Trail Etiquette Question

[kjj9701]

Hi all

I live in Colorado and I am getting back into riding. I have a 13 month boy and of course I bought the little bike trailer so I can bring him when I go riding. He does wear a helmet when we ride. Anyway, I am getting a little bored with the paved trails and I want to start hitting the single track again. I was thinking of trying some of the easier trailers in the Boulder area with my son in the trailer. I’m not looking to do anything crazy but just something other than a paved trail. However, I don’t really recall seeing anyone else doing this with their kids. Is this something I should try or should I leave him behind with mom?

Thanks for your help.

[Fitch]

Well, I’m a 30 year old single guy with no kids, but I have to say if I saw a dad towing his kid on a single track, I’d take a picture and send it to "Bad-Dad.com." 😀

No offense meant, but ANY single track has a significantly higher risk than flat smooth tracks. Maybe not necessarily you, even, but other riders whipping around turns will see you, NOT your child behind you.

[brianW]

If it is a beginner friendly trail I would say go for it. I have seen them a few times on the trail along with 3rd wheels and thought it was a great. For me anything you can do to get your kids outside and to enjoy/love nature the better. As for the safety aspect, I have seen (my own daughter) and heard from other dads, 7+year olds getting banged up while riding trails. Coming up to a child on the trail in my opinion is a bigger danger than riding up to an adult pulling a trailer. I for one when I see a child on the trail will stop no matter what. I would rather give our future riders the best, nervous free, experience as possible.

[fleetwood]

I think it is less a question of etiquette and more a question of safety and fun, as fitch & brianw mentioned. I’ve never encountered anyone on singletrack with the trailer, but most of the trails I ride probably aren’t that conducive. With the right trail selection and the right safety equipment, I think it would be fine and a great way for your to spend time with your kid.

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

I took my daughter on the tag-a-long on singletrack when she got older, but before that when we had the trailer I found it to be too wide to be practical on singletrack.

It worked great on some of the graded dirt bike baths like the Highline Canal Trail and Bluffs Trail, but other than trails like that, leave it home…it will be super annoying to you, him and other riders.

On a semi-related note though, to get him outdoors at a young age, look into the Kelty child carrier backpacks. When our kids were infants we took them hiking all the time and they loved it.

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

"brianW" wrote

If it is a beginner friendly trail I would say go for it. I have seen them a few times on the trail along with 3rd wheels and thought it was a great.

He’s not talking about a tag-a-along, but an actual two-wheeled trailed…like the ones that convert to jogging strollers.

[kjj9701]

Thanks for the responses, your feedback really helped. I am leaning towards leaving him behind until he can ride on his own. I forgot about all the potential hazards that exist if another rider unexpectedly encounters the trailer on the trail.

[brianW]

As mentioned above a kid backpack (like Kealty) is another awesome way to go outside with kids. I have 4 daughters and all have been on many hikes on my back. I have even used it snow shoeing. They are also great when shopping in town, at the mall, fairs, and sport games.

[pinkmtb]

I had one and used to do the rail trails with my little ones. I dont have any wide enough trails here to have taken them any way, I probably would though, the trailers are big and I think would be seen by another biker. I dont think anyone would be going that fast to ram into them, you could always put one of the orange flags on them.

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