Child trailers for single track

[Cypher]

Has anyone had any experience with child bike trailers on single track? Which performed best?

I've been looking at a range of trailers, but they are all quite wide (the two wheeler versions). I'm pretty sure they don't suit single track. I've thought about a bob trailer - one comes with suspension. Add a baby capsule and voila! I do know they perform quite well on single track, having only one wheel.

And before you all start panning me, I'm not thinking of hucking down technical steppy stuff with the baby - just slow easy riding around fun single track. It would just be sad if I was relegated to fire trail for the foreseeable future if I wanted to ride with my bub.

Cheers!

 

[harmonix1234]

I had one of these and used to take the little one on unsealed gravel roads, but no single track.
We did hit up the skate park once on the way home and did a few banks on some mellow transitions for a hoot. She loved it. But there was no suspension.
Just ran a low psi in the tyres all the time for comforts sake.
The gravel roads I did were around margate, and some on par with a good fire road. A few pot holes, a bit bumpy, but it was fine.

The inside seat was a sheet of suspended thick ripstop nylon with a gap of about 3 inches between the seat and the floor of the chariot so we used to stick a pillow underneath and she loved the bouncing around because she was in comfort.

It had an around-the-waist style seat belt in the middle plus an over the shoulders race car style harness combined so it was quite safe.

I would have very comfortably taken it on well groomed trail. But any ruts, roots or rock gardens and wouldn't even consider it.
I can handle a mechanical on my own, but twisting an axle and not being able to ride out would worry me if the terrain wasn't perfect.

Riding uphill on gravel is hard too as I would often lose traction from the added weight.

I think I sold the trailer on here actually, when the little one grew out of it. You could have a dig at my old 'for sales' for a better look if you could be bothered.

Do it.

Master Cycle brand from Big W.

 

[g-fish]

I saw someone doing this with a two wheeled trailer. It didnt look any different to the one posted above, but im not really in the know. The only mod seemed to be quite wide tires.. 20" trials tire perhaps? Theyre deigned to run low psi, so theyd give a nicer ride.

Sent from my GT-P1000T using Tapatalk

 

[Nerf Herder]

I don't think I'd do it ... depending on how old the kids are ... and then the older they are the heavier obviously ... I'd just be weary of shaking related damage, particularly brain damage.

My kids are on their bikes independently (roughly 4 & 5) and we are slowly working towards dirt, or more importantly uneven dirt, rocks and changes in gradient both up and down. In the scheme of things 4 to 7 years is not a long time to wait for the little ones to enjoy sniggle. *shrugs

 

[flamin'trek]

I used to take my son out on smooth single on a bub seat on the rear of hard tail at about 18mths. Meant riding my wifes bike, but at least we were out. Didn't take him off rd until he was that age due to the shaking thing, but he used to love it. When son no.2 came along tried the trailer for a while until they could ride them selves, but it's pretty heavy with 2 so stuck to cycleways. I've missed some MTB riding while they were/are growing up, but it's no biggie, will get into it with the fam soon enough.

Now the oldest is 6 and has a proper bike we can go get off rd again and I take the 3yo on a tag-a-long. Not too long now and we'll all be proper riding.

 

[colesy01]

I used to take my son out on smooth single on a bub seat on the rear of hard tail at about 18mths. Meant riding my wifes bike, but at least we were out. Didn't take him off rd until he was that age due to the shaking thing, but he used to love it. When son no.2 came along tried the trailer for a while until they could ride them selves, but it's pretty heavy with 2 so stuck to cycleways. I've missed some MTB riding while they were/are growing up, but it's no biggie, will get into it with the fam soon enough.

Now the oldest is 6 and has a proper bike we can go get off rd again and I take the 3yo on a tag-a-long. Not too long now and we'll all be proper riding.

+1 for the tag-along.

I started taking my son out on fairly flat singletrack on the tag-along when he was around 2 1/2, just old enough to hold the handlebars and reach the pedals. As he got older, we got bolder with our choice of track until he could ride his own bike.

 

[Moggio]

I have been taking the kids out on the tag-a-long half bike for a few years and they love it.

