List Price: $212.00
Sale Price: $180.00
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The price was right. So I ordered. When the giant package came to my door i was excited to start assembling the trailer and get to riding. First things first, the bulk of the instruction manual is in CHINESE! Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just made for an interesting read. The English translation was a bit on the rough side, but was awesomely hilarious (one line said something to the effect of "impregnate wheel tire with air". Once you get the hang of the assembly, it's mostly just common sense to complete. From unboxing-to-ready took about an hour(ish). I hooked up the quick mount bracket to the rear axle of my Trek, and took off on pilot run. My first thoughts were "Holy hell, I must be more out of shape than I thought!" Then remembered that this trailer is of steel frame construction and clocks in at around 50 lbs. So I decided "hey fatty, get over it and pedal the baby around like a man. If stick legged hipster dads, ( complete with rolled up skinny jean leg, ironic "internet cat meme" tattoo, bad Christmas sweaters and handlebar mustaches) could zip around our mile high city, then so could I. A few days later, I decided to take our first bicycle adventure. I packed the diaper bag in the rear area (behind the baby seat) and was pleased at the amount the room for storage. Though not remarkably ample, a diaper bag+purse+3 to 4 lunch packs+tripod fit pretty well. Then came time to load said meat wiggle sack (read:baby). This is where my first functional disappointment enters the story. The "seats" aren't as much seats, as just a flap of fabric (ripstop nylon, I believe?...) festooned with some rudimentary nylon straps. Thought the recommended age of the trailer was years 1 to 5, I couldn't seem to adjust the straps to fit him (or my peace of mind) comfortably. There also wasn't really anything between the fabric "seat" and the ground. Filling my head with images my little grungle ripping through the bottom and being left a mile behind me on the sidewalk. So I put more padding, in the form of assorted pillows and towels, under his bottom. You know, for protection. Then I secured him as well as functionally possible, zipped the front cover, rolled up the plastic window (so as the baby could enjoy the cool air on his curly 11 month old mop, I guess..). I then double checked the tire pressure, relocated the removable front stroller wheel to its rearward location, flipped out the bicycle mounting arm and connected the unit to my bike. After a few more double checks of all the equipment, I put on my helmet and fingerless gloves, and rode for hours into the afternoon. Or would have rode hours, that is, if not for the fact that the load I was hauling felt like ONE MILLION POUNDS!!! After about an hour of pulling, what felt like, an industrial grade spindle of sheet steel, I gladly turned around and headed back home. It also didn't help that I was checking the trailer so often, my back and neck were beginning to hurt as much as my glutes, hams, calves, knees, toes, tendons, ligaments, etc... Point is: I was beat. I had been riding my bike (solo, mind you) every day that summer and was in decent riding shape, and I was officially cooked. Not one for defeat, a few day later I tried the same outing again with similar results. A few months later, I sold the trailer to a local kids consignment shop and never looked back. Don't get me wrong, if you: a) are a glutton for physical punishment, b) have had your license revoked due to unpaid parking tickets, DUI, car theft, etc... and just need to get your baby to daycare, or c) don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on a metal frame with wheels that pulls your brood or personal possessions behind you, than this trailer will get the job done. If the previous work of non-fiction does not sound like a good time, then you should probably spend the extra $100 on an aluminum framed, American made model. Happy biking, and if you find a small child on the riding path, with road rash and remnants of cheap,thin nylon around it, email Amazon. The parents probably have an account...
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I haven't taken this out on the road yet, but I wanted to share my experience so far...I ordered this product not to haul around kids (I don't have any), or tow with a bike (I don't even have one), but to haul around gear and cargo on a walking trip I'm taking this summer. I'm walking 760 miles from my home on Gardnerville NV to Seattle WA. I was originally going to use a backpack, but after messing with my pack for a few weeks and never being satisfied with how it fit or packed, I decided to use a cart instead. I'll actually be able to carry more gear this way, "luxury" items if you will. Not only that, this will save my back, hips, and legs from a lot of grief. I've done a lot of research on long distance walkers, and many of them prefer a cart to a backpack.
