I'm expecting my first baby in a few weeks and am looking for a bike trailer that also converts to a jogger and ski polk. All the online reviews point toward Burley as being the best. But two negatives keep coming up -- the fabric wears out easily with outdoor use, and the warranty can be a beast to deal with.
I'm in Alaska and really need this thing to stand up to harsh weather, especially for how much a new model costs. Sooo...anyone out there have experience with these trailers? Did you find the fabric to be durable or not, and what kind of paces did you put it through? Input on the warranty?
Thanks a ton!
I'm in Alaska and really need this thing to stand up to harsh weather, especially for how much a new model costs. Sooo...anyone out there have experience with these trailers? Did you find the fabric to be durable or not, and what kind of paces did you put it through? Input on the warranty?
Thanks a ton!
posted by:
|
Anchorage
|
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Tue, March 18, 2008 - 5:32 PMI never had any issues with needing to invoke the warranty, and I abused the hell out of my Burly trailer.
I also never had any issues with the fabric, but I never stored mine outdoors. I think that may be what people are complaining about, but the reality is *most* fabrics can't handle constant exposure to UV light. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Tue, March 18, 2008 - 7:07 PMI'm lucky enough to not have to ever have the use of either a baby Seat or a Child Trailer on any of my Bikes but I don't think any of the one's Ive seen or my freinds have used hold up for very long,maybe 2-3 seasons TOPS!
Burley is about the best,but unless treated with "Kid Gloves"(pardon the pun) any bicycle trailer will fall apart rapidly.
There's fabric issues...wheel bearing issues and structeral failings in all Bicycle Trailers.
The ones that convert to baby Strollers and Baby backpacks are even worse becase the conversion points on these wear out rapidly. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Wed, March 19, 2008 - 11:31 AMJake clearly has no experience with quality bike trailers. WE have a burly D'lite I think it is. For two kids. We store it indoors and used it regularly for a couple few years and a couple times a month these days. It is six years old and in excellent shape. some abbrasions on the fabric. WE also have the stroller attachment (nott the jogger attachment). During summer festival season we bolt a board onto the front as far as the stroller wheel/hitch and use it as a rolling bed for our small children. This year they won't both fit with that set up(7 and 3 1/2). It spends about three weeks a summer like that. SO it has seen a lot of use and some abuse.
We lost a couple pieces from the hitch the first time we modified and had replacement parts in days for free.
I have also lived and worked in AK (Palmer 4 years) and know how bad the uv is. Make sure to store it indoors and you are all good. I don't know anything about the ski attachment, though I do know that the jogging attachment is not as nice as a real jogging stroller.
I know folks with the Charriot systems and they LOVE them. They seem to me like they are probably nicer than the Burly but you also pay even more. I think I know someone who has used there ski rig I will ask if I see him. I do prefer the bright fabric on the Burly for visibility, but you can always add reflectors, flags, etc. Stay away from anything with mag wheels.
Some folks down here in Oregon strap there baby buckets into the trailer. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Wed, March 19, 2008 - 1:41 PMReally appreciate the feedback, thanks! Just found some clearance Burley gear, including a ski kit, so looks like I'll go ahead with that. And yeah, definitely will store it indoors :) -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Wed, March 19, 2008 - 3:33 PMI talked to my friend who has the chariot. He loves it to death and the ski set up is "amazing" he would rather pull it than carry a light pack. Ever seen the Matanuska Thunder Pluckers?? I am friends with some of them. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Sun, March 23, 2008 - 12:07 PMJoanna, we've been looking too and the one thing I will mention is that for all of them they say to wait until the kid is 6 months--essentially when the kid can hold his/her head up on their own. Until then, we're going to experiment with the Moby wrap and strapping the little tyke to one of us while we ride. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Sun, March 23, 2008 - 3:18 PMMy first instinct ...I would feel much safer with an infant car seat in a trailer (with flag and lights) than a wrap or backpack on my body.
With a bit more thought based on my use of a child seat for older children I would say, on a bike with an upright posture I would give a secure pack or wrap a try. On a bike where I'm leaning over, a trailer all the way.
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Mon, March 24, 2008 - 7:17 AMPlease read this safety page on the subject:
www.helmets.org/little1s.htm
They say a year, but -- as with car seats -- I think it's a year or 20 pounds, or something like that.... Anyway... It seems *very* unsafe to strap a baby to oneself for a bike ride. Your balance (and distractability) will be a mess and -- like driving a car with a baby strapped on -- the infant is extremely vulnerable. The link I just posted doesn't even consider the possibility!
