After a trailer, what next?

[annirak]

My daughter (5 years old) has pretty much outgrown her Thule/Chariot Chinook (111cm/40 inch rated body height) and it's time to move on to a new commuting solution. I currently cycle 5 miles to her school, then a further 3.5 to work. We cycle in all weather--with the trailer, this has been easily doable: she arrives at school dry, I get to work and change.

My daughter has learned to ride her single-speed kids' bike, but her frog 52 is a bit beyond her right now. I have cycled about 2 miles with her on quiet cycle paths, but that has taken a very long time. Our commute goes through some very busy roads that I wouldn't be comfortable with her riding until she is much more street smart and confident on her bike.

On the way to school, she stays awake the whole time, but on the way home, she often falls asleep after the long day.

Ideally, I'm looking for a solution that will get us both where we need to go, keep her dry on the way, and still allow me to maintain an active commute.

I've looked at cargo bikes, trailers, tag-alongs, and tandems. They all seem to have one of three problems:

1. Kid gets wet
2. Kid may fall asleep
3. Kid doesn't fit (or doesn't fit for long)

The cargo bikes might be better for most of these, but I had a hard time tracking down the dimensions for cargo bikes with canopies.

I know that Sheldon Brown recommended kid-front or kid-back tandems for getting kids involved in the commute, but living in a fairly rainy area, I worry that she will get wet with no available change space at school.

Did/do you bicycle commute with kids? If so, how did you handle it when they outgrew the trailer?

 

[confusedcyclist]

It's a nightmare that schools are not providing facilities for changing. Is it any wonder we have massive air pollution problems when active travel is made so difficult.

Have you considered waterproof over trousers and a jacket in combination with a tandem on inclement days?

 

[KneesUp]

Have you asked school about somewhere to change? They must have a meeting room or something?

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Surly Big Dummy? Black ice is the only time we reconsider our options. I have winter tyres too. Our little school lets the children change into their PE kit if they get drenched on the way to school. Rain happens here in the South West. As does banjo playing.

 

[DCBassman]

I live even further south west. No kids or commute, but more rain than most, with almost every eastbound cloud bumping into Dartmoor and unloading all over Tavistock. No wonder I don't cycle enough. And banjos haven't been invented here yet...

 

[annirak]

Have you asked school about somewhere to change? They must have a meeting room or something?

That's a fair point. I should ask them about available change facilities and airing facilities. I suspect they provide more such facilities for the senior school than for the junior school.

 

[ianrauk]

Have you looked at a WeeHoo trailer? Expensive but nice bit of kit. You can buy the rain canopy separately.
Age up to 9yo.

 

[ianrauk]

From a previous thread about the Weehoo trailer

To give a more (ish) complete picture on why I bought the wee hoo these were the positives... non technical ones

1. Falling asleep... Tag a longs that look like a 1/2 a bike or even a bike are great for older children who do not fall asleep or do not get tired. At Pre-school a little one fell asleep and fell off a tag a long thing lucky she fell road to path and not road into on coming traffic, she was very scraped up. They cannot fall off a wee hoo

2. If they are only on a balance bike still - I found Wee Hoo assists in them learning to ride quicker, they get the pedal action from a wee hoo and the balance from the balance bike

3. When she pedalled I could feel the difference

4. Unlike a trailer they wear them out as they are exercising too.

5. They do not do that awful lean thing you see happening on tag a longs and they are very secure

6. They have pockets for drinks and child can drink/eat on a wee hoo.

7. A child can do everything in a wee hoo they can do in a trailer including playing the harmonica

8. More than one child is not a problem on the Wee Hoo as they do double ones.

9. The panniers are great for all their child crap.

10. If you want to go long distance it is not a problem as when your small person has had enough they can just sit there watching the world go by with no effort or concentration, in Maggots case usually eating/drinking/singing/play harmonica/waving to the world...

11. They fit them until they are 9 (I have had my 9 year old in it) so if you are really long distance cycling (I am not) that is not an issue to take the small people along for quite a number of years

12. People have toured with Wee Hoos & 3 year olds, there is a blog somewhere

13. Cars avoid you like the plague (around here anyway) I have noticed they give me far more space when I have the wee hoo attached as opposed to when I had the trailer.

14. You can off road, mountain bike, snow bike do that very grrr all bumpy dirty high energy stuff (that I do not do) with a Wee Hoo, the videos on their faceache page from owners doing just that are amazing.

15. My Father (73 and old enough to know better) rolled our trailer more than once with his electric bike... he never had that issue with the Wee Hoo (BTW User76 thought Papa rolling the trailer was hilarious whilst she hung upside down laughing - this Mummy was less than amused by it)

 

[Andy in Germany]

My daughter (5 years old) has pretty much outgrown her Thule/Chariot Chinook (111cm/40 inch rated body height) and it's time to move on to a new commuting solution. I currently cycle 5 miles to her school, then a further 3.5 to work. We cycle in all weather--with the trailer, this has been easily doable: she arrives at school dry, I get to work and change.

