Cycling in Waterloo Region

[Acitta]

Does Your City Need W-I-D-E-R Bike Lanes? See Widths in Some of the World's Best Bike Cities!

[SF22]

Hey, looking for suggestions on tried-and-true bike trailers! Must-have features:
-Large enough for a toddler and 3 bags of groceries
-An option to easily transform to a stroller
-Reasonably comfortable seat(s), and space for 2 year old to grow into

Not looking for the most extravagant trailer out there, just a solid mid-tier one that we can rely on for several years. Ideally would love to be able to buy from one of our local bike shops (and see an assembled trailer in-person before buying), but I will buy online if the right trailer isn't available nearby.

I've been looking at the Burley Honey Bee, Burley Encore X, and the Copilot Model T (although this one doesn't seem to transform from trailer to stroller particularly smoothly; can anyone confirm?), but definitely open to different brands. We will be using it primarily on paved bike lanes and MUTs, not off-roading.

Thanks!

[danbrotherston]

We have a two seater Chariot...which is now owned by Thule. It has been excellent, I did buy it used off Kijiji, so it is a little dated (before Thule bought Chariot), but it sounds like the quality and function (and price) have remained the same.

For us, it's been very good, I selected it because it was suitable for jogging, plus as a stroller, plus as a trailer, and I have done all of those things with it. It is easy to convert to a stroller (not seamless, you have to screw in the wheels, but it only takes a minute, but because it is a double it is quite wide and awkward. I couldn't even fit it in our apartment door. For jogging it was fine, it was difficult to convert, but I think that is because it was used and the frame was no longer completely straight which caused the jogging attachment not to line up well.

For biking it was excellent. The trailer hitch design is very sturdy and firm, not a lot of slop when you are biking which is a good thing. The hitch is available after market, albeit not cheap, (I lost it in the move) which is nice as well, apparently they do get lost.

It was very large and very sturdy which decent suspension. It easily carried our 2-3 year old toddler with lots of other cargo. It can also get an infant sling for younger children. During the pandemic I used it for several epic grocery runs (easily exceeding the 100 lbs limit), it holds...a lot. I have also used it to move furniture and other large items...literally today I brought home a garden table. It is quite useful and versatile. But again, comes at a cost...it is very large...when I got groceries during the pandemic, I thought, great I'll just bring the thing up and to the Kitchen...nope...won't even fit through the doorway to the elevators.

[SF22]

We have a two seater Chariot...which is now owned by Thule. It has been excellent, I did buy it used off Kijiji, so it is a little dated (before Thule bought Chariot), but it sounds like the quality and function (and price) have remained the same.

For us, it's been very good, I selected it because it was suitable for jogging, plus as a stroller, plus as a trailer, and I have done all of those things with it. It is easy to convert to a stroller (not seamless, you have to screw in the wheels, but it only takes a minute, but because it is a double it is quite wide and awkward. I couldn't even fit it in our apartment door. For jogging it was fine, it was difficult to convert, but I think that is because it was used and the frame was no longer completely straight which caused the jogging attachment not to line up well.

For biking it was excellent. The trailer hitch design is very sturdy and firm, not a lot of slop when you are biking which is a good thing. The hitch is available after market, albeit not cheap, (I lost it in the move) which is nice as well, apparently they do get lost.

It was very large and very sturdy which decent suspension. It easily carried our 2-3 year old toddler with lots of other cargo. It can also get an infant sling for younger children. During the pandemic I used it for several epic grocery runs (easily exceeding the 100 lbs limit), it holds...a lot. I have also used it to move furniture and other large items...literally today I brought home a garden table. It is quite useful and versatile. But again, comes at a cost...it is very large...when I got groceries during the pandemic, I thought, great I'll just bring the thing up and to the Kitchen...nope...won't even fit through the doorway to the elevators.

Haha good to know, thanks for all the information! We have a Thule stroller and love it, so Thule was definitely on my list of brands to check out. I'm starting to get the feeling that all the stroller conversations take a bit of effort, but I'm hoping we can find something that's less frustrating instead of more. I will definitely check out to see if I can find anything used online, too.

[danbrotherston]

We have a two seater Chariot...which is now owned by Thule. It has been excellent, I did buy it used off Kijiji, so it is a little dated (before Thule bought Chariot), but it sounds like the quality and function (and price) have remained the same.

For us, it's been very good, I selected it because it was suitable for jogging, plus as a stroller, plus as a trailer, and I have done all of those things with it. It is easy to convert to a stroller (not seamless, you have to screw in the wheels, but it only takes a minute, but because it is a double it is quite wide and awkward. I couldn't even fit it in our apartment door. For jogging it was fine, it was difficult to convert, but I think that is because it was used and the frame was no longer completely straight which caused the jogging attachment not to line up well.

