Kid Trailers

chariots are great; especially if you want to try the skis, etc. although xc skiing with it doesn't last more than a season or two…they get mighty bored in there

we bought ours used they hold their value great. ours is a double (twins) and is a huge pain navigating on the streets/pathways. but eventually one or more kid will want to jump in and get towed home after a tiring ride, and we can fit all 3 in there (barely). but we find it great for say rolling up to the beach, playground, etc with all our stuff in it. these days we use it more for pushing around than towing

our ibert had a very limited timespan due to rapidly growing kid and dad with long legs

Had the MEC and Chariot. MEC is good enough, but definitely has a few less bells and whistle.

The things put the kid to sleep and they're pretty disconnected from the ride experience. Now I have my 3 yr old in a Yepp seat on the purpose-built rack and he's chatting and enjoying the ride cause he can see what's going on. Plus multi-modal is doable and locking up outside Aquarium etc is little less precarious. If it's raining, just do the muddy buddy like any other walk in the rain.

my oldest definitely got tired of having rocks and gravel pelted in his face when going on the rail trails

Yep, just good old-fashioned rain gear. My experience has been that most kids are less bothered by the rain than adults:-)

I wouldn’t group the BD with other cargos in terms of how they pedal. I ride a properly fit XL, 2x10 drivetrain [24/38], with Big Apples. It feels more like a heavy steel hardtail with slicks than a cargo bike. I have not conceded a single commuter challenge in the year I’ve owned it. If someone gets me, they’re usually head to toe in spandex or e-assist:-) I'm sure an Xtracycle-one-size-fits-all cargo wouldn't feel the same but over [HTML_REMOVED] 10 miles there isn't much difference between the BD and a run of the mill commuter. It's a really fun bike to ride.

What sort of hills can you get a loaded bd up. There a couple at 10% or more on my way to daycare and work. Would love to able justify one or ute

I used a double MEC trailer to commute for about 2 years. Some thoughts:
- It held up really well. Was stored outside during the day (and sometimes over night) was still going stong after 2 years of daily use (we sold it to a friend who still uses it).
- Not sure about the Chariot, by the MEC double was just wider than a standard door. Made it a really hassle if you have to get it in and out of the house every day.
- We rarely actually used both seats. I can count on two hand the number of times. By the time our second kid was old enough to ride it it, kid 1 wanted to be on her own bike.
We used the rain cover way less than I expected, but it was nice to have. Kid liked to be able to see what was going on so we generally had the cover open and her in her rain gear.

We had the ibert too, but I wouldn't want to use it for daily commuting.

Chariot double is wider than a regular door.

What sort of hills can you get a loaded bd up. There a couple at 10% or more on my way to daycare and work. Would love to able justify one or ute

If I were in the market for a longtail right now I'd definitely be looking at an edgerunner rather than a dummy. Small back wheel means lower centre of gravity/better stability, more carrying capacity/stronger rear wheel and super low end gearing. Works super well with an electric motor. Designed by Sam wittingham, it's been making me rack my brain for reasons to build/own a dedicated cargo bike

What sort of hills can you get a loaded bd up. There a couple at 10% or more on my way to daycare and work. Would love to able justify one or ute

I’m not going to lie to you boss; the steeps can hurt. Particularly with two kids on board who won’t fucking sit still! There’s nothing like having a wrestling match on the back of a cargo bike. I only had mtb drivetrains when I built this thing, so it actually has more gearing on the low end than it probably should. I can pretty much spin up anything, but most of the steep hills I ascend regularly are short-ish (not 15th or 22nd from the water). If you’re a big dude, you’re welcome to have a go with my XL.

Small back wheel means lower centre of gravity/better stability, more carrying capacity/stronger rear wheel and super low end gearing

With the exception of a small amount of lateral flex (stability?) when I stand and hammer it, none of this is an issue for me.

If I were in the market for a longtail right now I'd definitely be looking at a radish rather than a dummy

They're awesome bikes, but it really depends on your use case. I plan to do some touring on the BD, hopefully spending some long days in the saddle. At 6’3, I really don’t like the one size fits all model for a bike I’m planning to pedal. Doing a family tour in June along 100km of the Kettle Valley Rails to Trails route with the dude who sold me the frame. He’ll be on his Edgerunner. Maybe I’ll eat my words.

I’m also not interested in an e-assist application, which is where a bike like the radish would really shine. I met a guy last summer on a radish with a full electric setup, digital analytics on the handlebar, a hydraulic kickstand, etc (a Grin creation). It was an sic setup, but more of a car than a bike…

yeah sorry edgerunner, not radish. radish looks dumb

They're awesome bikes, but it really depends on your use case. I plan to do some touring on the BD, hopefully spending some long days in the saddle. At 6’3, I really don’t like the one size fits all model for a bike I’m planning to pedal. Doing a family tour in June along 100km of the Kettle Valley Rails to Trails route with the dude who sold me the frame. He’ll be on his Edgerunner. Maybe I’ll eat my words.

i think the edgerunner comes in two sizes, but that's still limited for us tall folks

i reviewed the dummy when it first came out, in a shootout with my chromag-turned-xtracycle. the surly was a slot stiffer - but also a lot heavier! maybe it was an early model but that frame was a tank compared to my modified hardtail

i'll be curious to hear your thoughts once you'd tried them both. i've only taken an edgerunner around the block for a spin but i was super impressed, it rode really well! peppier and more maneuverable than the dummy, but both were lightyears ahead of the yuba mundo i tried [HTML_REMOVED]shudder[HTML_REMOVED] you think its hard towing kids up a hill on the dummy, try it on a one-size-fits all longtail with cruiser geometry that weighs half again as much

I’m not going to lie to you boss; the steeps can hurt. Particularly with two kids on board who won’t fucking sit still! There’s nothing like having a wrestling match on the back of a cargo bike. I only had mtb drivetrains when I built this thing, so it actually has more gearing on the low end than it probably should. I can pretty much spin up anything, but most of the steep hills I ascend regularly are short-ish (not 15th or 22nd from the water). If you’re a big dude, you’re welcome to have a go with my XL.

I knew that much but that's OK it riding a bike its supposed to. If it ever stops raining I am going to put the bike seat on my hardtail and see how that goes with the big girl in it and the chariot behind on the mean streets of Port Moody.

An long tail with some e-assist is on my want list. I dig the Edgerunner with the small back wheel so it's lower height for kid cargo.

An long tail with some e-assist is on my want list. I dig the Edgerunner with the small back wheel so it's lower height for kid cargo.

check out grin cycles in vancouver. the owner, justin lemore, is one of the big movers-and-shakers of the ebike world, and a super solid guy. he was one of the designers of the edgerunner, and should have one (probably with an e-assist) on hand to demo

but be honest: you're thinking of building one yourself :)

but be honest: you're thinking of building one yourself :)

Of course.

Also thinking of incorporating a few neat things I've seen done on a very stealth e-build.

http://www.en.tout-terrain.de/trailers/singletrailer/