Author Topic: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?  (Read 2959 times)

Lucky Recardito

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Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« on: June 03, 2021, 09:37:23 AM »
I know there are probably a zillion threads about biking gear for hauling young kids, but tossing this out there for new opinions (or links to good existing threads if folks know what to search on...).

Finally getting around to thinking about biking with my kiddo this summer. Haven't broached this one personally yet, but I want to get set up and moving for the summer.

Older kid is newly 2; younger kid is just 2 months and isn't a bike-towed candidate just yet, but will be in the future. Older kid is quite tall for his age -- 95th+ percentile, and is over 30 lb. Younger kid will also likely not be a delicate flower, size-wise.

We live in the city; all biking will be on city streets (most with bike lanes) and paved bike paths. Flat as a pancake. My current bike is a hand-me-down 1980s-era no-name something-or-other; it's served me well for city riding & commuting for the past 15 years; no current plans to upgrade it but could consider it in the future.

I started looking at rear-mounted seats for the 2-year-old, but am now thinking I should maybe just get a 2-seat trailer and be done with it? The trailers sort of freak me out because they are so low to the ground (do kids enjoy it? Is it a danger with cars to have something so low?) -- but the mounted seats seem like they could be tippy/difficult to maneuver with -- and wouldn't scale up to 2 kids. (DH does not bike, so bike-based amusement is all about what I want.) Also would not be a good fit for things like "bike to the beach with all the necessary beach gear." Trailer would also allow to keep using the bike & rack for commuting sans-kid (anticipating a return to the office this fall), without hauling around the child seat all the time.

Am I talking myself into wanting a trailer, not a rear-mounted seat? Someone please tell me what to do...

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2021, 10:02:33 AM »
IME experience it depends most on the kid and the parent.

For your littlest, you can cart them around in a trailer (with adequate head protection) much earlier than you can on a rear-mounted seat.  Depends on the kiddo but by 6 months for most in a trailer, whereas I'd hesitate to put a kid on a rear-mounted seat before s/he was 12, maybe 15 months (again, depends on their development).

After that... my daughter loves being on the rear-mounted seat, and once she found out that was an option she fights to be put into a trailer.  But my best friend's son would rather sit in the trailer, and likes that feeling.

One major plus to  trailer is how much more stuff you can take, and it's just easier to bike around.  Little kids can throw off your balance sitting on back of your bike (they just don't sit still like they're supposed to!).  A trailer you can load up with water bottles and a picnic lunch - harder to do when you've got you + kiddo on the bike.

That said... we continue to use both.  It's just a fight to get DD into the trailer sometimes (though once we are underway she seems to enjoy it).

TrMama

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2021, 10:07:03 AM »
I never did the bike mounted seat. We had a trail-a-bike, then a tandem trail-a-bike. After the kids were big enough to ride their own bikes I got a double trailer.

The single trail-a-bike was fantastic. Our area is hilly so it was nice to have the child's help to get uphill. Plus, it helps wear them out a bit. The tandem trail-a-bike was heavy and terrifying. Don't get one of those.

The double trailer is also fantastic. I can easily haul a weeks worth of groceries for 4 people.

The tl;dr version is that there's no perfect solution for all ages. You may end up with a series of different bike-with-kids gizmos.

jac941

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2021, 11:03:49 AM »
When our kids were little we had a trailer, cargo bike and bike seat since biking was our main form of transportation.

Bike seat is the lowest barrier to entry - pop the kid on and go. It does require some creativity for carrying stuff, but a front basket and some panniers can make it work. Get the kind that attaches to the frame, not one that sits on a rear rack so you still have that rack available for bags. The kids love riding high up. If your bike frame isn’t step through it’s a little harder to get on the bike without kicking your kid in the head, but you adapt.

Trailer is the best for crappy weather and for hauling extra stuff. It’s also a good solution for one parent dropping off and another picking up. The disadvantages are that your kids are back there together in a tiny space and it’s hard to tell when they’re fighting until the fight escalates and they’re beating the crap out of each other. Also, to fit two big kids, you need one of the more expensive ones with good head clearance (e.g. Burly D’Lite). I personally found the trailer really hard to tow once the combined weight of kids + trailer exceeded 100 lbs or so. Finally they’re a PITA to lock up at your destination so if theft is a problem in your area, this is a consideration.

