Our experiences of bike trailers.

General notes, alphabetical order:

The upper limit for the age of child you can take depends on the size/height of your child, and how much leg room the trailer has. Burley is said to have the most leg room, and they suggest 6yo as the upper limit. My older 2 children are small for age; won't be the size of the average 6yo until they're 7yo. But by 4-6yo, most children can use either a childback tandem or trailer bike or even ride on their own (my 5yo is riding half a mile to school now on his own bike, and he's the height of the average 4yo).

Our solution for ferrying a very small baby, and it's a common one, was to securely strap an infant carrier/small carseat into the trailer until the baby outgrows that, which is usually about 7-9 months old. This is criticised as having too little cushioning for the baby's head/brain against the shocks of the road, but my daughter is 3 now and I don't think she's any worse for it. The straps also aren't designed to hold a heavy car-seat and might break, but I guess depends how heavy your car seat is. We have found that our very little ones don't like to go (start crying) offroad with any set up, though if we were using a trailer without adjustable suspension, that might make the difference. From about 6 months old, baby can start riding in a seat behind the bike, or in our situation, from 7-8 months, we were wedging baby in the trailer next to an older sibling, using terry nappies as adjustable size booster seats. If the baby isn't comfortable he/she will cry to let you know. There is a problem of baby slipping down if you don't have some sort of make-shift booster seat until they get to the 12-18 month size. Alternatively, suitable for (I think) babies up to 3-4 months old, there is a Dutch contraption called Babybike.

Conversion kits: Some trailers, especially the more expensive ones, have accessories to go with the trailer to make it into a jogging stroller/pushchair, a stroller, cross-country, hiking trailer and more if you look at all the options in the Burley, Chariot & Wike models.

Floors: Solid or fabric. Solid is said to be more durable (the canvas floor on our Koolstop, see below, started going after about 4 years) but solid floors are noisier (toys rattling around, etc.) & heavier. How to know which to choose? Kinetics described the solid floor Chariots as the sorts you�d use for everyday commuting; the fabric floor Chariots are described as more for recreational weekend riding.

Helmets: Trailer manufacturers will tell you that your child must wear a helmet in the trailer. Helmet wearing is considered so important that some of the trailers come with optional helmet cushions, helmet recesses, etc. So that's the official advice.
We don't use helmets in the trailer; 2 children riding in a trailer, esp. 2 children of different ages, will bump heads frequently & with helmets on you�re talking a lot more crowding & complaining about one child's helmet ending up in other child's face. I failed to see how to prevent these problems except by just not using helmets in the trailer in the first place. It's devilish difficult to get a helmet to fit a baby or small child perfectly, too. See the top of this discussion on rec.bicycles.misc about the practicalities of trying to use a helment in a trailer

One thing that cheered me no end was seeing on the Burley website that few of the Burley users themselves had helmets on their kids in the trailers, either.

Hitches: 3 ways to attach the trailer to the bike:

Chainstay (on the frame near the back wheel axle). A chainstay hitch (Koolstop do one) can have the advantage that any bike can tow the trailer, you don't need a have a special hitch on each of your bikes just to transport the trailer.

Seatpost: At least one make of cycle trailer (Cycletote) attaches here. We didn't look closely to this, but we can�t help but think that being attached at the seatpost makes it more likely the trailer would tip over if the bike came down.

Rear Wheel Skewer: Most of the quality trailers seem to attach through the rear wheel skewer (quick release). You get a special hitch bracket that slides onto the skewer.

Whatever type of hitch, the pole from the trailer is supposed to be attached or unattached relatively easily.

I said "relatively easily", it does depend on manufacturer.

The standard Burley hitch (see manual) To be honest, I looked & looked, and I still don't quite understand how the Burley hitch works. I think it requires turning something (a knob?) to tighten down to the chainstay; there is no need to buy a separate hitch for each potential towing bike, at least, this is a big plus. But I have problems (weakness) in my hands; tightening down a hitch in cold weather is really difficult for me. Burley do an alternative hitch (which you pay for, of course) rather like the Wike one (see next); you would need one alternative hitch for each bike to use with it.

The Wike hitch has a lock bolt on thin metal (bail wire) rings � I would expect these to wear quickly, possibly break & certainly hurt my fingers after a while. At least 2 hitches come included with the basic price of a Wike trailer, though.

Chariot: like the Wike hitch, but bless 'em, they don't use bail wire for the locking bolt, they use a canvas strap; bliss!

Also, you need one of these special hitch brackets for each bike you tow the trailer. The brackets can be moved from one bike to another, but it's a faff; for instance, the bracket may come with its own long skewer (quick release). Not sure but I would imagine when you take the trailer bracket out, the skewer is too big for what's left of your axle, might render the rear wheel non-functional unless you get some big spacers in there. Am not sure about all this!

