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Anyone got experience of a trail gator child bike tow thing?
What are they like?
How easy are they to fit/remove?
Are there any alternatives?
if you're going to use it to move the kids bike for a few miles and then they'll pootle along under their own steam they're fine but as a substitute for a trailabike type thing they're not as good for long distance.
fittign is realtively easy to both bikes but you end up with a chunky brakcet on your seat post and the kid can end up at a fairly odd angle of you don't adjust the trailgator so that their front wheel is only an inch or two off the ground - which is a bugger off road.
so a qualified 'they're ok' from me.
apart from trailer bikes are there any alternative?
We used x2 trailgators when our two were young.
They worked well, but some tips:
Tighten them up a tightly as you possibly can, otherwise you'll find your kids overtaking you at very odd angles.
Don't forget that they're behind you - got carried away once & flew down a lovely piece of singletrack. I did hear a scream from way back up the track - a bit odd as there hadn't been anyone there - anyway, got to the bottom & turned around to see if child had enjoyed &, you guessed it, no child. Woops!!
When turning, remember that you're 'a long vehicle'. Mrs rig did a sharp right over a plank & deposited child in the burn. Woops again!
On reflection, it's surprising that our two still cycle 😯
Agree - tighten the bolts tight, and make sure the brackets are straight, otherwise they can be riding along at odd angles.
Otherwise, I think they're ace, and even the pump track has been negotiated (slowly).
My 2 both use(d) them.
Thumbs up from me here, agree that they're not really for rough terrain so usually canals/roads and cyclepaths here, which is enough TBH, great resistance training BTW.
As above comments, make sure they are tight, used to stop after a couple of miles to re-tighten. I used an old seatpost on my bike as I didn't want the decent one marked/chewed up. Took a bit to get used too, agree about the length of both bikes, also helps if you have a child that has some sense of balance, my daughter listed by about 20degrees for a few trips which made things challenging!