Biking with baby

[Lynnie]

... or toddler really. I want to take my 2 year old biking this weekend, but don't know if I should look for a trailer or a bike seat. Anyone have any experiences with either ? love one, hate one ??
or know about how much they run ?

Thanks in advance !

ps to the mods, sorry if this should go in around the house, wasn't really sure.

[mamato1]

Love, love, love my Chariot trailer!!!
Chris

Mama to Brendan (aka Boomer) 01/04


http://b3.lilypie.com/FnI6m5/.png

[almostamom]

We went with a trailer. I just thought DS would be safer there. BTW, he LOVES it!!

~Linda~
DS 11/9/04

[mama2g03]

I second the Chariot trailer. We love ours, too. Don't remember exactly what I paid, but somewhere around $325-350. Got mine from REI when they were having a sale.

[chlobo]

I think it depends on where you will be riding. We live in a somewhat rural town with winding roads and I know I would never feel comfortable pulling a trailer. I'd just be paranoid it sticks out too much. So on the road I use a bike seat.

That said, it's probably easiest to use a bike where you are in an upright position. A road type bike with the curly handlebars isn't the best option because you don't have good balance. A hybrid or Mt. bike will provide a mroe comfortable upright position.

One other thing to note - toddlers are heavy so either way be prepared for a workout unless you are going downhill. A bike with a triple chainring in front would be best as it will give you the largest range of gears to choose from.

ETA: Don't forget the helmets - for both of you. Nothing irks me more than seeing a parent cycling without a helmet while the child has one. Parent's heads are just as soft as children's when in an accident.

[brittone2]

My DH is much more into cycling than I am, but we have a bike trailer (a Burley D'Lite) and a bike seat by Rhode Gear. DH is the one that generally gets stuck towing DS though :)

We like them both for different reasons. Overall I think DS prefers the trailer.

[kellyotn]

We have a Chariot Cougar 2 that we love. We had two riders when we bought it, so we never considered the seats. (DH could ride with one, but I wouldn't want to. I'm not a great rider alone, let alone with a kid behind me.)

The kids love riding in it. Somehow *I* feel its a bit safer than a seat in our area, but I think its just perception - they both have pros and cons.

We chose it over the Burley that we always assumed we'd get b/c of Chariot's great strolling kits. The jogging ones are similar, but Chariot's walking one is a lot nicer. I walk a LOT with it.

The Burley's have better gear storage. The Cougar's is pretty narrow and hard-to-access.

Either way, you can't go wrong. They resell well.

Also, the Kidarooz from Costco seems really nice. Its only $170 for a double. Has lots of storage and comes with a walking kit. Its made by Chariot. You can tell the fabrics aren't as nice or sewn as well as a Chariot, but overall I was really impressed with it when we looked at it a couple weeks ago.

[Lynnie]

Thanks everyone !!

I don't plan on using it anywhere dangerous - just mainly around our 2 mile little residential neighborhood which is flat and pretty out of the way to outside traffic, and really would just like to take the little guy(s) out to shark valley on weekends, which is a flat flat flat trail in the everglades. The kidarooz looks like it would fit the bill perfectly, especially since it can be a double stroller too.

Edited to erase question: found a local bikeshop, and I will take my racing/road bike in and see if it would be compatible. Hope so !!

Thanks again !

[Jen841]

We have both....
The seat we bought when we were city dwellers in Chicago. The best for rough surfaces, getting through the city to trails etc. I can't use the trailer on my bike until my kickstand is moved, on the Honey Do list.

The trailer we bought at a garage sale. DH needed it b/c he can't put a seat on his "real" mountain bike (no holes in the frame).
When Evan is old enough they can ride together, or if they will kill each other one can ride on my bike.

Go to a bike store and get fitted for helmets. They really helped us out getting Jude on right, and they fixed mine for me too.

Many trailers need a pillow behind their backs I have noticed b/c of wearing helmets. Maybe it is better now, but note you may want to have one handy.

Happy trails! Jude LOVES bike rides and asks for them daily. Due to work schedules, and E, he only gets out on the weekends when one of us can take him.

[dr mom]

Love the Cougar Chariot, we use the bike trailer or the stroller every day. DS loves it.

[sdjeppa]

We have a Burley Solo we have been using for about a year. We love it - folds easily, sturdy, comfy for DS. It was a hard choice between that and a chariot, but we liked a few features better on the Burley. We have the jogging attachment on order right now.

Jenny, Mommy to Zachary 9-27-03