[SS Barby]

Has anyone used one of those kid carrier bike trailers on the trails before? I want my wife to get into mountain biking, but she doesn't want to go out on the local trails by herself until she gets to know them. The problem is we have a 3 and a 2 year old and no access to babysitters. I was thinking about buying a bike trailer and riding the double tracks and fire roads at our local trails.
Will the trailer hold up? Will the kids get rack around if I don't ride to fast? Is this a good idea or not?
Our trails are mostly desert trails with sand and some ruts. Everthing from steep uphills and downhills to gradual climbs for a few miles. I think that I can control my speed enough for it not to be a issue. Plus, my wife isn't really expierenced on a bike, so she'd be riding pretty slow to begin with anyway. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bitflogger]

Has anyone used one of those kid carrier bike trailers on the trails before? I want my wife to get into mountain biking, but she doesn't want to go out on the local trails by herself until she gets to know them. The problem is we have a 3 and a 2 year old and no access to babysitters. I was thinking about buying a bike trailer and riding the double tracks and fire roads at our local trails.
Will the trailer hold up? Will the kids get rack around if I don't ride to fast? Is this a good idea or not?
Our trails are mostly desert trails with sand and some ruts. Everthing from steep uphills and downhills to gradual climbs for a few miles. I think that I can control my speed enough for it not to be a issue. Plus, my wife isn't really expierenced on a bike, so she'd be riding pretty slow to begin with anyway. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Yes for "Bike Path" and old rail bed trails. The 2 and 3 year old attention span and desire for action are rather limiting. We do plenty of biking, but not big projects or trips. It has to be a place where the kids can get out, and be happy.

My 3 kids range from loving it to wanting to be out of the trailer most of the time. My kids do not like it when it's too rough in the Burley, and especially when tired.

I don't know about your trailer, but we have a Burley that has held up very well. It probably gets harder use hauling groceries, beer and milk and some stuff I've hauled from hardware store. Our Burly gets a lot of use as an off pavement stroller, so the quality seems good. 4 seasons, 4 years and 3 kids and I know why people said get Burley.

 

[SS Barby]

Thank you, I found some other posts on this topic. Our rides wouldn't probably be more than a hour long anyway. I don't know what the kids would think, but they seem to be interested in mtbiking a little. Sometimes they enjoy watching mtb videos and playing with my bike while I'm cleaning it. They're both in the latter part of their ages. I guesswe'll see.

 

[OregonXC]

Get a Burley

Burley is the way to go. I have a hand-me-down Burley that three families have used. All seven kids are now into bikes. I had problems on muddy roads with the trailer slipping sidways, it drove me crazy. I put knobbies on it, even though Burley says not to. Problem solved. My son and I have about 1000 miles on it this year and he loves the bumpy rides! They seem to last forever. This one is over ten years old and there are no problems with it at all.

 

[Potential Roadkill]

Never tried two kids off road

but I've hauled a trailer up plenty of dual track and fire roads, basically you get a feel for how wide the thing is and what it can squeeze through. We had one made by In Sport, hooked the kid up with a camelbak and twizzlers and road for hours..

 

[sgltrak]

My Burley held up well to fire roads and even some single track. Have to be pretty careful on the single track to keep an eye on which side of the trail the extra wheel was running, in order to keep from hitting logs, trees, and rocks. Kind of like running a slalom course. Obviously you can't ride everything you would ride alone. My daughter enjoyed the bouncing, which often would put her to sleep. I only rolled it 3 times with her in it, and she thought it was funny each time. We strapped her car seat in it and she started riding in it at around 8 weeks old. That was 11 years ago.

 

[Squash]

Bike trailers are great! But a word of caution!!!....

A child in a well manufactured bike trailer may not weigh much, but it does add significant weight to the total package or rider, bike, trailer, and passenger. It also SIGNIFICANTLY adds to the stopping distance required! Off roading with a bike trailer and your kid is NOT a good idea. Certainly bike path, rail trails, and wide groomed trails would most likely be fine. But downhill sections must be approached with extreme caution. Even mildly sloping long downhills can be very dangerous with the added weight behind you. The type of brakes you have will also play a big part in it as well. Disc brakes would be my first choice. Low fade, powerful, and low maintenance. The big thing of course is not necessarily stopping but controling your speed, although stopping can be very desireable at times as well. A buddy of mine almost racked himself, his bike, and his 3 year old son up on a very mild downhill road in the town where we live. Burly trailer, Vbrakes, and a 2 to 3% grade about a mile long with a stop sign at the bottom. He got it stopped before the intersection, but only after toasting his brake pads, they were darn near melted.

Anyway, not saying that you shouldn't, just saying make sure that your equipment and mind set are up to it and in excellent working order.

Good Dirt

 

[notrelatedtoted]

I've done crushed-gravel rail-trails and fireroad, some of them pretty rutted and kinda rough. Just a couple of weeks ago my kids were complaining about it being too bumpy. Also, you will definitely feel the trailer going uphill, and as someone else posted, the trailer will significantly affect handling and braking. I wouldn't attempt anything more than very, very mellow singletrack.

I bought an Instep trailer at Target - I wasn't sure I could justify the cost of the Burley at the time. I've used the trailer quite a bit, and it's held up fine. I do go out of my way to make sure the kids don't abuse it, though. Also, I've found that the more I used the trailer, the less they wanted to be in it. Now, I use it every once in a while as they get kinda bored with regular outings. (But then we're using it for purely recreational purposes, not for transportation.) I'd be kicking myself right about now if I'd paid $300.....

 

[hatake]

My vote goes for Burley, too. The pivot seemed to be the weakest link (plastic), but it is designed very well and seem to offload any bending forces by turning/extending. No issue whatsoever after 4 years of use. One bad thing is that kids love it so much they prefer riding in it to riding their own. It's got snack sacks, block wind, can be an open roof. They care about their customers (reply to my email questions right away). You probably won't get the same service elsewhere.

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

find a babysitter.......or stick to sidewalks and bike paths......bumps on a bike you can absorb with your legs.....they will just bounce around

 

[tcp]

Try a Chariot

http://www.chariotcarriers.com/html_english/cougar1.htm

Suspension built in. Lifetime warranty. Running, skiing, cycling attachments all available. Look around the site.

Has anyone used one of those kid carrier bike trailers on the trails before? I want my wife to get into mountain biking, but she doesn't want to go out on the local trails by herself until she gets to know them. The problem is we have a 3 and a 2 year old and no access to babysitters. I was thinking about buying a bike trailer and riding the double tracks and fire roads at our local trails.
Will the trailer hold up? Will the kids get rack around if I don't ride to fast? Is this a good idea or not?
Our trails are mostly desert trails with sand and some ruts. Everthing from steep uphills and downhills to gradual climbs for a few miles. I think that I can control my speed enough for it not to be a issue. Plus, my wife isn't really expierenced on a bike, so she'd be riding pretty slow to begin with anyway. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.