Re: Wanted recommendations and to buy

----- Original Message -----
From: <dpfrang@...>
To: <touring@...>
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: Wanted recommendations and to buy

> Erin wrote:
> >Hi,  I am looking for recommendations on a kids
> >trail-a-bike.  I have seen that Instep has a low end
> >trail-abike set up for around $100 and I would
> >love to have a burley piccolo but it is out of my price
> >range. those of you who have used these things do you
> >have a recommendation on which one is better than another
> >at $150 or less?  I have seen something called the
> >bicycyle buddy tow bar.  anyone used this?
>
> I'm no expert in trail-a-bikes, but in cases like this I think it's
important to remember the difference between price and cost.  You're
focusing on price, but you should think in terms of cost.  Remember that a
trail-a-bike isn't something that you buy.  It's something you basically
rent for a few years and then sell to another family.  Your cost is the
difference between what you pay for it and what you sell it for.  Your goal
is to minimize your cost.  The nice thing about Burley products is that they
tend to keep their resale value better than a Mercedes Benz.  So, if you can
buy a used piccolo at a decent price, as others have suggested, you can
probably sell it in a few years for about what you paid for it, and your
*cost* will be very small.  Ironically, the cost of the cheaper products you
are asking about will probably be more, even though the initial price is
lower, because they will likely lose more of their resale value.