You might decide it isn't worth the risk to take a very small infant with you. Imagine how even a minor accident could ruin your life. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Mon, March 24, 2008 - 9:42 AMI am not encouraging any of these activities. Be aware that article does not cover what I was mentioning which is an infant seat in a trailer. Infant seats for cars are designed to protect an infant without a helmet even if the seat with baby is tossed from the car. The article did not address strapping a car seat into a trailer. THis is against the law and not what any of the products are designed for. NO OPTION IS RISK FREE (even driving the car instead of making a bike work for you) ANY ACCIDENTS COULD BE LIFE CHANGING OR EVEN CAUSE DEATH. I do believe that folks who want to risk life and limb of themselves and there family should be aware of this option because in my opinion it seems to be the safest.
I didn't mention that in considering the wrap etc the only option i would CONSIDER would be small baby, in secure front carrier, with good head support, facing me(BETWEEN MY ARMS, for me to protect if falling) on a bike with an upright posture for a short ride. But really other options seem so much smarter.
I found the article interesting and somewhat extreme. The mention of shaken baby syndrome from bumps in the road is outrageous. My understanding from parenting classes and EMT training is that It takes significant strong shaking for this to be an issue. I suppose if you were riding over curbs continuously or perhaps railroad ties. As far as damage from brain damage from suggested use is concerned I'm more worried about my kids getting minor brain damage from heading a soccer ball (a minor concern) than riding on a child seat or trailer. I do constantly worry about a car crushing one of our skulls but I do everything in my power to live the life I want (regular bike commuting family) in the safest way possible.
Our kids first cycle experience was in the trailer at over 24 months with properly fitting helmet. Our first just cried and cried. We didn't try again for months then she loved it. Our second loved it from his first ride. -
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: for you biking parents...
Mon, March 24, 2008 - 1:14 PMGood point about the balance issues. We were thinking up to six months in a secure wrap, then after that in a trailer. We'll see how that goes. It might be just hiking for us for the first several months, but it's hard watching the weather turn sunny and not being able to ride!
I've been worried about the trailer because I'm not used to pulling one of those and of course I'm worried about idiot drivers not paying attention to the trailer even with one of those orange flags on it. It will probably take me a while before I ride anywhere but the bike trails with a baby in tow. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Mon, March 24, 2008 - 9:20 PMI hear you! The thought of missing out on great biking weather is depressing! Yeah, staying out of traffic -- keeping it to bike trails -- sounds like the best plan. At least then you don't have to worry about drivers. That's half the battle. When my kids were small, we just hiked.. and only once-in-a-while... but there were no good bike trails nearby and really, I was exhausted with every day being a "full baby day" (and night) until they were about 6 to 8 months old anyway. I had trouble staying awake to *drive* to the well-baby visits, much less have a lifestyle like the one I've become accustomed to now! But hey, if you can find a way, more power to you, and I'm jealous just thinking about it. ; ) Ah, you must be a lot younger than I was when I had babies... ! LOL -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Tue, March 25, 2008 - 4:33 PMNope, I'm an "old broad" as one would say, but blessed to be in Missoula right now where good hiking trails are a 10-minute drive away.
Now if I can just convince my husband that the baby can't float down the river in an inner tube with us this summer. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Wed, March 26, 2008 - 12:17 PMI waited til my '40s to try this parenting thing -- if it's supposed to keep you young, I'm somehow missing out on that.
And I'm the one trying to convince my wife.... -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Wed, March 26, 2008 - 6:30 PMThanks for the good review of the Burley. We were looking at the Baby Jogger convertible model that converts from stroller to trailer, but after reading other people's experiences in this discussion I'm not so sure that's where we're going. We'll probably end up with separate strollers and trailers and we have some time to wait on the trailer. Baby Jogger says to wait until 12 months to use it. So as not to confuse ourselves too much, I think we're getting a regular stroller first.
Still, Baby Jogger is made in the US, and we've been trying to buy non-China as much as is possible for our baby stuff. Darn hard though. We're looking at Peg Perego, as they're made in Italy and fairly well-made. They have a super chi-chi model out now that my ego is trying hard to avoid. And damn all their ads for showing these gorgeous slinky well-dressed Italian mothers. Who looks like that a couple months after giving birth? Where is their belly fat? Where is the spit up on their designer clothes? Ah, marketing.
-
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Thu, March 27, 2008 - 11:24 AMMan, you should hear my wife bitch about the commentary on celeb new moms... as if most of them don't have the advantages of a dietician/chef, full-time nanny, personal trainer, and large gobs of time to work out! And then to have some lie about the preceding, making regular women feel even worse... grrrr...
As for the China issue, we're with you on that, but it is hard. I think we've concluded to make it a large part of our decision-making process, but not the defnitive one -- though we've so totally blown our baby-gear budget, it's probably a moot point for quite a while.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Mon, March 24, 2008 - 1:57 PMI don't know anything about this stuff but here's a handy side "car" style carrier from REI:
www.rei.com/product/753239
Looks like this would be safest for baby as it puts baby away from traffic...if one is obeying the traffic laws.
