Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
7/2/10 7:34 p.m.

I've been thinking about getting one of these for the kid. Anybody have any experience with them?

Grtechguy
Grtechguy SuperDork
7/2/10 8:36 p.m.

A tag-a-long? nope....but wanted one for a long time.

But my kids at 5 and 6 can almost out-pedal me, so no use.

dyintorace
dyintorace GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
7/2/10 8:42 p.m.

We have the exact thing and my 5 year old son loves it. He's getting to the point where he'll soon switch to his two wheeler, but the tag-a-long has been a lot of fun. With it, we can go on much longer rides around the neighborhood.

Before springing for one new though, check around. I called a friend to ask about their old one and he told me I could have it just for getting it out of their garage. I saw some on CL too.

Osterkraut
Osterkraut Dork
7/2/10 9:06 p.m.

Rim needs more dish, yo.

stuart in mn
stuart in mn SuperDork
7/2/10 9:29 p.m.

Seems like it wouldn't be terribly difficult to build a gooseneck attachment that you could bolt to regular child's bike - take off the fork, bolt on the gooseneck and you're ready to go. In a couple years, put the fork back on and your boy can ride on his own.

The one thing I've thought about when I see those setups is the kid must be getting a lot of grit in his face, tossed up from the parent's rear tire.

Tommy Suddard
Tommy Suddard GRM+ Memberand SonDork
7/2/10 10:14 p.m.

When the kid gets tired of you, he'll just lay into the power when you're turning and topple you over!

Opus
Opus Dork
7/3/10 12:28 a.m.

just started using one with my 5yo daughter. She likes it, but is afraid of falling over.

Had friends who were avid bikers and used one for their kid so they did not need to worry about him being hit while riding in a bike lane.

I will use it for a few years and hope to include my son in his seated trailer making a road train some day.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
7/3/10 7:27 a.m.

While I'm always up for a trip to Maine, I've found a couple closer to home that I plan to check out. Oddly, they are all described as "near perfect condition". I guess since kids never have access to them on their own, they are generally well cared for. I've even found a six speed.

The problem is that none of the sellers really seem to know what to call them, so you just need to sift through all of the bike ads if you want to find all of the ones for sale.

novaderrik
novaderrik Reader
7/3/10 12:31 p.m.

i'm having trouble seeing the point of one of those. either get a pull behind trailer or get the kid a bike..

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
7/3/10 1:04 p.m.
novaderrik wrote: i'm having trouble seeing the point of one of those. either get a pull behind trailer or get the kid a bike..

The kid's not big enough for a bike, at least not for long rides.

Pull-behind trailers are stupid.

SVreX
SVreX SuperDork
7/3/10 5:18 p.m.

6 speed??

That would imply that the kid would be pedaling!

I truly doubt a 4 or 5 year old could contribute to the energy needed sufficiently to warrant 6 gears.

donalson
donalson SuperDork
7/3/10 5:21 p.m.

got mine about a year ago and just sold it (along with all my other bike stuff :( for what I spent on it

kids enjoy it, you can ride longer then you would with them pedaling along with you and you don't have to worry about them running into traffic or something.

check CL they can be had pretty inexpensively if you keep your eyes open (frequently sub $50 around here)

donalson
donalson SuperDork
7/3/10 5:23 p.m.

oh and I recall someone selling a kit to turn a bike into a tandem

(just looked it was at nashbar http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/SubCategory_10053_10052_200395_-1_200280_200308 )

AngryCorvair
AngryCorvair GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
7/3/10 5:24 p.m.

I got one for my little girl just before she turned 4. she loves it, and it's great for actually riding instead of waiting every 20 feet for a 4-year-old to catch up on their 12" bike with training wheels. she just turned 5 and we've done 15 miles without stopping, which i think is very cool.

and yeah, they're probably available pretty cheap on the used market. search for "traila bike" and "tagalong" as those are two of the trademarked names for them.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
7/3/10 8:08 p.m.
donalson wrote: oh and I recall someone selling a kit to turn a bike into a tandem (just looked it was at nashbar http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/SubCategory_10053_10052_200395_-1_200280_200308 )

That would require me to lift my lifetime embargo on Nashbar.

Many years ago, I got a flat way, way, way, deep into the woods. I removed the rear wheel, and then the tire and tube from the rim, knowing I had a new Nashbar-purchased spare tube in my bag.

I opened the previously unopened box and found a road bike tube in a mountain bike tube package. I also discovered that the glue in my new Nashbar patch kit was rock hard.

It was hot, I was already tired and it was a long walk back to my car, carrying my bike.

Bike Nashbar?

F - Nashbar.

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
WzISYVSkmPIEAhdqYS3e1RoW61SdpvvaAsaucQB5AVqQo0W09OSgy13IXl1YXkwf