Big Dummy experience?

[hozn]

Maybe you just need a bigger trailer? I am pretty sure my 6-year-old still fits in the Chariot. Certainly he used it comfortably until preschool was over (age 5). Like you, I also have another 12 miles after dropping off the trailer, so I personally would never consider a cargo bike.

[jrenaut]

As someone who put 2500 miles on a 24D last year, I can tell you that your concerns are valid. It rides a bit like a couch, and is geared for spinning fast while holding a lot of cargo. In the highest gear, I struggle to get over 26 mph on a flat road, unloaded.

It depends on your kid as to whether you need the Xtracycle family kit (the roll bar and foot rests). I had problems when we first got ours because my then-4-year-old would fall asleep on the way home from summer camp and her sister refused to help out. I’d just get head butted in the lower back. She never fell out, though.

If you’re handy, you could probably put together something for him to hang on to without spending the money on official Xtracycle accessories.

DO NOT SKIMP ON BRAKES. I replaced the mechanical discs on the 24D with hydraulics and am very happy. All that weight just eats brake pads. Bike+me+2 kids+normal cargo is something like 350 pounds.

[Steve O]

@EasyRider 151938 wrote:

Loading the 3 year old into his trailer this morning I realized he’ll probably have outgrown it by this summer. Preschool is just 1-2 miles from home, and it’s been very easy to take him there daily, lock up the trailer, and pick up one or both on the way home in the evening. I will miss it, especially that so much fun cost only $50 on Craigslist.

I’m thinking about whether a cargo bike is a good next step, and in particular, the Surly Big Dummy. I’ve read that the Xtracycle and Yuba bikes are better for kid-carriage than the Dummy, while the Dummy is lighter and the rider position is sportier/less like a townie. That appeals to me since I’m only ferrying my son a mile or three each day. The other 12 miles of my daily commute it’s just me and a bag of clothes and it’s how I get exercise. I’m not interested in power assist, and aside from disc brakes, I already have all the parts I need to build up a Dummy from the frame. On the other hand, isn’t there a bunch of Xtracycle junk $$$ I have to buy for the Dummy in order for a 4 year old to have a place to sit and hold on? So I might save a little money over buying a complete bike, but not a lot?

I have a friend with a Xtracycle 24d who loves it and I can take that for a spin, but would be interesting in hearing from Big Dummy owners on their experiences.

Another option is a trail-a-bike. My daughter transitioned from a bike seat directly to it when she was but 3 y.o. Same thing as you; I would lock it up at her pre-school for pick up later. Also cheap on Craigslist.

[EasyRider]

@hozn 151944 wrote:

Maybe you just need a bigger trailer? I am pretty sure my 6-year-old still fits in the Chariot. Certainly he used it comfortably until preschool was over (age 5). Like you, I also have another 12 miles after dropping off the trailer, so I personally would never consider a cargo bike.

Hmm, I guess I just assumed all trailers were all the same size. The top of my son’s helmet is starting to “tent” the canopy and if he sticks his legs out they touch it there too. He’s by no means a big kid. A little over 3 feet and maybe 36 pounds. The trailer is a second hand “Vantly” brand. Not quite Burly quality, but good. It’s a two seater.

[dasgeh]

@Steve O 151954 wrote:

Another option is a trail-a-bike. My daughter transitioned from a bike seat directly to it when she was but 3 y.o. Same thing as you; I would lock it up at her pre-school for pick up later. Also cheap on Craigslist.

Or a wee-hoo, which is a recumbant trail-a-bike. The kid can pedal or not and can be strapped in (our 18 mo has been mountain biking strapped in), but it’s built to take kids up to 8-10yo. Not cheap, but holds it’s resale well. Easy on-and-off, so could leave at school.

We LOVE ours, and would be happy to lend if that would help you decide.

[hozn]

Yeah, I had a Burley Solo before which my son would have outgrown by the time he was 4. Upgraded (Craigslist) to a Chariot Cougar (2-seater), which has more headroom and of course side room too.

Expensive, even used, but so worth it. It should last us until the younger brother (now 3) is out of preschool.

Trailer bike is another option. We have a Weehoo, which I use when the weather is nice. But I am not gonna do that with my son in the rain or freezing temps. For little Viking stock, they aren’t that hardy

[DismalScientist]

Kids are wimps today. The government should mandate that all trail-a-bikes be made with fixed gears.