I looked all over the web at many different carts, and I can not believe how expensive these things can be! This one was the least expensive I could find that has rubber tires with tubes and the carrying capacity I'll need for my trip. I also like the color! Nice and visible. I haven't seen very many reviews for this one, but the two or three I've seen were good, so I took a chance and went for it.
First of all, this thing shipped FAST!!! We ordered it on a Monday afternoon, standard ground shipping, and it arrived two days later! The box it was shipped in had "FRAGILE" marked all over it, but of course there was a huge giant tear in the box right next to the "FRAGILE" warning haha! Everything was fine, thankfully. The instructions for assembly could have been a bit more in-depth and better explained, but I managed to figure it out easy enough. Keep in mind of course I am NOT a very handy dandy person. They were actually kinda funny to read in some spots. The booklet was only in English, but you could tell that whoever wrote it doesn't speak it daily. But the message comes across just fine. I should note, however, that during assembly, I had to punch out a hole in the frame where one of the pins is suppose to go through. Wasn't very difficult to do, just an un-needed hassle. The air pressure in the tires upon arrival seemed a bit low, but that's no biggie. The tread on the tires is definitely made for pavement. I may get some with a bit more aggressive tread since I am going such a long distance, and will be walking over dirt and gravel much of the time. The hand brake only works when the brake trigger is pulled. I wish it had a "park" brake to keep it from rolling off while sitting idle. The material seems pretty tough and durable. I'll know just how durable though after my trip! The organizer pouch also seems to be made from the same material. I tried to attach it a couple different ways, but I'll need to experiment some more to get a good fit in a spot that's easily accessible but out of the way. The handle adjusts at different angles easily enough. The padding on it seems adequate, but I imagine after being out in the sun for some time it may crack and/or harden. One orange reflector on each of the two big wheels, reflective stripes along the sides and rear, two white reflectors on the front, two red reflectors on the back, and a safety flag make for plenty of visibility. Not to mention the nice vibrant red color. The cargo floor is also of heavy duty material and has, what is probably plastic, liners embedded in the material.
Well, I only got this thing just a few hours ago, but I'm pretty happy with it so far and excited to get on the road with it. And for the price, compared to other carts/strollers out there, it's a darn good deal! I've uploaded a few pictures of the assembly, and when I'm done with my walking trip to Seattle I'll come back and update this review.
UPDATE 9/20/12: Back from my walking trip, and this cart held up very well. I used the tires it came with, but changed out the tubes with heavy duty ones. I also lined the floor with a couple 1/2" thick shelving boards to increase the weight capacity. Most of my walking was on paved roads and sidewalks, but there were plenty of dirt and gravel roads, and even a couple times of "off-roading". After all that I did not once get a punctured tire. The material is pretty tough, as I had many run ins with various bushes and shrubbery, yet no tears in the fabric and the none of the seams started to come apart or anything like that. The cloth material is described as "water resistant", and that's about all it's good for in wet weather. A light rain is fine, but if it's a downpour, whatever is inside the cart will get wet. The spongy material for the handle bar also held up very well. I expected it to be dry and cracked by the end of my trip, but it's just as soft as the day I got the cart. The only problems I had were with the front wheel, and they were my fault. I was trying to get off the road to set up camp for the night in a national forest and got the wheel snagged on a tree root that was hidden under some very soft earth. I tried to force the situation and ended up bending the frame the front wheel is attached to. Fortunately it wasn't anything a bench vice couldn't fix. Also, be sure to make sure the bolt assembly that attaches the front wheel frame assembly to the cart where it pivots, is securely tightened. I neglected it and the whole assembly popped out on the road somewhere and I lost it. I had to secure the wheel down with a bungee chord, otherwise, every time the front of the cart was lifted up the wheel would fall out from underneath. A real pain in the butt. Over all, for the price, this thing can not be beat. I abused the heck outta this thing 10 to 20 miles a day, nearly everyday, over the course of two months, and it's still in pretty good shape.
