Customer Reviews

Croozer 535 Double Child Bicycle Trailer (Green/Grey/Black)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife wanted a trailer for her bike, so I looked at different offerings from Burley, Chariot, and Schwinn before stumbling across Croozer. I wasn't looking for the cheapest trailer I could find, but I was also hoping to keep things under $1,000.

Since I hadn't heard of Croozer before, I did some research online and tried to find one in a store before buying. That was probably the hardest part of the purchase -- many of the stores listed on Croozer's site (at least, the ones near me) didn't have a floor model to look at. Eventually, I found one that had the Croozer 525 Double Child Bicycle Trailer, and ended up liking it. So, I figured I'd go with the upgraded model to get the advertised five-point harness and a little more cargo space.

I ended up ordering from Amazon, and the trailer arrived unscathed. Putting the trailer together was reasonably easy, because I had the required tools. You'll need an allen wrench, Phillips screwdriver, and an 11mm wrench to put this together at minimum. Having a ratchet with a Torx bit, an 11mm socket, and an 11mm wrench helped tremendously. The instructions leave a lot to be desired, and have very grainy pictures, but fortunately, there's little "real" assembly -- you just put reflectors on the front bumper, and put the front bumper on the trailer. The wheels snap in with a pushbutton release in the center, the stroller arm goes in with a couple of pins, and everything else is basically pre-assembled. (But yes, the front bumper is a big enough pain that it warranted some griping)

What really surprised me was that the trailer itself was basically the same as the 525. Although Croozer lists the 535 as having a five-point harness and doesn't list that as a feature of the 525, their harnesses looked the same to me. The 535 has two arm / leg loops and a center strap which comprises a five-point safety system that actually snaps together as three pieces. The top of the straps have some nice padding on the shoulders and back, which I didn't see on some of the more expensive trailers from other brands.

The trailer arm has a rotating spring mechanism, which makes the trailer move fluidly with the bike, while at the same time, keeps the trailer upright if your bike isn't. Croozer uses an axle post with a pin-and-retainer mechanism to attach to your bike. If your rear wheel has a quick release, installing it takes about five minutes, tops. One thing I was especially happy about, was that Croozer includes two axle posts, so I was able to put one on my bike too, without spending more money.

The stroller wheel looks a bit cheap, but works well (note: if you do buy this, make sure the strap that holds the pin for the stroller wheel is under the bumper when you assemble it!). You don't have to remove the trailer arm to use this as a regular stroller (but you probably should, if you're planning to walk around town with it). As a stroller, this thing glides wherever you push it, and the rear brakes are super solid.

The jogging wheel is surprisingly secure, but since I'm not a jogger, I can't really say much about it beyond the build quality.

In terms of overall build quality, this looks and feels every bit as good as the more expensive trailers. In the research I did, a few people were calling the 535 a "Chinese (Chariot) Cougar 2". Having actually seen a Cougar 2, I can certainly see the comparisons. I wouldn't go as far as saying they're identical, but I don't think the Cougar 2's materials are nice enough to justify the price difference of several hundred dollars. In any case, I didn't find any part of the trailer that left me concerned about our child's safety (which was not the case with some of the InStep and Schwinn trailers I had looked at previously).

If you're not planning to go jogging, you may want to save some money and go with the 525. With the exception of the jogging wheel and a few 10cm (about 4") differences in width and height, the 525 and 535 are basically the same. One notable place where that difference may matter to you is the height of the stroller bar (the 535 bar is about 4" higher, making it much more comfortable for me to push at 6'1"). Despite being disappointed that this was so similar to the 525, I didn't regret the purchase at all, and would absolutely buy this again if I had it to do over.

I don't normally review stuff but I've been so pleased I just had to spread the word.

For the money (and it was Benjamin less 4 years ago) this trailer is five stars and unbeatable. We use the stroller weekly for jogging, biking and as a regular stroller. Here are my +/-:

Plus:
-Bucket seats: Don't know another stroller that has it and it's a God send.
-Jogging/Biking/Stoller for one reasonable cost (unlike Chariot)
-Strong, light, tons of storage, easy to tow on a bike
-Packs up thin and easy to dis/assemble
-Rain/debris covers
-Super durable for 4+ years of getting kicked around and having it's configuration changed constantly.

Minus (these may have changed in subsequent years and should not be a deterrent):
-Chinese build quality. Some rumor this to be a division of Chariot but made in China not Canada.
1)The jogging attachment requires some fiddling to get the front wheel to track straight
2)The handle bar is usually a bear to get in. We try to leave it. What helped was sanding the handlebar tubes a bit to remove some material
3)The stroller wheel wouldn't rotate at all new. WD-40/Liquid Wrench helps.
-After 4+ years our gigantic 4yr old 47" tall daughter's head is smooshed against the roof.

It truly is a five star trailer but the niggles must be docked from the tally. Hope this helps. Don't waste your money on a Burley or Chariot unless you cross country ski or find one on Craigslist.

We purchased this trailer for our 4 year old and 1 year old....the most AMAZING stroller/bike trailer combo out there! I did a TON of research regarding bike trailers that would convert into a jogging stroller to accomodate my active lifestyle, and this was the only one I found that was most reasonably priced (as opposed to paying several hundred dollars for a Chariot)!! The kids love the separated seating (much needed!), and the ease of converting from trailer to stroller is a matter of seconds! Super cargo space in the rear allows for all the extras you need while traveling with 2 kiddos, with room to spare! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for that trailer/jogger combo. It's a little wide (as with any bike trailer) to use for shopping purposes, but is manageable with handicapped-accessible doors. Amazing product, thanks!

