Recommendations for trailer?

Adam Lipscombe said:

Any recommendations from experience?

No, but there's a review of 3 in the current issue of VeloVision which
may well be worth a look, along with the Family Cycling buyers' guide in
issue 13.

Aside from anything else, VV is a superb mag and deserves lots of
support: http://www.velovision.co.uk/

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Adam Lipscombe said:

Folks,

I need a tailer to pull my son along . I cant get on with the child seat -
he is big for his age (2 1/2) and it de-stabilises my bike too much.
Preferably robust and light, that that will convert into carrying luggage
when he is old enough to ride himself.

I had a look and there are a plethora of them on the internet. Consumer
paralysis sets in :-)

Any recommendations from experience?

No direct experience, but I asked a similar question a couple of weeks
back on behalf of a friend.

Look for the thread "Child Trailers" MID
<[email hidden]>. Some good advice there.

(She ended up buying a Burley D'Lite from LSMike of this parish, who
is a Top Bloke.)

Tim
--
Blue Witch laughed at me

Adam Lipscombe said:

Folks,

I need a tailer to pull my son along . I cant get on with the child seat -
he is big for his age (2 1/2) and it de-stabilises my bike too much.
Preferably robust and light, that that will convert into carrying luggage
when he is old enough to ride himself.

I had a look and there are a plethora of them on the internet. Consumer
paralysis sets in :-)

Any recommendations from experience?

We used a Burley d'Lite for many years and were *very* sad when we passed it
on. It was a superb trailer taking children from 6 weeks up to 3 1/2 at which
point they moved to the back of a tandem with kiddie cranks. The trailer then
went on the back of the tandem for the next youngster, and the next, and....

We used the trailer very heavily taking it cycle camping over much of the UK
and Europe - it has very good luggage storage behind the seat, and folded
well for travel on trains and the BikeExpress coach.

What stood out most was the almost zero effect on the bike handling - other
than the additional weight of course which made low gearing essential on
mountain climbs. Being able to lie the bike/tandem down while the trailer
remained attached was also very useful at picnic and brew-up stops.

They are a bit pricey but hold their resale value well. We sold at around 70%
of the new price after seven years

It rates as one of out top cycling buys - one that we never had any regrets
over.

John B

Tim Hall said:

(She ended up buying a Burley D'Lite from LSMike of this parish, who
is a Top Bloke.)

*blush* thanks. Hope all's going well!

I love my Burley D'Lite, they are great trailers. For a while I was
tempted to get a single seat trailer, but I'm glad I didn't because the
extra luggage space is very useful. It can get a bit tough cycling
back from the shops with sometimes ~60kg of shopping, child and trailer
on the back up a short steep hill I have to negotiate, thank goodness
for a granny ring. FWIW I've only ever used the Burley, so have no
experience with other trailers to compare.

John B said:

Adam Lipscombe said:

Folks,

I need a tailer to pull my son along . I cant get on with the child seat -
he is big for his age (2 1/2) and it de-stabilises my bike too much.
Preferably robust and light, that that will convert into carrying luggage
when he is old enough to ride himself.

I had a look and there are a plethora of them on the internet. Consumer
paralysis sets in :-)

Any recommendations from experience?

We used a Burley d'Lite for many years and were *very* sad when we passed it
on. It was a superb trailer taking children from 6 weeks up to 3 1/2 at which
point they moved to the back of a tandem with kiddie cranks. The trailer then
went on the back of the tandem for the next youngster, and the next, and....

We used the trailer very heavily taking it cycle camping over much of the UK
and Europe - it has very good luggage storage behind the seat, and folded
well for travel on trains and the BikeExpress coach.

What stood out most was the almost zero effect on the bike handling - other
than the additional weight of course which made low gearing essential on
mountain climbs. Being able to lie the bike/tandem down while the trailer
remained attached was also very useful at picnic and brew-up stops.

They are a bit pricey but hold their resale value well. We sold at around 70%
of the new price after seven years

It rates as one of out top cycling buys - one that we never had any regrets
over.

I bought a Winther Dolphin about 9 years ago (8.5 to be precise). This
has done 3 arctic winters, could probably do with some new tyres and
has had new bolts in a few places. It is a solid plastic base, dead
good as a pushchair for 2 kids as long as you remember to put something
heavy like a bag of tins in the front (something they can't open). It
has been on road, off road wherever. I did at one time commute 16 miles
with it each way.

About twice the price of a Burley, but still solid - currently on loan
to a colleague at work. Copes with 2 kids plus as much shopping as you
can put in, then tow it up a 1 in 10 on ice ith studded tyres. No
worries. Torrential downpours are no problem, nor sticky ice creams as
it hoses down and the seat covers are machine washable.

I have seen one other in UK, at last years York rally and was talking
to the family. They tried both the Dolphin and the D'light and the
towing and general handling of the Dolphin, with its suspension and
angled cantilever wheels was so much better. You really can just forget
it is there. It really is the Rolls Royce of kid trailers (and should
be at a retail price of more than most of the household bikes.) It is
rated for more than you would want to pull in it (I have put in excess
of 70kg) and faster (30kph rating). The seats are solid and it just
doesn't wear. We drilled extra holes and mounted a car seat when #2
came along. No worries there either.

