Adventure with Alex

This past May Michelle and I bought a couple Marin Seadrift hybrid bikes and while I got to put some miles on mine during the Five Borough Bike Tour Michelle had yet to get on her’s… until today! Despite only having a month or two of decent biking weather left we decided it was time to pony up and invest in a bike trailer so we could get out as a family and spin some wheels. After considerable research we decided on the affordable Burley Bee Bike Trailer, and after grabbing the last one at a busy EMS North Conway we hurried home to grab our bikes and get some miles in while the weather was nice.

Are you sure about this Dad?

Since this was a floor model it was all assembled, but looking over the directions it didn’t appear to be that hard to put together. It only took about 5 minutes to attach the hitch to the bike and then to the trailer. I thought it was pretty clever how it attached right to the rear wheel axle of my bike and the pivoting mechanism allowed the bike to be laid down while keeping the trailer upright. This is not only a convenience feature, but a safety one because the trailer would be less likely to tip if I were to take a small spill. The harness system was straight forward enough, but it definitely lacked the padding and comfort features of the more expensive models. We placed our diaper bag/backpack in the space in front of his feet so he could push down and keep himself in a more upright position. Without it Alex was a bit slouched. Once he grows a half foot taller he’ll probably be more comfortable in the cabin. The back has a spacious “trunk”, which we’ll be using for grocery store trips in the near future.

We decided on a mellow loop out to Route 16, through Conway Village, and back home.

Our first family bike tour 🙂

The first thing I noticed was how not noticeable the trailer was. Going down hill, or on flat ground, I simply could not tell I was pulling a 23 pound kid in a 20 pound trailer. It makes sense, since the thing is on wheels… but I was surprised none-the-less. Our dirt road is a little bumpy, and while Alex was jostled around a little bit we took it slow until we got out to the paved Route 16. Here the traffic was crawling along at a snails pace with a combination of leaf peepers, Freyburg Fair go’ers, weekend vacationers, and a few frustrated locals. We pulled off onto the historic West Main St and enjoyed the quieter back-way into the Village. After following a dirt foot path along the water for a short bit Alex let us know he wanted to get out for a minute so we took a short break behind the Conway Fire Station.

Mommy & Alex taking a breather…

Revitalized we continued and crossed the Pequawket Pond outlet on a small foot bridge…

Footbridge

As we neared our neighborhood we decided to add a short loop over Jack Frost Lane and we stopped by a farm stand on Tasker Hill Rd to see their selection. It wasn’t until we were climbing back up our road that I started to notice the extra weight I was pulling, but it was a short climb and minutes later I was glad for it as I enjoy a quick pump at the end of a work-out.

Our 5.26mi loop took just under an hour. The bike trailer performed better than expected and we’re already thinking of where we should ride tomorrow!