animal_mother
Hi. I ,too, am shopping for a bike trailer and have been pricing and reviewing them all day on line! I'm torn between the Rocket and Trailblazer, which seem to pretty much be very similar. I've read that InStep is the better brand, maybe. What I've noticed about the Turbo is that it's recommended for kids over 18 months, rather than 1 year...not sure why though.

Dan
Schwinn trailers are actually all made by In-Step, so the quality will be identical between a given In-Step model and its "Schwinn-branded" sister. Because the "rebranding" is different, I'm not sure if the warranties are the same, so you might want to check if this makes a difference to you. In fact, all the information on Schwinn trailers is hosted on the In-Step web site. The models, even if the name stays the same, seem to change a bit from model year to year, so this info is probably only accurate if you're looking at the most current models. Take a look at: For some reason, the Turbo doesn't seem to be listed on the In-Step site. But based on the photo and info on the Target site, it's got 20" aluminum wheels and square aluminum tubing with a solid-rubber double-wheel front stroller attachment, and it looks awfully similar to the Trailblazer (which is model SC770 whereas the Turbo is SC775.) Looks like the frame is exactly the same but the fabric is different -- the side windows on the trailblazer seem smaller, but of the two photos on its entry on Amazon, one shows the smaller windows and one shows the larger. The fabric cover seems to be zippered, which is probably nicer than velcro. I'm not convinced that the 18 mos vs. 1 year age difference that the second poster read is accurate. I'm pretty sure they both use the exact same "sling" seat with gray harness straps. It might be that two different resellers are putting their own different age recommendations in their info, regardless of what it specifically says in the product manual. In any case, what I've read is that doctors say a child is fine to ride in these as long as he can support his head on his own while he's wearing a helmet. If he can't, he's too young. The Rocket also uses 20" aluminum wheels but has a totally different frame. It uses rounded aluminum tubing instead of square, and the tubing wraps around the outside of the wheels which should provide a "bumper" effect, but make the entire carriage wider than the Turbo/Trailblazer frame. 52x36x35" vs 55 x 32 x 33". I think the middle dimension is the width, so the bumper bar makes the carriage 4" wider in total. This may or may not matter to you. The Rocket's quick-release wheels use a pull-lever quick release just like on full-size bicycles, instead of the pushbutton mechanism used by the Turbo/Trailblazer. The Rocket seems to be the same model as the Schwinn Acadia Cruiser, which doesn't seem to be listed on the In-Step site, but has a good description and photos at LL Bean's web site. It has a single pneumatic air-inflated tire instead of the solid rubber double-wheel for its stroller attachment--the air-filled tire is a more expensive design and should roll better than the solid double-wheel stroller. But the Amazon site for the Rocket shows a solid double-wheel and I've read some reviews where people have said they've got double or single, so your mileage may vary. If you won't use the stroller feature, it doesn't matter. I have an earlier model of the Schwinn Acadia Cruiser, which uses steel 20" wheels with the push-button release, a pneumatic single-wheeled front stroller attachment, and a combination of round and square steel tubing, with the round tubing wrapping around the front portion of the wheels but not the back. The cover on mine attaches by velcro, not a zipper like the Turbo, and from the photos, it looks like it still uses velcro. I suspect the zipper may be nicer and last longer. All trailers made by In-Step use a very nice bike attachment that fits between your bike's quick release lever and the left axle dropout. However, this attachment may not fit well on bikes with very small clearances around the flat part of the dropout, and probably won't fit at all on bikes with rear disc brakes. The clearance around my dropout is fine, but the bracket covers the screw-hole where the rack screw should go in. In order to use my rear rack, I'm going to have to file off a very small portion of the edge of the bracket so that the screw can go through. I won't be taking off much metal at all so I'll feel secure about it. I'd say that if they're really the same price, I'd probably go with the Rocket/Acadia Cruiser since it looks like a better trailer with some more high-end features than the Trailblazer/Turbo, but it's a bit wider. Between the Rocket and Acadia, I'd choose whichever one has has the single pneumatic front stroller tire. Between the Trailblazer and Turbo, I'd choose whichever one has the zippered fabric. (Or they might both have the same stroller wheel or the same fabric -- if it matters to you, I'd check to make sure.)