You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Are these worthwhile? Little guy who is now 4 can ride his bike but range is very limited and hills are still a struggle until he develops stronger legs. If we want to do anything a little longer this seems like a good idea and from my understanding can be removed on downhill sections so that he can still enjoy these bits.
These can be picked up cheap on Gumtree so any reasons not to?
I don't want him to get lazy and therefore not want to ride his bike himself or lose the skills he has already developed which is prob my main concern.
Ours was brilliant.
just put it on dead straight so they aren’t perma-leaning
We used ours for both kids and it allowed us to go on longer rides as when the little one got tired you could quickly hitch up and carry on.
My experience is they can be worthwhile for younger kids but can be a bit fiddly to set up so they don’t lean - in particular on ours the stabilising bar has a habit of popping off its ball joint which leads to an unenjoyable lean, but this can be sorted with a cable tie for security.
Said item is currently languishing in garage but could be yours for postage costs if you message me.
My kids are big uns now but trail gators work well but don't expect a 5minute set up before heading out and unless design has changed can do cosmetic damage to the small persons bike ....had a mate who just used to use an old inner tube to haul his prodigy up hills ...worked for them
We had a trail-a-bike, which was fine for the school run, and didn't cost us anything, but I thought for leisure use, the trail-gator (that is the one that attaches a kid's bike to an adult's isn't it?) would have been better, giving independence, but with the back up of a tow if things get too much.
I got a towwhee from the States which am really impressed with. Can now drag my daughter up pretty steep inclines, and she is much happier that she is still able to steer her bike when attached. Also, as i have a dropper seat they sell an extra attachment where i can loop it around my waist. Doesn't live on the bike and can take it on holidays if i ever hire something when away. Seconds to clip and unclip as well.
Only negative was the import tax i had to pay when it arrived from the US.
We loved our trail-gator. Once you get it set up right it works a treat but you do have to spend sometime getting it set up. I used an inner tube rapped around the head tube on my kids bikes to prevent the bracket rubbing too much.
That towwhee looks quite good but perhaps a bit over the top. I've been towing the kids with a simple piece of thin rope for about 7 years on and off. It works fine as long as they are alert.
I've posted on it on other threads.
Trailgator seems very unnecessary to me
Different point of view:
I had one when my kids were very small and I still rank it as the worst piece of children's cycling kit I bought. We used it once, and it went on eBay faster than you can say "pile of shit". The reasons are multiple:
1. It's a pretty nastily made thing, made of pig iron and really poorly welded. It feels like the sort accessory that Sports Direct would sell.
2. It trashes the paintwork on the headtube of the child's bike. No layers of innertube or tape will help - for the thing to work properly, it needs to be properly tight and that means trashed paint. We were lucky that we only used it on a cheap bike, but people that have used them on more expensive ones (i.e. Islabikes) discover that trashing the headtube will do equal damage to the resale price
3. Whatever we tried, the child always leaned over and there was so much play in the thing (see item 1) that when you tilt them back upright again, they just end up leaning the same amount in the other direction
4. When not being used, it's a big horrible thing to have to carry around. It should fasten to the non-drive chainstay, but we found that it was a faff to do and quickly got annoying
In the end, I discovered that it was better (and much, much easier) to just let the children ride themselves and adjust the rides accordingly. Ours preferred to ride by themselves most of the time anyway. And, if we did find ourselves far from home with tired kids, just ride next to them with a hand on their back pushing them along. Honestly, it works just as well and is a shed-load less faff.
Others may have had more luck, but I think they suck!
1. It’s a pretty nastily made thing, made of pig iron and really poorly welded. It feels like the sort accessory that Sports Direct would sell.
Nice n strong. Not that it needs to be that strong.
2. It trashes the paintwork on the headtube of the child’s bike. No layers of innertube or tape will help – for the thing to work properly, it needs to be properly tight and that means trashed paint. We were lucky that we only used it on a cheap bike, but people that have used them on more expensive ones (i.e. Islabikes) discover that trashing the headtube will do equal damage to the resale price
Designed for kids 3-5 years old iirc - why would they have anything but a cheap bike. We used it on a Raleigh we got free from a friend. Didn't care that a bit of paint got scratched, but did use bit of an inner tube under it to prevent twisting.
