Bike Touring with a Baby: Trailer vs. Handlebar Seat

In the lead-up to our 400 mile ride across South Korea with our 13-month-old son, I spent months worrying about the best way to transport him. When baby ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy, isn’t that how the saying goes? The success of the entire trip would hinge on his opinion of his transport method.

We were so busy before the trip that we only managed a couple of ~2 hour test rides with the trailer, and approximately 50 feet in our driveway with the seat. (Side note: I recommend testing gear before a big trip! Do as I say, not as I do!)

In the end we flew across the Pacific with BOTH a trailer and a handlebar-mounted seat, crossing our fingers and praying to the bike touring gods that he’d like at least ONE of them.

Spoiler alert: he liked both, and each had tradeoffs. Here are the pros and cons as we experienced them, and what we would do differently next time.

What we brought

Trailer: Thule Chariot Cross, the version before generation 2

Seat: Thule Yepp Nexxt 2 Mini

It must be said: these are expensive items! Look for deals on Facebook Marketplace or other secondhand markets, since kids outgrow them well before they wear out.

We bought the Chariot used from a local marketplace, got a great sale price on the Yepp seat, and will sell both in a few years when we’re done with them.

How we used them

My bike, a Salsa Fargo, towed the trailer. This meant I had a slightly heavier load, but the trailer connected directly to my quick-release skewer (or my OMM Divide rack with the special trailer dropout) without needing to buy a new axle, so this was the easiest setup.

My husband’s bike, a Solace Cycles OM-2P, had the handlebar seat attachment mounted.

The trailer ended up being the primary, by far. Our little guy liked it, thank goodness. He napped in there, played with toys, and mostly just chilled. Keep in mind he was 13 months old at the time, not yet walking, so YMMV with an older toddler.

He spent only about an hour each day in the Yepp seat on my husband’s bike, usually when he was getting fussy in the trailer or we had a particularly flat and chill stretch of riding ahead. It was definitely more engaging for him, but also more tiring and maybe a bit overstimulating. It was also less comfortable riding for dad. It was a nice way for them to connect since I was towing the trailer, but only for shorter stretches.

When not in use, we strapped the seat to the back of the trailer. After the initial install of the mounting plate on the steerer tube, the seat was VERY fast to mount and unmount.

Trailer: pros

• Safest way to transport our little guy. He’s very well protected in there. The seat, on the other hand, made us nervous on faster descents or anywhere near traffic.
• Comfortable for hours – he can lounge and nap, snack or drink water, and play with toys.
• Easier to transport than you might think, since ours doubles as a stroller so airlines will gate check it for free.
• Adds a lot of cargo space for other gear and odds and ends.
• Doesn’t interfere with pedaling or handling (too much).

Trailer: cons

• Always there whether the baby is in it or not, so I never got a moment of unloaded riding even when the little guy was riding with dad (in hindsight we should have bought the axle needed for my husband to also tow the trailer).
• Made it hard to navigate anywhere off the bike path or main road. Narrow sidewalks, curbs, etc. were a major challenge.
• Pretty heavy, definitely noticeable over bumps and on climbs. Reduced me to walking in many places I would have otherwise ridden.

Seat: pros

• Fun for the little guy. He was more engaged and seemed to feel more like he was actually riding a bike.
• Better for interacting with your kid while riding.
• Good to mix things up on the rare occasion when he didn’t want to get back in the trailer.
• Once the mount is installed on the steerer, the seat is very easy to add and remove.
• Lighter than a trailer.

Seat: cons

• A bit uncomfortable for my husband. It changed his posture and pedaling form, made sudden stops difficult, and just generally wasn’t great for long stretches or more challenging riding.
• Needed to install a dropper post on his bike before leaving home so he could safely get on and off with the baby seat installed. (He wanted one anyway so this was reasonable, but droppers are expensive if you don’t otherwise need one.)
• Felt less safe for our little guy, so we didn’t use it for long downhills or road sections with any traffic.
• Not really possible for him to nap or play in it, so only works for a shorter time period.
• More sun exposure, especially since we couldn’t get him to wear sunglasses.

What I would do differently / next time

Our trailer + seat system worked well, and if our little guy had not been as happy in the trailer I would have called it perfect. As it was though, he spent almost all his time in the trailer, so the seat was a lot of extra bulk to haul around.

If I could go back in time for this particular trip, I would skip the seat and instead set up our bikes so we can both haul the trailer. Then my husband and I could share that duty more evenly.

The counterpoint is that the seat is probably more useful for short day rides with a young kid at home. If we were focused on short rides at home rather than long-distance touring, the seat might be a better choice than the trailer because it’s smaller, lighter, cheaper, and easier to set up.

Whatever you choose, know that bike travel with a baby or toddler is a wild ride! It’s not for the faint of heart, mind, or body, but it’s worth it.

More Bike Travel Resources

If you liked this post, you might also like these:

• Biking Across America: Top Touring Routes Compared
• Tips for Successful Bikepacking With Your Significant Other
• Bike Camping: Simple Guide to Getting Started

Or see the full bike travel home page for lots more.