Let’s admit it: bike trailers are BORING. They are also wide and difficult to maneuver.
The Weehoo trailer addresses both of those issues. It allows children to pedal along and be engaged in the ride (or take a nap if they need to). Additionally, it is narrow enough to fit thru tight spaces and can even be used on mellow singletrack trails.
Our family used the Weehoo Turbo trailer-cycle for a period of several years. In that time, it become an integral part of our biking routine, and attracted A LOT of attention both around town and on the mountain bike trails.*
Part of the reason the Weehoo garners so much attention is its unique design. Unlike other trailer cycles, the Weehoo is recumbent which allows the child to pedal or to sit back and relax (or even sleep). The child is actually buckled into it which allows the Weehoo to be used with kids as young as 2.
While there are a couple of things I’m not a huge fan of on the Weehoo (which I’ll mention below), overall it was a great purchase for our family, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to other parents who are shopping for a child-hauler.
Review in a Nutshell
Pros:
- It’s FUN!
- Fits a wide range of ages (2-9 years old)
- Reclined position allows children to pedal or rest
- Double model hauls multiple children
- Works on- or off-road
Cons:
- Dust, mud, etc. gets kicked up in child’s face
- Lack of padding
- Material wears quickly
- Challenging to transport and store
Price and Where To Buy:
- $449 List
- Check price at RideWeehoo.com
- Price not available at Amazon.com (Last updated: ) – More info
Weehoo Trailer-Cycle Detailed Review
Fun And Enjoyable For The Child
The Weehoo has an enclosed drivetrain that allows kids to pedal (or to sit back and relax). When we first started using the Weehoo, P was only 2 and mostly just sat back and enjoyed the views or took a nap. By the time he was 4, he regularly pedaled along and loved to “bike with dad.”
For this reason, the Weehoo beats both a traditional trailer and bike seat in terms of keeping kiddos engaged and excited about going for rides. For younger kids, a trailer or bike seat works great, but by 2.5 or 3, the Weehoo becomes the superior option.
In addition to getting to pedal along, kids also love the pockets on the sides. Our son loved to stash snacks and treasures he found on the trail (i.e. rocks for his collection). Handles on either side of the seat provide a place to put little hands and help young riders to feel large and in charge.
Safety
Before using the Weehoo, I had been a little concerned about the safety of riding with it on city streets, but it sits high enough and with the safety flag on back, it’s visible to cars. Of course, I’d recommend riding primarily on low-traffic roads and, if you have two parents along, have one hang back and to the side to provide additional visibility and protection.
We tended to use the Weehoo more often for long excursions where we were biking on trails or backcountry dirt roads, and used it less often for commuting around town. For those times when we were biking on city streets, I added a blinky light to the rear pocket. If I were to use it more often for daily commuting, I would probably add some reflective tape as well.
Unlike a traditional trailer-cycle where the child is unsecured, the Weehoo boasts a 5-point harness to hold the child in the seat. I like this because the kiddo can neither intentionally nor accidentally fall out of the seat. If you were to have a fall, they would simple tip over and be protected by the steel frame, held in by the harness.
As a testament to its safety, I heard a story a year or so ago from a dad who was struck by a car with the child in the Weehoo, and the strong steel structure protected the kiddo. Which brings me to my next point……
Construction
The frame of the Weehoo is steel and is well-made and sturdy. The rest of the construction, unfortunately, leaves a bit to be desired.
The material on the seat and panniers is pretty thin and has worn badly on our Weehoo. The fabric has ripped in several places and is really dirty.
In comparison, the material on our Thule Chariot still looked brand new after nearly 4 years of use, despite taking it off road, transporting it around the country, etc. This seems like an obvious upgrade that Weehoo should make to ensure they are providing a high-quality product.
Assembly and Installation
Upon receiving the Weehoo, you will have some assembly to complete. The instructions were somewhat confusing (although Weehoo’s assembly videos would have helped had we thought of it), but even then it only took about 30 minutes to assemble. Lesson learned: watch the assembly videos!
The actual body of the trailer is attached to the adult’s bike via a swing arm. A pin attaches the arm to the trailer and another pin attaches the arm to a mount on the adult’s seatpost.
The mount itself is very easy to install and slides right onto the seatpost; attaching the arm to the mount is a little trickier. The first time, my husband actually had to use a hammer to get it in place. As time has gone on, this has gotten easier and no brute force is required.
Transport and Storage
Once it is broken down, the Weehoo fits easily in the back of our Ford Escape SUV. At our destination it takes about 5 minutes to reassemble and be ready to ride.
In terms of day to day storage, the Weehoo definitely takes up more space than a bike seat. If you have a large garage, you can probably just tuck it into a corner.
If you are more squeezed for space, storing it vertically is a good option and is what we do. We remove the swing arm for storage, and then hang the trailer from a ceiling/shelf hook. This works well to get the Weehoo up and out of the way.