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I purchased this directly from the manufacturers website. I was on the fence ordering it because there are so few reviews for this online. This trailer is about $75-125 more than the ones at the national chains but $200+ cheaper than the high end models online. The swivel front wheel can be locked for jogging, something I didn't find in the big box models.The package arrived today, and the shipping company handled it as gently as they do everyone else's packages. Once I opened the box, the first thing I noticed was a broken piece of plastic covering the end of a hollow tube. I didn't realize it at first, but the plastic piece was meant to keep the tube from getting smashed during shipment and wasn't actually a piece of the trailer. Everything was packaged very well. Only downside was the instructions are inside the trailer, so, you have to unpack everything to get to the instructions.
Assembly took me about 30 minutes by myself. I wasn't racing to finish, you may be able to do it faster. Overall, very impressed with what I have gotten. Took it around the block before the sun went down and am very happy. The included hitch attaches to the skewer that holds your wheel onto your bike. It fit my bike with disc brakes, but all bikes are different.
As it made from steel, it should be kept indoors to prevent rust. I can't speak to the longterm durability, but I believe it will be at least as durable at the models from the big box stores.
There are no labels or logos anywhere on the trailer, packaging, manual, etc. The printed warnings are in English and German.
Only bad things are the brakes don't come adjusted for jogging and one of the reflectors popped off during shipment, and the included clips appear to be one time use. A small screw or ziptie will fix this though.
I am concered about the width. With the wheel protecting frame installed it won't fit through a 36 inch front door. Easy to pop on/off to do so, but not sure if it is too wide for the local greenways. Hope to find out this weekend.
I would recommend this to a friend. "Baby Bear Approved"
Honest reviews on Booyah "Swivel" 3in1 Double Baby Bicycle Bike Trailer & Jogger Red
I ordered this thinking it would be a good alternative to the Burley I have had my eye on. I received the product in an OK amount of time (one week) but the package had been handled poorly and there were literally holes in the box. I didn't notice anything major wrong so I assembled it. Of course the last thing I went to put on (the side bars) is when I noticed the frame was pinched and warped from shipping. There were some plastic covers on the ends of some of the tubing that had cracked off as well. I didn't think it would be a big deal kindof forced the side bar on and the metal gave way to my 5'8" 140lb force.Once assembled this thing looked great. Sturdy and comfortable two taller than average 3 year olds fit side by side very comfortably.
However this thing is heavy! And I could NOT get the front wheel to swivel properly. I tried loosening, tightening, shimming would not swivel and kept popping back into the "locked" mode. Annoying. Also the handle bar for the stroller sort of popped up and down didn't stay stationary. Also annoying. *I am used to a BOB Revolution Stroller which I love I am hoping this will replace that so it must do everything the Bob did and just as well or I just won't use it.
The stroller to bike trailer conversion is not very seamless. I want to be able to pop this thing off and go not spend a good 20 minutes reconfiguring the thing and getting everything lined up and just so. Maybe the whole frame of mine was bent but the pieces didn't fit together smoothly had to sort of force them on. Third annoying thing.
This thing is also very wide. Don't assemble in your house unless you have very wide doors!
In the end I returned this thing. For the price go on Craigslist and find a used Burley. I got a very old model of a Burley and it is still superior to this thing.
This thing is clunky and super heavy. I suppose it would work fine if you are looking to just use it as a bike trailer and you are freakin super man and can pull like 200 pounds behind you. In that case this thing is for you!
Too bad I wanted to like this but it just didn't work for me.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Booyah "Swivel" 3in1 Double Baby Bicycle Bike Trailer & Jogger Red
Would totally recommend this product!I use it for a jogging stroller most of the time, zoo trips and running.
Took someones advice and I don't use the side bars(the ones that go around the big tires). It just fits through door ways without them.
Fairly easy to collapse and put back up. After doing it many times I don't even think about it anymore.
Have had this for 9 months now and the only problem I have had with it is that the bolt that holds the front wheel on seems to keep coming loose in which the wheel no longer will swivel then.
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