surfperch

I am going to be picking up Novara Randonee in the next couple of weeks as I've been looking to replace my last one that was stolen years ago and go back to being car free.

I want to be able to get around town, not worry too much about what I am hauling home from the store, and most of all I need to be able to carry my daughter. My wife and I just found out that we are getting another bundle of joy in September so being able to eventually haul two kids (plus the above mentioned) is a major plus. I'm trying to get some insight as to whether a trailer or an xtracycle would be the way to go?

Xtracycle:
The xtracycle kit I am looking at is around $825 (which includes everything for the conversion, the panniers(?), and the compatible kid seat. The price seems to be the biggest caveat of the system.

Trailer:
Prices range pretty big in this regard. I have an $80 one that I picked up from Wal-Mart a few years ago and while it isn't horrible, the constant pull/push feel while pedaling along gets annoying, the straps for putting your kid in place are cumbersome (not to mention the fact that I've had to stop more than once because my daughter somehow managed to get herself twisted in the straps). Perhaps more expensive ones have better strapping/attachment systems?

B. Carfree

How old is your daughter? When my son turned two, we put him on a rear-steer tandem with a kiddie crank and I much preferred that to using an Xtracycle or a trailer. I've seen too many kids fall off the back of Xtracycles and trailer-bikes to trust those set-ups. The person who converted our old Huffy tandem into a rear-steer built a center-steer triple for his two kids. Sadly, these wonderful machines aren't available stock (that I know of), but any competent builder can make one for you. Also, unlike most tandems, a rear-steer works just fine with only one person, since you ride from the stoker position when you go solo.

surfperch

My daughter turns three in May and we have our second bundle of joy due in September (so he or she will be along on rides/shopping trips/etc by next Spring).

I could see a kid falling off the xtracycle if they were just straddling it to hang on, but have a hard time understanding how a kid can fall off the back if they are in a Peapod or inside of a trailer strapped in. Maybe I'm not understanding?

gerv 

I think the Burley connector might help with the pull/push feeling. Since I put it on my low end trailer, I've had no complaints.

I'm guessing dragging kids on xtracycles would be more geared to 6-8 year olds.

But what do I know? I have enough trouble dragging myself along.

B. Carfree

I wasn't sure of the age, so I didn't know you would be strapping your daughter in. I'm not sure I would enjoy having a high rear load, but if you like it like that then good for you. I strongly encourage you to get her into active participation with the power generation as soon as you can. It's a lot more fun for kids to play an active role in their own transportation than to just be passengers, at least in my experience.

bendembroski

I've been using a bike + trailer for the past 3 years for hauling kids + stuff and general car - liteness.

I've never used an xtracycle, but I can offer a few observations about kids and trailers:

Weather protection is pretty easy with a trailer. Rain, shine, or snow, the kids don't care. Blankets for when it's cold.

If the bike goes over, the trailer stays upright.

Low-speed handling of the bike is completely unaffected by the weight in the trailer. No wobbles when climbing.

Napping en-route is easy in a trailer.

Braking is a little trickier with trailer, as it tends to 'push' the rear end of the bike. So, more use of the rear brake is needed.

A trailer means double the rubber on the road, so there is a noticeable increase in rolling resistance, compared to carrying the same amount of weight on a 2 wheeler.

Trailers are wide, so can be pain to fit around gates on MUPs and through doorways.

It is possible to flip a trailer by clipping a curb, bump or the like while cornering at speed. I've done this once when I was hauling stuff (not kids) and I was in a hurry. If you watch your speed, this isn't an issue.

If you are using it to take the kids to school / nursery / wherever and then going on about your day you can just lock the trailer up and leave it with the kids. This way, you are not pulling around cargo capacity that you don't need.

Communication with the kids while they are in the trailer is difficult. Especially when the rain-cover is fitted and there are cars about.

A good quality trailer will address all the issues you mentioned regarding straps, push - pull feeling, etc. They also tend to be less tippy in the corners.

When it's windy, a trailer is a sail (this is good or bad, depending on the direction of travel )

I'm paranoid about drivers seeing the bike, but not noticing the trailer. I haven't had any close calls, so maybe this is just in my head.

Hope that helps!