For biking it was excellent. The trailer hitch design is very sturdy and firm, not a lot of slop when you are biking which is a good thing. The hitch is available after market, albeit not cheap, (I lost it in the move) which is nice as well, apparently they do get lost.

It was very large and very sturdy which decent suspension. It easily carried our 2-3 year old toddler with lots of other cargo. It can also get an infant sling for younger children. During the pandemic I used it for several epic grocery runs (easily exceeding the 100 lbs limit), it holds...a lot. I have also used it to move furniture and other large items...literally today I brought home a garden table. It is quite useful and versatile. But again, comes at a cost...it is very large...when I got groceries during the pandemic, I thought, great I'll just bring the thing up and to the Kitchen...nope...won't even fit through the doorway to the elevators.

Haha good to know, thanks for all the information! We have a Thule stroller and love it, so Thule was definitely on my list of brands to check out. I'm starting to get the feeling that all the stroller conversations take a bit of effort, but I'm hoping we can find something that's less frustrating instead of more. I will definitely check out to see if I can find anything used online, too.

Yeah, I kinda assumed from the pictures that the wheels would like, flip around and lock into place like most things on a stroller do, I was a bit surprised to have to be screwing them in. But it's really not too bad time wise and admittedly anything that would click into place couldn't be that sturdy (at least not without also being very heavy).

[cherrypark]

Friend has a Burley D'Lite X and as far as I know they have found it to be great and with lots of storage room as a bit lower cost than the Thule Chariot. Though as Dan said, definitely worth checking local classifieds.

[nms]

We use a Thule Chariot 2-seater that can fit up to a five-year old in a pinch (like when they crash and don't want to bike anymore). While it transforms into a stroller, it wasn't my preferred stroller choice because it was wider than I needed and I was usually only pushing one child at a time. My model is about 9 years old with only one wheel at the front.

[SF22]

Thanks everyone! Really appreciate the trailer advice!

[SF22]

Looks like construction on the Margaret Avenue bike lanes has begun. The EngageWR site says stage 1 of the construction will be the stretch between Queen and Victoria, which is currently closed off between Victoria and Maynard, although I'm not sure if this is closed due to the bike lanes or the Vive Construction happening at this corner. There are also pylons set up over the bridge and down to Wellington, with a small excavator currently parked near the Breithaupt intersection. This section is marked as stage 3, but it could be that they're doing things out of order because of the existing construction at 64 Margaret.

[Acitta]

CyclingGuide riding into the App Store
Local startup prepares for imminent release of way-finding app for cyclists

[SF22]

Looks like construction on the Margaret Avenue bike lanes has begun. The EngageWR site says stage 1 of the construction will be the stretch between Queen and Victoria, which is currently closed off between Victoria and Maynard, although I'm not sure if this is closed due to the bike lanes or the Vive Construction happening at this corner. There are also pylons set up over the bridge and down to Wellington, with a small excavator currently parked near the Breithaupt intersection. This section is marked as stage 3, but it could be that they're doing things out of order because of the existing construction at 64 Margaret.

Confirmed that the road is ripped up for bike lane installation. There is a sign facing Victoria Street that indicates the construction will take place from April-August 2023, for the full project of Wellington to Frederick. They have left a sidewalk open, so pedestrians and cyclists can still get through the construction area if needed. Looking forward to this one being done!

[ac3r]

Here's a good article on how bicycle manufacturing is not - at the moment anyway - sustainable. Note, the website uses solar power and may go offline at times.

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/0...again.html

[ijmorlan]

Here's a good article on how bicycle manufacturing is not - at the moment anyway - sustainable. Note, the website uses solar power and may go offline at times.

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/0...again.html

To me the real news is the rise of proprietary nonsense in bicycles as we have in so many industries. Bicycles could be way worse than they are and still be way more sustainable than motor vehicles and their associated infrastructure.

I can’t help but comment that the idea that the website uses solar power and may go off sometimes is cute but doesn’t exactly project an image of seriousness. It’s something I expect to see as a parody in the Simpsons (when it was good).

[ac3r]

The power doesn't seem to last too long, either! It was at 69% when I posted it but it's at 44% now.

[tomh009]

Here's a good article on how bicycle manufacturing is not - at the moment anyway - sustainable. Note, the website uses solar power and may go offline at times.

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/0...again.html

Interesting. But pulling CO2 numbers from different studies (with different methodologies) does not provide a valid comparison.

In addition, he is focused on high-end road bikes (carbon fibre etc) rather than the commuter/hybrid variety that is by far the most common in the world.

Proprietary components? Yes, increasingly so. But the same thing has happened with cars, with phones, sound systems and so on. I don't think one can prevent that from happening.