Recreational & Family - Trailabike/extracycle advice

My son is 4 now and I want to look at an trailabike before spring. Problem I'm running into is using them with the child seat on the back of the bike. If my son gets tired of riding on the trail a bike after a couple miles I'd like to be able to transfer him back to the seat so we can go further. Now we do have an extra rack the seat slides on to so I'm wondering if I could put it on the back of the trail a bike and carry the empty seat there. I could then unhitch the trail a bike and slide the seat back on my bike but then have to carry the trail a bike somehow.

I guess extracycle was the wrong brand, I know there were other names but can't remember them at the moment.

Is instep pathfinder a decent brand?

Have you asked the folks at Xtracycle (http://www.xtracycle.com/)? Perhaps they have a remedy.

I had a Trail-a-bike when my boy was that age. Had a blast!

My wife had the seat on her bike and we rode as a family at first. After a while Mom trusted us on our own and we did pretty good. The only time I approached having a problem is when he fell asleep back there. It only happened once and as I remember we were close to home. I woke him up and talked him home. Pretty amazing to me when I wondered why he'd gotten so quiet back there and turned and saw him asleep at the handlebar! Gave me a real start but he was sitting up and hanging on.

Enjoy your rides together.

I think there are attachments that turn the Trail-a-bike saddle into a highback seat with harness.

We have two kids so my daughter will be on the back of my wife's bike so I can't move him over there.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cadence120.com/images/library/large/adams_seat_07_m.jpg&imgrefurl=http://cadence120.com/product/adams-baby-seat-43496-1.htm&usg=__Y0VK0mHjCoE26cB8cN6SFB3wM58=&h=360&w=360&sz=19&hl=en&start=17&sig2=xkXwMFTJDlPnYl80F6H2Fg&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=gac_nHvO9RAx5M:&tbnh=121&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtraila%2Bbike%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=C2h8S7eYJ8Km8Abbhe3CBQ
That looks like it could be an idea, maybe I could fix up a mount for the seat we have like that.

I think there are attachments that turn the Trail-a-bike saddle into a highback seat with harness.

Yes sir:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j12/DieselDan_1973/HPIM0557.jpg
Since that pic was taken, I have bought my daughter a new, better fitting helmet. The seatback retails for around US$30 at any good bike shop.

How long can you go with that seat, i.e. if your does get tired and/or falls asleep are there shoulder straps on it? I suppose the fall asleep thing won't be an issue, he doesn't nap much anymore at home.

We have a strap-mount handlebar bag on our Adams Trail-a-Bike. Our granddaughter would hook her elbows over the handlebars, rest her head on the bag and have a (light) nap. There was never and danger that she would / could fall off.

What kind of handelbar bag do you have, I put one on ours and its too big.

I used is a Norco brand bag that attaches with Velcro straps. This bag is now called "Atlas", and is marketed under the Axiom label as http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/bags/handlebar/atlas/ . I hope this helps.

Ok, I have the androdinak which looks to be about an inch larger in all dimensions, I'll look for yours and try it.

Thanks for all the input. I bought the Giant halfwheeler from LBS and ordered the trail a bike seatback online. I'm working on putting our spare rack on the bck of the trail a bike to regain some of our carrying capacity.

+1 one the rack for the trailer bike for a the "stuff" kids need on a ride. Just some ideas on the trail bike. I found a small cheap handle bar bag they can reach to keep snacks in is good. A bar mounteed bottle cage, computer and mirror on the trail bike keeps them interested too. My daughter used to fall asleep on the trail bike. She would be singing away and all of a sudden it would be quiet. I'd look back and her head was on the bars and she'd be out. Never had a problem with her falling off.

I'm thinking maybe http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/bags/trunk/magellan/

Thats the only brand I know of, saw that brand in an LBS.

I like the cooler idea.

How do they attach to the rack?

"Usually" with 4 velcro straps in the 4 corners. Wrap the strap around the rack.

I picked up an Axiom Columbus today. A bike store here gives employees of my employer a 10% discount so the more expensive model discounted 10% compared to the cheaper model plus shipping from someplace about evened out.