Recreational & Family - Trail-a-bike recommendations

I wanted a burley piccolo, but they went out of business, and the LBS nearby jacked the price up to $400 for the ones they have. Does anyone have any other brand ones, that they have been happy with, and would recommend?


Thanks.

Adams redesigned thier U-joint to allow you to adjust excess wobble out eaiser. I'm testing a Sun Tug-A-Bug and I'll get back to you with results.

I have the Trek trail-a-bike and it works nicely. I have no complaints and no noticeable wobble where it connects. If anything, the connection is too tight...it's been 2 years and it's still very, very tight when sliding the bike onto the bracket to connect the trail-a-bike to the seatpost.

We used the Adams single-speed trail-a-bike through most of kindergarten and now a month into first grade every school day. Main thing is that it is heavy -- probably heavier than the bike doing the towing! Also, the connector hitch has to pretty much stay on the towing bike's seat post.

Avoid anything with the name Kent on it. My 5 year old daughter twisted the frame and bent the dropouts from mashing on the pedals.

I wanted a burley piccolo, but they went out of business, and the LBS nearby jacked the price up to $400 for the ones they have. Does anyone have any other brand ones, that they have been happy with, and would recommend?


Thanks.

Burley did not go out of business. They are refocusing on trailers for the time being. The Piccolo production is being moved off-shore and the price will be somewhat more competitive since all the others are Asian as well. It will probably be a year or so before we see the Asian Piccolos. Personally, having used the Trek, Adams, and Burley pedal trailers, I can say the Burley is in another league. NO wobble, and because it attaches over the rear axle instead of the seatpost, there is minimal feedback from the not-usually-smooth pedaler behind.

With the resale so strong on these, even if you pay $400, after using it several years, you'll get more than half of that back, I would think...

There are a lot worse ways to blow $400....;)

I also have the Trek single speed model. It has worked great for us. I have used it with two different bikes pulling it.

I have the Gary Fisher Freeloader single speed 20" wheel version which I assume is just like the Trek. I had some issues with the handlebar setup but the LBS covered it under warranty and then when the second unit developed the same issue they took it upon themselves to fix it for no cost. There is a little pin that is pressed into the stem and can come loose...other than that I have had it for 2 years and done many many rides and it has been great.

Burley did not go out of business. They are refocusing on trailers for the time being. The Piccolo production is being moved off-shore and the price will be somewhat more competitive since all the others are Asian as well. It will probably be a year or so before we see the Asian Piccolos. Personally, having used the Trek, Adams, and Burley pedal trailers, I can say the Burley is in another league. NO wobble, and because it attaches over the rear axle instead of the seatpost, there is minimal feedback from the not-usually-smooth pedaler behind.

With the resale so strong on these, even if you pay $400, after using it several years, you'll get more than half of that back, I would think...

There are a lot worse ways to blow $400....;)

+1 Piccolo resale is excellent...

I really like the Adam we got. Excellent U-joint with zero wobble. It was $114 on sale at REI. My 4 year old at 34" tall was at the bare minimum of its low saddle height adjustment, so he has lots of room to grow into it.

trail-a-bikes are no good. look into a Chariot instead, it will last much longer.

We had an Adams with gears - maybe 6? My son loved it for a brief period. Then he was ready for longer rides on his own bike. He went on his first 30-mile tour with saddlebags, sleeping bag, and Thermarest when he was 8.

I'd suggest getting one used. I paid full price for a new one. 6 months later I sold it for $100. There should be lots of people out there whose kids have outgrown theirs, who would be willing to sell. Mine was like new when I sold it.

I have one with embarrassingly low miles we have outgrown. (With two racks) PM me if you're interested.

Anyone use the Mt. Train models from Trek? We have a single speed folding Adams which has been fine but I'd like a joint that was a little more solid and we may have to buy a second one. TIA

I have one and have used it a bunch. My daughter loves it. We got the single speed model.

trail-a-bikes are no good. look into a Chariot instead, it will last much longer.

I have a Piccolo, I think it is an excellent product. My daughters love it. Also, I've taken a number of the neighbor kids on it as well, and they all like it as well. If the Chariot is the one that I found, I'd have no interest in that. The child is passive, like in a trailer, which is fine up to about age three, but for ages four to eight, a trailercycle is great.

Chariot now offers a trailercycle the Cath-em (http://chariotcarriers.com/html_english/catch_em.htm), which has about the advantages Addams Trail-a-Bike and Burley Piccolo.

My daughter and I worn out a Trail-a-Bike hitch in about one year... and 1800 km, and I have a Burley Piccolo which is still in service – and stable – after 5 years and roughly 8000 km. I have not seen the Chariot Catch-em and website pictures are too tiny to tell, but I suspect their hitch will be more durable than the one from Addams, but won't be as good as the one from Burley. Still, the Addams is enough for most people and the Piccolo is dead, alas.

Other issues: from what I see, gearing and shifters are identical in all three bikes.

There is a safety notice for the Adams bikes made between 1996 and 2004:http://www.trail-a-bike.com/interface/adams.php?loc=e&sku=safety&art=safety_consumer


he articulated joint on the lead arm of the Trail-a-bike (or Slipstream) to the lead bicycle may have been assembled with hardware that is either out of specification or may have been incorrectly assembled at the factory. The bolts in this joint may not penetrate the “Nylock” nut deep enough to ensure that it cannot loosen or vibrate off. This could allow the nut to unthread and the bolt to work its way out and fall off. As a result, the unit could separate from the leading bicycle while in tow.