Our Weehoo Turbo Review will tell you why the Weehoo Turbo is our top pick in trailer cycles for kids 3 and up. Its single-wheel allows for easy use on singletrack or within city limits, while its 80 lb. weight capacity is double the capacity for a standard single bike trailer! Read the review below for all the details on why the Turbo is such a versatile solution for biking families.
Weehoo Trailer Overview
RATING: Highly Recommended
MSRP: $499 (Turbo), $299 (Blast)
BEST FOR: Amazing for any family on the go, but particularly suited for families riding single-track trails or other rides with narrow paths.
SUGGESTED AGE RANGE: 2 to 9
WEIGHT: 27 lb.
PROS:
- Recumbent seat provides kids with a safe, carefree, relaxed ride
- Mounts to the bike’s seat post, a quick and easy process
- Height-adjustable harness with adjustable chest strap and a tensioning buckle for additional height adjustments make for a great fit
- Compared to a bike trailer, the narrow footprint of the Weehoo prevents it from becoming stuck on low branches or rocks
- With one wheel, the Weehoo remains upright on uneven surfaces, vs. a trailer that bounces back and forth on two tires, creating a bumpy and uncomfortable ride
CONS:
- You must keep the bike upright when loading your child into the trailer
Weehoo Video Review
Check out our video review of the Weehoo to see this amazing bike trailer in action. Learn why we love it as well as the seven things you need to know about the Weehoo before you click that buy button!
Weehoo Bike Trailer Review: Results of Our Tests
How do you bring your littlest ones along for the ride? Child bike seat? Bike trailer? MTB seat? Weehoo???? While there are several different ways to tow or carry your kids by bike, the Weehoo is a uniquely fun, safe, and easy alternative to more traditional child bike seats and trailers.
Around the age of four, kids are generally too big (and heavy!) to ride comfortably in a traditional bike trailer or child bike seat, but are too slow to keep up with their parents on their own bikes.
Tag along bikes can be a good solution for older riders, but their high center of gravity can cause them to sway from side to side, they aren’t very adjustable, and they don’t have a harness to keep kids safe in the event of a fall.
Unique in design and function, the Weehoo Turbo not only solves these issues, but it’s much more fun to use for kids and adults alike! And while younger toddlers (2 and 3 years old) can still fit comfortably in a standard bike trailer or child bike seat, we’ve found they love being out in the open air and helping mom or dad to pedal on the Weehoo!
As a disclaimer, don’t expect a ton of actual “help”. 🙂 In our experience, our kids have never really pedaled enough to make much of a difference while riding, but it does keep them engaged and makes them feel much more like an active participant! By the time they’re old enough to really help, they’ll most likely be riding their own bike.
With a single wheel in back, vs. two on a traditional bike trailer, the Weehoo is also much more versatile as it also opens up a ton more possibilities for narrow trails and single track that would be inaccessible with a wider trailer on two wheels.
Overall Performance
Half traditional bike trailer, half tag along bike, the Weehoo Turbo really is the best of both worlds. While fun and enjoyable on paved paths, when used on fire roads and single-track trails, the Weehoo really shines.
Compared to a bike trailer, the narrow footprint of the Weehoo is much easier to navigate around (or over!) low branches or rocks along narrow trails. With one wheel, the Weehoo is also able to remain upright and balanced on uneven surfaces, while a bike trailer bounces back and forth on two tires, creating a bumpy and uncomfortable ride.
While single trailers do a decent job on narrow trails with younger toddlers who are too small to fit in Weehoo’s harness (typically ~2 and under), the two wheels and “bulkiness” of a standard trailer doesn’t compete with the simplicity of the Weehoo. A game-changer for trail riding families, the Weehoo is hands-down our favorite solution for single-track and even wider double-track with a lot of uneven areas.
With pedals that allow your little passenger to help you pedal (if they feel like it!), the Weehoo Turbo is also quite a bit like a tag along bike. However, with a recumbent seat with harness, you can safely tow kids much younger.
Not having to worry about balancing their bodies with their hands, kids experience a more carefree, relaxed ride in the Weehoo compared to regular tag along bikes. They can even fall asleep and stay securely in place with the harness!
Age and Size of Child
We’ve seen kids as young as 18 months riding in a Weehoo Turbo! Personally, the youngest child we’ve put in the Turbo is our 2.5 year old. As a very tall 2.5 year old, the harness can be pulled tightly enough to secure her safely.
The chest strap is looser than we would prefer on our toddler because she loves to worm her way out of the top of her harness in every contraption we put her in – child bike seat, bike trailer, and the Weehoo!
If the chest strap could tighten just a bit more, it would prevent her from doing so. That said, no bike trailer or child bike seat even has a chest strap, so we love that it’s even offered on the Weehoo Turbo! Despite all her wiggling, the buckle and harness keep her safely confined. And once she grows a bit more, it will be perfectly snug.
With a weight capacity of 80 lbs., our 69 lb. 9-year-old was still a fine fit and riding in the Weehoo was quite the special treat. While I wouldn’t have him ride with me on a normal basis, this does show what a great solution the Weehoo can be for older special needs kids who need extra help but are too big for a standard bike trailer.
At 69 lbs., he was a bit tight and his legs were definitely up in his chest a bit, so 80 lbs. is probably pushing it from a comfort factor.
In order to comfortably accommodate our kids from 2 to 9, the Weehoo Turbo’s seat can be loosened to slide along a seat track and tightened at the appropriate distance from the pedals. This can be done on the fly without the need for tools by twisting a knob underneath the seat.
