Cycling UK Forum

On another thread I have been converted from favouring child seats to the trailer solution. A number of options are on the table with large cost variations. At the bottom end of the scale there is the Ridgeback AT3 whilst at the top end we have the Chariot Cheetah 2 which comes in at nearly £500 with all the necessary bits. In between is the Zwei plus Zwei Croozer Kid 2. Does anyone have experience of these models, we won't be using them every day but for weekend cycling on relatively flat terrain. I know it's a trade off between cost and weight to a degree and I can cope with that but if there are major performance or safety differentials that I've overlooked then it would be great if anyone could alert me to that.

Ony I can buy the trailer but I'm trying to do as much research as I can before I commit. £500 isn't cheap so if I could have it and get a really good product this would be great. Just need to understand whether I'm making a significant compromise here or whether the more expensive solutions are just for show.

Hire centres sell Burley trailers with little use for about half price. If you see one as a leisure solution for towing children at the weekend don't spend a fortune. If a bicycle is your main transport, buy quality.
We were glad to get our eldest on a tandem asap, though some people carry a pair of children up to school age. It's easy to imagine our joy of pedalling in the open air being transfered to the trailer - looking at some children's faces, it often doesn't.

Weight is an issue but child paraphenalia evens out the sum total pretty quick.

Agree with Glueman - if just using for recreational riding at weekend then it's not so important to buy the "best" but if you are using it everyday / longer trips then do go for the Chariot verson. I started off with a halfords special, with the idea of cycling on trails with the kids at weekends. I enjoyed it so much I started doing the school run some days and using it more about town too. Then I didn't feel the halfords one was sturdy enough for this increased usuage. Nor was it particularly comfy for the children - with both kids in they would end up leaning against eachother due to the seat not supporting their individual weights but instead just sagging into the middle. The fabric was thin, it wasn't particularly waterproof....

So I sold that and bought the Chariot CX2 which was ex shop model so managed to get a discount. it has been absolutely fab. Fabric is sturdy, frame strong but lightweight. The whole thing is light. I use the additional large front Jogging wheel and the side arms which slot it easily and can remain stored on the trailer even when it attached to a bike (so you can cylce into the town then convert it into a stroller for the shops).

In my mind, the extra cost was well worth it. It is really sturdy but light. Folds easily etc. Kids love it too.

The Zwei plus Zwei is made by the same people as the Chariot, incidently. (I believe though it's made in germany rather than canada). This was a close second when I was trying to decide. The reviews all seemed good. If I remember rightly each seat was separate which could be an advantage. It was heavier though and it didn't have the suspension that the CX model had.

Safety wise I believe all trailers, from the cheapie halfords to the very expensive, all have to pass the same safety tests. What the actual difference is between "passes" and "Exceeds" i'm not sure.

For the extra money i got more padding on the straps, (and the harness itself was infinitely better than on the halfords version) better ventilation options, better rain protection, better storage for shopping etc, recessed area for helmets (not that they wear them now in the trailer), better fixings for jogging wheel - and better quality jogging wheel - pneumatic not plastic - and proper spoked wheel. Quality of the hubs / wheels was better. Better visibility int he dark - has reflective trim everywhere and on the tyre sidewalls. Excellent suspension, adjustable each side for the different child weights - and it is not a gimmick it really does work.

You pays your money, you takes your choice!

Have fun choosing! If there is any chance you might use it more than you think then i would opt for spending more too, rather than buying again as in my case.

We went for a Chariot CX1 because of the suspension, thinking it would be more comfortable for our youngster.

psvrichard,

The key question is what do you want to use it for? One can dream of long bike rides and week long tours but are you actually going to do that sort of riding? If you are then buy the best. If actually you just want to take the kids to the park, pop to town etc then a cheap one will do you fine. I picked up a cheap Raleigh/Philips one via ebay and it's been a really good purchase. If I'd have known how much the kids would love it I'd have got a better one - probably a ridgeback one.

So what would I want to be better? The hitch is rubbish, it rattles a bit and it's hard work up even slight inclines, mind you that is probably down to towing two lumps of nearly two stone each, the weight of the trailer really is small by comparison to the weight of the childrem.

I've just thought of another question to ask yourself. If you spend lots of money and your kids hate it how will you feel? Can you get to try them out in one before you fork out the cash, £500 is a lot for something just to take up shed space!

All good advice. We have ssat them in the Chariot and our daughter went mental but that is partly due to the fact that she banged her head on the way in and got shuffled around whilst we figured out the harness!! It certainly won't be an everyday thing for us but we have an added difficulty in that our son has muscular dystrophy so whatever we do get will have to last until he is just too big to fit in. Getting a look at the Ridgeback one from a veyr helpful dealer so this will help make the decision as well. I totally agree with only buying what you need and not being seduced by the marketers.

I bought a Chariot Corsaire about four years ago. We've done touring in Germany, trips in the countryside, but mostly just lugging the children to school etc. The Chariot is very well thought out and the two front wheels to convert it into a stroller is brilliant. It's extremely light and smooth - I can push it with one finger. It also takes quite a lot of luggage. My kids are now too big and if you do buy one watch out for the material in the footwell, which seems to be the weakest point. Mine's ripped because the kids stand up on it (and, I'm afraid to say, JUMP UP AND DOWN, on it) when they're getting in and out. So try to ensure they just get straight in and out and ban chocolate for three weeks if they stand up while waiting for you to get ready.

Just to re-iterate some of the comments about try before you buy.

We didnt because we couldnt, we looked for 6 months to find somewhere within 1 days trip where we could try a chariot (including insert safety seat) and couldnt find any! Uggh. Its like they dont want to sell them!

As my wife was not comfortable with the idea of a trailer anyway and we've bought a child seat to be going on with. Child seat works fine but does impose luggage limitations on the single traveller, and by the time we've bought 3 of em (to cover our bikes and locations etc) we might have been better off buying a trailer.

andrewhe wrote: My kids are now too big and if you do buy one watch out for the material in the footwell, which seems to be the weakest point. Mine's ripped because the kids stand up on it (and, I'm afraid to say, JUMP UP AND DOWN, on it) when they're getting in and out. So try to ensure they just get straight in and out and ban chocolate for three weeks if they stand up while waiting for you to get ready.

Yes I thought this was a potential weak spot and to avoid any damage, I've lined mine with part of a cut up camping mat. Works a treat.