 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
First ride on the Cannop Family Trail today and 7 month munchkin seems to like it 🙂
I've discovered the sustrans map for super smooth routes https://www.sustrans.org.uk/ncn/map
But wondering to what extent we have to stick to them...
The chariot manual says 'smooth offroad routes only' which is blatantly false given the thing has suspension so must be intended to handle some degree of roughness.
On the other hand shaking babies is generally acknowledged to be a bad idea so I'm not exactly out to hunt the gnarwhal.
What does STW court reckon to the ridge path on the Quantocks for example, some quite rocky sections but still a land rover track?
And what are your suggestions for good rides especially in SW England/Wales (but elsewhere too)? Traffic free please.
Depends on how strong the nipper neck is? An they sit up unassisted for long periods?
I'd go pretty gentle until 9 months and stick to low speeds and smooth surfaces.
Then build it up from there, we started with gentle stuff at 6 months and by 13 months we were doing proper off road. We have a suspended chariot as well, we'd have probably been a bit more cautious without it as it definitely reduces the jarringness of impacts.
The monsal trail in the peaks is a lovely one for wee nippers in trailers.
Lakeside Way at Kielder ..at the opposite end of the country ..but it is a multi user trail which circumnavigates the Resevoir ..27 miles in total and it undulates sometimes quite steeply..
The surface is quite porous ..its a tough workout in winter ..but nothing technical ..scenery is stunning ..
Ask postie rich 😉
@hatter I'm not quite sure what constitutes a 'long period' for sitting unassisted, but she's crawling already.
cool, the key thing is that she can hold her head up well.
Wow, our little monkey isnnearly 12 months old and she's only just crawling really and not that fast. She's been sitting up unassisted for quite a while though.
I read online that you should leave it until they have a very strong neck before starting them off in a trailer - at 7 months I think I'd be sticking to smooth cucletracks and leave off-road for another 6 ish months. Although it sounds like your nipper is physically advancing well already.
I'm busting to get a trailer and take ours out - going to leave it until early spring and then hit the Bristol to Bath cycletrack.
I started my four kids in trailers at about 3 months but strapped a car baby seat so the head was always supported. You can take them over relatively rooty or rocky trails but bare in mind they do tip over quite easily. I found none of my kids liked the rocking from side to side caused by stomping on the pedals while climbing steep slopes.
I started with ours in the trailer at around 3 months with a car seat strapped in and only on smooth tarmac paths and stuff like that.
I got a better Burley trailer when she was about 9 months and explored all over the place on it. It's been round trail centre blues and on some real "wild" rides in Scotland, the Lakes, Dales etc. There really is no limit but what helped us was both me and my wife mountain bike so we were both there to carry the trailer sedan style across bogs and boulder fields! We had some great times with that trailer.
Generally our little one was very clear on what she liked and didn't. Rough paths were fine but rutted or potted trails that caused lurching generally not. Standing and pedalling was also a no. As with all child related things, some days were just not meant to be so often we'd cut rides short or spend loads of time stopped and playing about. That said, we did plenty rides >30km. Mud getting sprayed on the trailer and blocking out her view seemed to annoy her. If I was doing it again I'd get a mountain bike with full SKS mudguards.
I've ridden in the Quantocks and I reckon you'd be OK on the main tracks and even some of the downs if you take it easy. Enjoy, it'll be a whole new world of biking!