Seeking a decent bike trailer

Iwannahurl

I did a quick search of Boards and I don't think this has been done to death before.

I want to get a bike trailer for transporting two kids and getting the shopping etc. I will often have to do both, eg carry one toddler and a load of shopping.

My tendency is always to go for the best quality, but I just don't have the money these days for such pursuits.

If wonga was no object I'd opt for a Chariot. I've also heard that Croozer is a good make.

I want something durable that won't rust and look grotty within months. Ideally I also want a solid floor; the Chariot has that, but I'm not sure about others.

Any thoughts and suggestions? Thanks in advance.

doozerie

We've been using a Chariot Cougar 1 for over a year now and have been very happy with it. It wasn't cheap but it has proved to be good value for us. We didn't try any others but when we went through the features and reputation of a number of alternative trailers at the time the Chariot came out on top. We have had a couple of small bits either break or get lost on the Chariot recently, pretty much predictable wear and tear rather than anything that reflects badly on the trailer/brand itself, and we were able to buy replacement parts quite easily which is another plus.

Incidentally, we bought ours from a shop in Tipperary, now known as velo.ie, and they were very good to deal with and at the time they matched the best price we found online.

doozerie

Oh, and should the winter this year turn out to be anything like last year then another advantage of the Chariot will come into play, which is its flexibility. Cycling through the mucky snow near us with the trailer was not an option (cycling through it without the trailer and with studded tyres wouldn't work during the worst of it!), and pushing it through the snow with the buggy wheel kit on the front was very difficult too as the two wheels were too small to cope with mounds of snow. The stroller kit, a single 16" front wheel, would have fared better but we went and bought the hiking kit instead, which is a harness (that you wear) attached to a long arm which connects to the trailer instead of the tow bar used with a bike.

We haven't had the need to test it out yet, thankfully, but if that fails there are always the ski attachments which would likely turn a few more local heads than the trailer already does if such a thing were possible. It's a gadget nerd's dream, this trailer

Iwannahurl

You've found my weakness.