Also, I'm always surprised when folks use these things and don't have a flag pole on them. Just like on recumbants, get a flag pole if you use a rear carrier. That might actually be a hassle on a side carrier...but, um, may also be required by state or local ordinance.
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Wed, March 26, 2008 - 12:14 PMCongrats. We just got our Burley Solo and went for the first spin around the park yesterday evening (with our almost eight-month old -- who has already pushed through his nine-month clothes and making steady headway on the twelve-month sets!). We're in northwest Denver, which is great for access to the extensive bike path network here, but unfortunately, the roads to the paths are narrow and/or busy and full of drivers who too often are oblivious or a bit aggressive -- usually not a problem for me alone, but a little too risky with the little one, so I guess we're driving to the "trailhead," at least for a little while.
It's a lot smoother pulling that I would have thought -- I didn't really notice it, though I can tell that the added weight/drag are going to be a pain on the larger hills -- and I think I'll have to have some detours for some routes that have substantial altitude gain in a very short distance.
We're storing it inside, so I'm not too concerned about wear -- I think the key is keeping it clean and mildew-free. Some of the reviews complained about the fabric wearing from tire rubbing, but that's got to be due to faulty installation, because I see no real possiblity of that. I'm sure the clear plastic "windows" will eventually crack, but hey, it's plastic -- it'll last a couple millenia, just not in it's current configuration.
As with someone above, I've been itching to get out for the last few months (both hiking and biking -- we also got a pack, which I used Sunday with only one major meltdown). Since late pregnancy and birth, I've put on a goodly amount of weight that I'll be happy to get rid of. Not quite enough to balance out the added trailer/kid weight, but at least a start.
Again, congrats and have fun. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Fri, March 28, 2008 - 9:33 AMUpdate: We changed our minds and ended up going with the Chariot brand. That was mostly because I discovered that Burley has only been making the ski conversion kit for about two years, and it sounds like there are still some major bugs to be worked out. I also read a few reviews that suggested the Chariot bike trailer handles bumpy trails a bit better. I also like the fact that the Chariot has adjustable suspension (for when the kiddo packs on the pounds).
And a totally belated answer...I don't think I've seen the Matanuska Thunder Pluckers :) But I'm going to keep my eyes/ears open for them now! Are they still playing? -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Sat, March 29, 2008 - 2:42 PMI'm not sure if they are still playing. I know that in the past they have played The Girdwood Forest fair and hunter creek bluegrass fest and various locals around anchorage and the valley. Enjoy your Chariot they seem like a great product. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Sat, March 29, 2008 - 3:51 PMWe're not letting Made in China be a deal-breaker, but if given the choice between comparable products, and the price differential is not exorbitant (like twice the price) we're choosing made in US/Canada/Italy. Actually, my #1 choice is Made in Germany--I've never been disappointed with something made in Germany.
But it's such a marketing game. We just got a bunch of Fuzzi Bunz for the little guy and they make a big stink about how they are "Made in the USA". Of course, the liners are made in China. So much for truth in advertising. Did you know that in Canada something counts as "Made in Canada" if all the factory did was stitch a "Made in Canada" label onto the item?
I'll check out the Chariot too -- haven't heard about that one.
-
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Tue, April 1, 2008 - 11:32 AMFor us it came down to pure economics -- $279 no tax or shipping for an '07 close-out v. $500-600.
In connection with the other thread, "F... SF," we were out tooling around on Sat. and someone left their Chariot (along with their two brand-new cruisers) outside a restaurant unlocked and seemingly unattended. Granted there were lots of folks around in a tony part of Denver, but still... I couldn't imagine it -- maybe I lived too many years in DC and New Orleans, where things disappear in a matter of seconds rather than minutes. -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Tue, April 1, 2008 - 11:51 AMi borrowed a friend's adams trail-a-bike recently and took my grandson for a good long ride. we might want to get something like that, probably a used one. i v seen a few for sale on craigslist for a real good price but havent been able to get out to the remote suburbs where people sell their bike stuff cheap.
i asked around and people like my best bike mechanic (who is a dad) says the coupling on that brand is the best available. even so, it wobbled a little and that is something the kid and i will have to work out, because it is hard to keep the rig on a straight course. well i want him to sit square on the saddle because i want him to learn how to ride his own bike later, but i guess he's interested to see what is ahead of the big ass that is pulling him.
do you agree that adams makes the best coupling? -
-
Re: for you biking parents...
Tue, April 1, 2008 - 12:59 PMHi Foss, Adams is not the best hitch. For many years Burley made the Piccolo it requires a rear rack that it comes with. The "bike" attaches to the rack. This is a much more secure attachment as well as a better location for the pivot. Burley went through some changes a few years back and stopped making them. Fortunately they have brought them back and a simpler version with no gears. If you are not in a rush I would watch crags list for one they do come up on occasion. Check them out. www.burley.com/products/c...piccolo.cfm
-
-
-
-
