# Are Tag alongs a worthwhile investment?



## Grumpyfatman (22 Aug 2015)

We're trying to get our 5yr old out of the trailer and onto her bike but she's stubbornly refusing to attempt any riding without the stabilisers. 
Her balance isn't terrible but I'd like to take her on some longer rides with the family and as much as I enjoy the trailer it's really awkward to transport and heavy going. 
I've seen some great second hand tag alongs and am wondering if these are a better option. Something that will encourage her balance and teach her more. I can also use it with the youngest once the middle child outgrows it. 
So does anyone have any experience with tag alongs, did they work for you or were they more trouble than they were worth?


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## Milkfloat (22 Aug 2015)

We have a trail gator and found it invaluable to travel any sort of meaningful distance. My daughter was riding without stabalisers aged 2.5 and took the trail gator immediately, it gave us real freedom.

My son is currently 4.5, refuses to use a balance bike and is not even very keen on his bike with stabalisers, trying without stabalisers is a huge no-no for him. However, with the trail gator he loves riding.

I would recommend a tag along or trail gator as it gives you more freedom. The trail gator can be a pain to fit properly, but it gives you the added freedom to have your daughter ride part of the way, then be hooked for the rest.


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## stoatsngroats (22 Aug 2015)

It's a few years back, but I used a tag a a long for my daughter, which allowed us to get some longer distances on the bikes, and she really enjoyed it. 
Her balance took a little while to get, once on her own un-stabilisered bike, but she took to cycling only around the park and back - she doesn't cycle now, although I'm not implying that this is because of the tag a long!

They're great fun!


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## ufkacbln (22 Aug 2015)

The question is whether you are trying to get her to ride or ride with you

Google the Ballantyne method if the former

Firstly you need a good towing bike as you will have to brake for the entire rig

secondly you will find that as the child moves in their saddle, the movement is transferred as a "flick" to the seatpost that can be a little unnerving at first - but easy once you get used to it

Also fit a mirror as this allows you to see what the child is doing

As a whole they are brilliant and a goodteaching aid

Discuss junctions, signalling and other matters and watch as they progress their skills


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## Clanghead (22 Aug 2015)

Yes.

We first hired one for a ride around a country park, and based on how successfully that went, we then invested in a tandem tag-a-long for our two boys who are close in age - it was excellent for taking them to childminders, nursery, school, and other children's birthday parties at the weekends - saved the money and hassle of needing a second car. Riding it gave them a good awareness of traffic, balance, coordination, and how to indicate, and the front seat had 6 gears so it also helped them get used to the idea of gearing. As far as I remember, it lasted them from about 4 and 3 years old until they were about 10 and 9, although by the latter time it was strictly for fun and they were much better riding their own bikes. Might or might not have been contributory, but the younger one learnt to ride his own bike without stabilisers while he was still 3. By the ages of 6 and 5 they were strong enough to do all the pedalling on level roads.We sold it to a friend with younger children. It was great fun.


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## shouldbeinbed (22 Aug 2015)

As above, worthwhile investment. 

If your bike brakes manage a trailer they'll manage a tag along.


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## Grumpyfatman (22 Aug 2015)

Thanks for the feedback everyone.
At the moment I'm not pushing her to get the stabilisers off but would like the option to put some distance in with the older daughter without the eldest being able to complain about the spare seat in the trailer too 

Sounds like a worthwhile investment, I've no worries about the brakes, it's being used with an MTB that has a good set of hydraulic disc brakes. If I can stop a trailer on an incline with the pair in it a tag along shouldn't be a problem.


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## Grumpyfatman (23 Aug 2015)

Job done, canyon trailabike found second hand. Middle child adores it and eldest is most jealous. 

Thanks for the advice everyone


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## Reddaddy67 (24 Aug 2015)

spot on, hope you all have fun using this, we as a family were able to pop around locally with the small person on a tag along, also helped getting the wife out too


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## mickle (24 Aug 2015)

The most important component of a trailer bike is the hitch. Any slack or play in the hinging part of the hitch makes for a very unpleasant experience for both captain and stoker.


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## fossyant (24 Aug 2015)

Yes. My daughter couldn't keep up and tired easily so we bought a Trek 6 speed, also meant she could get used to gears.

