Customer Reviews

InStep Rocket Bicycle Trailer (Yellow/Gray)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Price: for what you get Great

Size: Best there is including expensive competitors but still cramped for two. Wheel guards make this thing pretty wide.

Quality: It seems in accordance with price.

Assembly: Easy

Ease of use: uses snaps and velcro. Opening and closing the passenger and luggage compartments is could be improved by using buckles instead of snaps. the older models clips were easier to use than the snap.

Comfort: My kids say they like it but still would like more room. Seat is hardly a seat. It is a sling. Has cup holders they like.

Attach to bike: Easy note: - DOES NOT fit all bikes (needs half inch radius clearance around the nut on the rear wheel opposite the chain to attach the coulper)

Ease to walk with: Very good

Jogging: Passable with or without the 3rd wheel. I do not often use it to run b/c I have a koolstop double jogger.



This is my 3rd bike trailer. It is my second from in step.

Durability: My last instep was used when I got it. I loaded 2 kids, library books and groceries in it 10+ miles per week for 2 years. When its frame broke I searched through hundreds of reviews from $70-$300 trailers. This one has now been in service for over a year. I have beat the daylights out of it and it keeps going.

I got this (NEW) because it claimed to be larger and lighter than in-step's entry level and other brand's trailers. I also liked the ability to unhook it and walk/run with it.

Size: Compared to the Quick and EZ:

It is larger in the luggage area, shoulder area (25 inches vs. 20 inches.) and foot well width is 22" vs. 20" (foot reach is the same 12" from front of seat to cross bar at toes). height is equal.

The BIG problem is that my skinny 4.5 year old and 2.5 year old girls wanted more room at the hips. The Q&EZ and Rocket are the same at 20". The sling seat in the new one actually causes the kids to slide to the center. This seat provides less support than our old trailer. The new EZ's prob have the new poorly designed seats too.

I checked widths of pretty much everything out there ON LINE but was not able to physically check them out for widths and fit for my kids. This appeared to be the widest (along with the schwinn Mark II).

weightwise - I haven't put the old one a a scale but they feel about the same. The new one is larger but made of Aluminum rather than steel. Al+ also won't rust.

The difference between this and the step down is front wheel and push bar addition.
The difference between this and the next step up is the type of front wheel. I already have a quality jogger from Koolstop so I opted for the flip down small swivel front wheel. I did try running with it. It works fine as a jogger. Basically the front wheel doesn't interfere because it can easily be floated over the ground with light pressure on the handle bar. If you are a serious runner, even the Schwinn mark III is going to leave you wanting something better. Save the money on the not so useful harder to store and use large front wheel.

Be sure to check schwinn trailers as well - they are both made by pacific cycles - schwinn has a better warrantee and I think they look nicer and would rather sport the schwinn name. If you see one on sale for the same price get it - if price is more go with the instep.

Burley's, BOB, Chariots and everything else is WAYYYY overpriced. Even if you use you trailer a WHOLE lot (unless money is not an issue for you) there is no reason to pay the kind of money they want.

Difficult to pull? I have read many other reviews stating this are hard to pull up hill. That is true but it is true of EVERY trailer. Blame Newton and Einstein or God himself. If you attach a 29 pound trailer, throw in 60 pounds of kids, a 5 pound bag and several books Gravity will work against you. Others say on a flat surface you can't feel it. Again - an object in motion tends to remain in motion. This stroller's axles seem well constructed and roll freely. Tire tread typ and width are pretty standard on trailers. So how easy it is depends on your fitness level, the weight your are pulling, laws of motion and gravity.
On even ground I ride between 12-15 mph and typically take 2 to 5 mile rides with it. I am a competitive triathlete.

This trailer does not attach to all bikes. Upon receipt of the product, I assembled the trailer and attempted to take it for a spin. I was extremely frustrated when I found that the trailer would not attach to my GT Avalanche 3.0. I contacted the manufacturer and they told me to return the product as there is no attachment that would fix the problem. My bike does not have an abnormal frame and I was shocked to learn that the trailer would not work. Unless you have a bike frame with a very WIDE and FLAT area where the quick release mechanism attaches to the bike, I would suggest staying away from this product. I am now looking for a trailer that will attach to the actual frame and NOT to the quick release mechanism.

I have 2 children, ages 2 and 4 and they fit well inside this trailer. They have space for their shoulders, heads and legs as well as a space for waterbottles, etc. We especially like the hitch. It actually hooks around the bike instead of just needing to be tightened around a bar, so there is no chance of it coming loose and falling off. We had a lots of problems with this in our previous bike trailer. It doesn't have lots of frills, but we use it at least a few times a week and have loved it. We also have 2 jogging strollers from Instep and they are great. I trained for a whole year for a marathon while pushing 2 kids in it and it's still going strong! Instep is a good quality brand with great prices.

I ordered this last month, got it and put it together pretty easily. Did not get a chance to use it though until this past weekend (a month later).

There was plenty of room to stow a small cooler and a few necessities behind the seat, plus lots of room for my daughter (22 mos).

She is getting used to riding in it, but I am sure she will love it in the long run.

It's light as a feather, easy to put togther and very well made.

One note: I need to buy a mirror, so I can see what's going on behind me now.

