Kid-toting Bicycle Trailer Solution

We are in search of a cleaner, healthier, more entertaining and pleasant form of transportation. Over the past few years we have used a bicycle trailer setup, and it has worked well enough for occasional use.  

Our recent setup has been a simple aluminum frame Trek bicycle with a fairly heavy steel trailer.  For the most part, the trailer is a good size and relatively comfortable for our kids.

However, it has its pros and cons for daily use, in comparison to an automobile:

Pros

• Trailer protects the kids in various weather situations, while still allowing them to “look around” a little.
• More socially immersed and visible in the neighborhoods we ride through, in comparison to an automobile.
• Smiles from other users of the rail trail and people on city streets who particularly enjoy seeing kids in a trailer.
• More pleasant in nice weather situations
• Enough room for two small kids plus gear.
• More time with the kids in an outdoor environment.
• Biking provides parents with good exercise and everyone with fresh air; when on the rail trail we are not behind other polluting vehicle fumes.
• Easy to transport this solution with many vehicles, since trailer folds up nicely.
• Saves money in gas, helps the environment by polluting less, using less oil/fuel.

Cons

• It takes longer to get the kids to school than in a car.
• Need to plan ahead and make time for the “special event” of riding to school in a trailer.
• Not as pleasant in rainy weather, cold weather conditions or extreme heat
• More difficult to interact with the kids.
• Limited to two kids plus gear.
• Kids are located behind the bike, which can shower them with sand and other “road exhaust” that is picked up from the back tire of the bicycle
• Our bike trailer system with two kids in it lacks efficiency – less desirable to ride this daily, since after a while it seems to be a chore, particularly up hills.  An electric motor would help.
• Trailer is low to the ground – kids do not see as much as they could if they were up in a bicycle seat or in a bucket.
• Depending on where one rides it can be more or less dangerous than driving, but overall it is slightly more dangerous being in a bicycle “system” over a safe and relatively recent automobile with child car seats.  This is highly variable.
• The tires on the bicycle that we use are fairly narrow, giving it less traction and making it less efficient when pulling the trailer.  Wider tires may provide more traction and an easier toting experience.
• The riding position of our hybrid bike is not fully upright, which is less comfortable than other bicycles that are better made for cruising or pulling cargo.

The extra storage behind the kids’ seats is useful in hauling the kids’ lunches, extra clothes, groceries, and plenty more.  The rain canopy is nice and allows the kids to stay dry in rainy weather, while still allowing the kids some ventilation.  The kids do say that the trailer is a little bumpy.  My daughter has mentioned that her tummy didn’t feel that great after a long ride that had a lot of bumps going over rough sidewalks or the occasional curb hopping that was done.

Overall, this solution works but isn't the best for us for long-term use.  A lot of people use trailers, but frankly, it isn't as enjoyable or efficient as it could be.  Other solutions that cost more provide a significantly better experience.


Please feel free to leave a comment below.  Do you use a bike trailer, and if so, how do you use it?   Do you agree with our assessment of bike trailers?

About Us

Hello!  Welcome to our family of four. We live in Massachusetts with our two young kids, ages 4 and 2. Although we engage in a variety of biking adventures, our most common one is getting the kids back and forth to school.  Our daily commute to the kids’ school is about 6 miles by car or bike with a few small hills and bridges, but mostly flat terrain.  A bike path (rail trail) is about half of the commute.  The rest of the commute includes medium traffic roads or quiet back roads, as well as an optional short section through a town park.  The post office, hardware store, grocery stores, transfer station, CSA farm share pickup, and farmer’s market are all weekly events and transportation stops for us.  These stops take us through the center of our local towns every week.  Most days we take our station wagon to drop the kids off at school in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon and run errands during that time.  Occasionally, we have been able to take the kids to school in our bike trailer, but it has not been a regular form of transport for us until recently. 

The local cycling community is vibrant and varied.  Bike trailers are a regular part of the landscape here, but thus far we have seen only one cargo bike, and it didn’t have anything being hauled on it.  We have started to take advantage of our excellent local cycling infrastructure to start routinely cycling for child-schlepping and other local errands.  

In addition to biking, we love backpacking, hiking, beach-going, traveling, and spending time on farms learning about nature, animals, plants, and where our food comes from.  We are interested in minimizing our need for automobiles, preferring to take the more scenic route by bicycle when conditions allow.  We also engage in occasional biking and backpacking trips with other families at various times throughout the year.

DISCLAIMER: These posts provide some of our own tips for bicycling with children.  Although it is my intention to assist other families that may want to pursue bicycle riding together, riding bicycles with children can be hazardous.  Children may get hurt in a variety of ways related to bicycle travel. Please take common-sense precautions whenever bicycling with your children.  These recommendations are provided for information purposes only.  I do not take any responsibility for an individual or a family using the information contained in this post or any other posts when applied to real world situations.