What is the best bike trailer?
Bicycle trailers are a great way to transport your things by bicycle. Simply fasten the trailer to your bicycle, load it up, and you're on your way! Bicycle trailers are perfect for cycling holidays, when you're looking to bring some extra luggage along, for outings with your child, or a day of fishing where you’d like to bring extra things with you. A luggage trailer can be loaded up with camping equipment, children's toys, fishing tackle, a surfboard, rain wear, and so on. A bicycle trailer is also ideal for a cycling trip with your baby or toddler. Children's bicycle trailers are designed for safely, comfortably transporting one or two children. It also has several extra pockets and nets for taking extra things with you, like toys and a clean change of clothes.
Dog bicycle trailers are designed for cycling trips and days out with your dog. It's safe to transport larger, somewhat heavier dogs like Labradors in them, dogs that don't fit into a basket on the transport carrier or luggage carrier.
Don't feel alarmed at the size of these bicycle trailers - most modern trailers can be folded and stored away quite easily. Bicycle trailers for kids are often also foldable. The Thule Coaster XT can even be turned into a buggy/stroller/jogger, for after your bike ride. Especially handy for those among us who love running! With some bicycle trailers, like the Roland Big-Boy with its 90-liter capacity, you can remove the transport container, making the folding process a lot easier.
Which bicycle trailer is the best one for you depends largely on how you’ll be using it. We often see that the robust bicycle trailers by Roland are used for transporting large quantities of items (fishing tackle, camping gear). In case of children's bicycle trailers, Thule's high-quality, multifunctional trailers are seen by many as the best bicycle trailers for children. The best bicycle trailer for transporting your loyal canine is a DoggyRide trailer, which is easy to use, safe and comfortable for both pet and owner.
Hollandbikeshop.com offers a large range of bicycle trailers by brands like Blue Bird, Burley, Thule, Polisport, XLC, DoggyRide, M-Wave, Mirage, Roland, Topeak, Kid's Touring, Weber and KidsCab.
Bike trailers for kids
From the moment your baby can sit up by itself (when they're somewhere between 6-12 months old), you can transport them in a children's bicycle trailer. You can do this by putting your little one in a baby safety seat or Maxi -Cosi inside the bicycle trailer. These are the best ways to take a baby with you in a bicycle trailer. The Maxi-Cosi doesn't have any slots for fastening straps, usually, so you may need to make some adjustments to the seat. A good option is putting iron rings on the seat, so you can fasten the Maxi-Cosi on four sides inside the bicycle trailer. If this isn't up your alley, you can also opt for a baby safety seat made by Melia. This safe and comfy safety seat does come with slots and makes fastening the seat with the allocated straps super-easy. Baby safety seats are generally for babies aged 0 to 9 months; for children aged 7 to 18 months, we have toddler safety seats that can also be installed in your bicycle trailer. When choosing a bicycle trailer for a baby, it's important to make sure that the seat in the trailer or the trailer itself is equipped with proper suspension, since you’re also dealing with vibrations caused by bumps in the road. Examples of great suspension trailers include the various Thule Chariot trailers and the Burley Cub.
You can usually take children who are under 105 cm tall (around 4 or 5 years old) with you in a bike trailer, though this partly depends on the size and load capacity of the trailer,
and once they're too tall for a children's bicycle trailer, you can simply switch to a regular bicycle trailer. With a regular trailer, you can transport a maximum of two children under 7 years old. In case of an unforeseen collision, the trailer has a low to the ground cage structure that ensures it can't flip over, but slides away instead. For this reason, bicycle trailers are considered to be a safe alternative to bicycle seats.
For children that have already had a few goes on their own bicycle and possess the motor skills needed for pedaling, but who aren't ready for cycling longer distances, you might consider a trailer bike. This is essentially only half a bike; instead of a front wheel, it has a sturdy connecting rod meant for attachment to the back of another bicycle that can pull the trailer bike along. Depending on the model trailer, it can be suitable for children from 4 to 5 years old to around 8 years old. Trailer bikes are a great way to let your child get used to cycling in heavy traffic.
What's a good dog trailer?
