Is this legal

My wife wants to buy one of these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0363833.htm ... its a
bicycle trailer. She wants to strap my beloved children in the back of it
and cart them off to the shops and where ever else. She was just wondering
if it is legal ?

Also she wantws to know is it legal to have a child seat on a biycle in the
front and the back with a kid each end ?

Shes really getting into cycling which is great but I'm against both of
these ideas above as shes not an experienced rider, and the level of morons
who are on the road is scary. But I'm not hitler and the last time I checked
its a free world (is it?) to do what you like.

Any advice welcomed.

On 22/06/2007 22:18, Matt said,
My wife wants to buy one of these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0363833.htm ... its a
bicycle trailer. She wants to strap my beloved children in the back of it
and cart them off to the shops and where ever else. She was just wondering
if it is legal ?

Yes, of course it is.

Also she wants to know is it legal to have a child seat on a biycle in the
front and the back with a kid each end ?

Not sure about actually being illegal, but perhaps not advisable...

as she's not an experienced rider

....especially in light of that comment!

But I'm not hitler and the last time I checked
its a free world (is it?) to do what you like.

A free world? Whatever gave you that idea? :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

"Matt" wrote in message
...
My wife wants to buy one of these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0363833.htm ... its a
bicycle trailer. She wants to strap my beloved children in the back of it
and cart them off to the shops and where ever else. She was just wondering
if it is legal ?

Buy this first

http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/

Jc

Of course it's legal - would Argos sell it otherwise? Question is, is it
sensible?

FWIW, my feeling is that it depends where she proposes doing it. There are
roads round here I wouldn't want to chance it, but as a broad
over-generalisation, I'd say it's probably ok...recent research suggests
drivers give a wider berth to riders without helmets & women...extending
that logic, I'd guess they'd be careful round this rig.

I suspect also that its very visibility ('what the bloody hell is *that*?)
would help...I'd guess more bikers get hit by motorists whose attention has
wandered/failed to register than by real psycopaths. I don't think the
'doubling up' you moot would make much odds. 'She's really getting into
cycling', it seems to me, is some kind of decider. Good! Encourage! For all
the usual reasons. Yes, there's a risk. But on balance...
"Matt" wrote in message
...
My wife wants to buy one of these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0363833.htm ... its a
bicycle trailer. She wants to strap my beloved children in the back of it
and cart them off to the shops and where ever else. She was just wondering
if it is legal ?

Also she wantws to know is it legal to have a child seat on a biycle in
the front and the back with a kid each end ?

Shes really getting into cycling which is great but I'm against both of
these ideas above as shes not an experienced rider, and the level of
morons who are on the road is scary. But I'm not hitler and the last time
I checked its a free world (is it?) to do what you like.

Any advice welcomed.

spokes wrote:

Of course it's legal - would Argos sell it otherwise? Question is, is it
sensible?

FWIW, my feeling is that it depends where she proposes doing it. There are
roads round here I wouldn't want to chance it, but as a broad
over-generalisation, I'd say it's probably ok...recent research suggests
drivers give a wider berth to riders without helmets & women...extending
that logic, I'd guess they'd be careful round this rig.

there is that.

I suspect also that its very visibility ('what the bloody hell is *that*?)
would help...I'd guess more bikers get hit by motorists whose attention has
wandered/failed to register than by real psycopaths. I don't think the
'doubling up' you moot would make much odds. 'She's really getting into
cycling', it seems to me, is some kind of decider. Good! Encourage! For all
the usual reasons. Yes, there's a risk. But on balance...
"Matt" wrote in message
...

the group who nearly landed on the bonnet of my car had one of them,
lanes nr my folks place, hadn't dawned on them that you need to keep to
your stopping distances. the kid in front got really close before he
manged to stop, i had stopped some time before, few secs and i'd been a
few feet on, right where he stopped.

snips



roger

Matt wrote:
My wife wants to buy one of these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0363833.htm ... its a
bicycle trailer. She wants to strap my beloved children in the back of it
and cart them off to the shops and where ever else. She was just wondering
if it is legal ?

Also she wantws to know is it legal to have a child seat on a biycle in the
front and the back with a kid each end ?

Shes really getting into cycling which is great but I'm against both of
these ideas above as shes not an experienced rider, and the level of morons
who are on the road is scary. But I'm not hitler and the last time I checked
its a free world (is it?) to do what you like.

Any advice welcomed.


Don't feed the Troll?

spokes wrote:

Of course it's legal - would Argos sell it otherwise?

Argos have sold blue flashing lights (to put on bikes). Deep blue, not just
blueish white.

~PB

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:18:10 +0100, Matt wrote:

My wife wants to buy one of these
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0363833.htm ...
its a bicycle trailer. She wants to strap my beloved children in
the back of it and cart them off to the shops and where ever else.
She was just wondering if it is legal ?

Yes it's legal. It's also much safer than a bike-mounted seat (in my
opinion). It's more stable due to two wheels and lower weight, it
surrounds teh child in a frame, teh child has less distance to fall if
it does go, if teh bike falls teh trailer doesn't necesarily go to,
and motorists give them a very wide bearth. It's also less cramped
(with one in anyway, quite cramped with two), warmer, and teh cjhild
can play with a toy or two while you ride.

Personally, there are roads I wouldn't ride along with a trailer, but
there are many roads and paths where I do.

Also she wantws to know is it legal to have a child seat on a
biycle in the front and the back with a kid each end ?

Do you mean a cross-bar mounted seat and rear carrier mounted seat? I
don't think it's illegal, but it would be difficult to ride.
Cross-bar mounted seats are generally only rated for quite small
children. The trailer will be safer and easier, in my opinion.

Shes really getting into cycling which is great but I'm against
both of these ideas above as shes not an experienced rider, and the
level of morons who are on the road is scary. But I'm not hitler
and the last time I checked its a free world (is it?) to do what
you like.

Any advice welcomed.

Where are you? Can you hire or borrow a trailer and try riding it
with a sack of stones in, to see how scary (or not) it looks and feels
before making your decision.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Ian Smith wrote on 23/06/2007 09:34 +0100:

Personally, there are roads I wouldn't ride along with a trailer, but
there are many roads and paths where I do.


Its prams and strollers that you need to worry about. After all we all
know that walking is more dangerous than cycling so children in prams
and strollers must be at higher risk than in child seats and trailers.
Especially as we know the major risks are at driveways, entrances,
junctions and crossing where strollers and pushchairs always precede the
adult into the risk zone ;-)

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

marc wrote:
Matt wrote:
Any advice welcomed.

Don't feed the Troll?

The OP posted as Matt, not Matt B. The post looks like a genuine
request for advice to me, though I suspect he may have been hoping to
get his prejudices reinforced ;-)

Anyway, my advice is to get the trailer (depending upon the ages of the
children). I'm not so sure about an inexperienced cyclist using child
seats, though.

Trailers are a fantastic way to cycle with children up to about 4yo.
Kids love it and motorists mostly give them a wide berth. Beyond 4yo,
they'll probably be better off on a trailerbike or a tandem.

This is what I use to tow my 3yo (and my 5yo when she wants a rest):
http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/cycling/050626yorkrally.jpg

An earlier model of this is what my 5yo rides (towed by Mummy) when she
doesn't want a rest:
http://www.islabikes.com/bike_pages/trailerbike.html

And this is what I plan to buy for my older child for next year, when
the younger one moves up to the trailerbike:
http://www.followme-tandem.com/english/

--
Danny Colyer URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"Daddy, put that down. Daddy, put that down. Daddy, put that down.
Daddy, why did you put that down?" - Charlie Colyer, age 2