SideCar Madness
Ronan and I have been "side-cruising" around the island for a few days now and are loving it. The Chariot SideCarrier technically, but my Rone toting bike machine to YOU.
The Chariot customer service was super, although there aren't many of these made, and any merchandise has to come cross-border from Calgary. Expect a delay there.
The Sidecar's advantages include Ronan's closeness, actually near enough for conversation while ridine. You can also handle bike, sidecar, and loading the child at the same time.
The drawbacks are serious. It just will not fit easily on some streets. It demands you "take a lane" which I don't choose to do while carrying the little guy. But slow sidewalk riding is impossible, as every street sign or garbage can becomes a barrier. I clipped a bar yesterday and ate it pretty good.
And you do need a mechanic to install it. The "bike penis" mounts on the downtube/bb junction, and I used a cut section of tire to bumper the frame and heavy-duty zip ties to secure the rest, and it still squeeks a little.
The final drawback is cargo capacity. Total, two Nalgenes and a bag of cereal. The two pouches on the back tuck in the snack you would want for you and a tike to have for emergencies, but not anything more.
I like riding with a trailer to pick up groceries with Ronan, or atleast two small bags from the Farmers Market.
The final scorecard is Burly trailer if you are a commited rider, want to bring the child with you, and want to carry some cargo, all comfortably, safely, and efficiently.
Choose a Chariot Sidecarrier for style points, for shorter jaunts, and for open and slower roads. When you see us cruising with our pirate flag raised and flames on the side, you'll see what I mean.
The Chariot customer service was super, although there aren't many of these made, and any merchandise has to come cross-border from Calgary. Expect a delay there.
The Sidecar's advantages include Ronan's closeness, actually near enough for conversation while ridine. You can also handle bike, sidecar, and loading the child at the same time.
The drawbacks are serious. It just will not fit easily on some streets. It demands you "take a lane" which I don't choose to do while carrying the little guy. But slow sidewalk riding is impossible, as every street sign or garbage can becomes a barrier. I clipped a bar yesterday and ate it pretty good.
And you do need a mechanic to install it. The "bike penis" mounts on the downtube/bb junction, and I used a cut section of tire to bumper the frame and heavy-duty zip ties to secure the rest, and it still squeeks a little.
The final drawback is cargo capacity. Total, two Nalgenes and a bag of cereal. The two pouches on the back tuck in the snack you would want for you and a tike to have for emergencies, but not anything more.
I like riding with a trailer to pick up groceries with Ronan, or atleast two small bags from the Farmers Market.
The final scorecard is Burly trailer if you are a commited rider, want to bring the child with you, and want to carry some cargo, all comfortably, safely, and efficiently.
Choose a Chariot Sidecarrier for style points, for shorter jaunts, and for open and slower roads. When you see us cruising with our pirate flag raised and flames on the side, you'll see what I mean.
posted by bunkerbuster at 4:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home