Chariot SideCarrier

I have had mine for 2 years now, and will miss it horribly once my little boy outgrows it. It is very nice having him next to me as I can talk to him and easily know if there is a problem. Very well made, easy to detach from the bike and I had absolutely no problem with set up, took about 10 minutes (I ride an older ten speed road bike) and it does not affect the handling of the bike much at all. The only draw back is that people tend to stare at it / you like pigs looking at a wristwatch...

My husband and I had been looking forward to our son's first birthday for months in anticipation of taking him biking with us. We were fully prepared to buy a traditional trailer until I discovered the SideCarrier online. What a fantastic idea! I was hooked. None of our local bike shops carry the SideCarrier, so our purchase required a bit of a leap of faith. The return shipping insurance made things seem a little less risky, so we went for it. Assembly of the carrier itself was a breeze. Installation of the hitch, not so much. My mechanical engineer husband spent nearly an hour working on that. Once in place, though, he marveled at how well the carrier/hitch system is designed. The fit is a tight one on my 16.5" Trek 7200, with barely a ¼" to spare. If I had to come up with an obligatory complaint, that would be the lack of specs. Nowhere, not even on Chariot's website, could I find specs regarding size requirements for a bicycle frame to be compatible with the SideCarrier's hitch. As for the carrier itself, it?s very comfortable for our son. He has plenty of room to stretch and, most importantly, to surround himself with quite a collection of toys and books. I should qualify this statement by explaining that he?s a little guy?only 20.5 pounds at a year. I might caution those of you with bigger kids to try it on for size first because it does seem very narrow. I?ve been really pleased with the way my bike handles with the SideCarrier attached. (Note: I?ve only used it on streets and paved trails.) Other than having to relearn mounting/dismounting my bike so as not to kick the trailer, I find little discernable difference from riding without the munchkin attached. I do really appreciate being able to see and speak to him while riding. Having him beside me rather than behind also makes navigation a lot easier, as I don?t have to look over my shoulder to gauge whether or not we?re going to fit through a tight space, fall off a curb, etc. One caution to those of you who use your bikes for trail and/or mountain biking (without kiddo attached, of course): the location and angle of the hitch make it prone to catch on stumps, rocks, roots and other obstacles.

From the moment I found the SideCarrier online, I was hooked. I found a local bicycle shop that had one on display, threw little Katie in there (telling her it was a space ship) and went for a spin. It was great! It feels a little different at first, but very comfortable and stable. Very cool - I am definitely buying one!!!