Tagalong Bike - Any Users?

[NotQuiteCockney]

These are those half-bikes that attach to your bike, so your kid can pedal and ride with you. We got one today.

I like it in theory, but find it quite unsettling in practice. My bike is so much longer! And I'm really worried DS1 will fall off. Any tips?

There is a previous thread, sorry I can't think how to find it. Is it a trailer bike, NQC, one wheel behind your 2 wheeled bike? Trailer bikes are ok. Go for short rides at first so you feel confident that child won't fall off; they are most likely to do that if they are actually falling asleep!

DD is just 4yo & is just riding on the back of our tandem bike for short spells (up to 45 mins). I have met people with tall 3yo children on their trailer bikes.

i see a man and daughter cycling to school each day on one of these. they dont half move fast. think the daughter is about 7.

We've got one and dd2 loves it. Can't remeber exactly how old she was when got it, when she was to big for the seat on th back (4ish - she's quite small)

Anyhow it is long - difficult to manouver(sp?) around those barriers on paths to stop cars and motor bikes.

Only accidents were to her poor little hands- as her handlebars are quite wide and her hands got knocked going through narrow gaps. I then use to warn her about gaps and she'd move her hands in first.

I prefer to use it away from the roads - tow paths etc. I definitely don't do busy raods as I don't feel safe, keep looking over my shoulder to check she's OK, wobble and make the situation more dangerous! We do use quiet roads sometimes.

Going down hill she peddles furiously shouting 'faster Mum' while her cowardly Mum has the brakes on!

Enjoy it, its great fun - one of the best things we boought.

This was the previous thread on tag-alongs/trailgators....

Previous Thread

Ah, I hadn't really seen those tail-gators around, and DS1 doesn't own a proper bike - I'm hoping riding on the tagalong will get him used to pedalling. (His balance is good from his Likeabike. Are we suckers for every sort of child-cycling kit there is? We have a Centric Safe-Haven, and a Rhode Gear Limo, too.)

I'll watch out for his hands, Cybermum, good point.

I'm normally a very confident cyclist, going on busy roads, even with a kid on the bike. But I've not got the knack of cycling with two kids on my bike (I do have the kit, but it seems a bit much. Also, getting on and off the bike without kicking someone in the head is nearly impossible.), so a tagalong is my best option at this point. I just have to grow my confidence, slowly, I guess.

I do worry about the falling asleep thing, but DS1 doesn't generally fall asleep in public, it takes a very very long car journey or plane flight to make him sleep.

I used it again today, on big roads, and it was fine. I felt a bit ... observed? As DS2 was on a seat on the front of the bike, and DS1 was on the tagalong on the back. I thought we just needed some funny organ music and some dancing bears and we were all set.

Seriously, it was fine. A bit nervous-making, a bit scary, but ok. Locking up, and getting on and off takes forever, but as DS2 hates spending much time in the pram at the moment, I think we'll keep doing this, instead.

NQC- which seat do you have for your dd??

I have a trailer that ds sits in...but ds 2 won't be big enough for that for ages! And I want to get back on my bike!! Being a SAHM limits me unless I find a way to get ds 2 on there with me!! He's too little now (10 weeks!!) but hopefully by the time he is 6 months!

From six months, or a bit before, you can use the Rhode Gear Limo or similar. It goes on the back, provides full support, etc. You need a special rack for it, but it pops on and off the rack, which is nice. (One problem with biking with babies this way - you have no way of carrying them when you get where you're going! So it's fine for the supermarket or whatever, but no good for going into town and going from shop to shop.)

Actually, I thought the trailers were ok from a pretty early age, if you lie them down in it?

I have the Centric Safe Haven on the front, but that's only good from 1 year. I might do it at 11 months, but when I tried it with DS2 younger than that (9 or 10 months?) it clearly wasn't comfortable.

It does have straps and a place to put their head if they're sleepy. DS2 does keep trying to chew on the handlebars, but he only does it when I'm walking the bike.

maybe I will get a centric or a bobike mini for ds 1 (20 months) and pop the baby in the trailer! I could lie him down in it...but I think ds1 would kick him!! I think I would be able to strap his car seat in it actually!! AND if I got a quinny zapp that would fit in the shopping pocket of the trailer! Will only work is ds 1 is walking though...he doesn't yet!

The centric is lovely. It's really nice to bike along with your kid between your arms. I recommend it really strongly.

You could certainly put your DS1 on the centric and have DS2 in the trailer. (There are trailers that convert into jogging strollers, too, which always seemed like an excellent plan to me.)

Trailers are no good to me, as I ride in London, on roads.

we already have the trailer...and doesn't convert . I mainly cycle to the park and back and to meet my dh for lunch etc....I also sling either of them on my back...so the zapp will fullfill the job fine.....will look for a centric on ebay...just need to check it will fit our bikes first.

thanks NQC

The centric is a bit of a pig to fit - it goes on a bar over your crossbar. You need to have a bit of room on the seat post, and the handlebar post.

Then the seat screws into the bar.