Recreational & Family - Any trail-a-bike users? Need your opinion...

Looking for a trail-a-bike for my 6 yo. The Adams version seems to be a very popular choice, but I am a little concerned about the high stand over height of the "top bar," which my son won't clear with both feet on the ground. Should this be a major concern? Others (Giant, Trek, Schwinn) are built more like conventional bike frames with lower stand over heights, but cost a bit more and I'd rather not buy a used one. Which brand are you using and what do you like or not like about it? Was the stand over height an issue?

Sorry if this has been posted elswhere. I searched the forums, but couldn't find the opinions I was looking for.

Thanks in advance!!

Whichever one you choose, be sure to test-ride it fully loaded (with a passenger) before you buy. I found out after buying an Adams how crappy and wobbly the seatpost hitch mechanism is. If I had it to do over, I'd look for a system that attaches lower on the frame, like to a chainstay.

Whichever one you choose, be sure to test-ride it fully loaded (with a passenger) before you buy. I found out after buying an Adams how crappy and wobbly the seatpost hitch mechanism is. If I had it to do over, I'd look for a system that attaches lower on the frame, like to a chainstay.

As far as I know, the only one that doesn't attach to the seat post is the Burley, which is much more expensive than the others. It uses a special rack, and I think it has a bearing mechanism at the attachment for a very 'positive' connection.

All the others that I have seen either spin on the seat post (eg, Trek), or have a special bracket that attaches to the seat post. I don't like the Trek, because the pivot is in the wrong plane (if you turn at slow speeds, the trail-a-bike leans _outward_).

The one I have (Taarnby -- not available in the US) has a very 'loose' connection, which I had to shim up (with Guiness cans) to make it more stable. That is important to check, as you don't want the child rocking back and forth.

I also used a Giant in the US a few days. I liked it.

We have used our Trail -A-Bike for years behind my mountain bike and behind our tandem. Our daughter started on it when she was about 3 years old and on occasion at 6YO she still uses it for long rides. I have had no issues with stability. As far as the top tube issue it is a non issue. He will only be standing to mount or dismount so he can just stand on a peddle to clear the tube.

I have the Trek Mt. Train, which my daughter is on the cusp of outgrowing, and we have enjoyed it very much. The stand over height never seemed to be an issue. Generally I get on the bike first with both feet on the ground and then my daughter mounts her bike. She gets on the pedals and as I push off with my feet she starts pedaling while I get clipped in. At stop signs and such she keeps her feet on the pedals. She only touches the ground when we get off and back on again.

we've only had our Adams a few months, but gotta agree with gary and dean - only time kid's feet are on the ground is during mount/dismount. Other than that, she stays on.

Adams (Norco) designs the Trail-A-Bike where the child CANNOT put his/her feet on the ground to prevent the yougins from toe dragging at speed and worse.

+1 Gary

I have a 5 year old son. We have an Adams 7 speed, bought in January 2007. We have also used an older Instep Hitchhiker from the time he as 3 (our first ride was an 11 mile singletrack ride in Capitol Forest 1 week after he turned 3), until we got the Adams.

We have used the Adams for long (for him) road rides behind my Cross Check of 18 miles. He has also done 13 miles on tight singletrack behind my Caldera. Standover height is not an issue. The biggest factors in my decision to get this one were (assuming they all have a solid hitch design):
1- clearance height between the attachment bar and rear wheel (this is very important for mountain biking); the Adams has more than any other
2- ability to pedal and shift

Having used the Adams for 6 months now, I would definietely buy it again. Good luck!

He has also done 13 miles on tight singletrack behind my Caldera.

Sweet. That's awesome.

Good input folks. I've been thinking about this for my grand son and I'll have to look at a few more before I make that decision.

Good Question!

Chris

My daughter is tiny, but wanted out of her Burley trailer in the worst way. I looked at both the Adams and the Trek (only choice in this area). Later I found an In-Step at Dick's, but only boxed. While the Adams is in some ways maybe a slicker design, the Trek could accommodate a smaller child. I got a great deal on the discontinued Gary Fischer version of the Trek MountainTrain 206 (6 speed) when it went on clearance.

Compared to the Adams Original, the pedal cranks were about an inch shorter, and the seat to full leg extension was about 2 inches shorter in stock form. I made it even smaller yet by substituting a short seat post that I had from another kids bike and relocating the reflector (same could have been achieved by simply hacksaw surgery). The supplied 25.4mm diameter silver post is about 12" long, and cannot go all the way down into the seat tube as is runs into the bottom bracket. Lastly, I flipped over the clamp under the seat to gain a final 3/4". Net was something like 17" crotch to pedal. Her feet are off the ground when she is in the saddle or straddling the top tube. Handlebars have three adjustment points, so again I could make it fit her small frame, yet it will grow with her if she ever decides to eat a decent sized meal!

