Last year I found myself riding my bike more and more, and I wanted to take my baby boy with me on some of the rides. So I checked out the local bike shops and did my due diligence on the interwebs. I decided to find a Trek GoBug as it seemed to be the “Best Of” within the market. Upon visiting the Trek store and their website, I found that they no longer sold this version in the US. I did, however, find a couple here locally on Craigslist. I bought one, and I have found that I REALLY like this trailer.

I got the Trek GoBug Deluxe that is a two seater (100lbs carrying capacity). It also came with the Jogger Kit, which makes it great for everything from camping trips to running. The Jogger Kit consists of a front wheel attachment that turns it from trailer to jogger.

All three tires are bicycle-quality aluminum, not the cheap ones you often see. There is a top bar that sets the mesh cover up high to provide ample room for your child, and it also is a strong aluminum roll bar if, God forbid, the trailer should roll. The trailer comes with a rain cover and bug mesh cover for all kinds of weather. The rear wheels have a push-button release that makes fold up and packing a cinch. Putting it together or packing it up takes just a few minutes with minimal effort.

There are also wrap-around wheel guards on each side that go around the body of the trailer and outside of the wheels to protect the trailer from getting bumped or snagged by something. The trailer is thickly padded and reinforced with removable seat panels. It has two interior pockets, fully padded integrated 5-point restraints with single point release buckle, and an extra large helmet shelf. With all it’s benefits, I’ve found it’s still extremely light weight as well!

Lastly, the hitch to your bike has an integrated component that allows for 360 degree rotation. The hitch is designed so that in case you have to ditch the bike or it flips, the trailer does not flip along with it. The durability and aluminum wheels give me the confidence to ride my normal 15-25mph rides without concern. My little boy loves going fast and passing the people and dogs along the trails.

As I mentioned, Trek no longer sells this model in the US, so you will have to find via Craigslist or Ebay to get one. I am finding that most are going for anywhere between $150 – $250 pending on condition. The trailers currently in the Trek stores are going for $250 brand new, but are not anything like this body style.

I personally am looking forward to seeing what Trek will be pushing out for their 2011 collection of bikes around the end of summer, as well as what their trailer models might be. Got thoughts about this article, bike trailers or just bikes? Talk to us on our twitter stream @benoshmag.