Trail Gator Bike Tow Bar & Accessories for Kids - Safe & Easy Bicycle Towing Solution for Family Rides & Outdoor Adventures

Took forever to install this. Poor instructions.In addition, I couldn’t use their clamp for my son’s bike because it doesn’t fit through the front fork even after removing the wheel. I wasn’t able to install the steering wheel stabilizer on his bike as a result. I tried buying a post clamp from lowes and the cheap looking plastic rod won’t hold it in place. So I just didn’t install this but told my son not to steer. Seems to work.Also, the holder for the tow when not in used doesn’t come with a screw or nut. You’ll have to put it in your rear bike deraileur screw. But mine was 12mm and doesn’t seem to fit well with the bracket. So I just put in somewhere else on my frame.I also put a pipe insulation between the clamp and my son bike to prevent the paint from chipping as others have pointed out. It doesn’t work 100% as some paint still comes off but you have to really tighten the screws hard to prevent tilting.Tightening the screw hard on the clamp makes my son bike cause the steering on my son’s Specialized bike to be a little harder cause the rubber portion of the handle rubs against the U screws.Overall, this is a unique and great idea for someone looking to tow a toddler. You do need to make some adjustments and test it out to minimize the tilting but after that, my son and I both love the ride! I tow him on my ebike.Our family doesn't have a car we walk or use bikes everywhere we go. Our son, 4yo, has reached the maximum weight for most child bike seats, except the bobike junior. We wanted him to start riding with us on his own bike so he would be able to learn to ride to get used to running errands as he grows up. The adult bike carries the bar when not in use without being obstructive to the bike's function. Both bikes are always read o ride together or apart.The problems with having him ride with us are that four year olds are VERY sloooow, lol! Also, they get tired very quickly, and also don't know the rules of the road. Before we got this Trail-Gator we had to drive exclusively on the sidewalks with him for his safety because our city's streets are very busy.We were about to get the boBike Junior child seat, but gave one more look into trailers for children because of the capacity of cargo they can hold. Then we found this!The trail behind bikes weren't an option for us because we needed a way to put our bikes on the city's bus's bike racks to get father across town.I'm very excited to have the Trail-Gator tow bar because it solves all of our current family biking problems. I'll list the problems and how the tow bar has helped them below:1. Slow riding of younger children- This tow bar is great because you are pulling your child behind you and they go as fast as you. They can help pedal and everything! Going up hills is easier because two people are pedaling. I'm a 5'4" non-athletic girl but I can barely tell a difference when he's attatched (unless he squeezes the breaks! But, we have talked about that now with him. lol) I don't think it affects how fast I ride very much at all.2. Tired children can't ride very far- With the tow bar the child doesn't need to pedal when he's tired, yet he still gets to bike like a big boy. Honestly, I can't tell when he's pedaling or not, except on very steep hills. This gives my son the grown-up feeling of running errands with the family, but without overwhelming him by needing to be able to make it all the way by himself. Also, my son LOVES riding together on it so he perks up anytime we do go for a ride.3. Small children can't safely drive on the road- For me it's hard to even have my son drive on the sidewalk knowing he could just pedal off into the road on accident. Also, it's much faster to drive on the road to get most places because roads are simply made to go places. Also, not everywhere has sidewalks. With the tow bar my son doesn't need to know the rules of the road because I already know them. Also, an added benefit here is that he gets to learn how to safely drive on the road firsthand.4. Most other child biking options that would work for bikes wouldn't work for buses and trains- The tow behind tandem style bike attachments, which only have one wheel, can't be put on a bus's bike rack. Child seats allow bikes to go on a bus's rack, but most have a 40lb weight limit. Big pull behind cargo style trailers need to be detached then pushed onto the bus, taking up a wheelchair spot, and the child doesn't get any riding experience. Since the Trail-Gator quick releases from the child's bike and has a storage clip for the adult bike so the bikes can be detached fairly easily and then put on a bus or trains racks separately.The biggest unforeseen benefits of the tow bar are that the kid can learn to ride without training wheels because the adult bike holds him up, but still allows a little wobble, and that the child can get first person instruction from the adult on how