If you're looking for a great way to set out for a bike ride with your dog, a dog bicycle trailer is it. But which dog trailer is the right fit for you? When picking the right dog trailer, several factors come into play, like your dog's body weight. The maximum loading capacity of each dog bicycle trailer at Hollandbikeshop.com is listed in the product description. Determining whether a certain dog trailer is a good choice also depends on how much space the dog has in its trailer. Being able to sit comfortably is important, so if you're looking for a trailer that can fit a Labrador for instance, a bicycle trailer with a minimum height of 60 centimeters and a loading capacity of 40 kg would be a smart choice. Good examples of such dog trailers are the DoggyRide Novel and the Blue Bird 20. If your dog is larger and heavier than a Labrador, like a Great Dane for example, the Kid’s Touring Doggy Tourer XL might be a better pick. Of course, we also have great dog bicycle trailers for smaller dogs, like the Doggy Ride Mini, a smaller dog trailer that you can transform into a buggy for use without a bicycle. Doggy Ride trailers are considered by many to be very nice trailers for trips with dogs. Most doggy bike trailers are made of scratch-resistant materials, so they're claw-proof. They also have extra pockets to store a leash, treats, a Frisbee, or anything else you might want to bring along. So, whether you've got a chihuahua or a rottweiler, size is not a problem. We have a doggy trailer for virtually every dog.
How a bicycle trailer works
Most bicycle trailers are safe and easy to maneuver, since they’re made of lightweight yet robust aluminum. The bottom or floor of the bicycle trailer is made of a sturdy synthetic material. By using lightweight materials, manufacturers can guarantee that their bicycle trailers are fairly light, since you’ll want it to be able to move. This lightness also comes in handy when you want to fold up the bicycle trailer and store it in your garage. A bicycle trailer's weight is also determined by its size. A trailer like the HBS Mini, ideal for transporting groceries, only weighs 4.5 kg, while a Roland bicycle trailer might weigh at least 23 kg and can transport up to 200 kg worth of stuff. With children's bicycle trailers, you should take a weight of around 15 kg into account for trailers designed to transport two children, and around 10 kg for trailers designed for one child. Dog bicycle trailers can have very different weights. The largest dog bicycle trailer in our range is the Kid’s Touring Doggy Tourer XL, which weighs 17 kg, while the Doggy Ride Mini (ideal for smaller dogs) weighs only 9.5 kg.
A lot of people wonder whether they should secure/lock their bicycle trailer in some way. Well, it's always a good idea to lock your bicycle trailer, whenever you're taking a break during a cycling trip, taking a walk or not using the trailer for any other reason. Locking your bicycle trailer may feel a little cumbersome, but it is smart to do, since thieves are usually on the lookout for a moment of negligence to strike. And that would mean losing your bicycle trailer.
As with bicycles, we recommend locking your bicycle trailer with two locks and securing it to a fixed object (like a fence, lamppost or bike rack). This makes the bicycle trailer less easy to remove and thus less attractive to thieves. You can use a prominent U-lock for this purpose, in addition to threading a cable lock through the wheels and frame and tethering it to your bicycle or a fixed object. A properly visible U-lock can be quite a powerful deterrent. Hollandbikeshop.com offers cable locks with enough length to secure your bicycle and bicycle trailer together, as well as U-locks.
How do you mount a bicycle trailer?
It's fairly easy to attach a bicycle trailer to your bicycle. You can either use the trailer's connector to fasten the bicycle trailer to the bicycle's connecting part on the seatpost or rear axle. In principle, you can attach a bicycle trailer to any bicycle, though it's always important to make sure that your bicycle is suitable. Check whether the bicycle trailer's connecting part fits on the bicycle. Some electric bicycles aren't suitable for attaching a bicycle trailer.
Looking for parts for your bicycle trailer, like a trailer hitches, shims, drawbar plates or mounting straps? You've come to the right place at Hollandbikeshop.com. Have a look at our large range of bicycle trailer parts!
Where can I buy a bicycle trailer?
Find your next bicycle trailer at Hollandbikeshop.com! Our range features an extensive selection of various bicycle trailers in many sizes, for transporting extra clothes during a cycling holiday, for cycling trips with the kids or for a day out with your dog. Bicycle trailers, luggage trailers, children's and dog bicycle trailers, you’ll find them all at Hollandbikeshop.com. We have high-quality, convenient luggage trailers from €69.95 to €492.95, children's bicycle trailers from €169.95 to €1179.95 and dog bicycle trailers are available from €149.95 to €965.95. If you’re looking for a way to take a few extra things along on a cycling weekend, Hollandbikeshop.com has what you need. Beside a large range, Hollandbikeshop.com offers fast delivery and competitive prices.
