Schwinn Mark II bike trailer

We have had one for awhile now and use it frequently. The front wheel is kinds goofy and it is not the best quality all around but it definitely serves the purpose, is light and seems safe and comfortable for our 3 and 2 year olds.

From the title you can guess that my biggest disappointment was that I found out after I purchased this Schwinn, thinking I was getting a better quality bike trailer, that both InStep and Schwinn are made by the same company Pacific Cycles ( www.pacific-cycle.com ). On top of that, the Instep Rocket Aluminum model is the exact clone of this Schwinn, with the only difference being the cloth colors and the brand name on it. So if you can live with the color of the Instep Rocket Aluminum model, you can save yourself at least $50 over this Schwinn. Now if you like the red color, prefer the Schwinn branding, and don?t care about the price difference, then as Bike trailers go this Schwinn is not a bad choice. Its fairly light, rolls easily over level ground (you hardly notice its there), and is slightly nicer in design than sub $100 entry level InStep models. The 20? tires do seem to absorb the bumps better than the smaller wheel models. It also gets your kids up a couple of inches higher from the ground and some of the dust that your bicycle?s rear tire kicks up. As some other reviewers stated, it?s not a super quick up & down thing to assemble and disassemble, but none of these trailers really are. Setup takes about 10 minutes to put the wall/roof support bar in place, attach the wheels, snap the cover over the top, and get all the straps tightened correctly. Disassembly requires all the same straps to be loosened back up before it will fold down correctly (once the bonnet is taken off and the support bar is removed). The one thing that no-one ever seems to state on the reviews of these instep and Schwinn trailers is that screen material that you can see in all the pictures of these things isn?t actually mosquito netting. The netting has holes in it about 1/8 of an inch in diameter, so small insects and fairly large pebbles will get through it. I am sure it breathes a little better than true mosquito netting, but as I am riding along at 10+ mph, I would prefer my kids have better bug and debris protection over an insignificant breeze difference. My one actual complaint with this Schwinn and all the InStep models are the poor quality of their sad & pathetic instruction manuals. Both the Schwinn and the matching InStep model manuals contain the exact same text & pictures, and are all apparently printed or copied on the same circa 1970s black and white junk copy machine/printing press. The black and white pictures are so blurry and/or dark that you cannot make out what they are showing you, and the instructions are written by someone who either didn?t graduate high school, or who?s first language is not English (with the latter being the more probable case). For a product the Schwinn logo on it, I was definitely expecting better. Come on, how much would it actually cost a company to bring in a group of parents, have them go through the assembly of these things using the manual, and make changes to the instruction manual based on their comments. At the very least, Pacific Cycle/Schwinn/Instep should have a manual with clear full color pictures, and instructions that were at least proof read.

I have had this trailer for 5 days and have used it 5 days in a row. 3 days as a jogger stroller and 2 days as a bike trailer.

*It is easy to set up and take down. Yes it does take a little time but I am getting good at it. I don't feel like you need to be "strong" to do either.

*We live in an apartment and have to carry this item from our back patio through our apartment to the front so being compact and light was an issue for me since I will be the one mostly using it. I am glad we went with aluminum, as it is light. It does fold down nicely and even with the wheels on I can still get it through the apartment without hitting furniture.

Pros: *As a bike trailer it pulls smoothly. *Easy to put on my mountain bike. *I feel it is made well and safe. *My 2 ½ yr old seems comfortable in it and loves the pockets for her treats/drinks. There is even a compartment for my backpack. *It is simple to transition into a jogging stroller. *As a stroller it is light and easy to push until....

Cons: *It seems there is not enough weight up front so the front wheel wobbles uncontrollably which makes it impossible to push. I have to lift it and then set it down again to get it to go straight. I end up jogging with the front wheel held up, which is not fun. However, I guess I could buy a jogger stroller that was really meant for jogging but they shouldn't promote it as a stroller if you can't push it. I am going to contact the company and see if there is a way to fix this problem. *The 5-point harness is no different from other trailers I have seen. They do seem flimsy and are a little stiff to attach to the ring. *Today I got home from a ride and realized the flag was missing. I am guessing it flew off when I was going down a hill. *I hope the canvas holds up. There are already two very small holes where the flag is inserted and rubs. *The rubber on the clasps for the stroller handle is already coming off.

All in all I am happy with the product for the price. Just a few concerns as mentioned above. I am not a hard-core rider but do intend to use the product frequently so I hope it holds up. It seems sturdy and well made but time will tell.