DebW
08-20-2007, 01:48 PM
The Trail-Gator (http://www.trail-gator.com/) is a device to turn an ordinary child's bike into something akin to the Trail-a-bike (http://www.trail-a-bike.com/interface/adams.php). You mount a connector on the head tube of the child's bike and a connector on the seatpost of the adult bike. The connecting rod is easily removed so the child can switch between riding independently and being towed. The connector is in 2 pieces held together with a cotter pin so it can be shortened for storage. If the child uses training wheels, they must be removed or flipped up when in tow-mode. There is a stabilizer rod to keep the child's handlebars fixed - since the child's front wheel is off the ground the handlebars would otherwise turn freely. We also found it useful to level the child's saddle in the tow position so he wouldn't feel like he was sliding off the back of it. The Trail-Gator is pretty heavy - probably all steel - but sturdy.
I set up the Trail-Gator for my friend to pull her 4 year old son. He was first scared when he got on and we had to walk him around on it a bit before he was ready to actually ride. But then he like it and we did a 17 mile ride with him on the Trail-Gator. Using the Trail-Gator added some instability to the adult bike, as the trailing part seem to lurch frequently when the child moved. Definitely needs a skilled and attentive adult rider. I was wondering if the Trail-a-bikes had the same problem, and then I saw one go by and do the same kind of lurching. If anyone here has used the Trail-a-bike, I'd be interested in a comparative report.
I captained the Trail-Gator for 8 miles on both pavement and gravel. It rather stressed my cycling skills on occasion - I almost went down on a short uphill on loose gravel. There were occasions when the child, probably accidentally, applied the coaster brake, and there was suddenly extra drag. For the most part he couldn't pedal his small bike fast enough to make much difference in the towing effort, but on uphills I would ask him to pedal and it definitely helped. Because we had the child's bike with us rather than a Trail-a-bike, he was able to ride his own bike around the campground. When he is older, he may be able to do part of a ride on his own and get towed for part of the ride.
I set up the Trail-Gator for my friend to pull her 4 year old son. He was first scared when he got on and we had to walk him around on it a bit before he was ready to actually ride. But then he like it and we did a 17 mile ride with him on the Trail-Gator. Using the Trail-Gator added some instability to the adult bike, as the trailing part seem to lurch frequently when the child moved. Definitely needs a skilled and attentive adult rider. I was wondering if the Trail-a-bikes had the same problem, and then I saw one go by and do the same kind of lurching. If anyone here has used the Trail-a-bike, I'd be interested in a comparative report.
I captained the Trail-Gator for 8 miles on both pavement and gravel. It rather stressed my cycling skills on occasion - I almost went down on a short uphill on loose gravel. There were occasions when the child, probably accidentally, applied the coaster brake, and there was suddenly extra drag. For the most part he couldn't pedal his small bike fast enough to make much difference in the towing effort, but on uphills I would ask him to pedal and it definitely helped. Because we had the child's bike with us rather than a Trail-a-bike, he was able to ride his own bike around the campground. When he is older, he may be able to do part of a ride on his own and get towed for part of the ride.