As you can see in the top image below, the seat isn’t set at its closest position to the pedals for our 2.5 year old. When set as close as possible, her legs and heels came too close to the metal frame of the seat if she tried to pedal, and could even hit the frame.
The image on the bottom is with the seat pushed farthest back, which is where we had it set for our 9 year old.
Harness and Loading
Speaking of that harness… It functions much like any 3 point harness in a child bike seat. The harness is easy enough for a three or four-year-old to buckle, but as a parent you should obviously always check the buckle, as well as tighten the shoulder straps.
The chest strap can be raised or lowered according to height, and also tightened for a best fit.
With only one wheel in back, all of this loading and unloading can be quite a balance act as keeping the adult bike upright is required when loading your child into the trailer. It really must be done with the adult bike leaned against a wall, or your bike rack.
While traditional bike trailers remain upright when the adult bike is laying on the ground, this is not the case with the Weehoo Turbo. Bike falls over = Weehoo Turbo falls over. (You can also see in the image below that we strapped a balance bike to the back. A perfect solution for kids who don’t want to be towed the entire time, but can’t manage long distances on a balance bike!)
What do they do with their hands and feet?
Child-sized arm rests and handles give kids a place to steady themselves if they feel they need to hold on, but often they just love to have their hands free to grab snacks, drink their water bottle, or wave them in the air like they just don’t care.
One of the best features of the Weehoo Turbo is the pedals that allow kids to help mom or dad to propel themselves forward, and also lets them feel more involved in the ride.
The freewheel drivetrain is designed so that kids can pedal at their own rate, pedal backwards, or not pedal at all. When kids do pedal, it’s can be a nice little boost for the adult rider, but not a truly significant difference unless your child is much older, stronger, and can pedal with sufficient force.
A child’s feet are secured to the pedals with velcro straps, although really young riders may just end up pulling their feet out and resting their feet on the pedals instead. Our 2.5 year old often prefers to prop her feet up on the tow arm and chillax in style.
Mounting is fast and simple
Mounting the Weehoo Turbo to a bike is so quick and easy, and just requires a seat post! Initially mounting the hitch to the seat post is as easy as sliding the hitch and one of the six various-sized shims (all six are included with purchase) onto the seat post. Since the hitch and shim take up 2″ of space on the seat post, you can’t ride with the saddle at its lowest position.
Once the hitch is mounted, the trailer arm simply drops on top of the hitch and it is secured using a quick-release pin. The bike needs to remain upright to mount the trailer, so propping the bike up against a wall or car is necessary.
For storage or transportation, we always take the tow arm off the Weehoo. As a result, before we can mount the arm to the hitch on the bike, we need to reattach the tow arm to the Weehoo first.
This is also very easy and just requires you to slip the end of the arm over the receiving end on the Weehoo, line up the holes, and insert and lock another quick-release pin.
Storage for snacks and extras
While offering less storage than a traditional bike trailer, the Wehoo Turbo has enough pockets and storage spaces to bring along most things you need.
On one side of the seat is a water bottle holder. On the other, a pocket for snacks. We actually used this larger pocket for a water bottle with our toddler. She doesn’t have the coordination yet to put a water bottle in the smaller cylindrical pocket.
For slightly larger items like a lunch or a jacket, there is a zippered saddle bag on either side of the rear wheel, or a mesh pocket on the rear of the seat.
Safety Features
To keep little legs and feet safe during the ride, the front chainring and the ENTIRE chain are completely covered. As a result, there is no need to worry about your littles one’s pants or shoelaces getting caught in the chain while they ride!
The bottom rail of the trailer is also square to prevent the seat from tilting to one side or the other. You little one will always be securely upright and ready for action (well… as long as the parent stays upright!).
Storing and Transporting
Although seemingly large, we found the Weehoo Turbo easier to transport than a standard bike trailer. By removing the tow arm, we could stick the entire Turbo in the back of our Honda Pilot without folding any seats down!
When we arrived at the trails, we simply pulled the Turbo out of the cargo area, and re-attached the tow arm. Crazy easy.
If you don’t have room in the trunk, the Weehoo Turbo can also be transported on a car roof rack like we did as seen here.
Other Weehoo Trailer Models
There are several other models of recumbent trailer cycles offered by Weehoo. They vary in size and child capacity.
Weehoo Two: A double capacity version of the Turbo. **CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE
Weehoo Blast: A smaller version of the Turbo without pedals. Our 2.5 year old doesn’t use the pedals on the Turbo and her little legs dangle. She’s happy and it also allows us the flexibility to begin using the pedals when she’s ready. For most families, it probably makes more sense to get the Turbo.
Weehoo Thrill: A slightly more “posh” version of the Turbo. Comes with extra padding on the seat, a 5-point harness, and a canopy sunshade. The biggest reason to upgrade to the Thrill is that it’s the only one that’s compatible with dropper seat posts (for mountain biking). **CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE
Weehoo Bike Trailer Bottom Line
While standard trailers and child bike seats certainly serve an important purpose, and are necessary when hauling very young toddlers, the Weehoo Turbo is by far our favorite way to bring the kids 2.5+ along for the ride. It’s really the most fun for everyone!
So whether you have a toddler than can’t ride yet, a pre-schooler that can’t ride that far, or an older child who needs extra help, the Weehoo Turbo is a seriously entertaining solution for a very wide age range. And especially for mountain biking families, the single wheel in back is a gamechanger for mild single track rides.
FTC Disclosure: Affiliate links are included in this review. No monetary compensation was provided for this review, and we purchased this product. All opinions and images are that of Two Wheeling Tots LLC. All content and images are copyrighted and should not be used or replicated in any way. View our Terms of Use.