Easy to haul
For the longest time after getting the Weehoo, I made my husband do all the towing. It just looked too heavy for me.
Once I finally got the courage to try it out myself, I was pleasantly surprised—it is not difficult to haul at all! If your child is old enough (and cooperative enough) to pedal along, you won’t even notice the weight.
If your kiddo decides to lay back and take a nap, you’ll definitely feel it, but that weight is on par with a trailer like the Thule Chariot. Totally doable, even for a little lady.
Storage Compartments
One thing that I really like about the Weehoo is the ability to use it to haul more than just your child, and we often chose to take it with us on big outings for just this purpose. We’ve used it on overnight bike camping trips, and have used it on day trips to haul the kiddo’s bike, towels, a picnic, spare clothes, snacks, etc.
We have the regular iGo Turbo which has good storage space in the form of two pannier bags. There is also space between the seat and the rear wheel (if the seat isn’t slid all the way back), which allows for you to get creative strapping stuff on.
If you want even more storage or if you are going to primarily use the Weehoo for bicycle touring, consider the Venture version. It has even more space for stowing gear.
Riding Off-road
We are a mountain biking family, and as such, our primary attraction to the Weehoo is the ability to take it off-road, even on singletrack. When our son started outgrowing the iBert, the Weehoo was the logical next step. Our Weehoo went on many, many miles of singletrack, doubletrack, and dirt roads. It is a solid choice for mountain biking families.
That said, there are a few drawbacks of using the Weehoo for mountain biking. For the majority of people who will only be using the trailer on the road and paved bike paths, these will not be issues.
For one, the wheelbase is pretty long and it can be difficult to make it around tight switchbacks; that said, you do get the hang of it with practice. More problematic is the quality of the ride for your child. If the trail is dusty or muddy, they are going to get a very dirty face. The fender that comes with the Weehoo doesn’t do much to protect against this. I would strongly recommend putting sunglasses on your child and bringing some wet wipes.
Finally, when using it off-road, the Weehoo provides a pretty rough ride. We make sure to only take it on the gentlest, smoothest trails. We’ve also added a beefier tire, and on long rides like our bike camping trip, we actually added some egg-carton foam to the seat to make it more comfortable.
Grows with your child
Unlike some other types of child bike carriers, the Weehoo trailer-cycle can accommodate a large age range. You certainly can’t get a bike seat to carry both your 2 year old and your 9 year old!
The seat slides forward or backward to accommodate your child’s legs as they grow—no tools required. This makes it a solid investment when you consider that you will get years of use out of it.
Resale Value
Once your child has outgrown the Weehoo, or you’ve moved onto other things, you can still get some value out of it by reselling in your local classifieds. I’ve watched these go quickly on websites like Craiglist and Ebay.
Double version
Aside from cargo bikes, there aren’t many ways to haul multiple children at once. With the Weehoo Two, you can do just that. The double version of the Weehoo has a lot of rabid fans, and hold two kiddos up to 80 pounds.
Useful accessories
Depending on how much use you plan on getting out of the Weehoo, you may want to consider some of their accessories. We added the kickstand to our Weehoo, and what a great addition that was! The kickstand holds the trailer steady while you load and unload your child. Without it, I always felt the situation was a bit precarious when trying to buckle our son in while also holding my bike and the trailer upright.
Weehoo also offers a raincover, which we haven’t personally used, but seems like it would be a wise purchase particularly if you plan to use the Weehoo for daily commuting.
Bottom-Line
The Weehoo trailer-cycle is a fun, interactive, and practical way to bike with your child(ren). With ample storage space, it really shines on weekend outings when you want to carry swimsuits, picnics, etc.
It is usable for bike path riding, commuting, bicycle touring, and even mountain biking. If you are looking for a child carrier for your 2 to 9 year old, the Weehoo should definitely be on your short list.
Hi there, if I wanted to take my kid to daycare and leave the trailer there and commute to work without it, would that be easy and quick to do? Sounds like it’s actually maybe five to ten minutes getting it on and off?
Hi Sam,
Yes, you could absolutely do that. In fact, at my sons old preschool there was a parent that did just that every day! It won’t take you 5 to 10 minutes. We did have some trouble, in the beginning, getting it on, but it seemed to loosen up and become easier with time. In any case, it should only take you a couple minutes after you get the hang of it.
I am dying to see a demonstration of someone strapping their kid in to the weehoo and then getting on their bike and riding away, without the kickstand. I have something of a tough time picturing how this would work without the weehoo falling over. In searching for that, I did find a nice video review of the weehoo that pointed out that the child’s hands could be really hurt if (God forbid) one were to have an accident and the weehoo were to fall over and your kid was holding the handles. He added some mountain bike handlebars to provide some spacing between the kid’s handles and the ground if it were to fall over. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYJwoBHm-PI