3. Whatever we tried, the child always leaned over and there was so much play in the thing (see item 1) that when you tilt them back upright again, they just end up leaning the same amount in the other direction
Poorly installed?. We had one slight lean over moment, Tightened it up, fine.
4. When not being used, it’s a big horrible thing to have to carry around. It should fasten to the non-drive chainstay, but we found that it was a faff to do and quickly got annoying
For a big long pole, found it clipped away pretty discretely on my Cove, clever bit of kit.
I used it on a long ride where there were fairly risky narrow roads and offroad sections, was ideal to attach him to my bike for safety, then let him loose to explore on his own on the fun bits (don't think there is any other item in existence that enables that sort of thing). He still remembers that trip (15 now) and mentioned it just the other day.
Well I have found one for £20 on Gumtree 5 minutes from home and can pick it up tonight. It will be going on his £6.56 ebay bargain Ridgeback MX16 and should allow us to do a lot more exploring together so fingers crossed it will be ideal! If not it hasn't cost me much for the whole set up and I can prob pass it along on Gumtree for the same price!
I had some enjoyable rides with mine, but you do have to manage your expectations - it's quite a rudimentary object, so the criticisms above are not far off the mark. It does lean, it does need to be clamped extremely tight, it's cumbersome etc [kid can also fall asleep on it!]. But it filled a good niche for us when my daughter was getting stronger on her first bike, and didn't find the lean to be that bad.
Definitely do it up tight - I managed to pitch my daughter off her bike onto the tarmac on a trial run when it rotated a bit on her headtube, which was awful. That aside, set up properly they're fine and they're cheap to try out.
Just make sure all the parts for mounting to the little bike are there, otherwise it's useless! 🙂
Bit of inner tube on the kids bike headtube recommended and do it up bleeding tight. Test ride in a safe area til you know it's straight and is not gonna tip him off.
Fun times ahead. 🙂
Yes, and when they say tight, they mean tighter than you're thinking now!!
They work great if you set them up correctly.
why would they have anything but a cheap bike.
Alternatively get the kid a decent bike that they enjoy riding and you won't need to trailgate them as much...
Huh? So the more you spend on a bike, the more enjoyable it is? No-one will ever fall for that!
If you can get your hands on a torque wrench, use one to make sure you have tightened up the bolts to the correct torque, otherwise you may have the dreaded lean. We got on very well with ours..............
If you can get your hands on a torque wrench, use one to make sure you have tightened up the bolts to the correct torque, otherwise you may have the dreaded lean. We got on very well with ours…………..
Mine were tightened to that and beyond, but still couldn't get the bloody thing to work well and it had play in it front to back. Perhaps mine was just a bad one, but I'm not so sure...
Huh? So the more you spend on a bike, the more enjoyable it is? No-one will ever fall for that!
Not entirely sure if your comment is serious or sarcastic, but for kids bikes (at least to some extent) it's worth spending more than bargain-basement money on them if you actually want them to enjoy riding. How much or how little is up to the conscience of the individual churchgoer, but don't expect a £50 second-hand BSO to bring them a whole bunch of joy when you ask them to ride the same trails as you do on your £1000 hardtail!
Just got my boy a bargain 2nd hand Dawes Blowfish (he's just turned 3) and although he's a good little pedallist for his age I don't want him let loose on country roads or towed behind on a piece of rope. The trailgator will be on it for our next ride out. I've never had a big problem with it (2 older sisters both used it) and would not hesitate to recommend it. The freedom it gives on route choice and distance is fantastic. You can't put a price on it, or value it against depreciation in a lump of metal that is made for riding, crashing, riding, crashing... you get the picture. I'd rather my kids rode their bikes into the ground and left them a worthless, unsaleable lump than kept them pristine so I could flog them and recover as much of the purchase price as possible.
The trouble will be convincing his 5-year old sister that she's outgrown it and needs to pedal on her own...
The eldest fell asleep on it when she was 3 or 4, she didn't even stop pedalling!
Don't listen to the negative types, they must have forgotten the unparalleled joy of a good ride in the hills with your children.
p.s. no, I don't work for Trailgator.
I've been looking at these myself so good to hear some feedback, looking to replace the trailer with one.
it’s worth spending more than bargain-basement money on them if you actually want them to enjoy riding
Only if they’re spoilt little Isalbrats. My boy started on an Action Man bike from Halfords, then the free Raleigh, aboslutely loved riding them both. Now goes riding with me on my old Yeti, which is a nice quality bike for the lad.