I don't know what the resale value is like. Ours has really been
through the wars but is serviceable.
We'd probably give it to a good home rather than sell it. Don't regret
any penny spent on it at all.

...d

Adam Lipscombe said:

Folks,

I need a tailer to pull my son along.
Any recommendations from experience?

I've five years with the Swiss Leggero Classico: I'ts been great.
http://www.fahrrad-anhaenger.de/kinderhaengerleggero.htm. Every time
the kids grow out of it, along comes another needing towing around.
Most trailer are OK for kids up to about 7, although your wee fella
sounds like he might outgrow it before that...

Absolute best though is the Weber Richie: it's got it all, suspension,
over-run brakes. Best construction I've seen. Just a tad expensive:
http://www.fahrrad-anhaenger.de/kinderhaengerritschie.htm

Both of these are amongst the most solid construction I've seen (the
base is an aluminium tray), and so don't fold small, and are not ideal
for transporting on trains or small cars.
But for everyday use, I'd recommend them highly: the safety of a child
trailer in traffic depends upon its visibililty (fella down the road
from me has an army-surplus-coloured one - not a good idea!), and the
ability of the frame to resist deforming if hit by a motor-vehicle, as
it is shunted out of the way. Weber and Legerro also do conversion
kits to luggage trailers.

A decent hitch is worth having as well: Weber again make the best, with
a choice of integral kick-stand, as well as a QR skewer fitted one. I
have the latter on the MTB for back-up/snow & ice use, and the former
on the main tractor unit, a Thorn Raven where the gear selector gets in
the way of most other hitches (the Becco, for example).

Biggest problem I had with the trailer is getting a lighting set-up: I
ended up making my own, with a BuM D toplight run from the bike's
dynamo (uses a BuM "Weiche" - a plug/switch that diverts power from the
bike's rear-light when the trailer is plugged in), and a Sigma
recharchable battery (6v) coupled with 2 x 3v LED rear lights in
series. I used spare SKS mudguard stays to fabricate mountings.
Highly visible, even in fog.

A lot of people like the Burley/Trek range. My brother has one, and
they are good occasional trailers - they fold and are light, but I
wouldn't like to use one daily/year round. Best buy a trailer made in
a country where trailers are used extensively and with a construction
standard in force.

sothach said:

A decent hitch is worth having as well: Weber again make the best, with
a choice of integral kick-stand,

How do you find this? I have used the Winther one and really like it as
a kick stand (just requires swapping the relevant bolt and adding a
standard ESGE one) and would like to try the weber one but have heard
it is a bit flimsy.

Quoted message said:

A lot of people like the Burley/Trek range. My brother has one, and
they are good occasional trailers - they fold and are light, but I
wouldn't like to use one daily/year round. Best buy a trailer made in
a country where trailers are used extensively and with a construction
standard in force.

Winther Dolphin.. very solid, good all year round - summer, (30+
degrees) winter (-10), torrential rain and gales, and stable as
anything. It will also lower the centre of gravity of your wallet (not
much change from 860 EURO) but will last, and is rated for higher
speeds and loads than almost any other trailer on the market. Makes
Burley look cheap in price and construction.

...d

...d

David Martin said:

sothach said:

A decent hitch is worth having as well: Weber again make the best, with
a choice of integral kick-stand,

How do you find this? I have used the Winther one and really like it as
a kick stand (just requires swapping the relevant bolt and adding a
standard ESGE one) and would like to try the weber one but have heard
it is a bit flimsy.

The Dolphin has a Becco hitch as standard, doesn't it? Two part ally
plates sandwich the chain-stay/seat-stay triangle, and a curved yellow
lever? I had one of them until I got the Raven and it wouldn't fit: it
was great, just a bit more awkward to hicth/unhitch, especially
attaching, if you didn't get the angle just right.

On the Weber B-coupling (integrated side-stand), the 2-point attachment
frame is made of plastic, but the load is carried to the chain-stay via
a metal bracket. It feels very solid, and has survived a couple of
get-offs resulting in some extreme bike-trailer angles... The
connect/discounect action is very nice, easy and solid: press in a
button & 1/4-turn twist. very good if your doing the day-care run and
leaving the trailer there, as you hitch/unhitch every day.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A lot of people like the Burley/Trek range. My brother has one, and
they are good occasional trailers - they fold and are light, but I
wouldn't like to use one daily/year round. Best buy a trailer made in
a country where trailers are used extensively and with a construction
standard in force.

Winther Dolphin.. very solid, good all year round - summer, (30+
degrees) winter (-10), torrential rain and gales, and stable as
anything. It will also lower the centre of gravity of your wallet (not
much change from 860 EURO) but will last, and is rated for higher
speeds and loads than almost any other trailer on the market. Makes
Burley look cheap in price and construction.

It was -7 this morning, so I'm using the MTB with ice tyres at the
moment, and the back-up Weber hitch, that fits on the QR skewer, I'm
praying for some real deep snow, then I'll have the steets to myself...