Luggage capacity: Burley & Wike both brag about this, Chariot is often slated for it being on the low side.

Safety: Burley has a tremendous reputation as very safe; many stories abound of Burley trailers being hit by cars, flying up through the air, landing with occupants safe inside. Sounds compelling, except, as pointed out on uk.rec.cycling, any good quality child trailer should do the same; it has to do with the light weight of the trailer as much as sturdy construction. At least one other parent, Dave Roth also concluded that the much vaunted-reputation of Burley's for safety may not be exclusive to this brand.

Roth decided, and this makes sense to me, that the key safety features to look for in a trailer are:

• Roll bar
• Attached to bottom part of bike (chainstay or rear axle)
• Flag for visibility
• 5-point straps
• Wide wheel base (for stability)
• Visibility (bright colours so motorists see you)

Argos - -probably alright, fairly good value for money, but as with the Lidl, look closely before you buy at the ease of the hitch, folding.

Koolstop - very bright colours, said to be too likely to tip, but we didn�t have that problem with ours. See below for more about our actual experiences with this one.

Little Man - A German make. Friend bought one of these on Ebay, for £60 plus postage (about £15 from Germany). It attach to the chainstay bike, has a solid (metal base), LOTS of luggage space and folds down quite creatively (sort of a butterfly fold). A bit wider than some of the others on offer, and probably heavier with that metal base. But friend has been happy with it, seems a good choice for those on a budget.

Philips/Stevens - these often go for a pittance on Ebay.

St. John Street Cycles/Thorn: apparently do a trailer rather like the Burley but a lot cheaper.

Wike: Cheapest of the top quality options, also best (most visible) colours. Has the simplest & cheapest stroller conversion kit if you only need this option occasionally. Sells direct from (Canadian) manufacturer/own website to cut costs and increase quality of customer service. Got rated highly in product review by Adventure Cyclist.

Burley: an Oregon make, the champ, the favourite, the original. Wike see this as their main rival. Provides a limited life-long guarantee, so only to the first owner, and that doesn't cover fabric, either (apparently) according to one of the reviews on Epinions. Beware therefore if you buy one 2nd hand that the guarantee doesn�t come with it.

Chariot A Canadian make, rebranded as Rhode Gear and (I think) Trek in the USA. Nearly as popular as Burley. Slick website. Same warranty conditions as Burley. One thing that confuses when you're shopping for a Chariot is that they are usually advertised & sold as 'Chassis only'. That�s because to make it into a cycle trailer you need to also buy the cycling conversion kit, otherwise you could be buying it to use for hiking or skiing or jogging, whatever! At any rate, always assume that the basic price is for the box plus wheels only, to actually use it for any activity, you have to buy something else, too. Adding up the bits can make the Chariot more expensive than the Burley, but I notice that REI have scaled their prices so that the Burley (which comes as a cycle trailer) and the Chariot + cycling conversion kit � are the same basic price. Maybe that's deliberate strategy on Chariot�s part.

Winther � this is a Danish make, priced near 700-800 euros (so around £450) when we were looking. Has a solid floor. Reading their website is a good chance to realise how close Danish is to English & Scottish! I think this is probably an excellent product, may even be much superior to the others, but admittedly found it hard to research because I don't know Danish.

Our experiences

By then, we needed a trailer for the daily runs to school & nursery, but also the beach & countryside on weekends. We could afford a more expensive model rather than (the probably nearly as good) cheaper options from Lidl, Argos or Ebay. And given the basic cost of the chassis, the option of a stroller conversion didn't seem to add that much more to the price tag.

We had the option to pay in US dollars, money I had sitting in the bank doing nothing, and import from the USA. Although this would cost something like $160 US for shipping, & attract VAT at 17.5% and import duty of (?perhaps) 10%, it still worked out £80+ cheaper than buying in the UK.

It came down to Burley d'lite, Chariot Cougar 2 CTS or Wike Premium Double Moonlight. Dave Roth�s detailed description of his experience with both Burley & Chariot made me lean towards the later, but I also made these comparisons:

Base, solid or fabric: B=fabric, I think, C=fabric, although their Captain model is solid, W=solid.

Cost ($US) for basic + cycling kit + basic pushchair kit+ shipping from REI or Wike websites:
B= $667 (159 shipping +429 basic w/1 hitch+ 39pushchair conversion kit+40 for two alternative hitches (optional))
C=$647 (159 shipping+390 chassis+40 cycling conv. kit+40 strolling conversion kit+18spare hitch)
W= $565 (135+333+90+7 spare hitch)
Plus in the UK, VAT+10%import duty, approx. B=£68-£80, C=£71, W=£64

Frame: B=?,C=anodized Al,W=?