With a little experimentation I think I got the attachment to my seat tube right. Remember to use some grease! You want it tight and wobble-free, yet capable of moving freely in the intended axis of motion.

We have an adams trail-a-bike tandem. (As in two kids can sit on it.) We have only had it for a month but have put 60 plus miles on it. It is working really well so far. Did have to shim it at the seatpost to make it stay put and haven't had any problems since. My just turned 7 year old is huge and will be moving to his own bike or something. (Really want to find an extra seat tandem but not ready to fork out 8,000 for one for all of us yet.) Over all I am really impressed with the adams and it is working really well even with 100 pounds of kids on it.

We have an adams trail-a-bike tandem. (As in two kids can sit on it.) We have only had it for a month but have put 60 plus miles on it. It is working really well so far. Did have to shim it at the seatpost to make it stay put and haven't had any problems since. My just turned 7 year old is huge and will be moving to his own bike or something. (Really want to find an extra seat tandem but not ready to fork out 8,000 for one for all of us yet.) Over all I am really impressed with the adams and it is working really well even with 100 pounds of kids on it.

Sadly, a discontinued product.

I have the Trek Mt. Train now to pull behind my T900 tandem, and an Instep Hitchhiker that I used to pull behind my cruiser. The Trek has a lower stand-over but a higher weight limit. It's hitch is a simple seat post pivot, but I prefer it to the Instep hitch, which could twist around the seat post and end up canting the trailer bike to the side. That being said, if the Instep had fit behind the tandem with the stoker seat all the way down to fit DS, I wouldn't have bought the Mt Train and found out how much better we like it.

My kids are tall for their age (5, almost 6), but they started on the Instep at age 3.5, and DS has been tall enough to ride the T900 since last summer. DD is a bit shorter, but can reach the peddles now, too (with crank shorteners for both of them.

http://homepage.mac.com/ladelfe/Twins/Photos/CycleTrain.jpg

Catherine

I have the Wee-ride Co-Pilot (made by Kent). I bought it this Spring for $69 with free shipping included. I checked out the Trek and it didn't look that much better and I figured for light use this would work fine. I had a problem with a bad sprocket after the 1st 15 miles of use and was shipped an entirely new bike instead of just a new rear wheel. I ended up putting a new higher quality rear sprocket on the bad wheel for $20 at the LBS and gave the replacement unit to my sister. We are both happy with the results. On my Garry Fisher Nirvana I would not attach the mount to the seat post as it interfered with the seat suspension. I was able to use the frame tube that ran down from the seat post to the rear wheel. That put the mounting point a little lower and pointed up slightly. This worked out perfectly as I now clear my rear rack without any problems. My daughter loves the bike. We regularly go for some nice rides. My nefew also loves the bike. For the money it is great value. I figure that I'll get about 2 to 3 summers use out of it till my daugher (currently 6) will be strong enough to ride a larger bike on her own for 15 miles or longer. Till then she rides 24" tire bike for short rides to the pool (still with some help from me), but by the end of the summer I hope to have her riding on her own 100% On the longer rides however the trailer bike is wonderful. If I was going some serious touring, then I'd want to get a trailer bike with gears that can shift, but those units cost about $200. For the light use we put it through this is over-kill.

Happy riding,
André

We have the Adams Trail-A-Bike. It's been my daughter's regular transportation to day camp as well as for family outings for about 3 years. I would describe it as heavy commuter use. The standover height is not an issue - I keep the bike upright when we are stopped. I have the hitch mounted extra high on the seatpost to leave my rack free to carry stuff. This does make it tritch a bit when she pedals, but it is easy to correct.

Things I don't like -knobby tires, no fenders. I added fenders and a blinkie.

It is probably coming to the end of its service life, not because it is wearing out, but because my daughter has low learned to ride her own bike. In thousands of all-weather miles, the only work it has required has been pumping up the tire.

Paul

We borrowed a trail-a-bike this weekend (Adams). Our 6 yr old went from abject terror Thursday to loving the 12 mile ride Sunday, wanting to do another 20, and of course wanting his own t-a-b. We can get a Trek model locally this weekend on sale, an Adams online for ~$30 or so more than the Trek, a Craigslist adams for ~$20 less than the on-sale Trek (plus several hours of driving, and some amount of recall uncertainty), or a costco schwinn online for ~$30 less than the on-sale Trek.