I'd never seen a Dolphin in the fleisch, but it looks pretty solid from
the piccies on the web. It has a solid plastic base? That should be
better than the fabric ones on folders. It looks like the line of the
axle runs under the passangers, though - does that not make the CoG a
bit high? That one reason I preferred the Legerro over the Ritchie,
much lower CoG, as the wheels use individual QR axles (the Ritchie
can't cuz it needs to brake both wheels together, if the trailer tries
to overtake the tractor unit).

sothach said:

David Martin said:

sothach said:

A decent hitch is worth having as well: Weber again make the best, with
a choice of integral kick-stand,

How do you find this? I have used the Winther one and really like it as
a kick stand (just requires swapping the relevant bolt and adding a
standard ESGE one) and would like to try the weber one but have heard
it is a bit flimsy.

The Dolphin has a Becco hitch as standard, doesn't it?

Not mine, though the newer ones might. It is a single cast piece with
two allen head screws that tighten two cast claw like clamps onto seat
and chain stays respectively. The hitch is via a piece of rubber [1]
with a hole in each end through which a bolt threads (and then into the
propstand) or a pin for the trailer arm. Te hitch stays attatched to
the bike. For six years in my case so I ended up having to use
interesting means to remove it which required changing the bolts for
nice stainless ones (it has a loose threadlock nut on each bolt).

You just unclip the safety webbing, pull out the pin and the trailer is
free. It is easier than a weber hitch.

Quoted message said:

Two part ally
plates sandwich the chain-stay/seat-stay triangle, and a curved yellow
lever? I had one of them until I got the Raven and it wouldn't fit: it
was great, just a bit more awkward to hicth/unhitch, especially
attaching, if you didn't get the angle just right.

Not at all. Totally different.

Quoted message said:

On the Weber B-coupling (integrated side-stand), the 2-point attachment
frame is made of plastic, but the load is carried to the chain-stay via
a metal bracket. It feels very solid, and has survived a couple of
get-offs resulting in some extreme bike-trailer angles... The
connect/discounect action is very nice, easy and solid: press in a
button & 1/4-turn twist. very good if your doing the day-care run and
leaving the trailer there, as you hitch/unhitch every day.

I have a weber hitch on the cargo trailer. I had to special order the
bit to go on the trailer arm and am not impressed with the axle
fitting. It is supposed to sit firm but this one doesn't, hence thinkng
about the propstand one (and since I broke the other propstand..)

Quoted message said:

It was -7 this morning, so I'm using the MTB with ice tyres at the
moment, and the back-up Weber hitch, that fits on the QR skewer, I'm
praying for some real deep snow, then I'll have the steets to myself...

I've towed the Dolphin with two kids in and shopping several hundred
metres up a 1 in 10 on sheet ice. Studded tyres are fantastic ;-) I
have also taken it downhill at well over 30mph loaded (but not with
kids).

Quoted message said:

I'd never seen a Dolphin in the fleisch, but it looks pretty solid from
the piccies on the web. It has a solid plastic base?

about 3mm ABS moulded. The seat back is a separate moulded part which
has two angle settings. It really is solid. And only weighs 13kg.
Dolphins in UK are rare. In fact I think they are rare whatever. More
common in Denmark where they are made. I have seen 1 in UK and less
than a handful elsewhere. Price may have something to do with it, but
after the money is no longer in the account, it is the quality you
remember.

Quoted message said:

That should be
better than the fabric ones on folders. It looks like the line of the
axle runs under the passangers, though - does that not make the CoG a
bit high?

Yes. That is why you always put the unopenable heavy shopping (tins
etc) in front of the kids. It does a good backflip if you are not
careful when in pushchair mode. While it is very manouverable, it is
85cm wide so can be interesting, and the front wheel sticks out a long
way making tight corners (rather than sharp) interesting.

Quoted message said:

That one reason I preferred the Legerro over the Ritchie,
much lower CoG, as the wheels use individual QR axles (the Ritchie
can't cuz it needs to brake both wheels together, if the trailer tries
to overtake the tractor unit).

The Dolphin has independent q/r wheels, it is just designed on a T-bar
axle so the seat is on top of the cross bar and the double foot pan is
below the axle, either side of the towbar.

Before we got the car and before I built the new trailer, I'd easily
fit a weekly supermarket shop in it for a family of 5.

The only things that have broken are one clip (when the car ran over
it), the bolts rusting solid, and the hand brake lever. I keep meaning
to take the brake assembly off and braze a new handle on but haven't
quite got round to it.

...d

[1] generic as in some sort of nice moulded synthetic that has survived
unscathed for 9 years.

Peter Clinch said:

Adam Lipscombe said:

Any recommendations from experience?

No, but there's a review of 3 in the current issue of VeloVision which
may well be worth a look, along with the Family Cycling buyers' guide in
issue 13.

And assuming I manage to pull my finger out before the publishing
deadline there'll be something on the 2 seater Chariot Cougar in the
next one.

Quoted message said:

Aside from anything else, VV is a superb mag and deserves lots of
support: http://www.velovision.co.uk/

Indeed.

Phil

--
http://www.kantaka.co.uk/ .oOo. public key: http://www.kantaka.co.uk/gpg.txt