Cargo bike is great, but not the right tool for the job if you’re not using it as your every day transportation. That said, older Xtracycles (especially the converted ones) routinely come up on Craigslist here for reasonable prices ($600-$800). So if you get really into biking or start running out of space, it’s definitely worth looking into.

BDWW

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2021, 11:33:22 AM »
The double trailer has worked great for us until now.  Our kids are 2 years apart, so from ~.5-2.5 until 3-5, they rode in the double trailer just fine.  For the past 2 summers, I've used it to take them to daycare and back (about 5 miles each round trip).  They loved it. It's never felt unsafe or anything like that, and is pretty easy to tow.
 
Haven't figured out what to do this summer yet.  Both kids are above average in size, and it was tight for both of them last year.

jac941

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2021, 12:44:01 PM »
Haven't figured out what to do this summer yet.  Both kids are above average in size, and it was tight for both of them last year.

You’re at prime cargo bike age. When my kids were 5 they could bike 5 miles, but it wasn’t practical because they were slow or they would sometimes get tired and have a meltdown. From about 5-7 the kids can bike, but if they get tired, we can tow their bike in the Xtracycle bags and let the tired kid ride on the deck. By age 8, our son could ride well enough to not add a ton of time to the ride. You should see if there’s a used market for long tail cargo bikes in your area. They aren’t cheap, but I find if you buy them used, you can resell them for about what you paid a few years later. Don’t know how COVID has changed this.

EricEng

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2021, 12:54:30 PM »
Trailer = Dust/Dirt coated kids.  We saw how our friend's kids looked after a few miles of gravel/limestone/dirt trail and opted for seat mounted.  They practically need goggles and mask to sit back there.  Then again CO is fairly dry, so maybe not as bad in wetter climates?

BDWW

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2021, 04:15:32 PM »
Haven't figured out what to do this summer yet.  Both kids are above average in size, and it was tight for both of them last year.

You’re at prime cargo bike age. When my kids were 5 they could bike 5 miles, but it wasn’t practical because they were slow or they would sometimes get tired and have a meltdown. From about 5-7 the kids can bike, but if they get tired, we can tow their bike in the Xtracycle bags and let the tired kid ride on the deck. By age 8, our son could ride well enough to not add a ton of time to the ride. You should see if there’s a used market for long tail cargo bikes in your area. They aren’t cheap, but I find if you buy them used, you can resell them for about what you paid a few years later. Don’t know how COVID has changed this.

Thanks... I guess :) .  I looked on craigslist and facebook marketplace, but no luck (not a particularly bike friendly/popular area). So started looking further afield and at new. That eventually led me to the Radwagon4 with caboose and running boards.  I'm going to sit on it for a while and talk it over with the wife, but it looks pretty promising.  Additionally I've been intrigued by e-bikes for a while, so it'd be an intro to that world as well.

jac941

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2021, 05:26:34 PM »
Thanks... I guess :) .  I looked on craigslist and facebook marketplace, but no luck (not a particularly bike friendly/popular area). So started looking further afield and at new. That eventually led me to the Radwagon4 with caboose and running boards.  I'm going to sit on it for a while and talk it over with the wife, but it looks pretty promising.  Additionally I've been intrigued by e-bikes for a while, so it'd be an intro to that world as well.

Haha. I think on this forum we’re supposed to NOT encourage unnecessary spending. So oops! There is a lot of biking and a solid used market here. It’s hard to recoup costs if you buy new, but used cargo bikes retain some minimum value here. That said, I’ve seen a few families at my kids’ schools with Radwagons and they’re happy with them. When we added an electric assist to our Xtracycle a few years ago it was life altering. I’ve used it to haul kids into the hills, go bike camping, haul construction materials to job sites, pick up adult friends in a pinch, etc.

Trailer = Dust/Dirt coated kids.  We saw how our friend's kids looked after a few miles of gravel/limestone/dirt trail and opted for seat mounted.  They practically need goggles and mask to sit back there.  Then again CO is fairly dry, so maybe not as bad in wetter climates?