to navigate biking safely through the streets. Actually the child seat allowed for instruction, but not while my son was riding too.Also, people love seeing the bikes together in action. Lot's of questions of where we got it, "whoa, that's cool!", horn honking, etc. Hopefully, seeing us bike encourages people to bike more often to things nearby.If you are a worried caregiver who wonders about the child falling off while riding Amazon also has a child bike backrest with a seat belt for sale. As a preschool teacher I don't think a back rest is necessary for ages 3 and up because they can usually understand that adults provide them safety and they need to listen to them so they wont lose focus easily while riding. If you are wondering, get the bar first and test it out for 15 minutes or so before taking any itineraried adventures.We've had it for over a month now using it almost everyday and we haven't had any problems with it so far. Also, the bar is attached to a cheap walmart mountain bike so I'm confident it will work with most bikes.I was hesitant initially as i read some of the reviews on here from users who had had issues with kid bicycles tilting or veering out from behind the adult bike when coupled. However given the high number of reviews and the approximate number of negative reviews being about 20% i though i would give negative reviews the benefit of the doubt:1) You need to ead the instructions to set it up. it took me about a hour, maybe an hour and half, by myself.2) the part which you screw onto the childs bike needs to be completely forwards facing and totally aligned to the front of the bike. otherwise you may have issues like tilting. On initial setup i went for a ride with daughter and it was totally secure, but there was a very slight tilt to one side. wife pointed it out and i checked and re aligned the clamp of childs bike (which I hadnt aligned quite fully initially) then all was fine.3) The trailer is secure, and sturdy, quick to conenct and disconnect, and folds away very neatly and is held well when not in use by the holder which comes with it. I keep it permanently on my bike.4) its really fun and as a family its been great: my daughter is 4. she now is able to join us on log rides e.g. the trailer arrived on saturday. its been 5 days, and we have covered about 50KM as a family. my daughter loves it. she keeps asking about when we are next going for a ride.5) WOuld i reccomend? i would say yes. Read the reviews. educate yourself. but as someone who was concerned about safety, i have no regrets having purchased trailgator. I think one small benefit is also that, if your child doesnt know how to ride a bike, (like my daughter), the trailgator is a great way to teach them the concept of balancing. My daughter is learning very fast now.My daughter and I love this. It's a good progression from a trailer. My only advice is to explain to your child about not squeezing their brakes! I leave my brackets on both bikes as it's time consuming.Bit fiddly to fit but does job once in place.Wir haben die Stange besorgt, damit wir auch mit Kind und Fahrrad mal längere Touren unternehmen können. Ich muss wirklich sagen: Es war die beste Entscheidung.Die Montage war für meinen Mann einfach und die erste Tour konnte starten. Solange die Stange noch benötigt wird, hängt diese zusammengeklappt am eigenen Fahrrad..ohne irgendwo zu stören. Sie machte qualitativ einen sehr guten Eindruck und hielt auch bis zum Ende unserer Nutzdauer stand. Das Kinderfahrrad kann unterwegs Ruckzuck ohne große Probleme an der Stange befestigt werden.Besonders toll fanden wir, dass man dabei die Wahl zwischen zwei Entscheidungen hat:1. Man kann das Kinderfahrrad ganz unten lassen, so dass das Kind mit eigener Kraft noch mit treten kann (wenn es denn Lust hat) oder2. Man kann nur den Vorderreifen hochnehmen und das Kind kann sich während der Fahrt entspannen.Für uns hatte sich die Stange auf jeden Fall bewährt und wir würden sie jederzeit wieder kaufen. Ohne Gemecker konnten wir schöne Fahrradtouren machen und bei Bedarf dem Kind einfach die Ruhe gönnen, die es benötigt. Das Fahren an der Tandemstange ist auch einfach und man merkt keinen großen Unterschied. Auch meine Bedenken hiermit evtl nicht mehr so leicht um Kurven fahren zu können, wurden in Luft aufgelöst. Alles klappte super und war absolut so, wie ich es mir vorgestellt hatte.Fazit: Eltern glücklich, Kinder glücklich, was will man mehr ?Von mir daher eine ganz klare Kaufempfehlung!Ich hoffe euch hiermit etwas in eurer Entscheidung geholfen zu haben.Have been using it for a few months. I was really impressed with the sturdiness of the product when I first got it. Seemed like it was going to be the answer to including our youngest in our bike rides, and it sort of works. Not really super easy to install/uninstall, so not really very convenient if you're just going out for a quick ride. Even tight, it has a tendency to shift while in use, if you or your towed child decides to make any sudden manoeuvre.