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Cycling with Young Children

Eoin in his Cougar
Even little babies can now go by bike. Eoin at a family picnic sits in a Cougar 1 trailer with a special baby sling for babies under 1 year old. This trailer also coverts into a buggy - note the upended buggy wheels at the front of the trailer.

There was a time when having a young family meant the end of those carefree cycling times. Thankfully this no longer need be the case. Whether you like to take the family on Sustrans trail, or for shuttling your child to nursery, we can provide you with the means. The equipment now exists to carry on cycling right through your children's early years right until they take the first turn of their own pedals.

As part of our commitment alternative modes of transport we have long been interested in family cycling. Set out below are some of the products that we stock to help keep young families on the road.

We recommend that your child wears a helmet.
We have a selection of helmets to suit children begining from a headsize of 46cm.

Once your child has developed enough to sit upright for longer periods - at around 10 months to one year old, then they can be carried in a bicycle child seat. At Cycle Heaven we offer a number of front and rear mounted seats. Depending on the size of your child, rear seats are good through to four to five years old. A front mounted seat is suitable for children of 1-2 years old. At Cycle Heaven we stock an large range of childseats from all the leading brands such as Co-Pilot, Hamax, and Bobike. We recommend that you have your childseat professionally fitted, which we will be happy to do for you. That way you know your child's seat will be correctly fitted and checked by an accredited mechanic. We keep such a wide selection because not all seats fit every bike. Because of this we prefer not to go into detail on this website, but to talk to you individually about your needs and to look at the bike that you will be fitting it to. For more information, give us a call on 01904 636578, or better still, pay us a visit. We fit most childseats for free, though we will charge to fit some models to some bikes where the job is more complicated or time consuming.
Childseat prices start from £39.99

Trailerbikes are suitable for children aged from four through to around ten, though this depends on their size and confidence. They are an effective intermediate solution to transporting a child when they are too big for their seat but too small or inexperienced to cycle on their own bike. Trailerbikes are great confidence boosters which help your child get used to gears and to the feel of balancing on two wheels. They are also great for more ambitious family rides, as unlike a solo bike your child can rest when they get tired without you having to stop. We currently offer a range of trailer bikes starting with the no - nonsense budget Piggyback single speed at £89.99 right up to the Roland Add+bike range. Cheaper trailerbikes attach to the seatpost of the 'tow-bike' and will need to have at least 3" of exposed seat-post to make the attachment. The better quality models attach to a rack - which makes for far better handling. We can get the following models

Mission Piggyback single speed £89.99

Budget trailerbike that attaches at the seatpost. Comes with with metal rear mudguard and safety flag. Attaches to seatpost.

Adams Folding Trailbike 1sp £109.99

Single speed steel model with a solid chainguard but no mudguard. This model folds in half for convenient storage. With safety flag. Attaches to seatpost.

Adams Folding Trailbike 7sp £149.99

Seven speed steel model with a solid chainguard and rear mudguard. This model folds in half for convenient storage. With safety flag. Attaches to seatpost.

Burley Picolo 6sp £249.99

Six speed steel model with rack mounted attachment and high quality fittings. Comes with flag. The rack mounted fitting - above the rear axle of the tow bike, makes for the best handling of all. High recommended!

Roland Add+Bike 1 speed £259.99
Roland Add+Bike with SRAM 3 speed £339.99
Roland Add+Bike with SRAM 7 speed £439.99
(prices include carriage from Germany - charged at cost)

Best quality, best equipped models available. The only trailer bike system that allows you run one with a childseat aslo. Steel frame, with a low step through and a choice of single speed or 3 and 7 speed SRAM hub gears. All bikes come with chainguard and mudguard. Add+Bikes attach to the tow bike via their own rack with a simple quick release mechanism. Because of the positioning of the hitch, the handling is superior to seatpost mounted models. Also Highly recommended.

Child Trailers

Child "buggy" type trailers really open up the possibilities of family cycling. At Cycle Heaven we stock models from what we believe to be the two best two brands available: Chariot Trailers from Canada and Burley trailers from Oregon in the USA. Solid bottomed trailers are good for heavier duty all weather applications - such as day to day transport and utility use, but are heavier and bulkier to use. The plastic moulding encloses the spiining wheels and acts as an effective mudguard in rainy weather. Soft bottomed trailers are lighter and quieter in use and are especially recommended if you need to make longer trips, or need to fold them more often for transport. Chariot trailers will allow the fitting of a baby sling to accomodate infants of less than one year old (see photo above). Twin trailers will accomodate the sling and a toddler!

