Help - Bikes, Trailers and Stands
like2bike
Posts: 21
Hi, I'm looking for some advice re. bikes and trailers. Me and my partner are looking to buy a bike that we can share, predominantly for transporting our child. Our budget is low and we've not used seats or trailers with a bike before. We thought about getting a hybrid bike, which I believe are good for getting around (upright ones are expensive and seemed really geared towards females). Anyway, we would ideally like to be able to use a seat sometimes, but have the option of a trailer also for when its bad weather.
So the Carerras in Halford are in our price range just, but the cheaper ones, Subway, Parva etc apparently cant have the trailer they sell (the single buggy) with a kickstand as it would hit the trailer arm when in the up position. Only the crossfire 1 would work; apparently there is just enough space. We also looked at some of the less fancy uprights, apollo etc, but they all have a cable on the post which apparently would make fitting a seat difficult.
So what bikes do most people use with a seat or trailer? Anyone use a hybrid? And do most bikes have this problem with the kickstand? Budget wise; don't really want to spend much more than 240 (less than 200 would be better!), as need to get mudguards, lights, stand. We are 5'4 and 5'6, so were pointed in direction of the mens crossfire 1 as it does 17" frame, which would hopefully do for both of us. I was interested in the 16" womens crossfire 1, as I thought it would be more suitable and has a step through, but apparently the 16" would be too small for a seat! So it looks like it would have to be 18" if we do manage to find a bike cheaper than the crossfire that would work...
Any help appreciated.
So the Carerras in Halford are in our price range just, but the cheaper ones, Subway, Parva etc apparently cant have the trailer they sell (the single buggy) with a kickstand as it would hit the trailer arm when in the up position. Only the crossfire 1 would work; apparently there is just enough space. We also looked at some of the less fancy uprights, apollo etc, but they all have a cable on the post which apparently would make fitting a seat difficult.
So what bikes do most people use with a seat or trailer? Anyone use a hybrid? And do most bikes have this problem with the kickstand? Budget wise; don't really want to spend much more than 240 (less than 200 would be better!), as need to get mudguards, lights, stand. We are 5'4 and 5'6, so were pointed in direction of the mens crossfire 1 as it does 17" frame, which would hopefully do for both of us. I was interested in the 16" womens crossfire 1, as I thought it would be more suitable and has a step through, but apparently the 16" would be too small for a seat! So it looks like it would have to be 18" if we do manage to find a bike cheaper than the crossfire that would work...
Any help appreciated.
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Comments
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With your budget you might do better looking for a second hand bike sized to fit you both. You will certainly get a better machine for your money. The same goes for the trailer.
We started off using a CoPilot seat which mounted onto a pannier rack. This had the advantages of putting the centre of gravity slightly lower, not scratching or stressing the seat tube, and was easy to remove when not needed. Plus the rack was handy for commuting/shopping etc. Generally, I hated the way the bike handled with the seat on the back. I'm not heavy or tall so I struggled to counterbalance any leaning which made low speed steering awkward and I would never dare standing on the pedals on climbs. Possibly the geometry of my bike wasn't suited to it as others seems to manage, maybe they just put up with it. There's a definite knack to getting a child into the seat, but once they're in the bike is really top heavy which obviously gets worse over time.
When our second arrived we eventually got a two seat trailer. I think this has been the best money I've ever spent on cycling. It's easy to load, and with a stand on the bike and the brake on the trailer you can park up and be hands free to deal with coats, hats, toys etc . It's great if the weather's bad, and if they are asleep when you get home it's no problem.0 -
Thanks for the advice. Did you have any trouble having a kickstand as well as a trailer? Can I ask what bike you had with the trailer?0
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I've never bothered with a kickstand, there's nearly always a lamp post, tree or wall to lean your bike against. You'll find not many cyclists use them.~~~~~~Sustrans - Join the Movement~~~~~~0
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I mainly use a Ridley XBow with the trailer and the kick stand rests on the bottom of the trailer hitch (Burley) so there's no real conflict there. A lot of stands are adjustable for both angle and length so you can tinker until it fits the way you want.
I too had never considered that I would ever, ever be 'one of those people' with a stand on my bike. By which I mean 'one of those people with a practical accessory fitted on their bike which make it easier to use'. I don't have to worry about finding a suitable lamp post or wall to lean the bike against, and I don't have scuff marks on my saddle or brake levers. I would never put a stand on my road bike, but it doesn't look out of place on what is essentially a utility bike doing family transport duty. Compared with 50kg of children, toys, books and trailer, a few ounces of kickstand don't make much difference.0
