Bike Seat or Trailer for the Little One

How old? How heavy? Can he pedal?

here i go again, talking about my cute red-headed resistance trainers

we have a burley d'lite and last season most of my rides were done w/ my two daughter in the burley. we like it so much, that we invested in a burley flatbed to haul groceries with, so that we can bike more than drive come spring.

in general, the trailers are safer for one simple reason - if you crash, they don't. if i drop my bike while its hooked up to the burley, the burley stays upright. the attachment to the bike pivots. plus, the burley keeps the kids protected from the wind and cold if the weather shifts, and from the sun and bugs. both of my girls love being in the burley.

Trailer without a doubt. Safety is THE factor. If the kids are strapped in correctly, they will be encased in what is, for all practical purposes, a roll cage.

The new ones from Trek are excellent.

I've got a similar question - I've got two kids that I'd like to include in my training. My daughter is 8 (~70 lbs) and my son is 5 (~45 lbs). I've looked at the Burley products, but I think my kids are too big to ride in it together. I'm not sure my 8 yr-old would fit even by herself. I've also looked at various "ride-behind" one-wheel trailers. They'd be fine for my 8 yr-old, but would my 5 yr-old be big enough? I'd be grateful for any insights.

Trailer for all the same reasons plus: ours converts to a jogging stroller; there's a bar with steering wheels so they can pretend they're driving; it has mesh and clear plastic covers for warmth and protection from the elements (you're working out, they're sitting still getting hit with the wind); a trailer can carry toys, snacks, sippy cups etc; I imagine a trailer would be much more comfortable to nap in.

I have a 4-yr-old who first rode in a bike seat behind me. I guess I worried more about a low, hard-to-see trailer being crushed by some oblivious motorist rather than my falling over. Actually, I *did* fall over a few times and the seat protected the little guy very well. I was the one who got clobbered from the extra weight of the bike.

Now Jr. rides on a tag-along bike attached to my seat post. He can pedal when he wants (a huge boost) or not, it doesn't really matter. We can go out for an hour easily and have a great time. Something else I've seen is a tandem with a pedal extension so a kid can ride in back. If you did that and put a tag-along behind you could ride with both kids at once, and you wouldn't be pulling them! You would also look like something out of Dr. Suess, but that's your business.

Valid point, but I would sooner stick my head in a fire than ride with one of my kids on or behind my bike anywhere with vehicular traffic. Trails only.

Head in a fire sounds uncomfortable. I rode across Tasmania, commuted back and forth to work, and went on many long weekend rides with my son in a bike seat behind me and he never got so much as a scratch. The danger level didn't seem particularly high with this set-up. For the last year or so we've been cycling very happily together with the tagalong. You imply that I am somehow a reckless or negligent parent for cycling with my child. I resent that, and I strongly disagree. There aren't a lot of bike trails where I live, so we take the appropriate precautions and cycle on the surfaces available to us.

My little one is going to be a year in 2 weeks. He is 23 lbs and he does not pedal (yet). I plan on riding on trails as people in St. Louis DO NOT pay attention to cyclists and we have tons of places to cycle. With the trailer I am worried about him feeling detached back there all alone... and I like the idea of seat so I can talk to him. Although I guess it won't be that much different than the Jogging stroller which he seems to love. I just wanted to have some feedback before I go to the bike store and they try to sell me the most expensive thing they carry. Thanks for the info.

I just revisited this thread because it occurred to me that the way I worded this was harsh, judgmental and did not communicate what I intended. I offer my apologies. I did not mean to imply you are reckless or negligent. My intent was communicate my paranoia about biking in my area, not to pass judgement on you.

Thanks.

FWIW, we just got a One Step Ahead catalog yesterday that has a kiddie seat that goes in front of the rider. It appears to attach to the stem. There's even a windshield option.

I've seen those, but they only work for pretty small kids. The rear-mounted models you can use a lot longer.

I have a little one that will be ready for one next year and only an experienced person in this can give such a clear view. No need to wonder for me anymore. Thanks.

Thanks so much for everyone's imput. We are going to go with a trailer they just seem safer and that is for sure the most important thing for me. Now I just have to figure out which trailer Thanks again! I can't wait to start biking with my son.

Jenn