June 8/11 23:09 pm - Chariot CX2 Carrier

Posted by Editoress on 06/8/11
 

Chariot CX2 Carrier

Review by Greg Descantes

As a rider with four decades experience as a courier, racer and commuter, I've never really worried too much about my own personal safety while riding. Whether speeding through challenging terrain or traffic, my experience, patience and bike handling skills usually kept any thoughts of getting mangled or death at bay. That changed dramatically when it became time to make our children part of our cycling lifestyle.

The fact is, if a love of cycling is part of your daily life, a carrier is the perfect way to include your kids. That said, nothing changes your perspective on cycling safety and traffic like putting your child into a bike carrier and effectively turning them into your rear bumper.

The Kids safely in the trailor

Any fears we had were quickly put to rest after our first ride in our Chariot CX2 Carrier. As a commuter, I felt confident that the carrier was visible to the cars behind me. As a dad, I was comforted knowing the children were comfortable and safe, and as an ex-racer, I figured if someone were to put on a father-daughter bike carrier crit race, this would definitely be the carrier I'd want to use, although I'd probably want to add Ben Hur wheel shredders to the wheels.

Assembly

The Chariot CX2 Carrier comes as a chassis with five optional conversion kits for jogging, hiking, cross-country skiing, strolling and for turning the Chariot into a bike trailer. Because we got our Chariot for pleasure riding, commuting and errands, we went for the bike trailer and strolling kit. The bike trailer kit came with a lightweight aluminum hitch arm, axle mount and safety flag, while the strolling kit came with two 8-inch wheels that turn the trailer into a stroller.

Assembling the Chariot CX2 itself was dead simple. In fact, there was hardly any assembly to do. Simply unbox the chassis, pop on the wheels and handlebars and you're good to go. The bike trailer attachments were equally simple. On the chassis you just slide the hitch arm into the appropriate slot and it locks in place with a loud reassuring click.

Bike-wise, you'll need to switch from your regular rear axle to the Chariot axle with the hitch. Once you slide the sturdy rubber ball at the end of the hitch arm into the hitch, there's a pin that slides into the hitch to lock it in place and an additional strap that you can loop over the chainstay for added security. The only problem we had was attaching the 5-foot safety flag. We never did figure that out, although given the Chariot other visibility features, it wasn't a worry.

Full cycling version

Assembling the strolling kit was simply a matter of clicking the shafts of the wheels into place in the side panels of the chariot (Chariot calls them VersaWings). The VersaWings each have a vertical slot that you open by pressing a button. Push the shafts up through the slot and they click into place to turn your trailer into a stroller.  Slide the wheels on upside down through the top of the VersaWing and the wheels are locked in place out of the way as you use the Chariot as a trailer.

Ease of Use

We use the Chariot regularly to ride to the local supermarket. Once there, turning the trailer into a stroller takes literally less than one minute. Just unhook the strap around the chainstay, unlock the safety pin on the axle, and pull the hitch arm ball out of the hitch socket. Flip the stroller wheels from their above-VersaWing to below-VersaWing position and off you go. If you want, you can also quickly change the position of the hitch arm from a horizontal to upright position. The CX2 features a foldaway rear storage compartment with lots of room for groceries, bike locks, etc.

Stroller

As mentioned, assembly and converting on the go is quick and easy. As for getting the kids aboard and secure, our older child (three) easily climbs in and out of the chariot and can strap herself in using the plastic buckles. Each seat has two shoulders straps to buckle, along with an extra belt across their laps.

If storage space is an issue, you can fold the Chariot by pulling a quick release pin on each side and folding the chassis on itself as you would any conventional stroller.

Riding with the Double Chariot

For the rider, adjusting to the two-seat CX2, or any trailer, simply requires a little more horsepower and a little more care around corners, due to the added width of the trailer. You quickly learn to take corners a little less tightly. That said, sacrificing your line doesn't have to mean sacrificing your speed. The CX2 is incredibly stable and, despite how lightweight it is, I doubt you could tip it over even if you wanted to.

When dismounted, the flexible rubber end and ball of the hitch arm lets you walk a very tight turn, which is ideal for locking up and generally getting around. With 24-38-46 tooth chainrings up front and a 12-23 freewheel at the back, our only bike adjustment was switching from a never used 24-tooth chainring to a 30, as the 38 is a bit of a grind when both kids on board and a hill is on the menu.

As for the ride the kids get, no complaints there either. The CX2 features a suspension system you can quickly adjust with the turn of a knob. If anything, the ample padding and rocking motion of the ride has led to some impressive power naps by the kids on rides. The only issue that raised was the need for extra neck support once your child falls asleep.

While Chariot does offer several accessories that provide that extra support and comfort for infants (such as a baby supporter, baby bivy, infant sling, bunting bag), these are designed more for when the carrier is used as a stroller or with the other conversion kits. If using the carrier as a bike trailer, Chariot recommends that children be at least 12 months old, at which time our youngest no longer needed or would fit these accessories.

Dimensions

As the name suggests, the CX2 can accommodate two children, to a combined weight of 100 pounds. At a combined weight of 70 pounds, our almost four year old and 20 month old still have adequate shoulder room, although it is getting to be a tight squeeze once they're bundled up for cold weather. While there is plenty of leg, head and shoulder room now, a year and a half from now, it's likely only one child at a time will be coming along for the ride.

Safety

The safety of the CX2 is clearly evident from a build, handling, harnessing and visibility point of view. Every component on the CX2 inspires confidence, with no flimsy parts or connections. While you can feel the added weight of a child-filled chariot when you're pulling it, it doesn't compromise your ability to stop or steer in any way.

The bold colour of our CX2 and the added girth of the double seater makes us tough to miss for drivers. Equally helpful is the reflective material used throughout the Chariot (Scotchlite and Energlo by 3M). As claimed, the fabrics do build a charge when exposed to light, providing a glow-in-dark-effect to the carrier after dark. To be on the safe side we attached flashing rear lights to the carrier's handle bar if we happened to be using it as a bike trailer at dusk.

Buying Canadian

While safety and quality should be your primary concern when buying a carrier/trailer, if buying Canadian * is important to you, you'll be pleased to know that Chariot is a Canadian company based in Calgary. Equally, if not more important for us, was the fact that Chariot focuses on the outdoor transportation of children and nothing else. They say their purpose is to "produce the most innovative, the safest, and the highest quality child carrier products on the market." Mission accomplished.

[Note:  It was announced this week that Chariot is being bought by Thule, however, the company will remain based in Calgary, and the founder, Dan Britton, will remain as Director of Innovation]

Review by Greg Descantes

Update:  Chariot was purchased by Thule  in the Spring of 2011