S24O trips with 4 year old son

[Senri]

I am planning on doing some S24O trip (sub 24 hour Overnight trip as Rivendell so nicely call it!) with my 4 year old son. As he is too small to bicycle himself, I was wondering how others here do it. I now have a seat on the back carrier. I have also been considering to put one the front to have more contact during riding, but that will become pretty heavy on the steering, plus it is not really save in an collision, is it?
Would a trailer be the solution?
Just looking at all the possibilities....

 

[ozpete]

I've not done any S24O trips, but the kiddie carrier I use & recommend is the Weeride kangaroo.
For: Much more engaging for the child & way better balanced than the rear mounted carriers. Also has a head rest sort of thing that they can have a snooze on, no probs! Doesn't load up the steering at all.
Against: You have to adopt a bit of a knees-out riding style, it could limit how much distance you could travel without possibilty of fatigue or injury. Also, the 20-odd kilo rating is good for kids even up to about 6, as long as they haven't been getting into the pies...
Stick all your provisions & equipment in a tow along trailer, and off you go!

 

[The Ken]

I use a trailer bike now, son loves it, he's 4 - but, I wouldn't take him on a ride of more than a few hours - I also wouldn't recommend keeping a kid in a child seat for more than 2 hours (as are the guidelines for car seats in this country) - so plenty movement breaks and a padded seat.

 

[hamster]

I used a bike trailer - the handling of the bike is good, son has somewhere sheltered if the weather is bad, can play with toys while riding etc. We did some overnights using it very successfully.

It also frees up space for panniers etc, plus allows stuff to be kept in it anyway.

I have a Burley Bee for sale if you are interested.