That said I probably need to put it up for sale. More or less mint condition. 

My daughter Is 12 and the saddle has gone up about 4 inches in the last year on her bike. She is now very confident.


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## fossyant (24 Aug 2015)

mickle said:


> The most important component of a trailer bike is the hitch. Any slack or play in the hinging part of the hitch makes for a very unpleasant experience for both captain and stoker.



This. See too many trail gators not fitted properly and the poor kid is at 45 degrees.

The Trek


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## Milkfloat (24 Aug 2015)

fossyant said:


> This. See too many trail gators not fitted properly and the poor kid is at 45 degrees.
> 
> The Trek



That was my first experience - my wife screaming at me to stop as my daughter was hanging on for dear life. After that I actually snapped a u-bolt and carved a grove in the headtube making sure that never happened again.


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## Grumpyfatman (25 Aug 2015)

Cunobelin said:


> The question is whether you are trying to get her to ride or ride with you
> 
> Google the Ballantyne method if the former



Ok I give up.. I've googled this until I'm blue in the face, but haven't found anything.  any more clues lol?


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## ufkacbln (25 Aug 2015)

Described here


Originally designed by Richard Ballantyne and published in his bicycle books, but now widely reported and used


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## Grumpyfatman (25 Aug 2015)

Thanks @Cunobelin


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## Dan B (25 Aug 2015)

Thinking about a tagalong for my son (3.5 years), but my wife has raised the concern that - judging from his behaviour in a rear seat - he is liable to get distracted and take his hands off the bars to wave at people, or just to fall asleep. Has this ever been an issue for anyone else? He's not riding independently without stabilisers yet

(I think it's unlikely but I have no direct experience to argue this from)


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## jefmcg (25 Aug 2015)

Grumpyfatman said:


> Job done, canyon trailabike found second hand. Middle child adores it and eldest is most jealous.
> 
> Thanks for the advice everyone


What a win. She looks so happy. Hope she's still smiling


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## Milkfloat (25 Aug 2015)

Dan B said:


> Thinking about a tagalong for my son (3.5 years), but my wife has raised the concern that - judging from his behaviour in a rear seat - he is liable to get distracted and take his hands off the bars to wave at people, or just to fall asleep. Has this ever been an issue for anyone else? He's not riding independently without stabilisers yet
> 
> (I think it's unlikely but I have no direct experience to argue this from)



My son (4.5) decided to do a 'look Dad, no hands' moment just when we were going off a curb. Mrs Milkfloat had a heart attack - Junior just giggled. He quite frequently starts pointing and waving at things, so the wife tells me, anyway TBH I have no idea what he gets up to, he is behind me. As regards falling asleep, he used to do it all the time in his rear seat, but even when he has been really tired he has not done it on the trailgator. It maybe because he always thinks it is a race whenever he goes out.


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## Yazzoo (25 Aug 2015)

I had a trailgator for my son, think it started when he was 4 he's a tall boy and didn't fit in the trailer very well, not to mention the weight on hills! I liked it because I could unclip him and he could ride independently on the safest, flattest, easiest parts then I could clip him on again when the going got tough. He could choose whether to pedal or not (although we did have to have a chat about not pulling the rear brake on!). We used to have great fun charging up hills together, full steam ahead! Great for kids confidence and getting out on longer rides knowing they haven't got to do all the work themselves.

As has been said though it is quite unnerving if the kids not balancing their own bike and it's leaning to one side (although mine was never 45 degrees!) and then they suddenly hump it over to the other side - but you get used to it! 

My son used to sleep in the trailer but was much more awake on the trail gator. Learnt about road positioning, junctions, hand signals and on very rare occasions some choice words for other road users!