Is there any real reason to be skeptical of the Costco Schwinn? I do see us putting it to heavy use, and I would like to justify the Adams, but I have to bypass both the cheapest option (Costco) and the local one (Trek) to do it.

One of the big questions is whether gears on a T-A-B are an asset, liability or just plain silly. I opted for the G.F. (Trek) with 6 speed because the price was right. If it leads to problems, I can always deactivate it.

We live in a hilly area. When I pull her in a trailer, the uphill climbs become a noticeable burden. Last week on the TAB I asked her to pedal on flat ground after setting it in 3rd gear, and was quite surprised by how much input even an under 5 yr old can contribute. IF I can teach her to shift on my command to match spin to conditions, I might be able to really harness that little engine behind me as she grows stronger.

I also added a handlebar mounted bottle cage this weekend, per my daughter's request!

We borrowed a trail-a-bike this weekend (Adams). Our 6 yr old went from abject terror Thursday to loving the 12 mile ride Sunday, wanting to do another 20, and of course wanting his own t-a-b. We can get a Trek model locally this weekend on sale, an Adams online for ~$30 or so more than the Trek, a Craigslist adams for ~$20 less than the on-sale Trek (plus several hours of driving, and some amount of recall uncertainty), or a costco schwinn online for ~$30 less than the on-sale Trek.

Is there any real reason to be skeptical of the Costco Schwinn? I do see us putting it to heavy use, and I would like to justify the Adams, but I have to bypass both the cheapest option (Costco) and the local one (Trek) to do it.

A couple hours drive to save $50 is not worth it. My first inkling is to stay away from the Schwinn, but that is due to the overall Schwinn quality decline not any direct observation.

I think the Trek's were recalled recently. I assume you are talking about a previous Adams recall?

Given that your son is 6 and really enjoyed the TAB, I'd go with the new Trek or Adams. 1) a better known quantity. 2) Better resale in a year or two when he will be on his own bike more.

Whatever you do, get it now because you only have ~2 months of good weather. You just can't replace the childhood riding memories too.

On the ride yesterday 6 yr old on 1-spd t-a-b definitely helped me on 2 hills, at least relative to the weight burden he represented (w/ him pedalling, I climbed 2 hills faster than I would have pulling his sister in a trailer, even though he weighs more than her, and the t-a-b outweighs the trailer). It was cool.


Given that your son is 6 and really enjoyed the TAB, I'd go with the new Trek or Adams. 1) a better known quantity. 2) Better resale in a year or two when he will be on his own bike more.

Oh the younger sister will saddle up the t-a-b (or equiv) by then.

I agree that striking now while the weather is good is the way to go. He was still talking about yesterday's ride this morning, even through his early morning haze of crankiness.

I have the Wee-ride Co-Pilot (made by Kent). I bought it this Spring for $69 with free shipping included.



I just bought this same model--but it's older--off of Craig's list for $40.00. So far...couldn't be happier w/ it but then I don't do 20 and 30 mile rides. :)

Cristy, I was going to suggest a T-A-B for your older child from our discussion on trailers, but I see you already got there!

Let me put in a good word for the lowest-rent trail-a-bike of all, the instep pathfinder, $80 shipped from Amazon.

It shimmies and shakes and wobbles and creaks...and my four- now five year old daughter has put in HUNDREDS OF HAPPY MILES on it.

Cristy, I was going to suggest a T-A-B for your older child from our discussion on trailers, but I see you already got there!


yep...I was so excited to find the trail-a-bike!!! It's ugly and needs a paint job but it's serving it's purpose and my dd4 thinks it's the coolest thing ever!

Let me put in a good word for the lowest-rent trail-a-bike of all, the instep pathfinder, $80 shipped from Amazon.

It shimmies and shakes and wobbles and creaks...and my four- now five year old daughter has put in HUNDREDS OF HAPPY MILES on it.
That's good to hear, I ordered one of these a couple days ago. Just got the shipment notification this morning. My daughter keeps asking when we can ride on the "family bike". My wife said she's willing to pull the Pathfinder, but I'm skeptical... We've got a Chariot trailer that we used to pull my daughter in when she was younger. Our 5 month old will get to ride in that soon...

I got an Adams this summer. Daughter just turned 4 and loves it. I love the clearance it has (pedals/BB) because we ride some pretty aggressive the single track on it.

Remember that these units are intended for paved paths, not off-road use. Trek has specific warnings about this, and I assume Adams would as well. Seat posts are not intended to bear this much twisting stress.

trivia... I noticed our new Adams t-a-b had a 'made in China' sticker, and I wondered if they'd recently offshored, 'cause I was sure our loaner that got us hooked was fait au Canada, but I looked back at it more closely and the sticker said 'designed in Canada' with a big maple leaf. Thought that was cute. Didn't look harder for additional stickers that might have said where it was built.