This was never an issue for us, but we mostly stick to paved roads or hard packed dirt trails. Not super dusty. We have fenders on our bikes too - without them water sprays off the wheel into the trailer.. rocks get thrown up too. I’d definitely recommend fenders if you go with a trailer.

windytrail

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2021, 06:46:11 PM »
I use a two-kid burley trailer for hauling cargo (e.g. lumber or soil bags for the garden) but don't have kids. I see many more people around here using the rear mounted seats for kids than trailers. The trailer may be seen as more susceptible to getting rear ended by a vehicle. Also, having your kids learn to balance on the bike at an early age could be helpful.

There are also front-mounted child seats like this (https://s14761.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Shotgun-kids-seat-review-test-008.jpg) that look pretty rad.

GuitarStv

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2021, 07:37:04 PM »
I prefer front mounted seats to rear seats (you can see what's goin on and talking is a lot easier), and trailers better than front mounted seats.

The kid is more comfortable in the trailer and it doesn't make the bike handle funny.  A trailer is also much safer - the ones that I've used are pretty tough to flip and the kid is a lot closer to the ground.  When things go wrong with the bike seats the kid is falling from a height . . . and helmet or no, that's bad.  Negatives for the trailer are that it's heavier and you're further from the kid so it's more difficult to have a conversation/talk.

(I like the trail-a-bike additions better than any of the above - my son loves to pedal along with me, and was happy doing 60 km rides at 5 years old . . . but YMMV on that and they need to get a fair amount older before you can stick 'em back there.)

Flat9MKE

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2021, 09:30:03 AM »
My wife and I bought a used Burley Bee (2-seater) on Facebook Marketplace a few months ago and love it.  Super easy to set up and it breaks down easily and can be stored in your car trunk.

We have a 22-month old son and he loves it too.  We don't put helmet on him.  Seems very safe and it also provides protection from the sun and other weather elements that a bike mounted seat wouldn't.

Good workout for daddy with the extra weight!


Lucky Recardito

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2021, 07:55:38 AM »
Thanks for all the input, folks! Mostly y'all are convincing me that there's not one obvious correct answer... :-)

Still mulling...

chemistk

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2021, 09:11:28 AM »
I won't add too much other than to say that my oldest has also been at the top of the growth charts his entire life, and he really only got to be 'too big' to ride in the trailer with one of his brothers in the past year (he's 6). He can still fit by himself if needed, and never complains about his head up against the roof.


FINate

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #14 on: June 07, 2021, 09:38:33 AM »
You live in a flat bikeable city and you have young kids. If you have room to store it, get a Rad Wagon w/ child seat, cargo bag, and front basket and use it like crazy. You won't regret it.

I was in a similar situation ~4 years ago and ended up going with something like the Rad Wagon.

Hauling trailers in bike lanes is sketch. There's the issue of cars zooming past very close to the trailer, but also, the trailer is wide and trails behind you making it more likely to catch a curb or other obstacles.

Pulling a trailer when your kids are very young isn't bad. Easy enough to get going and they tow fairly well. But once the kids get a little older and heavier (they put the lbs on fast!) it becomes less enjoyable. Not just getting the inertia going, but there's a pulsing sensation due to natural give in the linkages, and the overall load becomes more difficult to control at speed.

Something like the Rad Wagon puts the kids directly behind you, great for bike lanes. They are made for the load and are very stable/easy to control, even with older kids -- sometimes DW hops on for date nights and it's never a problem. The electric assist is useful for getting everything going after a stop or up short inclines (driveways and such), and it increases the range for longer rides which means you'll use it more. The extra cargo capacity means you can use it for grocery shopping with the kids, or for things like picnics or distant playgrounds.


FLBiker

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #15 on: June 08, 2021, 07:05:01 AM »
Lots of good info here.  I just have one kid (she's now 6).  We got a Thule Cougar Chariot trailer as a hand-me-down from a neighbor, and it has worked great.  I liked the bike seat idea, but my wife didn't love it from a safety POV.  She was concerned about what would happen if the bike fell over.  I upgraded my kickstand to a double (which I still have and really like) but I'll admit it has still fallen over a couple of times.  Also, I was a bike commuter (we recently moved and now I WFH) and my preferred packing style is backpack in a milk crate on a rear shelf, and the trailer allowed me to keep doing that.