Guarantee:
B=Website says that it�s lifetime for all parts for whoever buys it new, but there�s a review on Epinions that says that the fabric is specifically excluded!. C=Lifetime frame, one year fabric and hitch, wheels & tires not included W= 15 days no questions asked, Lifetime frame, one year part replacements.

Harness: 5 point in all cases, but it�s a 2-part 5 point system in the Wike (seems odd). You also pay extra for a nice shoulder pad in the Wike, it�s standard in Burley or Chariot.

Height: B & C=84cm, W=104.14cm

Hitch:
B=chainstay or skewer (skewer costs extra)
C=Skewer, canvas strap with lock pin, pay for each one
W=Skewer, bail wire with lock pin; 2 included in price of each trailer


Interior width: B=68.6cm, C=, W=61 cm. Length: B=86.3cm, C=104-115cm, W=114.3cm. Luggage space: B= 3 grocery bags, C=2 grocery bags, I think!, W= 2 grocery bags Weight: B=9.1 kg, C=11, W= 9.7kg Wheels:

B= 20" spoked alloy
C=20" stainless spokes, Al rims, pushbutton release,
W=20" spoked alloy, push button.
Width, Inside: B=68.6cm, C=56 cm, W=56-61cm

Width, Outside: B=81.3cm, C=81cm, W=81cm

Misc. factors.
The Chariot comes with a window on the top, so you can see inside when using it as a stroller; Burley does not. Chariot features adjustable suspension on both wheels, Burley & Wike do not. Chariot wheels to convert to a stroller store on the trailer - always at hand if needed!

Yet another rave review for the Chariot..
Where to buy the Chariot in the UK, with lots of technical info.


If there's one recurring moan about the Burleys it�s the fabric, and the fact that it goes manky fast. Presumably this problem is common to all trailers without mud guards, though.
Reviews of Wike on Epinions. Reviews of Burley on Epinions. Reviews of Burley on biketrailers.com. Reviews of Chariot on Epinions. Yet another Adventure Cyclist review So, what did we decide....?

Decision Time

We had a little bother with the company who did the shipping (FedEx). They labeled it camping gear and tried to impose 17.5% VAT... er, no. It actually qualifies as a baby carriage, subject to much lower VAT (and import duty). FedEx also imposed VAT on the REI membership that I bought, er... I don't think so!! This is something to watch out for if you buy from the USA. To be fair, FedEx accepted my detailed corrections of their original invoice, but it took me ages -- and several phone calls to HM Customs and Excise -- to go thru the invoice to figure out the right VAT and duty that I needed to pay.

So far (3 months in), what we think of the trailer itself is:

• Cargo space is not so much paltry as hard to get into, too. See PHOTO 3 with my keys on it: the space is triangular with the small side where you put things in... you can get a lot in the cargo space, but it has to able to squish thru the small cargo space opening. It has worked out for the school run, but I wistfully miss the big, easy to get into space we had in the Koolstop (or that my friend has in her Little Man trailer).
• Nevertheless, we have managed to bring a backpack (Snugli baby Tomy dreamrider) by just strapping it to the top using bungey cords... or wearing the backpack if the ride is a small distance.
• Chariot advise you mustn't have any cargo in the back when using it as a pushchair, it will tip over backwards, they say. They are right, it is somewhat unstable in pushchair mode. This is a very impractical feature.
• Extra waterproof cover wasn't worth buying, would have been better to get a storage cover, maybe.
• The baby (8 months) sleeps really well in it, much better than in the Koolstop.
• Husband thinks most of the engineering on it is great. People grab me and ask where we got it, it "looks" good.
• The stroller/pushchair conversion kit is ok. It requires tightening down wheels (ARGGGHH...!, I was trying to avoid that), rather than a more clever lock-pin system -- why?
• Also, the stroller wheels can be fiddly to remove, the bit you turn to get them off just turns the whole skewer, so it doesn't come undone. Once I saw another Chariot with both stroller wheels on, while the children were being towed on bike, couldn't help but wonder if the owners had the same problems we've had getting the wheels off.
• The skewer system to attach it to your bike is easy to install.
• The kids are obviously very comfy riding in it.
• The flag is only meant to attach to one side, the left (WHY??). We poked a hole thru the canvas to attach the Koolstop flag on the right, now our trailer has 2 flags. The flag pole is way too long to be practical, we're using the flags at half-height (see PHOTO 4).