My daughter has learned to ride her single-speed kids' bike, but her frog 52 is a bit beyond her right now. I have cycled about 2 miles with her on quiet cycle paths, but that has taken a very long time. Our commute goes through some very busy roads that I wouldn't be comfortable with her riding until she is much more street smart and confident on her bike.

On the way to school, she stays awake the whole time, but on the way home, she often falls asleep after the long day.

Ideally, I'm looking for a solution that will get us both where we need to go, keep her dry on the way, and still allow me to maintain an active commute.

I've looked at cargo bikes, trailers, tag-alongs, and tandems. They all seem to have one of three problems:

1. Kid gets wet
2. Kid may fall asleep
3. Kid doesn't fit (or doesn't fit for long)

The cargo bikes might be better for most of these, but I had a hard time tracking down the dimensions for cargo bikes with canopies.

I know that Sheldon Brown recommended kid-front or kid-back tandems for getting kids involved in the commute, but living in a fairly rainy area, I worry that she will get wet with no available change space at school.

Did/do you bicycle commute with kids? If so, how did you handle it when they outgrew the trailer?

Can measure our Baskfiets and canopy if it helps.

I used an Xtracycle and waterproofs for most kid/commuting although we lived close to the kindy.

Our kids generally fall asleep sooner or later in a Bakfiets: it seems to make them drowzy.

 

[annirak]

Have you looked at a WeeHoo trailer? Expensive but nice bit of kit. You can buy the rain canopy separately.
Age up to 9yo.

I’ve been thinking about a weehoo for pretty much all the reasons listed in the following post! On top of that, it would work with the current bike, which makes it much less expensive than either a tandem or a bakfiets. I was a bit worried about the wet legs (they hang out from under the rain canopy) but that’s probably easy enough to correct for.

Can measure our Baskfiets and canopy if it helps.

I used an Xtracycle and waterproofs for most kid/commuting although we lived close to the kindy.

Our kids generally fall asleep sooner or later in a Bakfiets: it seems to make them drowzy.

Kid is now growing out of the 40inch space in the chinook—helmet plays a part—which makes me worry about a bakfiets. I think seat-to-canopy is likely the best measurement. If you could do that, it’d be really helpful!

 

[Sixmile]

I admire your dedication to this. I haven't done very many commutes in the trailer but our eldest has outgrown ours. The WeeHoo definitely seems like the best solution.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I’ve been thinking about a weehoo for pretty much all the reasons listed in the following post! On top of that, it would work with the current bike, which makes it much less expensive than either a tandem or a bakfiets. I was a bit worried about the wet legs (they hang out from under the rain canopy) but that’s probably easy enough to correct for.



Kid is now growing out of the 40inch space in the chinook—helmet plays a part—which makes me worry about a bakfiets. I think seat-to-canopy is likely the best measurement. If you could do that, it’d be really helpful!

I'll try to remember when I get back tonight.

I have carried bigger persons with canopy by letting them sit on the floor. The centre of gravity is so low that it's like cycling on a gyroscope.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I’ve been thinking about a weehoo for pretty much all the reasons listed in the following post! On top of that, it would work with the current bike, which makes it much less expensive than either a tandem or a bakfiets. I was a bit worried about the wet legs (they hang out from under the rain canopy) but that’s probably easy enough to correct for.



Kid is now growing out of the 40inch space in the chinook—helmet plays a part—which makes me worry about a bakfiets. I think seat-to-canopy is likely the best measurement. If you could do that, it’d be really helpful!

Bakfiets is ca. 75 cm from seat to the highest point of the arch, or 95cm from the floor. Obviously this will vary according to the design of the Bakfiets.

Strangely the pilot of the bike still gets just as wet in the rain even with the cover in front of them. I never did work that out.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Surly Big Dummy? Black ice is the only time we reconsider our options. I have winter tyres too. Our little school lets the children change into their PE kit if they get drenched on the way to school. Rain happens here in the South West. As does banjo playing.

View attachment 431511

Awesome. This will be my next bike.

 

[annirak]

Bakfiets is ca. 75 cm from seat to the highest point of the arch, or 95cm from the floor. Obviously this will vary according to the design of the Bakfiets.

Strangely the pilot of the bike still gets just as wet in the rain even with the cover in front of them. I never did work that out.

Thanks for that. I think it’s going to be too short when her torso, head, and helmet are taken into account.

This week, I spoke with one of the other parents whose child is in my daughters class. She commutes with a normal-looking bakfiets and her daughter, who is about the same age as mine, is out of space in that bike.

Even if I could find a bakfiets that fits my daughter now, I get the sense it won’t last long.

This seems to leave two choices: the Weehoo or a new (used) bike such as the surly big dummy or a kid tandem.