Customer Ratings: 
List Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $79.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off
I chose this trailer because I have a very active two and a half year old little boy, and I was worried about the stabilty of one of those chairs that attach to the seat of your bike. I liked this trailer for its smaller size and that it is fairly light and seemed fairly sturdy, okay now here is how it did.
SET UP: was very easy, instructions where pretty clear, and most was commonsense. The only thing I had a little trouble with was loosening the bolt on the bike to attach the trailer, so if you have an older bike this part might require a little more muscle.
THE RIDE: I took the trailer on a 5 mile test drive today, the trail was paved, but very bumpy due to root growth breaking through the pavement, over wooden bridges, and up quite a few hills. The trailer did well over the bumps just don't take rough terrain fast. Turning the corners onto the bridges presented a challenge, I would have to dismount the bike and lift the back tire to slide the trailer enough to get it onto the bridge. If it where any larger I would not have been able to take it on the trail. Hills where impossible for me at this time, the slight inclines I could handle, but hills are tough on a bike to begin with, but add 40+ lbs and it becomes VERY hard, I have fairly strong legs but I had to walk the bike and trailer up the steep hills.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are doing any amount of hills your breaks on your bike will need to be replaced a lot sooner, it was hard to keep a decent pace with the trailer going down hill, and my brakes where screaming the whole way.
When you go up and down road curbs you have to take them SLOWLY, and when you kick off to start peddling use your right foot, the left will get caught under the hitch bar and you will end up with bruised heels and ankles and ruin your sneakers.
MAJOR CONS: I really don't like the way the front mesh is set up, the back tires kicks dirt up into the trailer and by the time we where done with our ride my son was covered with dirt, and I was on pavement the whole time. It does come with a clear rain cover but if you use that there are no vents and the inside gets way too hot.
Overall Im pleased with the cart, It does what i need it too. Also, on another review someone mentioned that you can't ajust the sag on the bottom, and you canthe straps are just under the "seat" you can tighten them up all the way and it creates more of a seat look instead of just a big dip. Though I am still trying to find out if it can recline, my sons head was bobbling everywhere once he fell asleep.
Also, I can't see two kids fitting and being comfortable for any length of time; unless your kids get along great and don't mind their shoulders touching.
I also can't see the material lasting long with regular use, it is a cheap plastic pretend canvas that looks a little flimsy, so long as it holds up it is a good deal, once mine gives out I will probably go for a better one, but this one is great for the price.
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Yes, "for the price". As with all my reviews, I want to qualify "what it is" vs. "what it isn't" so that potential buyers can put it in a frame of reference.
What it is:
Cheap, incredibly easy to assemble, solidly made. It'll last for a couple of years enough for 2 or 3 kids to go on semi-regular bike rides. It's comfortable for one 3-year-old or two smaller kids.
What it's not:
Not made of heavy canvas or burlap, not going to last as a hand-me-down for three, five, ten families to use, not good for applications other than pavement, gravel or smooth packed earth. With the super-simplified hub assembly and plastic wheels, it's not likely to last you a million miles.
Impressions:
The wheels "snap in" to the hub assembly so there's no magic to this; there's no solid axle, no suspension, just two greased necks that slide in, 'lock in' to metal apertures, and that's it. The axle 'nub' is metal; but it's not going to have heavy wheel bearings. It assembles unbelievably easily, so while I am a fairly mechanically inclined person and work on my own cars, plumbing and HVAC, I was impressed how simple this would be for a non-mechanically-inclined person to assemble.
I've taken about half a dozen rides with my 3-year-old son seated in the center in the back. Every time I make a 2-mile loop around the lake in the near-by city park, I get two to four comments/compliments from joggers with kids in strollers, other bikers, etc. One guy on a bike paced me and said that the trailer looked great and asked all about it where I got it, how much it cost, how well it works. It's not cheap junk, so you can put that out of your mind. For $80 it's a steal; I paid about $20 more and that was easily worth it.
However, the seating and sides are all plastic or polyester. Heavier kids will 'ride low' so if you go over rapid bumps or high roots, things you wouldn't really notice on a bike with 26" wheels, the kids could bump their bottoms. My son fits fine by himself, but when my daughter turns 1, it might be a bit of a squeeze to get a 1 year old and a 3 year old in there together. Realistically, I'm not sure I'd want to be dragging around something that's roomy for 2 kids anyway.
Finally, based on the mechanical construction, I would surmise that this one is good for occasional rides for 2-3 families with 2-3 kids. At most. That depends, too, on how big the kids are that you're carrying around, and how the trailer is stored (outside vs. in a garage). I guess that means, I wouldn't really expect to get any more than 1000 miles out of it, maybe double that if the rides are primarily with smaller kids, over smoother surfaces, and the trailer is stored in a garage.
Maybe I'm wrong. Who knows. My kids will probably retire before I actually accumulate 1,000 miles on my bike so... take it for what it's worth. Maybe this super-simplistic hub assembly will last longer than my old cars. :)
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Ok first the good things about this trailer:
1. Price
2. Space for additional storage behind the seat which doesn't bother your kid(s)
3. Can fit two kids, but also has a "center" seat if it's only one kid
4. Easy to install on the bike
5. Light to carry
6. Good looking ( i love the blue color it comes in )
7. Anti-mosquitos and rain covers
The issues we see:
1. It has a soft bottom, so we're worried that he might hit something from the ground if we go over a rock or something. So we have to be really careful
2. It's wide, of course for two kids, which means its hard to go on small sidewalks.
3. It can get warm inside it, my baby was sweating today after a long ride, but we live in Miami so i guess its expected
The best thing is that it is lots of fun to go out with the little one with our bikes! totally worth it!
Honest reviews on InSTEP Take 2 Double Bicycle Trailer
I bought this so I could take my 3 year old with me on bike rides. She loves it. I have used it non-stop since receiving it. It is well made. Love that it has room in the back for extra items. It has an orange flag so it can be seen. I've rode over miles of gravel roads and she said it was bumpy, but still enjoyed the ride. I am very happy with this purchase.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for InSTEP Take 2 Double Bicycle Trailer
Set up was easy, but there were no specially instructions on filling the tires with air. I saw the recommended fill written on the side of tire to fill to 36 psi. I did as recommended, and 1 tube blew out while filling, the other blew 20 minutes later while just sitting there. I purchased 2 new tubes, and second attempt they both blew out at about 25 psi.
I called manufacturer who said never to fill above 25 and to ignore the recommend fill psi as stated on tires.
I later went to bike store to have a professional do this for me as I clearly am to dumb to use a bike pump or to know the pressure of the tires from the top of my head and to ignore instructions. The bike guy said this is just a problem with the plastic wheels. Most are just defected and need extra care to install and fill. He pointed out how the wheel is bent slightly and how it can lead to further blow outs. In the end after about 45 minutes, the bike care professional was able to fill the tires for me. He also gave me a warning that this was the last time that bike shop will be replacing and filling any tubes from wheels that were manufactured by this company.
avoid any plastic wheels.
