Thule Chariot Cross Double Bike Trailer

The Thule Chariot Cross is a fantastic piece of kit - as well as being a bike trailer, it's a jogger and a pushchair too. You can even fit skis! It's well made, well thought out and offers a lot of features that boost comfort and versatility. It still has niggles, but if you're in the market for a do-it-all and money isn't really an object, this is the one for you.

Available in both 1-seat and 2-seat versions, the one we have on test is suitable for two children up to 22kg each, with a max carrier weight of 45kg. The recommended age range is six months to four years, and the maximum height is 111cm. You can also buy a Chariot Infant Sling (£99.99) for babies of 1-10 months.

The ease switching from trailer to pushchair is one of the great benefits of the Chariot Cross. The pushchair wheels store on board when in trailer mode too, allowing you to ride the kids to school, unhitch, switch the wheels over and take the pushchair through to the nursery drop off. It also means you don't have to think about taking a separate pushchair in the car if you're travelling somewhere.

To convert to trailer mode, you just unclip the front pushchair wheels and pop them back in the other side, facing up out the way. The trailer bar is stowed away on the side, ready to be installed.

Folding the Cross should be easy: hold the blue buttons on either side and push forward on the frame. However the buttons are very stiff, and it takes some force to get the arms to lock into place.

Once folded all the accessories and attachments fit inside, and it latches closed. This is a big help during transportation. At 14.5 kg the Cross is light for the features it offers, but not as light as some other trailers.

The 'door pass through' width is a narrow 80cm, which means you can get it into most shops and cafes – it's similar to a big modern buggy or travel system, and it helps your confidence when riding close to the curb or between narrow gate posts.

The Chariot is stable and sturdy and performs very well, offering a smooth ride whether on the road or venturing off it, bumping down curbs or over tree roots. The adjustable leaf spring suspension – something cheaper trailers often lack – is incredibly easy to adjust, too. You simply slide the latch up or down based on the child's weight.

I have a short two year-old and a tall four year-old, and at 110cm the latter is now right on the limit for head space when wearing his helmet. Thule's recommended maximum is 111cm (sitting height: 68 cm). If you have tall children or want to eke the most out of your investment, you may want to look at the Hamax Outback instead, which accommodates a claimed 117cm.

Thule uses a ball and socket-type hitch which mounts onto a specific rear axle. It feels very secure, offers a great range of movement for navigating your bike and trailer around tight spaces, and keeps the trailer nicely in line with the back wheel. However, I did find that it wasn't very compatible with my mountain bike's chunky frame welds, and I found it hard to get the pin into the hitch without loosening the quick release first.

The hitches are available separately if you want to leave the mounts attached to multiple bikes.

The frame is strong and light and, just as with along with the tough fabric cover, the build quality is noticeably high. The 20in wheels are easy rolling over uneven surfaces and curbs.

The reclining seats are one of my favourite features, especially for longer adventure rides with the whole family.

My children don't fall asleep at the same time, then inevitably end up lolling onto each other and getting annoyed, so the ability to recline one and not the other helps compartmentalise them and keep them happy. This is primarily useful for biking, because the boot space needs to be open to do it, and that gets in the way a bit for walking and jogging.

The Cross has comfortable padded seats – which are removable and easy to clean – and the five-point-harnesses are very easy to adjust and buckle. Vitally you can operate them one-handed, which only makes it easier to strap in wriggly children.

Behind the seats there is a mesh vent, and there are more vents by the feet to stop the cabin steaming up. Inside there are also a couple of mesh pockets for snacks and small toys.

The main storage area is in the boot, which is separate from the body of the trailer and has an elastic cover. It folds up flat when not in use, latching to the frame for greater legroom for walking and jogging. It is a decent size for spare clothes, toys, inner tubes, pump, a lock and what have you, but it is only certified up to 4kg; that's easy to exceed during the weekly shop or cycle touring.

The mesh door zips down easily and snaps into place at the bottom, and has the dual benefits of keeping flying debris out and my children's possessions in... alternatively, it can be rolled up and tucked neatly out of the way.

The rain cover is not integrated, which gives a cleaner look, but for a British winter you're probably going to want it permanently attached anyway. It does a good job of keeping the trailer dry and warm as it doubles as a windshield.

There's also a detachable shade cover, which is large. This can be both good and bad, as it can block out external distractions if your child is wanting to go to sleep, but it can also cause frustration if your child wants to stay engaged with the outside world.

There is a vast array of additional accessories, from storage covers to a kit to add skis, should you be inclined to go fat biking in the snow.

Value

So that leaves the big question: is this worth the price? It is a fantastic piece of equipment if you are going to get the full use out of its potential. If you have an active lifestyle and good cycling infrastructure around you, it's a worthwhile investment.

If you're thinking of much lighter and more occasional use and prefer something cheaper, the Halfords Advanced Double Bike Trailer is £299. It lacks fancy features like suspension and reclining seats, and at 19kg it's quite a bit heavier. With a max height of 1.05m, it can't take such large children either, but if you make them get out and walk the £800 you saved buys a lot of earplugs.

Alternatively, the Burley Honey Bee will set you back £449. The Honey Bee is lighter and has a very similar interior capacity to the Cross, but once again it lacks features like suspension and reclining seats. Also, some reports say it's not as well weighted and doesn't perform as well as a buggy.

The Hamax Outback I mentioned earlier (along with its additional headroom) is £862.59 via Hamax's Amazon shopfront, but has its own drawbacks. It weighs more still at 20kg, yet has a maximum load weight that's 5kg less than the others at just 40kg.

Overall

The sheer versatility that comes from the excellent design and build here – and the welter of official accessories – makes this a worthwhile investment for an active family. It's not quite perfect, especially when it comes to collapsing the whole thing as it could usefully take a lot less (awkward) force, but overall it's very good. Less enthusiastic or regular users, however, will probably be better off missing out on some admittedly great features and spending far less elsewhere.

Verdict

Very well made with a mostly excellent design, and extremely versatile. If you're very active it's worth it