What's so good about trailers?

Comfort?
Your kids sit in a suspended hammock type seat which comfortably soak up the small knocks and vibrations of the road. Deluxe models even feature suspension systems. In dry weather there is a mesh screen to protect your kids from insects. In the wet there is a clear plastic rain canopy.

Fun?
Kids love em. They can fall asleep or play with their toys, eat and drink shout or sing. Dolls and teddies can come too! So cool it will make you want to have kids; or you can always use them to transport your old teddy bear!

Convenience?
As well as two kids, many trailers have ample stowage behind the seats for extra family clobber or shopping. Most trailers also convert to a pushchair stroller or even a system that allows you to jog with your little ones. You can even get ski kits! They will fit to most conventional bikes.

Safety?
Child trailers are big, bright and very noticeable. Their very presence could be said to induce more cautious behaviour from other road users. Children are strapped into their seats and protected by an enclosed roll cage.

Don't buy that trendy pram-buggy until you've seen these. These are the same size as bigger pram/push chairs but with the advantage that these are buggies that you can tow behind your bike! The big 20" wheels also make them much more versatile for off road or bumping up kerbs.

Croozer Kid 1 £371.99
Includes 16" stroller and 6" buggy set
strollerGreat value and thoughtfully German designed single seater which comes complete with stroller and buggy wheel set. Feature a low centre of gravity, a large boot as well as massive aluminium bumpers on the front and back which providing reliable protection angainst impacts and day to day knocks. The chassis is made of steel with the superstructure made from aluminium. This is covered by a water repellent polyester body.

Chariot Cheetah 1 £489.98
Super lightweight soft bottomed child trailer. Full aluminium chassis and superstructure. Funky styling. Will fit all the Chariot accessories (see below) such as the luggage rack and suspended baby seat for those babbies and bairns of less than one year old. Buggy and jogging kits are extra. Comes with Chariot's patented axle coupling.

Chariot Cougar 1 £655.99
The Cougar is a deluxe version of the Cheetah. With all the lightweight features of the Cheetah, with the addition of alloy spoked wheels, a leaf spring suspension system, better weatherproofing, extra padded removable seat, extra foldable cargo capacity in the rear and extra ventilation.

Chariot CX 1 £851.99

The ultimate super deluxe single child trailer. Other than its size, its specification is identical to larger CX2 below.

Twin Child Trailers

Burley Bee £234.99

Featuring a lightweight but strong aluminium frame the Burley Bee has gap free fabric panels to keep children's hands from reaching the wheels. The Burley Bee seats one or two children with a five-point safety harness and a has a large cargo area behind the seat. It folds quickly and easily for storage. The bright yellow and blue colours draw attention to the trailer when on the road, and the hitch system fits most bikes. This is a great value high quality trailer for those seeking a combination of quality and economy. Best for recreational rather than day to day usage.

Croozer Kid 2 £400.99
Includes 16" stroller and 6" buggy set
strollerGreat value and thoughtfully German designed twin seater which comes complete with stroller and buggy wheel set. Feature a low centre of gravity, a large boot as well as massive aluminium bumpers on the front and back which providing reliable protection angainst impacts and day to day knocks. The chassis is made of steel with the superstructure made from aluminium. This is covered by a water repellent polyester body.

Chariot Cheetah 2 £557.99

From the Chariot Sports range, so it's more sporty looking than some of the other twin trailers with its distinctive wedge shaped looks. What you gain is style however, you do lose a bit in storage as this model was designed without the 'boot' to allow for more foot clearance for jogging. However, it's very light and there is enough rear stoage room for all your child's essentials and it will accomodate a Chariot roofrack as well as all the other Chariot accessories. Good for light utility use and recreational riding.

Chariot Cabriolet £557.99
From the Chariot Touring range, it's the classic lightweight soft bottomed aluminium twin trailer. Compatible with all the standard Chariot accessories. Roomy, comfy and practical with bags of storage space. Best for those applications which demand light weight and plenty of luggage space. Great for touring and day to day use.

Chariot Corsaire XL £704.99

Deluxe version of the Cabriolet, but also claims to be the tallest child trailer available and hence will carry children up to seven years old. Adjustable leaf spring suspension, and extra ventilation.

