“Dad, this is so fun, I feel like I’m dreaming!” — Those words came from William, my four-year-old son, shouted over the wind as we blazed down a bike path.
William was piloting a pedal-equipped bike trailer called the Weehoo. Its name, an onamonapia of sorts, was literally belted out as we pedaled and coasted on a 10-mile ride.
The trailer — full name: Weehoo iGo Turbo — is like a tag-along bike attachment except the kid gets a chair. You buckle him or her in with a three-point harness, and then feet are strapped to pedals.
A kid can crank on the pedals and help the adult or sit back and enjoy the ride. William did both on our big maiden journey, an hour-long trip across town.
I connected the Weehoo to my mountain bike. It attaches to the seat post via a curved metal arm. A single wheel sits behind the Weehoo’s chair, and the child has handles to grip.
You can move the chair forward or backward on the Weehoo’s frame — the longer the legs, the further back the position of the chair. The company cites an 80-pound weight limit for kids getting the ride.
William weighs around 40 pounds. He’s an easy pull for the most part, though sometimes his off-cadence pedaling rocks our connected rig slightly side to side.
At a hill I shout for William to pedal. It helps. You can feel the kid’s power as he spins the cranks, which have a no-nonsense 42 X 16 gearing.
In addition to the pedal power, the option for the child to help is a confidence booster. Kids like to contribute. The physical activity is nice, too, compared to passive trailer options.
At $399, the Weehoo is not cheap. It’s a quality build, though, and it works for a large age range — two years to 10, according to the company — so you could have the unit for a long time.
But older kids will likely want their own bike. William is in training, and I expect him to transition from the Weehoo some time this summer to riding longer distances on his own.
The across town trips will still require a trailer. So there I see using the Weehoo for a couple more years. Until age 10? No way.
For now, I like the Weehoo. Its pedal-or-not option is awesome.
Complaints? I don’t love the pedal straps — they are cumbersome. The setup of plastic flat pedals with Velcro webbing is a bit of a hassle to strap onto a kid’s shoes.
Also, the attachment point on my seat post does not exactly fit; I had to add a rubber shim to make it tight.
But the Weehoo for the most part has shined. William begs to ride every day.