We like the website https://www.twowheelingtots.com/ for kid / bike info.

Now, we live just outside of town up a steep hill, so even though DD is quite a good biker, when we're going to town I take her in the trailer.  I think a Trail-a-bike is in our near future, though.  And we've never had issues with dust / dirt in the trailer (used it a lot in both Florida and Nova Scotia).  I've also been very please with the durability (ours is old but we've have very few issues).  Once the hitch broke off because DD got in it when the arm was at a weird angle, but I got a new one from the company for a few bucks and it was easy to replace.  Thule stuff is very expensive, though, and if I were to buy it myself I don't know that I'd bother.

I agree with what other folks have said about not loving a trailer in a bike lane, though.  I did it, but I didn't love doing it.  I had a flag on the back that flew at about 5 feet.  I'm more comfortable here in Nova Scotia than I was in Florida, too.

And it is great being able to use it to haul stuff as well.

JJ-

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #16 on: June 08, 2021, 08:07:52 PM »
Have both a rear seat and a trailer for a 3.5 yo and a 1 yo. I wish I had a cargo bike to plop both of them into. Our 3.5 yo can't decide if she wants the trailer or seat or trailer wait seat.

I have the same concerns about the seat that GuitarSTV brought up with falling from height. I also don't like the trailer on urban roads because at lights they're next to exhaust. Could just be hyper paranoia on my part.

I just bought a tag along bike thing for the older to use with me but I can't use it at the same time as the seat. I did not think that one through!

Lucky Recardito

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #17 on: June 09, 2021, 12:51:52 PM »
You live in a flat bikeable city and you have young kids. If you have room to store it, get a Rad Wagon w/ child seat, cargo bag, and front basket and use it like crazy. You won't regret it.

Ugh, yes, these look awesome, and crazy-usable for many reasons. Not sure I can justify that level of expenditure just yet, though...

joe189man

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #18 on: June 10, 2021, 04:29:39 PM »
We did both, the older one doesnt really fit in the rear seat anymore so our youngest rides in that seat and the older one has the trailer to himselt. i got the rear seat because the boys were fighting in the trailer.

luchorpan

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #19 on: July 07, 2021, 04:47:40 AM »
Has anyone tried a bakfiets-style cargo bike, with kid(s) in front between two wheels? We just got one rear mount seat for my husband (he also didn’t like the trailer idea because of some of the safety/nervousness reasons mentioned above, and we’re both too short for front-mount seats to work well for us), but we do eventually want multiple seats and room for stuff. Seems harder to find them in the US, especially used, though.

JJ-

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #20 on: July 07, 2021, 08:39:48 AM »
Has anyone tried a bakfiets-style cargo bike, with kid(s) in front between two wheels? We just got one rear mount seat for my husband (he also didn’t like the trailer idea because of some of the safety/nervousness reasons mentioned above, and we’re both too short for front-mount seats to work well for us), but we do eventually want multiple seats and room for stuff. Seems harder to find them in the US, especially used, though.

I like the idea of these. I have no idea how they'd handle though. Also like you when I was looking into them a few years ago I gave up because finding them in the us was near impossible

BDWW

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #21 on: July 07, 2021, 02:19:41 PM »
Has anyone tried a bakfiets-style cargo bike, with kid(s) in front between two wheels? We just got one rear mount seat for my husband (he also didn’t like the trailer idea because of some of the safety/nervousness reasons mentioned above, and we’re both too short for front-mount seats to work well for us), but we do eventually want multiple seats and room for stuff. Seems harder to find them in the US, especially used, though.

I like the idea of these. I have no idea how they'd handle though. Also like you when I was looking into them a few years ago I gave up because finding them in the us was near impossible

I've read that they are ironically a bit tippy, because they handle so much differently than a normal bike.

Meanwhile...