Chariot Cougar 2 £714.99

From the Chariot Sports range, a deluxe version of the Cheetah 2. Also great looking, but with much more storage space than the Cheetah 2 as it has a fold away rear 'boot' as well as all the the deluxe extras: leaf spring suspension, better ventilation, better more padded harnesses and spoked alloy wheels. A sports model, so it has less staorge than other models in the Chariot range.

Chariot Captain XL £802.99

The Captain features a solid base which makes it more robust for day to day use. The moulded base arches around the wheels which acts as a mudguard which is useful if you need to use this trailer in all seasons. It's great for the nursery school run. It is a deluxe model, so it comes with elastomer suspension, extra ventilation and more padded seats and harnesses. Again, go for the optional raincover too if you want this to be genuinely all weather.

Chariot CX 2 £909.99

The CX2 is the ultimate trailer currently available for two children (see the CX1 for one child).The suspension system is superb and ensures a wonderfully smooth ride for your children. As with all Chariots, the innovative folding system is a dream - you can fold the trailer away in a matter of seconds. It has a hand operated drum brake which is very useful when running or jogging with your trailer.

The large mesh sides allow for plenty of light and easy climate control. For less air circulation or a little shade simply zip on the tinted plastic windows. The custom designed seat is excellent. There is lots of padding for comfort, wicking materials to draw away moisture and soft fleece surfaces. When you are using the trailer with your bike the head rest folds down to allow space for your childrens helmets. The deluxe padded harness is stylish and functional. Depending on the weather you can have the sun screen down for uv protection or roll up the front tinted visor. There are five different types of 3M Scotch materials on the trailer for all round visability.

The CX has numerous storage points incorporated in its design! There are two internal and two external storage pockets for your stuff and you can also store away the stroller wheels etc when not in use.

New for 2007 is the Versa-wing 2.0 system which allows easier fitment of the conversion kits. Also new for 2007 are the buggy wheels 2.0, which are supplied seperately and click into place rather than using the butterfly nuts of the older version. The storage compartment behind the trailer is now much larger and neatly folds away when access is not required. Also new is the click 'n' store feature where the trailer arm easily clicks onto the trailer when not in use, which is ideal for cycling into town and then using the trailer as a buggy.

Trailer Accessories

Spare Chariot axle hitch (for quick release wheel) £33.50
Spare Chariot axle hitch (for solid axle wheel) £25.00

Lockable Weber Hitch System
Weber E axle hitch £29.50
Weber B axle hitch with adjustable rear kickstand £45.00
Weber tow arm compatible with chariot trailers £50.00

Baby Supporter £47.00
To stabilise the posture of small children (10-20 months) whose back muscles have not yet fully developed. Head and shoulders are supported so that even sleeping children are securely held.

Chariot Baby Seat £66.00
Suitable for babies under 1 year old. Fastened like a hammock at the top and bottom of the frame and centrally secured by means of a seatbelt system. Narrow enough to fit next to a second child (or another baby seat ) in a twin trailer. Fits all Chariot CTS trailers from 2003. Suitable for babies once they have developed sufficient back and neck strength - usually from about 3 months+ (but we recommend that you use your own judgement and common sense here, as all babies are different).

Rain Cover for any Chariot Trailer £42.60
This is the first accessory you should buy as this is is the UK! Different for different models of trailer, so please specify which.

All season Bunting Bag £57.50
Winter Baby Bag £77.00
Winter Toddler Bag £96.00
Fleece winter warmers.

Foot Mat £14.00
Chariot trailers with fabric bottoms are tough enough for you child to stand in. Nevertheless, many like to use this rubber foot mat to protect the floor against dirt and unexpected damage.

Stroller Kits
Stroller kits converts your tailer to an all terrain buggy allowing you to walk off road, or jog on pabved surfaces. They come with a single 16" wheel (and pneumatic tyre) and the mounting frame and sit centrally in front of the trailer. Choose from plastic or alloy to match you existing wheels.
With plastic wheel: £65.70
For Cheetah 1 & 2; Cabriolet (up until '05 models) and Comfort.
With spoked alloy wheel: £84.70
For Cabriolet (from '06); Cougar 1 & 2; Corsaire and Captain. With spoked alloy wheel: £94.00
For CX 1 & 2.

Buggy kit for all CTS models £48.50
Two handy small solid rubber wheels that converts the trailer into a buggy. Cycle into town, convert and push! after the raincover, the most populr accessory.

Transport Bag
Single £96.00
Twin £105.50
Made of tough polyester with a reinforced floor, this is excellent for travelling with the folded trailer. Comes with broad shoulder straps. Available for single or twin trailers.

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