Bike riding with a toddler

bhurley1424

My husband and I will be purchasing bikes soon for exercise and to enjoy the outdoors. We have a 1 year old girl and so need to get a 'carrier' for one of the bikes. We have a choice between one that attaches to the back of the bike (above the rear wheel) and one that is like a 'side-car' of sorts that we can pull with one of the bikes. I just wanted to get some advice/opions from those of you that have used either of these.

Most of our riding will probably be done on residential streets or parks ----

Thanks!

jlemoore

I've got a Burley trailer for my bike. I can fit both of my kids in it and still get a good amount of groceries. It also has a front wheel so that I can use it as a double stroller. The problem that I have with it is that it doesn't fit in the car/SUV. So a bike seat on the wheel is much better if you are planning on going places.

redheadmommy

Your daughter is already 1 yr old; do not get the carrier. Carrier seats that attach to the bikes themselves are for babies like 6-12 months, maybe upto 18 months tops. After that kids gets too heavy to bike with them in the carrier seat. Get a bike trailer instead. It is more expensive, but it will serve you for quite a few years. There are many different bike trailers out there , cheap one from walmart <$100 to the most expensive the "roys rolls of he bike trailers": Charriot $800 , and everything between.
You can purchase an extra latch for he trailer for a few bucks, and the trailer can be attached to both bikes easily.

There are 2 seater or single seater trailers. If you are planning a 2nd kid very soon, you may think about a 2 seater. However, the 2 seaters are much wider, and heavier.
We bought a 1 seater from MEC last year and the bike trailer with our 2 new bikes was the best purchase we made in the last decade. It really opened up the outdoors for us.

mom2nate08

We have a Burley trailer and we LOVE it. It ahs been great. I believe it carries up to 100 pounds, and it has storage in the back. We have used it for our son since he was still in a carrier. It comes with a wheel on the front, so that you can drop it down when you get to your destination and use it as a stroller. There is also a jogging wheel available.

It's easy to attach, and it rolls very smooth. It is a little big, but it collapses down and fits nicey in our trunk, or back of the SUV.

bhurley1424

Thanks for all the great advice! I wasn't thinking about the age/weight thing with the carrier on the bike. I think I'll ask about a single child 'car' instead of the dual I saw. It just looks soo wide ---- And I do like that you can use it as a stroller also.