JJ-

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #22 on: July 07, 2021, 02:32:48 PM »
Has anyone tried a bakfiets-style cargo bike, with kid(s) in front between two wheels? We just got one rear mount seat for my husband (he also didn’t like the trailer idea because of some of the safety/nervousness reasons mentioned above, and we’re both too short for front-mount seats to work well for us), but we do eventually want multiple seats and room for stuff. Seems harder to find them in the US, especially used, though.

I like the idea of these. I have no idea how they'd handle though. Also like you when I was looking into them a few years ago I gave up because finding them in the us was near impossible

I've read that they are ironically a bit tippy, because they handle so much differently than a normal bike.

Meanwhile...

Neat radwagon. I have been contemplating one of them because they are so much cheaper than the yuba or terns.

BDWW

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #23 on: July 07, 2021, 03:31:30 PM »
That's exactly what happened. I started researching cargo bikes based on this thread. The radwagon is as cheap and/or cheaper than most non-electric cargo bikes. It's my first experience with an electric bike.

Few thoughts after a couple weeks of ownership, and ~70 miles on it. (Thousands of miles experience on non-electric bikes). 
  • It's very long and a bit awkward to maneuver around.
  • I'm a bit concerned about the tires, as rad uses a unique size -22x3.0, and the only place to get them is via rad ($40 bucks).
  • The fit is a bit small if you're tall. I'm 6' 1" and the handlebars only go so high. The seat seems to have plenty of adjustment though.
  • The shifter is a bit junk, I'll probably end up replacing it at some point.
  • I don't have any experience, but I can imagine a torque-sensor system to be far superior to the cadence sensor.  It's a bit disturbing at first how it applies the power, and makes it difficult to develop cadence (especially with the junk shifter). Small changes in slope without careful shifting make it jerky, as the assist overcomes resistance when you crest a small hill or something.
  • I only use assist levels 1-3; 4 & 5 are just ridiculous, seems to me if you want that much assistance, just use the throttle. Personally, not that keen on even having a throttle, but it's there meh.

I suppose I should point out the positives after complaining. Cheaper components aside, it seems fairly well built for the price - frame, wheels, etc.  The accessories - caboose, running boards fit well and seem high quality. The seat cushions I bought cheaply on amazon, and drilled holes to mount them on the existing cargo boards.  The range on the battery fine for my purposes. I've charged it up twice I think.  The commute to daycare and back is ~5 miles round trip. The mechanical disc brakes are adequate. I like the fenders and the rear wheel guard that keeps kids legs and cargo out of the spokes.

All in all pretty happy with it so far.

JJ-

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #24 on: July 07, 2021, 03:36:18 PM »
That's exactly what happened. I started researching cargo bikes based on this thread. The radwagon is as cheap and/or cheaper than most non-electric cargo bikes. It's my first experience with an electric bike.

Few thoughts after a couple weeks of ownership, and ~70 miles on it. (Thousands of miles experience on non-electric bikes). 
  • It's very long and a bit awkward to maneuver around.
  • I'm a bit concerned about the tires, as rad uses a unique size -22x3.0, and the only place to get them is via rad ($40 bucks).
  • The fit is a bit small if you're tall. I'm 6' 1" and the handlebars only go so high. The seat seems to have plenty of adjustment though.
  • The shifter is a bit junk, I'll probably end up replacing it at some point.
  • I don't have any experience, but I can imagine a torque-sensor system to be far superior to the cadence sensor.  It's a bit disturbing at first how it applies the power, and makes it difficult to develop cadence (especially with the junk shifter). Small changes in slope without careful shifting make it jerky, as the assist overcomes resistance when you crest a small hill or something.
  • I only use assist levels 1-3; 4 & 5 are just ridiculous, seems to me if you want that much assistance, just use the throttle. Personally, not that keen on even having a throttle, but it's there meh.

I suppose I should point out the positives after complaining. Cheaper components aside, it seems fairly well built for the price - frame, wheels, etc.  The accessories - caboose, running boards fit well and seem high quality. The seat cushions I bought cheaply on amazon, and drilled holes to mount them on the existing cargo boards.  The range on the battery fine for my purposes. I've charged it up twice I think.  The commute to daycare and back is ~5 miles round trip. The mechanical disc brakes are adequate. I like the fenders and the rear wheel guard that keeps kids legs and cargo out of the spokes.