The main problem is that the trailer will cut the corner which means the kiddy on the back gets dragged through the scrub off track. You can compensate for this by taking the corner really wide but that sometimes means you go off track. Where I ride it is pretty tight and twisty and pretty snakey so it isn't desirable. A wider, not so twisty trail would be ok I would imagine. I saw a guy and his 5 year old hammering the green trails at Rotura once in awesome style.

 

[Cypher]

Thanks for all the input guys. My bubla has been riding single track with me since conception, although amniotic fluid is a far superior suspension system than any you can get on a trailer. He quite likes Appin

I'm still looking for my ultimate trailer system, but I think I'm going to have to wait I hate sitting on the sidelines while watching other people ride - yeah, I know my partner will look after the baby will I burn a lap. But it would be cool to be able to keep in riding while looking after the baby.

 

[rone]

You need a weehoo you do.

http://www.weehoobicycletrailer.com/



Should be able to get one on ebay for about $350

 

[Slowman]

We rode from Darkes Forest to Appin and return one day and a guy showed up with his 2 y/o daughter in a chariot somewhat like the one above from Big W. She seemed to be suspend well inside the chariot. This guy was pretty much skin, muscle and bone and he got up some of the hills with his daughter and chariot in tow that some of use struggled up. He was frightening! He was a little slower but on the steep bits he'd kind of catch up. It really depended on the length, terrain and gradient, but we had no doubts he'd have flogged us all without the trailer. All of us, and that included a guy who'd podiumed outright at the DW50 around the time.

We did the WSMTB XC course out at Appin too. I think he sat that one out but there was some 4wd tracks out near that airport out there and he got stuck into those and even stacked and had the chariot capsize! His daughter was suspended inside securely so she wasn't hurt though he did tone it down after that and as this happened before we got to the XC track that is probably why although I think he would have anyway. He wasn't really that crazy or gung-ho he was just that good and that skilled too. He should have unhitched and done a lap. Anyway those chariots, if you can find the right one are pretty secure and safe for the passenger inside if you can find the right design. I can't remember the brand but I think it actually had "chariot" as part of its name (model or brand can't recall).

 

[quiggs]

I have been using a trailer off road since our little manic of a son was around 8 months old. Initially just on bike paths,progressed to smoothish fire trails then a few horse riders trails. To begin with we purchased a neck collar that was intergated into the seat harness of the trailer, in recent months I have removed the neck support in favor of his bike helmet, which he happily wears. As you can see in the photos, on the link below, he is happily asleep and generally stays that way including over rougher trailers.


http://jasonquigley.blogspot.com/2011/02/selfish-training-partners.html

 

[steve24]

This might be what you are after http://www.tout-terrain.de/2/products/t ... ailer.html

I have used a charriot 2 kid trailer for about 4.5 years and rate them highly for general cycling (from about 10-12mnths of age).

With 2 kids they are also the best pusher off the bike. We used ours for a 6 week trip to Europe this year and it was great (mostly non cycling).

i think a wee rider front seat would be best (from same age) for the single track....

 

[tricycle]

as a father of 2 , i wouldnt do it .

 

[darkmilk]

I have the croozer trailer, and have had that on smooth gravel - but only slowly with soft tyres which was fine, the suspendes seat does take out some bumps, but I wouldn't do anything rougher with a kid in a trailer. Even cutting across a park corner on a pedestrain track sucks with the trailer because it ends up with one wheel each side on the rough parts, and the side to side motion flicks the kids head.

However I also have the weeride, and that is a definite goer on easy to moderate single trail! I have recently put mine back on the MTB (after a while on a comfort bike, bike paths to daycare) and taken my 3 year old out off-road. We have been on smooth dirt plenty of times, just recently we have now built up to rough fire tracks (washouts and water bars) and some single trail I knew was easy but rough enough to be interesting (up to two inch or so roots etc), and even some small jumps built by the local kids, he loved it all - especially one relatively quick descent with just a little air on the water bars The plastic part which is marketed for snoozing seems to double as a padded guard to stop them slamming their face into the bars with big angle changes like dropoffs (he does hold himself up most of the time, but is easily distracted...), so it works well where other seats would probably hurt them, and with the weight in front I could handle the bike OK just needed exagerrated body movements to counteract his weight just like it was a really, really heavy bike.

 

[steve24]

Cheers Darkmilk, i have been thinking about getting a bit of more interesting riding in with my front passenger who will soon be 3. Good to get possitive feedback.

