Recreational & Family - Building a Trail-A-Bike?

My husband and I are looking to build a trail-a-bike for our 4-yr-old out of an old 16 inch bike of my nephew's and we're wondering if anyone else has made a TAB out of a regular bike and are looking for tips, tricks, and especially pictures! I searched the forum but just can't find this specific scenario... Has anyone tried this? If not, could someone post some close up pics of their TAB, specifically where it attaches to the adult bike? Any help would be greatly appreciated...thanks! :thumb:

Trail Gator anyone?
http://www.embrace.co.nz/catalog/images/trail%20gator%20collage%20cut.JPG

One thing to watch is that normal little kid's bikes are geared for slow speeds. If you take a kid's 16" bike, attach it to an adult bike, and ride at typical adult speeds, I'll bet the kid can't spin the pedals fast enough to add any power.

One thing to watch is that normal little kid's bikes are geared for slow speeds. If you take a kid's 16" bike, attach it to an adult bike, and ride at typical adult speeds, I'll bet the kid can't spin the pedals fast enough to add any power.

That's not the point. A trailercycle isn't geared like an adult bike at all. The point is to get out with your child to exercise, bond, and enjoy life. When the child gets big enough and stronger, you can feel his/her effort and when he/she is just along for the ride.

Yeah we thought about just making something that works like the Trail Gator but I read that they aren't all that stable so we thought having at least one end affixed permanently might help with that. Also, the 30 or so degree angle doesn't look terribly comfy for the kid for long rides. We're definitely not worried about him spinning the pedals to keep up or helping out in any way...in fact, we're probably going to take the chain off completely. He has his own bike to ride when we're in safe areas where he can pedal and he does a great job...this is really so that we can get out on longer trails or road rides with him.

What we're considering so far is taking off the handlebars and front fork and welding a tube into the socket (for lack of a better term) that comes up and curves over my husband's back tire and then attaches to his seat post. Then we're going to add a lower bar for extra stability, and cut and reattach the handlebars to the tow bar in a way that they can be adjusted as he grows (still to be determined). The most difficult part will be fabbing up the hitch...we want both vertical and horizontal pivot points, a quick disconnect, and a bolt-on style part that will stay attached to my husband's bike even when our "Frankentrailerbike" isn't hooked up. We're going to hit up the local hardware store in the next couple of days to figure out what we might need...what do you guys think??

You may just want to order an Adams Trail-A-Bike hitch kit:
http://www.hawleyusa.com/Webstore/Pics/ItemSmall/TRAL2119.jpg
and hitch:
http://www.hawleyusa.com/Webstore/Pics/ItemSmall/TRAL2110.jpg
You'll have to go through a bike shop to order, but the wholesale distributor is just over in Lexington, SC

Awesome, thanks for the info, we might just do that!!

Christy,
I'm curious why not get a used trail-a-bike instead? My 4 y.o. loves his.
The cost of the new hitch + hitch kit is frequently more than cost of a used trail-a-bike on Atlanta craigslist ( ~ $50).

Oh believe me, I've been looking! I have found two that were close enough but one was sold and the other guy would never get back to me. I can get a brand new one for $80 at Academy (the InStep one) so I'm not going to travel too far to get a used one or with the price of gas it would end up costing me more than getting the new one...but I'm about an hour and a half east of the perimeter so the stuff in midtown and on the other sides is just too far to justify to my husband. LOL If I could find one east of ATL for $50 you better believe we'd do that instead cuz this is going to be a pain.

Avoid the InStep model! That model is not very durable and isn't worth more then the scrap metal value.

Really? I've actually read a lot of good reviews about the Pathfinder...it's the WeeRide one that I've read a ton of bad reviews for. I know a bunch of Schwinns and Mongooses (Mongeese? :)) were recalled and I would have thought those brands were some of the best...it's so hard to tell. I'm sure there are some good and some bad in every bunch. So far we're still just looking for used and otherwise planning the build...bid on an Adam's on ebay but got outbid of course...ugh. Oh well.

Well now we're looking a little harder at the Trail Gator and I think we're going to try to find a used one...we need to find one for $50, and that includes shipping...wish us luck!! :)

What about this?

http://augusta.craigslist.org/bik/974854503.html

Got a Trail Gator! It's on it's way from Virginia. Thanks everyone for your feedback and help with this! :)

I just picked up a used Adams Trail-A-Bike (standard folder model) off my local Craiglist for $60... they are out there :)