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Date: 17 Feb 2007 20:50:14
From: greggery peccary
Subject: child bike trailers
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just thinking about some things i want to do to prove all the old parents wrong who thinnk i will change. i dont want to become a caraholic again just because i have a kid now even though they say i HAVE to. but my wife dont like the child trailers. they scare her. any thoughts? anecdotes? encourage me! hell i cant get it anywhere else (in car culture). i'll walk if i have to! sincerely, -nocturnal gregarious wild swine
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Date: 22 Feb 2007 12:25:28
From: Ron Hardin
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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Tom Keats wrote: > > In article <45DD6F9E.477D@mindspring.com>, > Ron Hardin <rhhardin@mindspring.com> writes: > > Ron, I respect your insights & experience. But > it's unclear to me about that X thing with the > doweling. How can you make an X with doweling > to reinforce a trailer floor, and yet keep it all > to one side? > > > Get a 3/4" length backpacking sleeping pad (which fits the floor > > shape). > > > > Get two wooden dowels the usual hardware store length, about 3' I guess, > > and make an X with them, and place them on one side of the pad. This > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > > prevents the pad from shifting or scrunching down. > > The above is the part I find confusing. > Please forgive me -- sometimes I admit I can be a > little "slow". At least, so I've been informed. Well, imagine you take a 3/4 length backing pad, and wrap it in a blanket to make the surface have traction. Then when the dog stands on it for a while, it will scrunch up and move out from under the dog and go off to the side. It needs to be stiffened. Just put a big X consisting of two diagonal-running dowels across the pad (will wind up on the bottom) before wrapping it in the blanket. That makes it stay on the floor under the dog. It can't shift out from under the dog because it has noplace to go, if it can't scrunch up. -- Ron Hardin rhhardin@mindspring.com On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
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Date: 22 Feb 2007 03:27:12
From: Tom Keats
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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In article <45DD6F9E.477D@mindspring.com >, Ron Hardin <rhhardin@mindspring.com > writes: Ron, I respect your insights & experience. But it's unclear to me about that X thing with the doweling. How can you make an X with doweling to reinforce a trailer floor, and yet keep it all to one side? > Get a 3/4" length backpacking sleeping pad (which fits the floor > shape). > > Get two wooden dowels the usual hardware store length, about 3' I guess, > and make an X with them, and place them on one side of the pad. This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > prevents the pad from shifting or scrunching down. The above is the part I find confusing. Please forgive me -- sometimes I admit I can be a little "slow". At least, so I've been informed. Anyways, I note you're talking about keeping the X to one side of the /pad/ -- not necessarily the floor of the trailer. I'm trying to envision it, but I can't, and it's driving me nutz. How does it all relate to the floor of the trailer, while keeping Puppy happy with a confident footing? > Wrap the whole affair in a blanket. This attaches the X to the pad, > and gives good footing. > > Put it on the floor of the Burley. I guess a nice, wooly Hudson Bay blanket would be nice & comfy. Actually for chilly weather one can make a pretty decent capote out of a Hudson Bay blanket. Well, to do it right, it can take /two/ blankets. My last doggie liked to sleep on my flannel jacket because it had my smell in it. I liked to wear it because it had my Skipper's smell in it. We shared that fabric, and it was comfortable and pleasing to both of us. I guess that's what you need to persuade canine kith 'n kin to trust you and your trailer. cheers, Tom -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
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Date: 21 Feb 2007 19:00:29
From: Ron Hardin
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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frkrygow@gmail.com wrote: > daughter's face was scraped up by the asphalt. She wasn't seriously > hurt, but she was plenty, plenty scared, and reluctant to ride in the > trailer again for a while. My Doberman Annie was reluctant to go in the Tanjor Trailer the first time I put her in it. Or tried to put her in it. I lifted her up (80 lbs, a little awkward, but she's basically just a huge puppy) and gently lowered her into the thing. Or tried to. Whenever she was lowered, some leg or paw always was extended to hit the top, and it took a dozen attempts, gathering in this or that paw and trying again. There was no complaint, just an appendage protest every time. The trick was taking her out after a few seconds, and praising her. Then doing it again, praising again on being removed. The backwash of praise moves to infect the apparent danger, and soon she's climb in on a suggestion. http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin1.jpg http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin2.jpg http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin3.jpg http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin4.jpg http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin5.jpg http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin6.jpg http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerout1.jpg http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerout2.jpg Puppy Vicki was easier to get in but protested things in general http://home.att.net/~rhhardin6/odyssey001.jpg -- Ron Hardin rhhardin@mindspring.com On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
