) It came in especially handy earlier this summer, when she could no longer ride in the trailer but hadn't yet learned to ride her bike.
ABSOLUTELY get a bike trailer if you want to enjoy riding. I used to fold a comfy blanket that she could sit on, put a little throw pillow on either side, and give her a snack, some books, a little tape player (there are pockets on the inside of ours) to listen to music...it was like a rolling limo for her. We seriously got SOO much use out of it...it is NOT too late!!! :)
PLEASE get one! :) I love hearing about families being active, and I think biking is a wonderful way, and the trailer was seriously one of our best investments as far as child products go. That and a good stroller!
