GMA

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!!

va_cyclist

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.

gcl8a

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.

garysol1 

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.

deanp

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.

GamecockTaco

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.

DieselDan

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.

hopperja

+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!

gcl8a

Sweet. That's awesome.

ang1sgt

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

Fibber

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.

Only2whls

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.

DieselDan

Sadly, a discontinued product.

Catherine+2

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.

https://homepage.mac.com/ladelfe/Twin...CycleTrain.jpg

Catherine

andrelam

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

PaulH

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

HardyWeinberg

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.

Fibber

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!

masiman

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.

HardyWeinberg

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.

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.

cristy

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.

Fibber

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!

lesterdog

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

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!

piper_chuck

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...