Best style of bike for pulling a child trailer?

[jimster99]

Hi all,

First post! I have a Weehoo tandem trailer and am trying to get a good bike for pulling it. I currently have the following:

- a Dutch style city bike (pros: easy on/off and very upright position) but negative: the steering is quite twitchy - normally a good thing - but not with a trailer! Heavy going up hills, and only 6 gears.
- a MTB (pros: much more stable pulling the trailer, lighter up hills & plenty of gears. Negatives: high toptube (normally my preference but with a trailer, makes it a bit more fiddly on/off, & you're a bit too far leaned forward).
- a road bike: Pros, low effort, good up hills, negatives: EVERYTHING ELSE (especially the leaned forward position and the high toptube and the thin frame that I worry will snap!)

Conclusion: none of these really work that well!

Any suggestions for the "best" style of bike to pull a trailer??

Thanks!

 

[Ridgeway]

We use a light eMTB, sort of cross between MTB and town but the “e” helps with the weight. It’s a Cube Cross Hybrid Allroad if I’ve remembered that correctly….

it’s my wife that rides it with the trailer, 5 days a week

 

[Oldhippy]

Anything you can put a trailer bracket on.

 

[fossyant]

Hybrid

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I towed my daughter on a hybrid when she was fairly wee, that worked out okay*, and a hard tail MTB would have worked out just as well. Not a road bike though, that'd be my very last choice I think.

*I only say "okay" because towing on any bike is tricky, (and hard work, never really a pleasure), but a hybrid handles it better than most.

Welcome by the way!

 

[raleighnut]

My best trailer towing bike was an old Raleigh rigid MTB, a Mustang but that got nicked so I replaced it with an Outlander. both were 'uprated' with aluminium bits replacing the original steel components (wheels, crankset, stem, bars seatpost etc.) and changed to 21 speed Shimano 'Deore' transmission.

 

[MichaelW2]

Weehoo mounts to the seatpost. A Hybrid with a sloping top tube and standard set of eyelets will do. Lower gears are needed. Avoid ultralight seatposts.

 

[Oldhippy]

I pulled my daughter about in trailer attached to my Rayleigh Royal tourer for a couple of years no problem at all.

 

[MichaelW2]

I pulled my daughter about in trailer attached to my Rayleigh Royal tourer for a couple of years no problem at all.

Tourers are good, esp if they have MTB gearing, but they are an expensive niche style, much harder to buy than a common mass market hybrid.

 

[Vantage]

I've pulled my old kiddie trailer with all sorts.
Any bike can do it.
With regards to an mtb being too tall and leaning too far forward, the two go hand in hand. As bikes go, the taller they are the longer they get.
Go to a bike shop (NOT halfords/decathlon) and they'll be able to test fit you to a frame size that fits you. If it's still too far forward, a shorter stem and/or different seatpost/saddle can be fitted to shorten the reach till its comfortable.

 

[Hebe]

It’s been a long time, but I used a mountain bike. If I was doing it now I’d be very tempted to buy an ebike, just for faster starts at roundabouts.

 

[jimster99]

Thanks, I agree that ebikes (a category I'm yet to explore) are probably the best (provided they don't break down!) but I don't want to get one for now as it would have to be stored outside in London and would get stolen in about 5 minutes sadly (even my 20 year old Decathlon had its front wheel worth about 30p nicked last month from the same spot).

Otherwise I agree that hybrids (and tourers - I have fond memories of a vintage Dawes Galaxy) are probably the best two categories! Food for thought anyway. Thanks all

 

[Biking mum]

I had a Weehoo and loved it but as soon as i got my kids balance bikes they wouldn't go back in the trailer. I had to upgrade our old Strider for my youngest as the wheels had worn and the bushings had disintegrated. Went with a Kidvelo Balance bike and loved it. They are new brand and not a lot written online about them but we took a punt on one for Christmas and the 2 year old loves it

 

[Sixmile]

I pulled our Croozer trailer with a mtb, hybrid, fat bike and tandem. The latter 3 had good disc brakes which along with how it's hitched on, is one of the most important factors especially as kids only get heavier. Pulling a trailer requires you to be more agile around obstacles, gates, drop kerbs, turns etc so whatever bike you're most in control of. You don't want anything twitchy or awkward to brake or one you're don't feel in full control of which brings me to road bikes. Road bikes are the one trick pony of bikes, head down and go quick which I found was the exact opposite of family riding with kids. I even ditched the spd pedals off my hybrid after our first trailer tour as what was useful out on one's own was an absolute nightmare with the on/off go/stop nature of pulling kids in a trailer