I hate our Burley.

[Ange]

How spoiled is that? But there it is. It's an old double Burley that we bought used off of Craigslist. I hate it. It's in fine condition, and we feel safe putting our one year old in it. He loves the ride, too, though he hates his helmet and the Burley is compounding rather than helping that problem.

We have the classic trailer problem of his head getting pushed forward, even with neck roll pillows to support his head and body. On our most recent ride his helmet was pushed all the way off by mile three! The helmet was plenty tight. The Giro inner fitting ring was still attached to his head; only the helmet was off. Our secondary concern is all the crap that gets kicked up from the trail onto the trailer, even with fenders on the bike. Third, the straps are an older style (?) - they wrap across him and thread through a crotch strap ring and back up to the opposite shoulder. It looks like Maggie Simpson or a starfish when he's in there. It is secure, though, and our main concern is the lack of space for a helmeted head.

Anyway, we're selling the silly thing. What we can't decide is whether a different trailer would better suit our needs, or whether we should go for something like the Topeak Babyseat, which is a rear-mounted/rack-mounted seat. They're more enclosed and have more straps and a safety bar than they did thirty years ago, but we're still concerned they're just a terrible idea.

(Front mounted seats don't appeal to us at all, I'm afraid.)

Has anyone used a rear-mounted seat, or do you know of a trailer that allows space for a helmet?

Our primary baby-toting bike is my husband's steel Matilda, a Novara Buzz V.

Thanks for any insight!

[nic840]

My daughter had the same issues. I used a pillow to put behind their lower back. They are super uncomfortable in there and it seem to bow their back. That then pushes their head forward in an awkward position kicking off the helmet.
I took one of those small log like pillows filled with those bead things and put it behind her lower back and it fixed it! Threw some toys/books in there and off we went. She was pretty good with the helmet...we would reward her with a sticker to decorate her helmet with after a ride. She loved that.

Hope that helps! The youngest is now on the trail-a-bike and the trailer is our gear hauler!

[nic840]

Oh and don't sell the trailer...you will find many uses and as they get older it will be alot easier to transport than the rear carrier. As soon as they get over 30lbs its tough to have them back there.
I personally didn't like the rear carrier... I tipped over once and that was the end of that. Everyone was okay but the odds of tipping over way to high.
They can entertain themeselves much better in the trailer.
Try the pillow or blanket behind their lower back and see if that helps...Good luck!

[rubywagon]

We have a Chariot and it seems to have good helmet space. I had another carrier and we ended up selling it because of the helmet issue, and how much more safe/sturdy/comfortable the 5 pt harness was in the Chariot.

[Ange]

Thanks!

nic840, we've actually done the pillow thing in a couple of different permutations and for us, it didn't work very well beyond the first mile or so. Maybe we'll experiment with it some more. Toys are a problem, too - once he drops them, he can't reach them anymore as they roll to the front of the trailer. I think we will sell the trailer if we can't make it work, though. He's not our only child, just our youngest (his big sister has her own bike), and we have too much other cr$p hanging out in our garage to justify keeping an expensive trailer. It's amazing what you can collect over the years! :)

greenbean, your kids are cute! I have looked at Croozer trailers and come to find out they're made by Chariot. Maybe I'll give them a second look. Man, they're pricey, though.

I wish that Bob made child trailers. We adore our Bob Revolution stroller.