Trail Gator Tow bar and Accessories

I wanted some way to bring the kid along on longer bike trips, but she's barely out of training wheels and her kid-sized, fixed-gear bike with small wheels was never going to let her keep up. The tagalongs seemed like a possibly solution, but they were big, heavy, expensive and then she doesn't get to ride along. Then my wife found the Trailgator and it works like a charm. I connect the kid's bike, she gets on, I get to take her through traffic and at speeds she could never reach by pedaling and when we get to the bike trail we uncouple and she bikes on her own until she's tired. Then I take her home again - no muss, no fuss.Coupling and uncoupling takes about 30 seconds, if that. The connection is sturdy (as is the whole Trailgator) and the towed bike is exactly where it should be. You definitely notice the extra weight and you'll need to take corners more carefully, but it's really not a problem. The kid's pedaling doesn't seem to help at all, but it may make them feel like they're doing something. Hills are a challenge and you may want to ensure you've got low gearing if you're tackling a bunch of them. But in general I don't feel any major issues no matter how much my kid is shifting, pedaling or looking around behind me. Just be aware you're towing about 80-100lbs of combined bike and kid behind you.Installation is not as difficult as some people are complaining about. The instructions are pretty clear, especially if you carefully read them and look at the accompanying diagrams. The design of the whole thing is actually pretty clever. I borrowed a torque wrench, but in retrospect I didn't really need to bother as long as I cranked things down as tight as I possibly could. Some points:- Make damn good and sure your seat height is where you want it before you start because you will NOT be able to lower it after the Trailgator is installed.- Find something to use as non-slip padding under the mounting bracket for the kid's bike. Someone else suggested an old inner tube and I ended up using a rubber backing for carpet. Either way, you are going to be cranking down those curved U-bolts as tight as you can and you do NOT want them to slip. This will prevent damage to the paint on the towed bike and keep anything from slipping - which is where I think most of the complaints are coming from. Tighten your damn bolts, people!- There are a number of variable parts that support different bike shapes and sizes. Again, read the instructions carefully and use the options you need to fit your bike. The shims for the mount on the towed bike are going to be essential to get the correct ride height and you may have to test that front mount a couple of times to get the angle correct. A power nut driver with a deep socket is ESSENTIAL for this! Same goes for the shims that fit around the seat post and front forks. Try to see what fits and be prepared to backtrack if it isn't working.- The front wheel stabilizer seems to be easier to install on the handlebars, rather than the front fork but YMMV depending on the towed bike.- You may have to think a bit outside the box. For example, I found it easier to connect the storage bracket to a hole for mounting a carry rack rather than to my rear wheel bolt since the quick-release got in the way. That took an extra washer or two to get the spacing right, but it was simple enough and the bracket is rock solid. Overall, the whole thing adds about 20lbs to the towing bike when stored, but it's not particularly noticeable. You will not be able to use this with any sort of of rear carrying rack, though.Overall, this is a fantastic item and worth every penny. I particularly like the fact that when by daughter outgrows her current bike and moves up a size, I can just move the mounting bracket over and continue to tow her for a few more years. I found it pretty easy to install and it works better than I expected. Excellent product with a very clever design.

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.