Our Instep Pathfinder arrived on Monday. I assembled it and hooked it up to my wife's mountain bike tonight. I was the first to try it out. Seemed to work well. My daughter needs to learn to sit a bit stiller, but that's to be expected. When my wife tried it she panicked after about 2 feet. The shifting weight is freaking her out. Before she tried it with our daughter, I had her try riding it without any extra weight. She did fine with this. After her panic attack I took our daughter for a few more laps around the culdesac and then had my wife try again. She made it further, but then had another panic attack.

I think the problem is my bike skills, and comfort, are way better than hers. I need to get her on the bike more to improve her comfort and handling before she's going to be able to cope with this. Meanwhile, I'll probably move the Pathfinder to my mountain bike and install the bike trailer bracket (for the Chariot) on her bike. This was my original suggestion, but my wife had to discover it on her own. :)

Edit: Forgot to mention the most important part. Our daughter loved having daddy tow her around!

I keep directing my little one to stare at my butt! She laughs, but it really helps to keep her from leaning at random and throwing off our total balance.

I have not even tried it on my wifes bike yet. She is on a new bike, and her skills are only fair. I want her to gain confidence before letting her pull the little one.

Tell her to look to the right or to the left. Not to try to look "through you". In our case, that was what worked.

I don't have enough seatpost exposed to attach the Adams hitch. i'd love to get a Piccolo but haven't been able to find one within my budget. has anybody attached a TAB by means other than the seatpost or a Moose Rack?

We started two years ago with a $69.00 Instep Pathfinder. My then 5 year old loved it. With a month, my then 4 year old was fighting him for time on it. Then we bought a Trek Mt. Train 6 speed so we could take both (and sometime pull the baby in a buggy hitched to the Trek). Then we found that the Pathfinder couldn't fit my 5'0" wife's 700c bike because the neck had not enough bend to clear the rear tire, so we sold the Pathfinder and bought a second Trek. After about 1000 miles, here are my thoughts:

-- The Treks cost a lot compared to the Pathfinder, but based on ebay prices, I expect to get about half of it back when I start to liquidate the fleet. Not true of my experience selling the Pathfinder.
-- The gears on the Treks are truly useful.

We only take "bike vacations." We pick places, like the Chicago lakefront with paths connecting major attractions like the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Adler Planetarium, the Navy Pier, etc., and go everywhere on bikes. You can't put a value on something that lets the family exercise and have fun together. My wife and I are runners by nature and preference, but our combination of bikes, buggies and pedal-trailers has let our growing family hit the outdoors together and make it part of our everyday lifestyle. $169 may seem like a lot for a pedal trailer. From the joy we've had from our Pathfinder and two Treks, I'd gladly pay triple.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l100/graystrickland/Trek620/PICT0197.jpg

We are on our second Kent co-pilot. The first was bought used, but with LOW miles. It did not include hitch, I called Kent and they sent me a brand new one, it arrived beat to hel*, and scratched up but working fine. Then they sent me annother hitch. The company is great to deal with. After 2 years of use I noticed it flexing, swaying & leaning to the left badly. Bought a new one, so far no problems. But the Kent's are cheaply made, I saw one that the handlebar bracket had just broken off, mid-ride. Family had 20 mile to return to car. If you can afford it avoid the kent.

Remember that these units are intended for paved paths, not off-road use. Trek has specific warnings about this, and I assume Adams would as well. Seat posts are not intended to bear this much twisting stress.

That said, they hold up to trail riding just fine. I've singletracked and gravel pathed many many miles with our TAB and my 55# son, using two of our bikes (a late 90's Fisher, and an early 90's Trek). The stresses placed on a seatpost (and seat tube, clamp) are far greater from my (then) fat butt than the loads put on it by my son and the bike. And the laughter heard from him while trail riding could fuel me to the moon!

Not sure that I agree with you. You as a rider exert mostly vertical force. The TAB provides lateral and torsional force. But if your rig can take it, great. My bike is aluminum, as is my light alloy suspension seat post. I did try it on a short offroad run, but did not like how the assembly seemed to flex, and did not want to crack a frame weld. If your bike is steel, I would not worry as much either.

We have the Instep Pathfinder, and it's a tough fit for our bikes. I'm 5'2", and I had to pull my seat up higher than I normally would like to have it in order to make the trailer arm fit over my 700c tires. My husband is 6'2" and can't even fit it on his bike. We'd probably be better served by selling it and buying a more expensive one with greater clearance...

