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The details - How did we use the trailer during our testing? 

In total, we rode just over 500km / 300mi during this test. We generally limited the use of the singletrailer to bike paths, gravel roads and singletrack.

We only travelled on sections of road connecting trails in North America, but were lucky enough to ride extended sections of road and bike path in the Netherlands where bikes are well respected in traffic. We can’t speak for how the product performs when used primarily on the road in hillier areas (My impression is that it would do pretty well there, though).

Summary of the SingleTrailer's strengths

• This thing shreds. After getting used to the feeling of pulling it  you will enjoy the trails almost as much as you did on your own. You might want to avoid the black diamond trails, but anything up to upper intermediate technical trails are fair game. 

• This trailer is capable of clearing almost any object up to about 26” hub height at 200mm travel height.

• The child is comfortable and well protected from both weather conditions and trail brush / obstacles.

• Once you get used to the increased weight you’re pulling and the slight change of centre of gravity and momentum, there is no discernible interference with ride or balance. Even when we went over the max recommended towing weight, the trailer melted away and followed us almost imperceptibly. The trailer feels noticeably more unified with the bike than a suspended Bob Yak, for example, likely due to the solidity of the connector design and seatpost mounting.

• There is a good collection of cover setup options: The mosquito net and windscreen can be set up to cover the roof only or be a full frontal cover. There is also an effective sun cover for the upper towing triangle.

• Suspension design and equipment very good, with the right shock setting the child happily rides over a lot of bumpy terrain. With a poor shock setting, they’ll let you know! The suspension action was very smooth, and the trailer felt well capable of following any bike we rode it on, from26"  90mm XC rigs, to 200mm AM rigs.

• The trailer’s good ground clearance made reasonable stream crossings even possible without water reaching the bottom of the trailer (at 200mm height)

• The trailer didn’t prevent me riding any but the most technical trails. Once you’re used to the extra momentum/mass, it melts away and just follows without impacting the ride.

• Thin single wheeled design allows the trailer to follow your wheel and avoid most obstacles in all but technical singletracks.

• The trailer comes with a quality Schwalbe black jack tire.

• The kids are happy to do up to 3 hour adventures in this trailer if you plan a break or two into your ride. That is a lot longer than other child transport solutions I've experienced. It is comfy and secure inside, so they can doze off, do their own thing (Especially after picking up "nature treasures" for them to examine) or sing to themselves as you go along. 

And these were the things we thought were not optimal with the SingleTrailer.

• When riding on hardpack, gravel and tarmac on the long travel setting, a high-speed resonance appeared, with the trailer swaying sideways. On the lower suspension setting, this wasn’t an issue. The speed it came at depended on the bike we rode on and the load weight of the trailer, but it often appeared as of around 27kph / 17 mph. On some bikes it was imperceptible, on others, disturbing.

• The squared off lower front corners of the trailer can catch on trail objects: trees, rocks, etc. On contact they cause quite a violent jolt. Ideally, we’d like to see these rounded off to deflect the trailer instead. This scared one kid away from the trailer for about 6 months.

• The spare parts supply and after sales service was mediocre: we were unable to buy a 29” trailer arm, on asking both a distributor and the manufacturer.

• The seatpost mount design means no cargo rack and for some bikes, no saddle bag either. That’s not an issue if you just use the trailer for day trips, but does limit its practicality for multi-day bike trips.

• The central stand’s latch mechanism is flimsy and exposed. It bent countless times during our test from contact with objects on the trail and never went back to working properly on being bent back.

• Sleeping kids’ heads fall against the side Perspex windows when kids fall asleep. The solution cushion limits your kids’ side views quite a lot, obstructing a lot of the side window.

• Inside the trailer can get too hot for the kid’s comfort on extended lower speed climbs in the sun. A Velcro opening/closing air vent somewhere at the back or back of the side panels (maybe even one the kid themselves can operate) would probably solve that.

• LED lights hooked on the two provided mounting straps dangle and point downwards, not anywhere near the line of sight of drivers on the road behind you. (The same happens with led lights on a bikes saddlebag, but we feel this is a design feature too far below the rest of the trailer in quality). With such precious cargo, it should be addressed.

• The trailer could have done with more headroom. Perhaps the designers didn't consider helmets (after all, it does come from Europe where helmet use is less common) but we found the clearance to the roof of the trailer a little poor. With the trailer costing so much, we want to be able to take our 5 year olds as long as well, without their head forcing the roof of the trailer to bulge up.

• A folding mainframe would be very helpful. I travelled to Colorado and back with it on a flight: I checked it in a sporting equipment and packed it full of the kid's luggage (after which I boxed it in), but if it had a more compact folding option I would have been able to pack more flexibly.

• You can’t avoid talking about that price. Phew. And because of it, we feel that the negatives could and should be addressed in future generations. 

Other observations - not negative or positive, but things that could be considered:

• The seatpost clamp only works on round seatposts. Keep this in mind when considering which bikes it will work for.

• The quick release axle rear wheel means one could easily keep a second wheel with a slick tire for dedicated bike path rides. I’m not sure how acutely you’d feel the reduced rolling resistance (the provided tire is pretty supple) but it would be a nice option.

• It could do with internal handles, for the child to hold onto while we cross technical terrain to feel a lot more secure.

• It could also do with more luggage nets for the area under the kids seat, to stow away clothing, nappies, food and such, securely.

• The optional pillow inserts and luggage bag obscure the kid’s view. That’s not a deal breaker, but perhaps something that could be improved?

• If the design could be made to allow for folding of the mainframe, that would reduce travelling costs a lot. It ends up filling a pretty big box when you fly with it - as we did (even though we filled the inside with luggage, it was still cumbersome to transport).

• The carabiner that attaches the safety cord to the bike's frame can dangle and knock against the frame and suspension, tinging against the bike as it goes: a minor annoyance, but one we sometimes noticed.

• It would be hand for a specific mini pump and tool pocket to be included on the trailer itself, perhaps even with external access, so the trailer doesn’t need to be opened to access it (a flat during rainy conditions led to a soaked kid one ride!)