PART 1: We haven't used this yet, and I will update the review in August after we get back from vacation and will have actually used it. I spent 3 hours yesterday going over the owner's manual, a YouTube installation video, the Trail-Gator website, the owner's manual on that site and the one supplied in the box, and putting together/attaching the tow bar. The owner's manual found on the website is a bit better than the one we received in the box. I understand the towing concept as we have always towed a camping trailer, but we have never towed a child's biking unit/trailer behind our bikes. I understand the child's bike needs to move slightly up and down over bumps and swing out a little while traveling in curves. I was unprepared for the large range of motion the tow bar is allowed before it is attached to the child's bike. I am now in the process of putting the "shims" on the child's receiver to raise the child's bike front wheel at least 3 inches off the ground as it is only 1 inch off the ground at this point. I have been very frustrated yesterday and today trying to get this right and safe before we leave on vacation 6 days from now.PART 2: Later this evening update: I installed all 3 shims on the top u-bolt on the child's bike receiver. In my enthusiasm to make sure all was tightened well, I sheared off one side of the u-bolt, so I'll be at Home Depot early tomorrow trying to find a replacement. The good news is that the 3 shims will raise the child's front tire to 3 inches above the ground.I went on to install the clamp with ball to the child's bike and adjust the clamp with the socket on the tow bar. These are the 2 items that hook the tow bar to the steering to keep the front wheel locked. I am disappointed with this. When very little pressure is put on the handle bars, the socket pops out of the ball. I think I will also buy a strap at Home Depot tomorrow to wrap around the child's front wheel and the tow bar, so my granddaughter won't pull the steering loose as she is being towed.Lastly, when I tightened the single bolt on the adult bike tow arm more than I already had, it DID decrease the amount of side to side movement of the tow bar. I think that will work better when it is used, but we'll see.PART III: Just boxed it up to send back for a refund. Using a few hours out of each of 4 days trying to tweak the installation and then giving it repeated trial runs before vacation, the Trail-gator was just not safe for our 6 year old granddaughter. It wanted to move out to the side on its own, and it tended to list to the side no matter how I kept tweaking it. Other reviewers have mentioned this is their posts. We really wanted this to work, but it wasn't worth all the frustration and time.

I was cautiously optimistic about purchasing this product based on some of the other reviews that I read on Amazon. Having used it several times now, I like it very much. It is not without its drawbacks, but is a reasonable variant of the numerous "trailer bike" type solutions in the market. It fulfills my main requirement of getting my young son and his bike from my house to an area that is more friendly to him riding on his own.I did not encounter the problem some people noted about the connecting pin in the bar being loose. The one on mine has a very tight fit and has no slop. There is a small, but acceptable amount of slop where the bar connects to the bracket on the child's bike. To be clear, I was able to mount the bracket to the child's bike very securely. This is slop between the bar and the bracket and is mitigated by the quick-release bolt that goes through this connection.The weakest point that I see with this design is the bracket that attaches to the child's bike. I had to tighten this several times over the course of a few test rides. The problem is that if the bracket is not tightened sufficiently, then the child's bike will start to pivot in the bracket. This might not have been an issue if I'd had a torque wrench. I see this as a necessary evil in the design. A purpose-built trailer bike will not have this problem since the towing arm and the childs bike are a single unit. Having this bracket allows me to tow a real bicycle.As a competitive cyclist who does their own bicycle maintenance, I found this product to be relatively easy to install. The bracket will damage the paint on the child's bike. This was not an issue for me. I also used a spare "heavy duty" seat post to attach the bar on my bike because I was nervous about scratching the paint on my "good/light" seat post. The bracket that stays on the adult's seat post has some mass, so this solution has the added advantage of allowing me to trade seats/seatposts depending on whether I plan to ride by myself or with my child.Pros:* Allows me to tow a child's bike with or without child on it.* Can connect/disconnect bikes without a lot of effort.* The price was reasonable.Cons:* It's heavy, but I suppose that means it's sturdy.* Quick release bolts go through holes, so connect/disconnect is more work than changing a bicycle wheel that has a quick release. Again, this makes for a more solid connection, so I can live with this.