Assembly: I am not very handy, so I had some trouble putting the light reflectors on (minor issue), but otherwise, I was able to assemble everything with little effort. At one point, I couldn't get the arm for the bike trailer attached, but then I realised I had put it on upside down.
Quality and value: It is well made and comes with everything you would need if you are looking for this kind of trailer/jogger/stroller combo. Unlike more expensive brands, you do not have to buy the additional attachments. What's more, it comes with 2 attachments for the bike trailer so you and your partner can switch off pulling the trailer during a ride. My child seems well secure in her seat and is very safe. None of her limbs can come of out the trailer.
General comments: It is about 30lbs and with a child or children it becomes even heavier. It is very hard to pull up on hills. Keep in mind that I am a novice biker and I bought it mainly to ride flat rail trails. In order for me to put it in my car, I have to take the wheels off, but again, this is a minor issue as they are meant to come off easily.
Summary- I would recommend this trailer if you are looking for something with quality above a $200 or so trailer/jogger/stroller combo, but can't quite fathom paying $500+ for the basic trailer and having to add all of the pricy attachments bringing the cost much higher.

I was a lot skeptical ordering this stroller online. What would happen if we had any troubles. We have not had any troubles. My husband assembled the stroller and did not complain that it was hard. I am sure that he had the whole thing assembled in less than a half hour.

I put a one year old and a three year old in when I am using the stroller and they have plenty of room. The biggest plus is the storage behind the stroller. I am amazed with everything that I can fit in there.

I am a first time mother of a beautiful 16 month old angel. I also love jogging. Being employed full time for an engineering firm and also being a part-time student at the local University does NOT leave me much time to spend with my daughter during the week. I have been searching and researching jogging strollers for about a year now, not knowing which one to buy to be able to spend that extra 45 minutes per day with my daughter while jogging. I made the mistake of buying a GIANT brand stroller off eBay, only to find out how POOR the quality of the jogger was and that it is no longer being made, so NO MORE WARRENTY PARTS! Unfortunately NONE of the bicycle stores in Michigan carried this item. So, with a few emails back and forth and with eBay's customer service support center, I received every penny back for the jogger!
That being said, I stopped by a bicycle shop to see what they had to offer, out of curiosity, and noticed a sky blue single croozer on their showroom floor. The salesman explained to me the features of the croozer model they had. It is not only a trailer for the kids to ride in behind the parents bike, but it also converts into a stroller with swivel wheel, and A JOGGER with a stationary wheel!! The salesman told me the croozer brand is by far one of the top brands in the market if I want to buy a used one, and that he could sell me that specific model for no less than $300. O.k. so I was still a little skeptical about spending that much money on a jogger. But then I thought to myself, "LOOK AT ALL YOU ARE GETTING!"
1) It is a bike trailer for kids
2) A stroller with 360 degree rotating wheel
3) A JOGGING STOLLER!
Well, even though I have only ONE daughter at the moment, my husband and I are planning on expanding our family, so I said the heck with it, I'll buy a double for two kids! Pricing out SINGLE jogging strollers that are top of the line could run up to $450 anyway. I received the stroller and fell in love with the bright lime green! Which is definitely an added bonus for the kids safety. It also took me only about 20 minutes to install the reflectors on the front bumper and the bumper onto the stroller. BONUS!! The quality of the stroller and frame shocked me, and believe me, I was SUPER SATISFIED WITH BOTH!! Replacing and installing the different wheel options was a cinch! Again, SUPER HAPPY MOM!!
So my daughter tried it out, and didn't want to get out of it! The shoulder straps have a great horseshoe shaped cushion that wraps around her back and on top of her shoulders. Comfort for baby! We took it for a test jog around the block and I had no trouble

So far very please with bike trailer. It seems well made and is very light considering the size of it. Incredibly easy to convert from bike trailer to stroller or jogger. Enough room for my 2 boys and lots of storage inside. The ride is smooth and fast. Only thing left to prove is if it can take the stand up to a full season of use. A little pricey but considering what the other trailers i've looked into were like this seems worth it so far. If you need a bike trailor for 2 kids i would recommend this one.

We did alot of research on these things and felt like this was the best one for the money. I think we are right. Very well made, easy to assemble and you hardly know it's behind you. Bought it for the grandkids but our little dogs love it also. They think they are hot stuff riding around in this thing.

This is my third jogger, and I love it. I run 6 days a week and we got this jogger/trailer because my husband won't run with me, but he'll ride bikes with me. It makes a fabulous jogger(I'm a long distance jogger) even when it gets chilly because you can close the kids up in there and they stay warm. It's heavy but it rolls really easy, so you don't really notice the weight when you pull it on the bike or run with it, even on hills. The weight just makes it roll smoother and stay straight. It has lots of storage in the back. I store all the extra components, two sweaters and more and it still looks empty back there. As far as being a trailer, it pulls easily and turning with it is a breeze. As a jogger, I love it because I can open it up for a breeze or close it up and wrap my son in a blanket and he stays warm. He's not exposed to the elements like he was in the regular jogging stroller. On the vain side, it's a real head turner. I get comments on it all the time. People are pretty impressed with the appearance. I think it was a great investment.

It is a great bike trailer/jogging stroller. It has a lot more support for the kids than the cheaper models do. I started using it when my son was just 3 months. I added one of those car seat head support cushions and it worked great. I don't really like the big jogging wheel. I'd rather use the swivel wheel which is so much easier to push. There is lots of storage space which is great too. I'd say it is definitely worth the money. It is still rather large to fit into the car without popping the wheels off but if you have a larger vehicle you can do it.