So, I call crap on that little theory.
I think they are ace, used two once the kids had moved on from the trailer.
It massively expands the range you can go with kids. We cycled to the local beaches/woods spent the day messing and then the wife and I would tow them home. 25km on holiday without a bother as we knew we were getting home.
Both have grown out of them now, the headtubes on the bike are scuffed but perfectly functional.
Don’t listen to the negative types, they must have forgotten the unparalleled joy of a good ride in the hills with your children.
What a load of absolute garbage. So just because someone disagrees with your view, you brand them as wrong and negative.
I'd be willing to bet a significant sum of money that Daern has done more fabulous and genuinely unparalleled rides in the hills with his kid within the last month than most posters on here do in a year.
I'd be tempted to give him a bit more credit.
They're great, yes they lean a bit, but my kids love it. They do tricks like standing on the saddle and sitting backwards.
Garden hose over the headtube U clamps works a treat - no scratches.
The generalist - sorry, perhaps I should clarify that I mean negative relating to trail-gators. Not that they are some way negative in any other way. Trail-gators are cheap, work pretty well and are a nice red colour with green stickers. I think they are a great idea, very practical, perhaps some room for improvement on weight and clunkiness on rougher trails.
Ok. Sorry too.☺
The point I was trying to make earlier, in amongst my ranting was that there is a simple excellent alternative that is worth considering: a simple piece of rope.
Ok so it doesn't allow the kid to completely switch off, and is no use for road riding but:
It's cheaper
Much easier to carry
You always have it with you
Gives the kid a much more engaging experience.
My boy started on an Action Man bike from Halfords, then the free Raleigh, aboslutely loved riding them both. Now goes riding with me on my old Yeti, which is a nice quality bike for the lad.
Yeti? Damn, your child is really slumming it! 🙂
The point I was making was that putting kids on crap supermarket bikes and asking them to ride the red at Gisburn is unlikely to foster any sort of long term love of the sport. They'll spend the whole ride struggling with the excessive weight and trying to stop the gears from going "click, click, click" and there won't be a whole lot of room for any fun.
Did I say that everyone should go and spend £500 on the first bike for their 4yo? No. Did I suggest that, if you want to foster a long term love of the sport, perhaps some thought should be given to the quality of the bikes that they ride? Yes, I did. And I stand by it.
FWIW, both of my children started out on cheap, second-hand eBay bikes and only moved onto lighter bikes when they were capable of operating gears (4yo for my son, bit older for my daughter) and covering sensible distances which justified them.
Only if they’re spoilt little Isalbrats.
Classy sort of comment there. Bit unworthy of you, I would say 🙁
I’d be willing to bet a significant sum of money that Daern has done more fabulous and genuinely unparalleled rides in the hills with his kid within the last month than most posters on here do in a year.
Thx for the support. The last month has been almost 100% road and gravel riding, so lots (and lots!) of miles, lots of hills but not so much epic MTB action. This weekend will correct this, I hope! 🙂
BTW, I'm delighted if others are having a better experience with their trailgators than we did. Obviously, I can only state here what my own experience was, but if others have hints and tips that might improve how others get on with them, then so much the better! It's entirely possible that my lack of tolerance for the thing was coloured by my initial perception of the poor build quality and, especially, the damage to the child's bike - the engineer in me was truly offended by this!
Happy riding to everyone!
Well used it for the week last week and it went really well. No issues with it moving during use and the little guy loved it (never heard him giggle so much). We were in the New Forest so not hilly at all but still made it hard work on the deeper gravel surfaces so would guess it is best to stick to fairly low level stuff with it but was ideal.
The seat post fixing was very tight so has scratched the seat post a bit so would agree about comments regarding damage to bikes but it was only a cheap seatpost in any case!
i recall the seat post thingy is a mud trap - ended up leaving the trailgator attached to the seatpost/saddle and just pulled out the seatpost and put in a spare seatpost/saddle - depends if you have spares and a qr seatpost clamp
Yeh I have a spare saddle so will buy a new seatpost and just swap the seatpost and seat out when I am not towing him. A lot quicker than undoing the bolts in any case!