We just bought brand new Giant hybrid bikes (FCR3). I was REALLLLLY excited about getting this trailer, after reading all the fantastic reviews. Unfortunately, when we bought it, it was missing the very important little piece that helps it connect with the bicycle. So, I called the company and requested that they send the missing part. No problems there. They were nice, and sent the part right away. HOWEVER, I just received the part in the mail and went out to the garage to install the connector. No such luck. Although all the parts are there, the fork around my wheel will simply not allow that part to be screwed in. I'm probably not explaining this well, but if you look at where the screw goes into the fork/wheel, that's where the connector has to go. Part of the fork on mine sticks out, making it impossible for the connector to work.

I give it 2 stars for 2 reasons: It was missing a piece to begin with, and it doesn't work with all bikes. Other than that, the trailer is fine. It folds up pretty easily and is lightweight. Just be sure to save the box and packing materials, so you can figure out if it will work with your bicycle first. Let's hope I'll be able to return this without the box..YIKES!!!!

I considered returning this product for the same reason that other reviewers have mentioned, the seat. It is pretty bad but I think it bothers my husband and me more than it bothers my son. Actually, my son does not seem to mind it at all. So I will start with the negatives: 1-The seat is good for one child but will likely not be for two as it does slope towards the center. 2-The straps are hard to clip and unclip and the strap in the crotch area is thin so it can potentially ride up and cause some discomfort down there 3-The cuppling mechanism is difficult to separate so moving it from one bike to another is not a snap unless you have STRONG hands and I don't like having to ride my husband's bike as a result. 4-My son has to sit up to keep the bike helmet on as there is no recess for the helmet to rest in. The positives: 1-It is inexpensive yet it serves it's purpose which is to provide my child with a safe ride. 2-It rides very smoothly. 3- There is a lot of storage space, a cup holder and a little pocket were I put my keys and cell phone. 4- The bug screen is so nice since it still allows the wonderful breeze in. They also have the rain protector which we are yet to use but glad to have.
Conclusion: The reason I decided to keep this product is that I saw a Burley at the park the other day that was way more expensive than mine and it had the same type of seats! The only thing better was the straps but I am going to fix that myself for MUCH less money. They sell cushions for car seat straps so you can buy those for this purpose. The strap that holds up the crotch area is scary so I am going to put my middle school sewing class skills to the test and widen it so that it won't dig in. My son is 10 months old and is in diapers so I have time to fix that. I read that some babies had a hard time sitting up in it. I can see that being the case if your baby cannot sit up or is just starting to sit up. This is NOT the product for you yet. It's like the people that push their newborns around in umbrella strollers, there is time for everything and a seat without propper support is not for a baby that can't sit up.

I've had this trailer for about a year now. I may not use it the way that everyone will - I live in a city, have no car, and so this is the primary way I get my daughter around (to daycare, the store, etc.). For someone who uses it casually, it may be perfect - but mine has not stood up to the wear-and-tear of everyday use.

The good: the frame is sturdy and the wheels seem to have good bearings and are large enough to make pulling it as easy as pulling a kid+trailer is going to be. For the first few months, everything held up fine, and I was pretty happy with it.

The bad: As I said, it hasn't stood up to wear and tear of normal use (probably about 10 miles/week, around the city). The frame is still fine and seems to be well-made, but the cover and other fabric parts are wearing out. One internal pocket ripped in the first week when I was putting a milk cup in it. Then, the flag punched through the bottom of its pocket (I didn't force it through - I started hearing scraping as it fell through while I was biking). Now, about half the snaps have ripped through, the fabric over the side "ribs" of the frame has worn through and is patched with duct tape, and the fabric of the front screen is so stretched that it keeps pulling inward and drooping over frame (causing gaps at the sides, which are not fun in the increasingly cold weather).

I researched and compared various bike trailers before deciding to buy this trailer. I bought this as a Christmas present to my husband who is a big time mountain biker. He is VERY picky about his bike so I was worried that he might not like the trailer I picked out b/c it wasn't the most expensive (compared to Burley, etc.) He now says he would have picked out the same trailer. It is perfect for our needs. In stroller mode, it almost drives itself - so SMOOTH. My 1 year old and 3 year old fit comfortably in the trailer and both have pockets for drinks/snacks. Plus, the trailer has a roomy back pocket for other things you might want to bring along. My 3 year old doesn't like to sit in "strollers" anymore but he loves riding in this "trailer." All in all this trailer ROCKS!

PRO:
Lite weight.
Well constructed.
Cheap Price. (comparatively)
Easy Assembly
Quick release spoke larger wheels.

CON:
No brake to lock the trailer wheels.
Attatchment to bike requires installation of a receiver under the bikes rear wheel quick release. This can be left on the bike.


SUMMARY:
I would buy it again. Cant come close to the quality for the price anywhere else I looked.

I can assemble it, and disassemble and fold it for storage in about 15 minutes. My 2 year old loves it. A couple of things which may or may not develop into a problem:

1. The wheels seem to have little more than normal friction; they do not free spin for long. But still easy to pull or push.

2. The fabric seems to have some tiny holes at the wrinkles straight out of the box. I haven't noticed any new tears develop, but we have only had it for about a month and have taken it out several times on short rides locally already and one out of town camping trip.

Overall it has been a lot of fun, I attach it to my 6 year old's trailer bicycle which attaches to my mountain bike "bicycle". For additional safety I attach the stroller handle bar to it and to which I attach a flashing red light, as well as using the orange flag. And of course we all wear helmets.