Mummy getting back into cycling (inc. bub)

[Bonz]

Hi ladies,

I used to love going riding 10, 20, 30kms before the little one came along and aftet over an hour of searching the web sites I came across a post about regarding cycling with children, front seat, back seat or trailer and I was just wondering if you might be able to give me some advice.

I have a Huffy Alpine mountain bike 26' and I'm thinking of buying a trailer to hook on so I can get back in riding, now my question isn't about the trailer but it's about the bike I have.

Will my Huffy be sufficient enough to pull even the most standard trailer or would I need to buy a brand new bike all together?

Your advice would be much appreciated

[find_bruce]

I’m not a lady but I have plenty of experience towing my son in a trailer. Even small hills can be hard work pulling the extra weight so low gears are great. With mob gears your huffy should be just fine

[bychosis]

You need mountain bike gearing for towing a trailer. If your Huffy has three front chainrings It will go fine

You also need decent brakes to cope with the extra weight. If your Huffy has steel rims I’d recommend getting some better brakes- but there is no harm in carefully testing it your current bike first.

If buying a trailer, check the coupling that attaches to your bike. The cheap Repco trailer I have came with a big chunky alloy clamp for clamping to the chain or seat stays, it got in the way of pedalling. it was so big I couldn’t wear my clip in shoes without hitting it with my heel. I have modified the clamp so it now clamps with the qr skewer. I can also use it on a disc brake bike easily as well now.

[Bonz]

Thank you. This is the kind of information I was after

[ValleyForge]

Our son loves being in the trailer - he's 9 months now and I had him in it from three weeks old. He squeals with delight on downhills!

I have a Thule Chinook and it is our boy's favourite pram. It is big, but I can put shopping, the older kids school bags or a picnic blanket in it as well. Clipping it on to a bike is a breeze, but as the bike I use has a thru-axle, I needed to source a new axle from Robert Axle Project in the US. Sounds complex but isn't.

Never been a fan of seats on bikes, and the Chinook is such a good jogging/running pram too, I think trailers are the best option. Thule and B.O.B are the pick of them, although the great quality of the B.O.B trailers seems to have dropped off.

[ironhanglider]

I had a cheap two wheeled trailer.

It was heavy, but the difference between it and a good trailer is only a kilo or two which doesn't make a lot of difference when it is loaded, but the difference is more so when you are trying to shift it around e.g. in the garage, or the bike cage at work.

It was a bit of a parachute, so you notice it when riding into a headwind. I doubt that there would be much difference between mine and a more expensive model in this respect.

I also had to modify the mounting bracket but opposite to bychosis, I had to make up a mount to the frame, because the mounting was designed for a bolt on rear wheel, and it didn't work well with my quick release wheel.

I didn't use mine for very long because my youngest was over 12M by the time his neck was strong enough to control his head with a helmet on, and by the time he was two he was happily sitting on the back of a tandem, with my daughter on a half-bike behind.

If I had my time again I'd be considering a one-wheeled trailer. They are not as wide which makes it a bit easier to navigate some of the hazards on the paths.

Cheers,

Cameron

[MattyK]

Yep, concur with the above. Low gearing and good brakes are the necessities. You don't need a "fast" bike because you won't be going fast! But you will need something you're comfortable riding vigorously on. A full length rear mudguard might be advisable too.

My tow bike had a hub gear which was great if you had to stop suddenly, you could shift it back to first gear without having to be moving. But you should be able to work around that with some anticipation of events ahead.

On the other hand, if you're looking for an excuse for a new bike, I'd suggest an electric assist cargo bike

[bychosis]

I didn't use mine for very long because my youngest was over 12M by the time his neck was strong enough to control his head with a helmet on, and by the time he was two he was happily sitting on the back of a tandem, with my daughter on a half-bike behind.

On this note, my kids didn't wear a helmet in the trailer. It would push their head forwards too much as the helmet rested on the backrest where in line with their backs. I figured the structure over the top was enough protection and the likelihood of getting questioned by the police was pretty low.

Also the seat back was made of fabric and sagged such that I needed to place a cushion behind the kids to stop them slouching so much they weren't uncomfortable. The littlest was able to sit in the trailer and I could also stuff two school bags in behind to enable the other two kids to ride to school sans backpack.