 

[sime1810]

I took my 2 year old daughter around Lysterfield last week, mainly on the management tracks but I did take her slowly up Hug and Upper Blair Witch. I just had her in the childs seat on the back of the bike. She loved it most of the time. It did get a bit bumpy for her in parts of the single track. I think next time I'll sit her on a cushion and drop the tyre pressure a bit. She did cop a branch across the face which I didn't even know about until we stopped and I saw the scratch. She was really good about it but I felt bad. I think next time I'll just stick to the management tracks. Having that much weight over the back of the bike made some of the pinch hills a bit tricky to get up. It was great though just to get out there with her. She loved doing something different, especially seeing the kangaroos and having a picnic at the very top of the hill.

 

[wilddemon]

Training for vets

We rode from Darkes Forest to Appin and return one day and a guy showed up with his 2 y/o daughter in a chariot somewhat like the one above from Big W. She seemed to be suspend well inside the chariot. This guy was pretty much skin, muscle and bone and he got up some of the hills with his daughter and chariot in tow that some of use struggled up. He was frightening! He was a little slower but on the steep bits he'd kind of catch up. It really depended on the length, terrain and gradient, but we had no doubts he'd have flogged us all without the trailer. All of us, and that included a guy who'd podiumed outright at the DW50 around the time.

We did the WSMTB XC course out at Appin too. I think he sat that one out but there was some 4wd tracks out near that airport out there and he got stuck into those and even stacked and had the chariot capsize! His daughter was suspended inside securely so she wasn't hurt though he did tone it down after that and as this happened before we got to the XC track that is probably why although I think he would have anyway. He wasn't really that crazy or gung-ho he was just that good and that skilled too. He should have unhitched and done a lap. Anyway those chariots, if you can find the right one are pretty secure and safe for the passenger inside if you can find the right design. I can't remember the brand but I think it actually had "chariot" as part of its name (model or brand can't recall).

slowman, i think that you are onto something. Us vets with kids may not always be able to get out for a ride, but when we do, we haul the kids and a nappy bag!!! Could make us stronger, if not by the increased difficulty, then by natural selection. I don't think I'll be taking on appin with a trailer but a few fire trails would be ok surely. what about those little baby harnesses, where you strap bub on your chest? would this be significantly more dangerous than a trailer?

 

[OMA11R]

Hi Mate,

I have two children, I find the trailers are problematic when taken off road. examples. no suspension, seating area bottoms out on rocks and the list goes on.

I now only use the trailer for flat surface rides.

Have you considered a wee ride, my wife and I now take our kids out using it on a wee ride and it is great, surprisingly they are actually not that awkward and removable


http://www.weeride.com.au/

 

[dottyman]

tag along and rear seat

I have 3 kids aged 4,2 and 1 ( yes we now have a TV in the bedroom!). My 4yo loves the tag along, probably too much so its harder to get her on her trainer bike but we have great fun on cycle ways and bike lanes. I could go fire roads with gentle gradients but any climb requiring granny ring would be a push. There are some bigish hills around here for that. She's about 20kg and the tag a long is 14?kgs.
For the younger ones the rear seat is fine and cheap $30 on ebay but it meant buying a cheap 26inch hardtail to take the rack for the seat.
Would like to buy a wee ride too so I can fit it on the dually. Has anyone taken 2 kids at once? ie one on wee ride and one on tag a long...obviously on safe trails.

 

[OMA11R]

I have 3 kids aged 4,2 and 1 ( yes we now have a TV in the bedroom!). My 4yo loves the tag along, probably too much so its harder to get her on her trainer bike but we have great fun on cycle ways and bike lanes. I could go fire roads with gentle gradients but any climb requiring granny ring would be a push. There are some bigish hills around here for that. She's about 20kg and the tag a long is 14?kgs.
For the younger ones the rear seat is fine and cheap $30 on ebay but it meant buying a cheap 26inch hardtail to take the rack for the seat.
Would like to buy a wee ride too so I can fit it on the dually. Has anyone taken 2 kids at once? ie one on wee ride and one on tag a long...obviously on safe trails.

Yeah I take my 4 year old daughter on the wee ride while my 5 year old son sits in the tag along. Works ok, just wish the tag along has suspension, I see my son bouncing around at times.