WeeRide Co-Pilot Bike Trailer

Good Design - But Lacking Quality   January 2, 2009
I purchased the Wee-Ride Co-Pilot so my 3.5 year old son and I could go riding together. I researched all the available models. This model was my 2nd choice but it was less expensive and it was available locally. That would allow me to take it back if I had the same problems with the u-joint/hitch as other reviews described.

Good thing. The Wee-Ride factory assembled the u-joint so tightly that it prevented the U-joint/hitch from moving vertically. The bike shop tried to loosen the bolt but could not. I thought I had better tools at home so I agreed to take it home and try to loosen the bolt. My good tools only made the Allen head hexagonal flats into a recessed circle (the bolt appears to be made of mild steel). I could have ground the bolt head off and used a another bolt with a nylon-locking nut, but I would have messed up the paint. So I returned the bike and the other one in the store had the same tight u-joint problem. So I left without a bike.

The quick connect hitch was also very difficult to separate or re-connect. I had to tap with a hammer separate the hitch. It also had to be perfectly aligned to slide together. Neither task could I do without help when atually trying to attach/separate the two "bikes".

The design of the folding mechanism is good. It folds in such a way that gravity helps hold it closed and the locking clamp just adds to the firm connection. The joint is designed with a large flat surfaces to spread the loads out which would prevent the tube from deforming or breaking.

The bike fit my 3.5 son well, but he would not have been able to peddle (only placing his feet on the peddles). This would have allowed hime some time before he out grew the bike.

After I returned the Co-Pilot, I purchased my 1st choice trailer bike from an Amazon merchant (Season Outfitters). My first choice was the Adams Original Folder 1 Trail-A-Bike 20 Black which is designed by Canadians. It was $25 more expensive, but it appears to be worth the extra money. The hitch is a design that allows one person to connect or disconnect the two bikes without help. The trail-a-bike pulls very well behind my bike and my son feels very secure even when making tight turns. The Adams Trail-a-Bike was good purchase.

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it came with defect and we could not get replacement (1 of 1 Found this Helpful)   December 18, 2008
This does look like a good construction and assembly was very easy. However, when we got it the critical swiwel section was stuck in both directions. The manufacture advised to return for replacement. So we did. Got from Amazon a replacement and the same problem. Had hard time getting a very old lady back on the phone and she resumed: you got a "lemon". So I returned to Amazon requesting a replacement. Well, by that time Amazon apparently raised the price for the item and now refuses to send me replacement and instead refunding me money. The explanation: we need to do quality control. That must be a lie because the item is on sale, for the higher price. Amazon appears to quality control me, a customer for over 10 years.

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Some quality issues (1 of 1 Found this Helpful)   December 1, 2008
Overall still an acceptable deal for the money for us, but some problems that could be a bigger problem for the less mechanically-inclined:
Two of the bolt holes on the mounting bracket were partly chromed over so that one bolt head was already stripped by the factory putting it in a little bit and another that wouldn't go in any further. Smaller diameter replacement bolts with separate nuts solved the problem. The bottom bracket is not quite right. From the factory it didn't turn easily or smoothly. Loosening it up helped a lot bit it took some effort to get it right. The pedals are cheap and do not turn as freely as I would like. Some of the other bolts are very difficult to adjust or turn at all. The unit is functioning well but it is not a high quality piece of equipment by any measure.

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What a great product....we love it. (1 of 1 Found this Helpful)   November 24, 2008
My 6 year old daughter wouldn't ride her bike with training wheels at all. I was a little frustrated with her not wanting to ride her bike. I tried telling her how much fun bike riding is but she had it in her mind that she was going to fall and hurt herself. I then ordered this product and attached it to my bike. She was hesitant but got on the bike and we were on our way. She loves riding bikes now. I like this trailer bike because it still gives her the motion of riding a bike....she has to learn to balance it because there's a little wiggle to her bike. It does take some getting use to for the person pulling the trailer bike but it's nothing an adult can't handle. We ride to the lake every weekend now and explore the dirt trails and we haven't had any issues with the trailer. It's easy to attach and setup on the adult bike. It's also easy to adjust the handlebars and seat on the trailer bike. The concerns I think that people are having is that the trailer bike does have some play to it but I think that is a feature to help the child try and learn to balance themselves. I don't see it as a safety issue as the play is not enough to cause the child to fall. Overall, this is a great product and we will continue to use it and hopefully by spring my girl will be ready to tackle riding the bike by herself!

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WeeRide Co-Pilot Bike Trailer   November 10, 2008
Our daughter absolutely loves her "new bike". She is too big for the bike seat and just not ready to master riding w/o training wheels.

The quality is less to be desired. The chain rubs against the guard and everyone hears us coming when she is peddling. Whenever we turn, my bike seat turns with us.....kind of annoying but a small price to pay considering that we can once again enjoy family bike rides together.

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