We have the Instep Pathfinder, and it's a tough fit for our bikes. I'm 5'2", and I had to pull my seat up higher than I normally would like to have it in order to make the trailer arm fit over my 700c tires. My husband is 6'2" and can't even fit it on his bike. We'd probably be better served by selling it and buying a more expensive one with greater clearance...

Not surprised. I'm 6'3" and the Pathfinder fit over my 26" mtn bike tire, but not over the 700c tire of my 5'0" wife's road bike, much less my 700c road bike. Go with the Trek Mt. Train 206. You won't regret it.

Remember that these units are intended for paved paths, not off-road use. Trek has specific warnings about this, and I assume Adams would as well. Seat posts are not intended to bear this much twisting stress.

A little late but LOL i have never followed those instructions i used to ride my street bicycle in the dirt when we moved to the country till i totaled it on a jump and the bike keep goin and flew into the river:D

We started two years ago with a $69.00 Instep Pathfinder. My then 5 year old loved it. With a month, my then 4 year old was fighting him for time on it. Then we bought a Trek Mt. Train 6 speed so we could take both (and sometime pull the baby in a buggy hitched to the Trek). Then we found that the Pathfinder couldn't fit my 5'0" wife's 700c bike because the neck had not enough bend to clear the rear tire, so we sold the Pathfinder and bought a second Trek. After about 1000 miles, here are my thoughts:

-- The Treks cost a lot compared to the Pathfinder, but based on ebay prices, I expect to get about half of it back when I start to liquidate the fleet. Not true of my experience selling the Pathfinder.
-- The gears on the Treks are truly useful.

We only take "bike vacations." We pick places, like the Chicago lakefront with paths connecting major attractions like the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Adler Planetarium, the Navy Pier, etc., and go everywhere on bikes. You can't put a value on something that lets the family exercise and have fun together. My wife and I are runners by nature and preference, but our combination of bikes, buggies and pedal-trailers has let our growing family hit the outdoors together and make it part of our everyday lifestyle. $169 may seem like a lot for a pedal trailer. From the joy we've had from our Pathfinder and two Treks, I'd gladly pay triple.
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l100/graystrickland/Trek620/PICT0197.jpg

Holy cr** what is THAT???????

I'm still coming to grips w/ the t-a-b making my bike feel pretty top-heavy, not ready yet to compound that by tacking the trailer onto the t-a-b. But I love the idea.

I'm still coming to grips w/ the t-a-b making my bike feel pretty top-heavy, not ready yet to compound that by tacking the trailer onto the t-a-b. But I love the idea.

Think of the trailer as drag anchor. It does not give that dynamic steering input that young riders sometimes do on tab's.

I had our train (tandem, tab, trailer) out today for about 10 miles in short spurts. Various riders in various positions. The worst was the short steep hill up from the lake loop with me, 6 year old stoker (no kidback, just hanging on), 8 year old on tab, 3 and 10mo. in the trailer. The 8 year old tried but there really was not alot of extra help in that 1/4 mile climb. Going down was a circus of laughter and screams. Going in the grass doing light cross country was fun for all too.

Lake loop... are you talking about Capitol Lake? Regardless, pulling the trailer one ride and the t-a-b another gives me an appreciation for how little the trailer affects handling.

Lake loop... are you talking about Capitol Lake?

No, this is a small no-name lake in Virginia. Capitol Lake looks about like Green Lake but larger? Lake Washington is always nice.

Capitol Lake is I think a 6 mile loop. Took 6 yr old on borrowed t-a-b around it a couple times and that sealed the decision to buy one. He loves both the t-a-b and riding his own now (under different conditions), he is psyched. 2.8 yr old wants both but is not big enough yet. She'll be there quicker than he was though.

Hey SoonerLater, I just hooked up the same basic set up this weekend. I did the inagural ride of me on my bike, my 6 yo daughter on the TAB and my 1.5 yo son in the trailer on Sunday. A blast was had by all and I got a good workout.

I found that adding the trailer did not really affect handling. That is assuming that you are use to the handling of adding a TAB. I was just carefull not to take a turn too tight.

Capitol Lake is I think a 6 mile loop. Took 6 yr old on borrowed t-a-b around it a couple times and that sealed the decision to buy one. He loves both the t-a-b and riding his own now (under different conditions), he is psyched. 2.8 yr old wants both but is not big enough yet. She'll be there quicker than he was though.

Our 3.5 year old started on the tab about 3 months ago. I was worried but it worked out okay. Can't pedal and really just hangs on. If we go over some rougher trail I have to stop and give the little hands a brake to prevent falling off.

I always dreaded the end of summer in the PNW :).