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## ufkacbln (25 Aug 2015)

This is why I mentioned a mirror


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## ufkacbln (25 Aug 2015)

We had a U+2
Basically a tandem tag along in tricycle format

Superb bit of kit but as rare as hens teeth

Kids loved the fact that between them they could power the rig at some speed whilst you didn't pedal and (whilst still in control) begged them to slow down


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## Grumpyfatman (25 Aug 2015)

So far since purchase we've ridden a minimum of 5 miles a day, though yesterday we did around 10 miles (two outings). All logged on my strava for posterity 

Had a slight incident today where I misjudged a pelican crossing island and clattered the handlebars on the trailabike against a post, causing much upset and pain to my co-riders little finger. Am waiting for the judgement but I think a pair of cycling gloves for her will secure forgiveness fairly quickly.

its probably unlikely that a child would fall asleep on the trailer it seems to be a pretty exhilarating experience for my little one, she's constantly shouting to go faster. But it's hard to see what she's doing (@Cunobelin referred to this previously) so she may well be letting go without me noticing but she's been pretty much melded to the seat and handlebars as far as I can tell and my wife certainly hasn't shouted up when she's been out with us so I'm not aware of any scary moments (ignoring my own mistake earlier today).

I was surprised by how much influence she has by pedalling at the back, it makes a noticeable difference when she puts some welly in, which has helped me up some inclines without gearing down as much as I normally would! Lol


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## Grumpyfatman (25 Aug 2015)

jefmcg said:


> What a win. She looks so happy. Hope she's still smiling



Still smiling at the moment! We're so pleased!


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## Puddles (30 Aug 2015)

Dan B said:


> Thinking about a tagalong for my son (3.5 years), but my wife has raised the concern that - judging from his behaviour in a rear seat - he is liable to get distracted and take his hands off the bars to wave at people, or just to fall asleep. Has this ever been an issue for anyone else? He's not riding independently without stabilisers yet
> 
> (I think it's unlikely but I have no direct experience to argue this from)




That is why I went the Weehoo way, she can fall asleep and be totally safe. A child at pre-school fell asleep and off a tag along and had awful scrapes up her face and luckily fell off on to the pavement not into the road, scared the crap out of me that incident so I was only happy with the Wee Hoo.

User76 has not fallen asleep in the weehoo in the last few months but would regularly sleep on the playschool to school run.


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## Grumpyfatman (31 Aug 2015)

Those wee hoo's seem to get a lot of positive feedback but the cost seems quite prohibitive. My solid bottomed dual
Trailer was a mere 1/3rd of the price. I think I'd be inclined to use the child seat and the trailer until falling asleep was no longer an issue but they do look like a great idea. Any help with the peddaling is always welcome in my book


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## User10119 (31 Aug 2015)

I didn't bother with my eldest - because when he was an only I could spend all the time it needed to get him riding and help him develop the persistence and the skills and the enthusiasm needed for a Proper Bike Ride. With his younger brother I didn't have that luxury! I found a second hand tagalong made it possible for us to all ride together but got tricky over longer distances - a combination of a not-really-the-right-size tow bike and me having a shonky elbow meant that the handling was a bit like hard work and we never got to serious distances. So a couple of years back I was incredibly indulgent and bought a tandem!

It was a massive decision for us - it took a lot of saving and a big chunk of borrowing - but it was a very good choice. The Helios handles fine stokerless too, so is my day-to-day commuting bike (after doing school bus duty) for much of the time. And now, because of timing chains, when my stoker is there he can't slack off at the back any more 

I'd heartily recommend a tagalong/tandem as a method of getting littlies used to riding on the road and enabling them to ride distances that are big enough to go to interesting places. They are, in particular, incredibly useful for a younger sibling. My littly did his first audax a couple of months back, stoking round a 50, and still had the energy for a stick battle with his big brother at the end.


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## Arjimlad (31 Aug 2015)

My daughter age almost five loves her Trek tagalong. But yesterday, on the Forest of Dean family trail we discovered that my rear mudguard is too short, and that the tagalong itself needs a mudguard too. She's still smiling!


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## Puddles (31 Aug 2015)

Grumpyfatman said:


> Those wee hoo's seem to get a lot of positive feedback but the cost seems quite prohibitive. My solid bottomed dual
> Trailer was a mere 1/3rd of the price. I think I'd be inclined to use the child seat and the trailer until falling asleep was no longer an issue but they do look like a great idea. Any help with the peddaling is always welcome in my book


They are not cheap but they do hold their price when sold on and they adjust right up until they are 9 years old, so a good investment.


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## ufkacbln (31 Aug 2015)

Of course there is an answer to keeping the child's hands on the handle bars...


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## Grumpyfatman (31 Aug 2015)

Drastic yet effective


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