All in all pretty happy with it so far.

I am 6'5" so your comment is taken about fit. I think there are a couple dealers around here so I'll get see if I can hop on a floor model.

It sounds like I need to do some research on the various assist models. I'm sure I could get used to it if it's adaptable. I mean, for $2500-$3k savings I'm sure I could get used to it.

I've always had issues with components and have my preferences. Besides ultra long cables are there specific components for these bikes?

Tires... $40... I would take the risk I guess. Probably run a liner for all of the thorny goat heads

joenorm

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #25 on: July 08, 2021, 06:47:13 AM »
https://www.larryvsharry.com


This is what I would want. They are getting a little more common(at least on the west coast). The weight stays low, can sit like a trailer but they are in front further from danger.

They make an electric version. Yes, they are more expensive than a Rad Wagon, but they are a better product IMHO.

windytrail

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #26 on: July 08, 2021, 08:20:00 AM »

Dutch version

jac941

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #27 on: July 08, 2021, 08:45:40 AM »
https://www.larryvsharry.com


This is what I would want. They are getting a little more common(at least on the west coast). The weight stays low, can sit like a trailer but they are in front further from danger.

They make an electric version. Yes, they are more expensive than a Rad Wagon, but they are a better product IMHO.

Have you ridden one? The linkage steering takes some getting used to. I wouldn't call it tippy, but it's definitely more squirrely than the long tail bikes. I coveted one of these when my kids were little, but now that they're bigger, I'm glad we went with an Xtracycle / longtail bike. Being able to tow another bike is super useful. And the longtail is a little easier to park & it rides more like a regular bike. That said, the box bike would be nice when we bring our 45 lb dog, but these days he just rides in a converted kid trailer. It would also be nice when picking up pizzas.

In any case it's a little unfair to compare a Bullitt to a RadWagon. A more fair comparison quality and components wise would be a Tern GSD or an Xtracycle. The Yuba Supermarche is a more affordable front loader & more comparable to the RadWagon (though still a little higher quality). The Yuba is also less squirrely / more intuitive to ride but feels like a slower bike than the Bullitt.

jac941

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #28 on: July 08, 2021, 08:56:46 AM »
@JJsfr @BDWW Too bad that the RadWagon isn't great for tall folks. I think it's not great for the super short people either. They're really aiming for the "fits most people" segment -- the disadvantage of cheap. Have you considered adding some riser bars to get them up higher? It's cheaper than a larger size frame in a more expensive brand. I realize it doesn't do much to improve the effective top tube length, but it's something. WhatBars? is a good place to compare geometry to find something without buying a bunch of bars: https://whatbars.com/

JJ-

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #29 on: July 08, 2021, 10:56:21 AM »
@JJsfr @BDWW Too bad that the RadWagon isn't great for tall folks. I think it's not great for the super short people either. They're really aiming for the "fits most people" segment -- the disadvantage of cheap. Have you considered adding some riser bars to get them up higher? It's cheaper than a larger size frame in a more expensive brand. I realize it doesn't do much to improve the effective top tube length, but it's something. WhatBars? is a good place to compare geometry to find something without buying a bunch of bars: https://whatbars.com/

I haven't dismissed it due to bar height or top tube length, yet at least. I know you can swap bars, add risers and longer stems to deal with both height and reach. I'm also not looking at doing marathon distances with it either, probably up to 5-7 miles RT tops based on where we go with kids, and a "good enough" fit is ok for me, in concept.

jac941

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Re: Biking with littles - trailer or rear-mounted seat?
« Reply #30 on: July 08, 2021, 12:39:00 PM »
I haven't dismissed it due to bar height or top tube length, yet at least. I know you can swap bars, add risers and longer stems to deal with both height and reach. I'm also not looking at doing marathon distances with it either, probably up to 5-7 miles RT tops based on where we go with kids, and a "good enough" fit is ok for me, in concept.

Makes sense.

The people I know who struggle the most are shorter women. Riding a too small bike only a few miles is one thing … but riding a too big bike with cargo can be unmanageable.