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Date: 21 Feb 2007 21:26:22
From: Bellsouth Ijit 2.0
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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"Ron Hardin" <rhhardin@mindspring.com > wrote in message news:45DC96BE.76@mindspring.com... > frkrygow@gmail.com wrote: >> daughter's face was scraped up by the asphalt. She wasn't seriously >> hurt, but she was plenty, plenty scared, and reluctant to ride in the >> trailer again for a while. > > My Doberman Annie was reluctant to go in the Tanjor Trailer the > first time I put her in it. Or tried to put her in it. > > I lifted her up (80 lbs, a little awkward, but she's basically just > a huge puppy) and gently lowered her into the thing. Or tried to. > > Whenever she was lowered, some leg or paw always was extended to > hit the top, and it took a dozen attempts, gathering in this or that > paw and trying again. > > There was no complaint, just an appendage protest every time. > > The trick was taking her out after a few seconds, and praising her. > Then doing it again, praising again on being removed. The backwash > of praise moves to infect the apparent danger, and soon she's climb > in on a suggestion. > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin1.jpg > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin2.jpg > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin3.jpg > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin4.jpg > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin5.jpg > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin6.jpg > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerout1.jpg > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerout2.jpg > > Puppy Vicki was easier to get in but protested things in general > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin6/odyssey001.jpg > > -- > Ron Hardin > rhhardin@mindspring.com > > On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk. What's the floor of the Tanjor trailer made of? I need a dog trailer.
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Date: 22 Feb 2007 10:25:51
From: Ron Hardin
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 wrote: > > "Ron Hardin" <rhhardin@mindspring.com> wrote in message > news:45DC96BE.76@mindspring.com.. > > frkrygow@gmail.com wrote: > >> daughter's face was scraped up by the asphalt. She wasn't seriously > >> hurt, but she was plenty, plenty scared, and reluctant to ride in the > >> trailer again for a while. > > > > My Doberman Annie was reluctant to go in the Tanjor Trailer the > > first time I put her in it. Or tried to put her in it. > > > > I lifted her up (80 lbs, a little awkward, but she's basically just > > a huge puppy) and gently lowered her into the thing. Or tried to. > > > > Whenever she was lowered, some leg or paw always was extended to > > hit the top, and it took a dozen attempts, gathering in this or that > > paw and trying again. > > > > There was no complaint, just an appendage protest every time. > > > > The trick was taking her out after a few seconds, and praising her. > > Then doing it again, praising again on being removed. The backwash > > of praise moves to infect the apparent danger, and soon she's climb > > in on a suggestion. > > > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin1.jpg > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin2.jpg > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin3.jpg > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin4.jpg > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin5.jpg > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin6.jpg > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerout1.jpg > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerout2.jpg > > > > Puppy Vicki was easier to get in but protested things in general > > > > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin6/odyssey001.jpg > What's the floor of the Tanjor trailer made of? I need a dog trailer. For Annie I put in a very thin plywood floor, with cross members to to match the aluminum bars across the Tanjor fore and aft, covered by faux lambswool, for footing. This was because she didn't like the slippery plastic-material floor below, and tended to climb up on the cross bracing to get a secure paw-hold. Vicki tolerates the original curved floor so doesn't use that. Tanjor is out of business so you can't get this trailer in any case. A Burley works fine, if you construct a suitable floor. Mine was : Get a 3/4" length backpacking sleeping pad (which fits the floor shape). Get two wooden dowels the usual hardware store length, about 3' I guess, and make an X with them, and place them on one side of the pad. This prevents the pad from shifting or scrunching down. Wrap the whole affair in a blanket. This attaches the X to the pad, and gives good footing. Put it on the floor of the Burley. Mine lasted for years, two dog-lives worth, before I went to the Tanjor. If your dog isn't absolutely 100% solid on a stay command, you need to secure him in the trailer. For the Burley, put a 4' leash across the back top of the trailer cab, and run a short lead from that to his collar, just long enough so he can lie down or sit. I train my dogs with Koehler's method, so they're good in the stay. -- Ron Hardin rhhardin@mindspring.com On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
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Date: 22 Feb 2007 12:41:36
From: Bellsouth Ijit 2.0
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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"Ron Hardin" <rhhardin@mindspring.com > wrote in message news:45DD6F9E.477D@mindspring.com... > Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 wrote: >> >> "Ron Hardin" <rhhardin@mindspring.com> wrote in message >> news:45DC96BE.76@mindspring.com.. >> > frkrygow@gmail.com wrote: >> >> daughter's face was scraped up by the asphalt. She wasn't seriously >> >> hurt, but she was plenty, plenty scared, and reluctant to ride in the >> >> trailer again for a while. >> > >> > My Doberman Annie was reluctant to go in the Tanjor Trailer the >> > first time I put her in it. Or tried to put her in it. >> > >> > I lifted her up (80 lbs, a little awkward, but she's basically just >> > a huge puppy) and gently lowered her into the thing. Or tried to. >> > >> > Whenever she was lowered, some leg or paw always was extended to >> > hit the top, and it took a dozen attempts, gathering in this or that >> > paw and trying again. >> > >> > There was no complaint, just an appendage protest every time. >> > >> > The trick was taking her out after a few seconds, and praising her. >> > Then doing it again, praising again on being removed. The backwash >> > of praise moves to infect the apparent danger, and soon she's climb >> > in on a suggestion. >> > >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin1.jpg >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin2.jpg >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin3.jpg >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin4.jpg >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin5.jpg >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerin6.jpg >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerout1.jpg >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/trailerout2.jpg >> > >> > Puppy Vicki was easier to get in but protested things in general >> > >> > http://home.att.net/~rhhardin6/odyssey001.jpg > >> What's the floor of the Tanjor trailer made of? I need a dog trailer. > > For Annie I put in a very thin plywood floor, with cross members to > to match the aluminum bars across the Tanjor fore and aft, covered by > faux lambswool, for footing. > > This was because she didn't like the slippery plastic-material floor > below, and tended to climb up on the cross bracing to get a secure > paw-hold. > > Vicki tolerates the original curved floor so doesn't use that. > > Tanjor is out of business so you can't get this trailer in any case. > > A Burley works fine, if you construct a suitable floor. Mine was : > > Get a 3/4" length backpacking sleeping pad (which fits the floor > shape). > > Get two wooden dowels the usual hardware store length, about 3' I guess, > and make an X with them, and place them on one side of the pad. This > prevents the pad from shifting or scrunching down. > > Wrap the whole affair in a blanket. This attaches the X to the pad, > and gives good footing. > > Put it on the floor of the Burley. > > Mine lasted for years, two dog-lives worth, before I went to the Tanjor. > > If your dog isn't absolutely 100% solid on a stay command, you need to > secure him in the trailer. For the Burley, put a 4' leash across the > back top of the trailer cab, and run a short lead from that to his > collar, just long enough so he can lie down or sit. > > I train my dogs with Koehler's method, so they're good in the stay. > > -- > Ron Hardin > rhhardin@mindspring.com > > On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk. Hey, thanks, Ron!
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Date: 22 Feb 2007 19:54:21
From: Ron Hardin
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 wrote: > > If your dog isn't absolutely 100% solid on a stay command, you need to > > secure him in the trailer. For the Burley, put a 4' leash across the > > back top of the trailer cab, and run a short lead from that to his > > collar, just long enough so he can lie down or sit. It's not clear, is it, now that I reread it. Double the 4' leash into a loop, so it's 2' across twice. It's a sort of mini run for the dog from side to side. Then the lead down from that to the collar can be quite short, just allowing the dog to lie down. -- Ron Hardin rhhardin@mindspring.com On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.
