bike trailers/joggers

[right]

Anyone ever purchase a trailer/stroller for your little ones? I am looking at getting one but would like any info or opinions from the readers here. Thanks.

[mmorkcking]

I had a burley the kids liked it and I liked it. It handled great. Light and easy to fold up. I rolled it over once with my two daughters in it, and my bike stayed up. My daughters stayed strapped in with no injuries. Needless to say my wife was behind me and saw the hole thing and not very happy.

[Dirt]

I had a burley for my dog who was too old and arthritic to go for long walks. It was very stable and he seemed to think it was comfortable. He didn't like the seatbelts though.

We'd ride through the park and I'd chase birds and he'd bark at them. I'd let him out and he'd walk around for a while and then curl back up in it and take a nap.

It was so comfy that he slept in it at home.

I never had a problem with it tipping, but I didn't drive it too fast.

Vote of confidence from a 21 year old Australian Shepherd.

On a slightly different note... Once my dog had died, a few of us at the shop I worked at started having Ben-Hur races around the store after closing on Sundays. Most of the guys used the plastic and metal "Baby Buggy" brand trailers. The Burley handled much better. I was able to corner at much higher speeds and my passanger was able to safely lean out the side further to reach for the quick release levers on our opponent's bikes. We only rolled it twice (once when someone stuck a pump in the spokes of the wheels).

The nice bit of information to glean from this example of equipment abuse is that though the trailers are rated to carry only 80 pounds (if I remember correctly), the thing held up wonderfully when hauling a 130 pound guy around turns so fast that the tires would skid out.

There are also many locations on the Burley to clip playing cards so they flap against the spokes making a really cool noise that your kids will like.

Yet another heart warming/really scary post from ME! Gotta love it.... or not.

The end.

Peter

[mmorkcking]

Wow that sounds fun, I wish I still had mine. I wonder how they would work on a trail ride? We should have trailer races at schafer farm.

[Dirt]

Oh yeah!!! Log hopping with a trailer! That would shake up the occupant a bit. Its fun on a tandem, but I'm not sure if you would have much luck at getting a volunteer to ride in the trailer.

The end.

Peter

[Chris Early]

The July issue of Bicycling mag rates 8 trailers. Check it out.

[Balto Charlie]

Hey Peter you had an Aussie that lived 21 years??? WOW We have a 4 YO red tri. Great dogs. Balto Charlie

[bcaverly]

A word of warning...

Whatever you buy make sure you attach it to your bike and try it before you shell out the bucks! My wife bought a cheap ($110)molded plastic trailer/stroller from Sports Authority a few years ago which I can only use on very short rides around the neighborhood. While there is nothing really wrong with the trailer the hitch mechanism does not fit tightly enough into the rear triangle -- hence I bang my heel on the hitch every crank of the pedals or I ride with my heel angled out sideways. Since I use SPDs neither solution is very practical! This problem occurs on both my MTBs and my road bike! I only have a size 10 foot so it's not like I've got huge feet and this wouldn't happen to anyone else.

As for Burley -- the 1st time I was ever on an MTB (1990) my brother-in-law led me up some of the sweetest single track I have ever ridden towing his 12 year old golden retriever in a Burley trailer (500' vertical in the 2nd 3/4 mile; the only thing that kept me from getting off and walking was the fact that he was pulling a trailer and didn't stop -- I was too stubborn to be outdone that badly even if he is an ex-pro rider) . Katie has since died but that same trailer now carries Alice -- an Australian shepard! Burley is expensive but they are definitely the best.

[Dirt]

Aussies are definitely one of my favorite dogs. I was pretty darn fortunate to have had him as a companion for as long as I did. When I was homeless and living in a VW beetle in Boulder, CO, he was one of the few bright spots in my life. I guess that would explain me spending what was the better part of a few paychecks on a bike trailer for my dog.

If this area was a bit more dog friendly, I'd get another Aussie or Queensland Heeler in a second. As it is, I'll wait till I move back to Colorado before I get another dog.

Bike content: When doing some trail maintenance out at Bull Run Marina about 12 years ago (pre-MORE), I actually managed to haul most of a hot water heater on my Burley trailer. It was about 2 miles back in the woods and we were hauling garbage out to a construction dumpster that the county had put out for the cleanup.

The End.

Peter