# Recommendations for family cycling equipment



## jamin100 (7 Aug 2013)

Hey all, 

Right, there are 5 of us, boy (8) who can ride and has a bike. Girl (4) learning slowly, Girl (2) who toddles around on her toddle bike. 

We've been to a local Forrest today and hired some bikes and a trailer for the girls and to my surprise the whole family really enjoyed it. 

So wifey needs a bike and we need some kind o transportation for the girls. 

We would only be looking at roads, towpath and light family orientated trails at Cannock chase and such.

I have a boardman CX that I use for commuting so would have to make use of that. 

So my 5'2 wife needs a cheap Ish bike 
My daughters need some kind of transport. We were thinking of a tag along or for the 4 year old and then a rear bike seat for the 2 year old.

Does anyone have any recommendations for the above?

Money is tight so I'd probably be looking 2nd hand for them maybe new for the bike of its cheap enough


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## TonyEnjoyD (7 Aug 2013)

I use a trail-a-bike fir my youngest -6- and it works a treat.
Got it on gumtree for £25.
I also have a 2-seater trailer which I used for my youngest til he was about 4 and an still for my oldest -10- as he's quite small and cannot walk or sit up sufficiently stable on a normal bike.
I bought that new but these always cheapies going on gumtree.


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## jamin100 (8 Aug 2013)

Thanks. I'm thinking about a trail gator to attach her current bike too. Are these any good?

Also thinking of getting the wife a carrera Vulcan anyone had one of these ?


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## TonyEnjoyD (10 Aug 2013)

jamin100 said:


> Thanks. I'm thinking about a trail gator to attach her current bike too. Are these any good?
> 
> Also thinking of getting the wife a carrera Vulcan anyone had one of these ?


No idea on either unfortunately


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## ufkacbln (10 Aug 2013)

Trailgator's are something that people either love or hate!

I have no experience with them, but one thing that did stick in my mind was the ability to "free" the childs bike

This means they are assisted going to the destination, can ride independently when there and then assisted on the way back

.. one very important thing though when selecting the pulling bike for any child accessory is not to skimp on brakes. they will be stopping an additional load so need to be up to the job


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## Crackle (10 Aug 2013)

jamin100 said:


> Thanks. I'm thinking about a trail gator to attach her current bike too. Are these any good?


 
I used two of them at one point and I thought they were excellent but others haven't. The key point for one is that the attachments fit the bike you are towing, if they don't it will tow at an angle which is useless, it has to fit and fit well. When they do, they work a treat.

Here son2 is attached and son1 is up the road and attached to my bike for the journey back when he was tired.


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## br5968 (19 Aug 2013)

Rear bike seat - recommend the Co-Pilot Taxi. About £70 online, and you get a Bradshaw rack with that which it slides on and off really easily. My 18 month old loves it, and he'll have a few more years on it yet. Padded for him, has a overhead strap and a plastic bar which clips over him for him to hold onto, plus velcro toe-straps. My very safety-conscious other half was happy with it, so it must be safe


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## jamin100 (19 Aug 2013)

Thanks User 
I managed to pick one up last week and we have been out on it a few times already


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## ianrauk (19 Aug 2013)

Crackle said:


> I used two of them at one point and I thought they were excellent but others haven't. The key point for one is that the attachments fit the bike you are towing, if they don't it will tow at an angle which is useless, it has to fit and fit well. When they do, they work a treat.
> 
> Here son2 is attached and son1 is up the road and attached to my bike for the journey back when he was tired.






Brilliant....
How old is the kidda on the tailgator Crackle?


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## Crackle (19 Aug 2013)

ianrauk said:


> Brilliant....
> How old is the kidda on the tailgator Crackle?


 
It was a good few years ago now Ian and I think he was 5 or 6 then.


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## ianrauk (19 Aug 2013)

Crackle said:


> It was a good few years ago now Ian and I think he was 5 or 6 then.


 


Love the little spinning legs.
I am so going to get one of those when wee one is big enough.


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## JoeyB (19 Aug 2013)

br5968 said:


> Rear bike seat - recommend the Co-Pilot Taxi. About £70 online, and you get a Bradshaw rack with that which it slides on and off really easily. My 18 month old loves it, and he'll have a few more years on it yet. Padded for him, has a overhead strap and a plastic bar which clips over him for him to hold onto, plus velcro toe-straps. My very safety-conscious other half was happy with it, so it must be safe


 

How does that attach to the bike? Do you have to have the rear screw holes above the brakes or does it clamp to seat post tube?


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## br5968 (19 Aug 2013)

JoeyB said:


> How does that attach to the bike? Do you have to have the rear screw holes above the brakes or does it clamp to seat post tube?


 
You need four points - mine is attached to the screw holes on the seat stay, one either side. As alternative, the rack (it's a Blackburn EX1 - not sure where 'Bradshaw' came from!) came with some little clamps that you could collar around the seat stay tubes and then attach the brackets from the rack to those instead.


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## JoeyB (19 Aug 2013)

br5968 said:


> You need four points - mine is attached to the screw holes on the seat stay, one either side. As alternative, the rack (it's a Blackburn EX1 - not sure where 'Bradshaw' came from!) came with some little clamps that you could collar around the seat stay tubes and then attach the brackets from the rack to those instead.


 
Ah thats good then as I dont have those seat stay mounting points on my MTB.


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## Crackle (19 Aug 2013)

ianrauk said:


> Love the little spinning legs.
> I am so going to get one of those when wee one is big enough.


yeah me too and banging his hand on the bars 

Just checked, he was 4, so at that point he wasn't riding by himself anyway. We went the stabilizer route as I'd never heard of balance bikes then.


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## jamin100 (23 Aug 2013)

Well got it all on a working. Had about 4 outings as a family so far and the equipment is all working well.

Have done a little write up here 
Http://www.benrichards.co.uk


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## macbikes (23 Aug 2013)

How about the Weehoo iGo for the 2 year old? http://rideweehoo.com/


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## macbikes (23 Aug 2013)

Oops too late to the thread


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## jamin100 (23 Aug 2013)

macbikes said:


> Oops too late to the thread



That's actually really good. Might still look into one


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## macbikes (24 Aug 2013)

They look brilliant, don't they? Too late for us to buy one because the youngest can go on a Trailgator, but our local bike hire places hire them out for less than a tenner so I might give one a try one day, my 2 year old would love it and I think it would be a lot easier to manage on rougher trials than a 12inch bike on a Trailgator.

I think they are starting to turn up second hand if you are lucky.


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## macbikes (24 Aug 2013)

*rougher *trails *

I haven' yet tried trials riding with a 2 year old on a trailgator...


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