Recumbent child trailer

Posted on September 15, 2010 by .
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I saw the cutest thing this morning and wish I had my camera with me: a mom in Menlo Park towing her little four year old tyke in a Weehoo i-Go child trailer.

Weehoo i-Go bike child trailer

It uses a seatpost hitch so it probably can’t be used with many recumbent bikes without some finagling, but the trailer itself is low to the ground with a more enclosed, recumbent-style slung saddle. The chain is enclosed so the child can pedal (or not) without fear of grease stains or getting caught in the chain. The child “stoker” can grab bull horn grips, or he can ride hands free. The i-Go comes with a set of panniers that mount around the wheel.

The i-Go seems to have a secret magic that boosts a child’s natural cuteness by about 300%. The kid I saw this morning was unbelievably adorable, coyly telling me that he loves his Weehoo. Below is the son of the Weehoo designer riding his Weehoo trailer.



More:

In the SF Bay Area, Weehoo i-Go can be bought from Walts in Sunnyvale, Bike Connection in Palo Alto, Talbots in San Mateo, Alameda Bicycle, Hayward Bicycles, Livermore Cyclery in Dublin, 3 Ring in San Anselmo, and Old Town Sports Novato. The mom I saw this morning ordered hers through REI.



See also:

  1. City Recumbent
  2. Recalls: Felt CX and Burley child trailers
  3. Clive Sinclair’s electric recumbent bike
  4. Burley re-introduces trailer bikes and ski trailer kit


  • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

    I saw two of these (both in the same family) last Sunday while riding on the Chicago Lakefront Trail.

  • http://twitter.com/vigilantvelo Raymond Galang

    I love it!

  • http://twitter.com/lovingthebike Loving The Bike

    Hey Richard, what are your thoughts on the regular riding trailers that can be used for kids behind the bike? My Son is 4 1/2 and can ride his two wheeler very well, but I was thinking of getting him one of the trailers soon so he could ride along on longer trips. I’m wondering how this will affect his cycling? I see a lot of people using them, but haven’t read or heard much about how they work out for the kids.

    Darryl

  • Zoomdinh

    Hi Darryl,

    You will find that the traditional trailer bikes are great for a shorter ride. Any longer rides can become very hard for most kids. All the ones I have used seem to rock back and forward making it very hard to steady. Remember that you are counting on your child staying aleart durning the whole ride.
    Buy new if you are going to get one, or at least buy a new hitch for the trailer if you buy it used. You just dont know how it has been abused and a wreck on a trailer can be very bad.

  • Zoomdinh

    Hi Darryl,

    You will find that the traditional trailer bikes are great for a shorter ride. Any longer rides can become very hard for most kids. All the ones I have used seem to rock back and forward making it very hard to steady. Remember that you are counting on your child staying aleart durning the whole ride.
    Buy new if you are going to get one, or at least buy a new hitch for the trailer if you buy it used. You just dont know how it has been abused and a wreck on a trailer can be very bad.

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Cyclelicious

    @Darryl: Are you asking about an enclosed trailer that that child sits in, or a trailer bike that the child can actively pedal if she wants?

    I’ve had both and both work out very well. In the regular trailer, the child can doze or look or interact or read or play. On the trailer bike, the child is along for the ride. I’ve gone 20 miles or more with my kids on a trailer bike with no problems, though I don’t think I did anything that long when either was pre-K age. Make regular stops and reward with an ice cream cone at the end of the ride for positive reinforcement :-)

    The enclosed trailer style works if you have inclement or cold weather (which you don’t really). Even with a trailer bike the child isn’t working nearly as hard as you are, and will get colder than you. Enclosed trailer protects from elements a little better but the passenger still needs to be bundled up.

    I’m rambling now — I should probably make this a post of its own :-)

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Cyclelicious

    Good point about rocking — I had to teach my kids not to rock the trailer bike! Especially as they got a little older, they actually were capable of steering me if they threw enough of their weight into it.