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Date: 21 Feb 2007 10:15:46
From:
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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On Feb 19, 11:26 pm, "oldhickory" <inbo...@yahoo.com > wrote: > I have lots of friends who raised their kids from trailers to kid-back kits > on tandems all the way to their own bikes. > > I have one friend who got a little overly enthusiastic with his 3 year old > daughter in the trailer one day (a Burley) and took a downhill around a > corner a little fast and close and the trailer wheel hit the curb (did I > mention FAST?) and the bike and trailer flipped over. Needless to say he > was beside himself as he scraped himself off the ground and rushed to the > trailer to check on his daughter. He was mortified and relieved when her > response was "Daddy--that was FUN! Can we do it AGAIN?". I have a friend whose husband was pulling their daughter in a trailer. He cut a street corner too sharply, the trailer's inside wheel hit the curb, and the trailer tipped on its side. The daughter's face was scraped up by the asphalt. She wasn't seriously hurt, but she was plenty, plenty scared, and reluctant to ride in the trailer again for a while. So, even with trailers, it's best to keep the rubber side down. Watch those curves. - Frank Krygowski
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Date: 19 Feb 2007 11:05:15
From: Joel Bierling
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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On a related note, can anyone recommend a brand? I've been looking at the Chariot models (http://www.chariotcarriers.com) specifically the Cougar 1. I'd also use it for jogging. Ideally it would be nice if it could also be stripped down to the chassis so it could be used to carry cargo (tent, clothing, etc...). I'm not sure if the Chariots can do that. Thanks, -Joel
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Date: 20 Feb 2007 02:53:29
From: bob prohaska's usenet account
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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Joel Bierling <email1@bierling.net > wrote: > On a related note, can anyone recommend a brand? I've been looking at > the Chariot models (http://www.chariotcarriers.com) specifically the > Cougar 1. I'd also use it for jogging. > > Ideally it would be nice if it could also be stripped down to the > chassis so it could be used to carry cargo (tent, clothing, etc...). > I'm not sure if the Chariots can do that. You might look at cycletote: http://www.cycletote.com/ I bought a kid-carrier and set it up for cargo. It's well made, not terribly heavy and uses standard-sized tires. The one drawback I can see is that when fully collapsed it's still fairly big: The frame is welded aluminum in a box configuration. Even with the wheels and rollbars removed it looks too big to fit in a car trunk. The cargo setup is simply to remove all the upholstery and weather guards (there's a lot of stuff to take off!) and fit a weathertight container. The claim that a particular Rubbermade storage box would fit "perfectly" is a small lie, but it fits well enough to be useful. The comments that drivers give a wide berth to bikes hauling children seems to be true; When I started out, before removing the upholstery, everybody gave me extra room, with one fellow asking "is there a little one in there?" to which I replied "No, just practicing". Obviously folks noticed and cared. HTH, bob prohaska
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Date: 19 Feb 2007 22:26:43
From: oldhickory
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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I have lots of friends who raised their kids from trailers to kid-back kits on tandems all the way to their own bikes. I have one friend who got a little overly enthusiastic with his 3 year old daughter in the trailer one day (a Burley) and took a downhill around a corner a little fast and close and the trailer wheel hit the curb (did I mention FAST?) and the bike and trailer flipped over. Needless to say he was beside himself as he scraped himself off the ground and rushed to the trailer to check on his daughter. He was mortified and relieved when her response was "Daddy--that was FUN! Can we do it AGAIN?". Though he would not recommend using a trailer without a helmet, or riding so fast and hard, she did not have a helmet, was belted in and did not have a scratch on her. I assume she grew up to be a downhill expert. -- ie ride fast, take chances. "bob prohaska's usenet account" <bp@www.zefox.net > wrote in message news:JotCh.46268$Gr2.18639@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net... > Joel Bierling <email1@bierling.net> wrote: >> On a related note, can anyone recommend a brand? I've been looking at >> the Chariot models (http://www.chariotcarriers.com) specifically the >> Cougar 1. I'd also use it for jogging. >> >> Ideally it would be nice if it could also be stripped down to the >> chassis so it could be used to carry cargo (tent, clothing, etc...). >> I'm not sure if the Chariots can do that. > > You might look at cycletote: > http://www.cycletote.com/ > > I bought a kid-carrier and set it up for cargo. It's well made, > not terribly heavy and uses standard-sized tires. The one drawback > I can see is that when fully collapsed it's still fairly big: The > frame is welded aluminum in a box configuration. Even with the > wheels and rollbars removed it looks too big to fit in a car > trunk. > > The cargo setup is simply to remove all the upholstery and weather > guards (there's a lot of stuff to take off!) and fit a weathertight > container. The claim that a particular Rubbermade storage box > would fit "perfectly" is a small lie, but it fits well enough to > be useful. > > The comments that drivers give a wide berth to bikes hauling > children seems to be true; When I started out, before removing > the upholstery, everybody gave me extra room, with one fellow > asking "is there a little one in there?" to which I replied > "No, just practicing". Obviously folks noticed and cared. > > HTH, > > bob prohaska >
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Date: 18 Feb 2007 20:21:33