FWIW, I've been revisiting my situation with the trailer now that the older kid is 4. The trailer is getting a little crowded... I'm considering a longtail, but the lack of weather protection is putting me off. All in all, I've been totally happy with using trailer up to now though. The kids like it, it's fairly versatile, and I can use it on any of my bikes if the 'tractor' is out of service. Speaking of which, I got tired of constantly hooking up and removing the trailer depending on what kind of trip I was making, so I got a used bike cheap that I just leave the trailer attached to, and then use my other bike(s) for non-trailer trips.

CarFreeFam4

I have two kids, ages 4 and 9, and we have been ferrying them around on the back of a Kona Ute (not unlike an xtracycle) for almost three years now. We've never had an issue with kids sliding/falling off the back. My daughter rode in a Peapod until very recently when we took it off, now she just sits on the deck. Both of my kids have preferred the Ute to a trailer, they have better line of vision and can talk to us. They also get the feel of what it's like on a bicycle a bit more than a kid in a trailer. I prefer the Ute as well. It has greater capacity with the long bags than a trailer. I can carry my two kids who are far too big for a trailer now and a week's worth of groceries at once. I could never do that with a trailer, even when they were smaller. I also like that I always have my cargo capacity with me, even if I wasn't planning to buy something. I've grown so accustomed to riding the longer bicycle that it doesn't bother me in the slightest to have the extra weight/length all the time. Actually, I kind of like it better because the slight adjustments that need to be made to ride it are normal for me now, it doesn't matter whether I have my kids with me or not. I don't feel off-balance with them like I might if I wasn't used to riding that particular bike under any circumstances.

We live in a fairly mild climate, in the Pacific Northwest so we don't fight the cold too much. On the few occasions per year that we experience below-freezing temperatures, the kids have a tendency to snuggle right up to the rider's back. They are blocked from wind and rain, as well as sharing a bit of warmth. The kids also have complete rain gear that lives in the bags to we can throw it on whenever the need arises (more often that not in the winter/spring here).

Seeing more than one person on a bike is an attention-grabber, regardless of where the 2nd or 3rd person is located. It's been my experience that drivers use extra caution whether there is a trailer, one or two kids on the back or even two adults on a tandem than when I'm just riding solo. Anything out of the norm helps.

Tom Stormcrowe

I used to use a Schwinn Kids Trailer for cargo all the time, and actually got a much wider berth from the cars. I did have one little old lady chew me out for endangering my "child" on one road, on tour.Imagine her surprise when my "kid" turned out to be a sleeping bag, tent and other gear.

gerv 

She was probably trying to pick you up.

I bet her next line was... "How big is that tent?"

freediver

I've had a an xtracycle for the past 5 years and upgraded to a Big Dummy this past summer. I used a Burley trailer when my kids were smaller and then moved my daughter up the back of the Xtracycle when she was about 4. My son stayed in the trailer until he hit 4. Now, they both ride on the back and I have passed my trailer on to my sister-in-law.
I really liked using the trailer for as long as I could. The kids were always protected from rain or sun and could fall asleep without worry. They had their snacks, books, and toys with them and always seemed content. When they got too big for it I was happy and sad. I was happy becuase the trailer really slows you down in the wind and sad because I had to worry about my son staying awake while we road- there was no pea-pod option at the time for him. I have a couple of camping/kayak seats strapped onto my deck and the kids sit on them without issue.
Last year i picked up a tandem with a child's stoker kit off of C.L. and thought my daughter and I could ride that while my son rode on the tag-a-long attached to the back of the tandem. The set-up works great when it's just my daughter and I, but it sucks when my son is added into the mix- he's a bit of a slacker. I find that I can move faster with both of them on the back of the Big Dummy than using the tandem and tag-along set-up. If it's just my daughter then the tandem is faster, but she actually likes to pedal. She's also older (8) than my son (6) so I imagine he'll be a better biker as he gets older.
I'm not car free, but living in Madison I find that I can pretty much park my car all summer long when I'm off with the kids. During the winter i need a car to haul them around, but have a winter bike for myself that works out pretty well- as long as I remember to put on the studded tires.
I would say to get both if you can. I was luck that my neighbor has a single seat Burley and I had a double. When she had another kid we traded trailers for a year or so while i got to move my daughter up to the back of the Xtracycle. Pulling a dingle trailer was much easier than a double. When both of our kids got to big for the trailers we switched back. i was able to pass mine on to a family member and she was able to get some of her money back from C.L. If you're really going car free I think it's worth it to have both.

Jon