Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
Weehoo. Recumbent trail behind that has a 5 point harness and comfortable seat which is adjustable to size.
We used one for 4 years with our youngest- it opened up WAY more routes for us as a family. Kid+Weehoo=heavy pull, but thats the only downside. The Weehoo was extremely safe, comfortable, and engaging(since she wasnt inside a bubble like a Burley). She could 'help' pedal when she wanted too.
One benefit of a Weehoo versus an upright tag-a-long(in addition to the safety and comfort) is the lack of wobble and wonky side leaning kid bike. Too mant of those tag-a-long additions are just cheap as can be and the kid ends up leaning over to one side since the attachment to the bike is so loose and poor quality. You can really feel the sway of weight too, due to center of gravity.
Really good advice. Some additional comments/thoughts:
- You can go with a regular tag-along/trail-a-bike or a Weehoo. The Weehoo is not super portable, it's pretty heavy, but does allow your kid to sleep/be securely strapped in. A trail-a-bike is much easier to transport and pull but if your kid isn't too emotionally mature yet, you will question your choice. I got a trail-a-bike and my 4-year-old tends to take her hands off the handlebars, feet off pedals, so she requires constant reminders from mom to act as an adult because she rides an adult bike. This is the
#1 reason I haven't cycled with her to daycare by myself while with a Weehoo I would have. But I just didn't want to deal with the weight, storage, and transport of it.
- They WILL pedal and it WILL count
- No problems towing the kid on a trail-a-bike 30 miles (though that's a long time for a small kid to do one activity)
- Weehoo has more accessories like sun shade, rain cover, and panniers
- I got a used Burley Piccolo which uses a different kind of attachment system with a rear rack, and it's pretty damn stable which reviews have mentioned. Both myself and my kid love it. For how expensive it is, it still uses cheapo parts like unsealed bearings and square taper cranks. Can't imagine how crappy the $100 bikes are though.
- Both kinds of bikes will support kids up to 80ish pounds, but that's questionable. Bottom line, you will get a few years use out of them (though I decided to swap out the stock crankset from the stock 140ish mm to 95mm for my 4yo and it made a world of difference)
Look on your local Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace for a used one