From: John Thompson
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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On 2007-02-18, greggery peccary <dinkylittleoffice@bigswifty.com > wrote: > just thinking about some things i want to do to prove all the old parents > wrong who thinnk i will change. i dont want to become a caraholic again just > because i have a kid now even though they say i HAVE to. but my wife dont > like the child trailers. they scare her. any thoughts? anecdotes? encourage > me! hell i cant get it anywhere else (in car culture). i'll walk if i have > to! I started both my kids out in a trailer when they were less than a year old (they're now 21 and 16). It's a great way to get around, and you can carry plenty of supplies (e.g. diaper bag, food, toys, books) in the trailer without affecting the handling of the bike. When they got to be about 5, they started using a kidback on our tandem (there were a few years when I'd be on the tandem with my son, pulling my daughter in the trailer) and then they move to singles. I used to take them to kindergarten on the tandem -- very popular with the other kids, but became less "cool" later in elementary school. My son never got a driver's license -- not interested. He lives in Seattle now and finds his bike and public transportation to be complet4ely adequate. -- John (john@os2.dhs.org)
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Date: 18 Feb 2007 21:38:20
From: greggery peccary
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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"John Thompson" <john@vector.os2.dhs.org > wrote in message news:slrneti2de.ans.john@vector.os2.dhs.org... > On 2007-02-18, greggery peccary <dinkylittleoffice@bigswifty.com> wrote: > > > just thinking about some things i want to do to prove all the old parents > > wrong who thinnk i will change. i dont want to become a caraholic again just > > because i have a kid now even though they say i HAVE to. but my wife dont > > like the child trailers. they scare her. any thoughts? anecdotes? encourage > > me! hell i cant get it anywhere else (in car culture). i'll walk if i have > > to! > > I started both my kids out in a trailer when they were less than a year > old (they're now 21 and 16). It's a great way to get around, and you can > carry plenty of supplies (e.g. diaper bag, food, toys, books) in the > trailer without affecting the handling of the bike. > > When they got to be about 5, they started using a kidback on our tandem > (there were a few years when I'd be on the tandem with my son, pulling > my daughter in the trailer) and then they move to singles. I used to > take them to kindergarten on the tandem -- very popular with the other > kids, but became less "cool" later in elementary school. > > My son never got a driver's license -- not interested. He lives in > Seattle now and finds his bike and public transportation to be > complet4ely adequate. > > -- > > John (john@os2.dhs.org) good for your son! i am impressed. i still have about 9 years of car-commuting to atone for. i'll show these comments to the boss. maybe she'll change her mind ... if not i got the baby backpack. it's just that the busses get so stinky in the winter with the windows closed!
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Date: 18 Feb 2007 09:31:33
From: Steve knight
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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i have a kid now even though they say i HAVE to. but my wife dont >like the child trailers. they scare her. any thoughts? anecdotes? encourage >me! hell i cant get it anywhere else (in car culture). i'll walk if i have and riding in a car with the kid is safe? the illusions we live behind. as far as I have seen drivers are very good about giving trailers room even if they don't have a child on board.
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Date: 18 Feb 2007 17:13:46
From:
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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greggery peccary <dinkylittleoffice@bigswifty.com > wrote: > just thinking about some things i want to do to prove all the old parents > wrong who thinnk i will change. i dont want to become a caraholic again just > because i have a kid now even though they say i HAVE to. but my wife dont > like the child trailers. they scare her. any thoughts? anecdotes? encourage > me! hell i cant get it anywhere else (in car culture). i'll walk if i have > to! My kids loved riding in mine, and cars gave us a lot of room. (I admit that I wasn't as bold about riding heavily traveled commuter arteries with it, just in case.) I don't remember who it was, but someone on this ng once told us about taking a spill on her bike while towing kids in a trailer. The trailer went over on its side, IIRC, but the kids were fine, not even scared. They wanted her to "do that again." The frame of most trailers acts as a roll cage, at least for minor spills. BTW, eBay is usually a good place to comparison shop for kid trailers. Bill __o
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Date: 18 Feb 2007 06:44:34
From: Mike Jacoubowsky
Subject: Re: child bike trailers
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> just thinking about some things i want to do to prove all the old parents > wrong who thinnk i will change. i dont want to become a caraholic again > just because i have a kid now even though they say i HAVE to. but my wife > dont like the child trailers. they scare her. any thoughts? anecdotes? > encourage me! hell i cant get it anywhere else (in car culture). i'll walk > if i have to! I was concerned myself about the safety of using a child trailer, but the reality is that cars gave me a whole lot of room. Not once did I feel threatened; seems like the cars are pretty scared of the darned things. Plus the trailers track very nicely, no need to worry about going around corners. The drag's not too bad on level pavement, but when you hit a hill, you go into what I call "mule mode" which is quite different from how you'd normally climb. But you still *can* climb with one. --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
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