[wheelswings]

@hozn 151944 wrote:

Maybe you just need a bigger trailer?

The double Burley’s are quite spacious and have nice “trunk” space as well. I pulled my girls in a double ’til they were 6 and 10 years old (admittedly we run on the small side…). That was our car. Loved it.

[Steve O]

As you probably already know, you don’t really pay for these trailer things; you just rent them. I had two different trail-a-bikes (consecutively, not simultaneously), each of which I bought used and then sold used. I believe the net cost–purchase price less sales price–over 10 years was $70.

[LhasaCM]

@Steve O 151976 wrote:

As you probably already know, you don’t really pay for these trailer things; you just rent them. I had two different trail-a-bikes (consecutively, not simultaneously), each of which I bought used and then sold used. I believe the net cost–purchase price less sales price–over 10 years was $70.

Very true. Or, there’s my master plan (we’ll see if it pans out) where once my daughter doesn’t need to be towed any longer, we’ll pop off the tow arm and put on the front fork, wheel, and brakes, and convert her trailercycle into a bicycle. We started using it (a Burley Piccolo) when she was around 4 and use it almost every day for her commute home from school. (My office isn’t too far from her school so I just keep it attached, but it is easy on/easy off if need be, or if I want to just take a ride myself).

[Lt. Dan]

Another vote for the Weehoo!! While my 7 year old loves riding his own bike, he understands how much fun it can be bombing down the trail behind Dad too….

[hozn]

@dasgeh 151959 wrote:

(our 18 mo has been mountain biking strapped in)

I saw the marketing pictures of people riding off road with the Weehoo, so I figured I’d give it a shot. To others that might be considering this, my experience was not as good as dasgeh’s.

Specifically, the Weehoo (1) has no suspension (so any bumps get transmitted right to your kid’s spine, since they can’t stand on the pedals like adults can/do when mountain biking on hardtails). Also (2) the seatpost clamp has nothing to stop it from moving up (toward the saddle) and “falling off” the plastic shim. This will at minimum scrape up your seatpost, but it’s also pretty disconcerting when it happens and consequences could be a lot worse. And finally (3) you can’t clear logs with a Weehoo (and it’s heavy enough to make hoisting it over logs quite cumbersome) which pretty much rules out any of our areas actual MTB trails. The one advantage that the Weehoo has over a trailer for off-road use is that it’s narrower.

As much as I think the Weehoo is inferior to a regular trailer from the perspective of the person doing the pulling of the trailer, the kids do LOVE it (at least the younger one; the older one just rides his bike). So I can definitely say its’ been worth having. But if I were choosing a daily transportation option for bringing a kid & stuff to/from daycare, it would not be a Weehoo, as there’s very limited storage and obviously no shelter from the elements.

[secstate]

Just to say, I don’t have anything to tow in a trailer or cargo bike, but I’ve weirdly enjoyed this thread and always get a kick out of seeing cargo bikes in the wild. Would love to see a cargo bike & trailer parade around HP!

[dasgeh]

@secstate 152525 wrote:

Just to say, I don’t have anything to tow in a trailer or cargo bike, but I’ve weirdly enjoyed this thread and always get a kick out of seeing cargo bikes in the wild. Would love to see a cargo bike & trailer parade around HP!

It’s called Kidical Mass, and we’ve totally done it!

[dasgeh]

@hozn 152152 wrote:

As much as I think the Weehoo is inferior to a regular trailer from the perspective of the person doing the pulling of the trailer, the kids do LOVE it (at least the younger one; the older one just rides his bike). So I can definitely say its’ been worth having. But if I were choosing a daily transportation option for bringing a kid & stuff to/from daycare, it would not be a Weehoo, as there’s very limited storage and obviously no shelter from the elements.

I think there are pros and cons to both, but I’m surprised that from a pulling perspective you would like a trailer more — a weehoo is just one wheel, so less resistance. I haven’t ridden with many trailers, but the ones I’ve pulled have definitely been harder to pull than the weehoo. Also, there’s probably less storage capacity in the weehoo’s sidebags than in a trailer, but I’m surprised at how much they do hold. We haven’t had a problem stuffing the normal preschool stuff in (art projects, lunch boxes, etc). If you really want cargo capacity, you can get the double weehoo set up as one seat, one cargo box.

In other words, pros and cons and ymmv.

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