we've had the Trailgator Bicycle Tow Bar for a little under a month now and we are very pleased with it. a few reviewers mentioned that some of the bolts wiggled loose, so I used a strip of Velcro to attach a wrench and an allen wrench to my frame, but it wasn't necessary, we didn't have any hardware emergencies. (I did check the bolts and tighten them once after a few uses, and I intend to check them regularly.)a few notes:- you have to make sure that everything is lined up properly, or it is hard to attach and unattach the bike. once we figured out how (exactly how), it hasn't been a problem (the adult bike, on the kickstand, leans to the side, so you have to both lift and lean the child's bike).- putting it together was not difficult, but it also wasn't easy. it took me longer than I'd hoped and was more frustrating than I'd hoped.- I left the training wheels on the bike, I didn't buy the flip-up ones. it's noisy, but I don't think it is causing any damage to anything. and even if the training wheels get worn down, I don't think he is going to be using them for much longer anyway.- if the child's bike has the back-peddle type brakes, you'll want to kill your child at some point (obviously I'm kidding). I wish I'd spent more time "trying it out," before we actually used it on a significant ride. we did go around the block once a day for a few days, but he didn't have his job well defined yet. after getting very frustrated with my burning legs, I finally tried to explain it to him by making him peddle and "push" me for a few feet. then, I put my brakes on and he tried to push me. although he understood, he still messes up and back peddles occasionally, and I can't always tell right away when he us working against me. the only thing I can do is remind him until he doesn't need reminders (that's all I've figured out so far anyway). now, I tell him to help peddle (and he likes to help) whenever we come to a difficult spot (the only thing worse than towing your child uphill is towing your child uphill and then realizing that he's had the brakes on the entire time).so, in summary: allow for extra time to assemble it. check it over occasionally. take the time to get to know the product and to teach your child "best practices."in all honesty, this was way more money than I'd usually spend, but it was worth every penny. we love it!

I read previous reviews of this product and took a chance with it. Once we did get it installed it does do the job and I can pull my 5 year old wherever I want to bike. The reason I only gave it 3 stars was because of the installation. It did take some jerry rigging to get it to work. Currently he can not use his bicycle when he is not attached to my bike because his front fork is a bit thicker and shorter for the handle bar area then most so there is no wiggle room and it eliminates his ability to steer. I do like that he still has to peddle to help me, hills especially. I am hoping that this will help him build up the strength to ride with all of us on his own. It does get the job done in the end, but you need to be aware of the bikes you want to use it with.

About six months ago, I was struggling with what to do about our family bike riding. My son was approaching the weight limit on the Co-Pilot taxi seat and I really wanted to get him his own bike, but knew that it would be a while until he could keep up with our neighborhood rides. I weighed the options of a tandem attachment like the WeeRide trailer, a regular tow behind trailer and the Trail Gator + bike. The WeeRide didn't seem like a good option because it is not very portable and only has one use and I have never really liked the idea of a tow behind trailer, plus my 3 year old son would soon outgrow that as well. So, I decided to go the Trail Gator + bike route.I recently purchased the Trail Gator from Amazon and installed it on my son's Trek Jet 16 bike and I have to say that I am very impressed! I was a bit skeptical about this product given the wide array of reviews out there. It seems as though people either love it or hate it. Well, I absolutely love it. Installation was quick and easy (20 minutes or less) and once I started riding with my son, he did not want to stop. I actually had to him that Daddy was getting tired and he made me promise that we would go for another ride the next day.After looking at various photos online, I was a bit concerned that the incline on the child's bike would be a struggle for a 3 year old to hang on and peddle, but it seems almost perfectly natural for my son. You can hardly tell that his front tire is suspended a few inches off the ground. I was also concerned after reading a few reviews that he would not be able to use his training wheels and the Trail Gator at the same time (he only started riding a few months ago and can't balance on his own yet). I had no problems whatsoever with his training wheels and turning and have since come to the conclusion that the insistence on removing training wheels is a ploy to get us to purchase the company's flip-up training wheels. Don't fall for this -- your child can still use their training wheels with the Trail Gator!All in all, this is an excellent product that we will have fun with for years to come. Thanks to everyone for all the helpful reviews you posted! I would highly recommend this product to anyone in a similar situation!

For those with kids who are between the bike seat stage and sustained, independent riding stage, this seems like the perfect stop-gap solution. Your kid can ride independently for a time and then link up with you when they get tired. It's a really brilliant idea.The problem is, as many others have noted, the connection between the tow bar and the trailing bike is simply too unstable. First off, there are multiple points between the trailing bike and towing bike where just a little bit of play between the parts can get get compounded to a major side-to-side wobble that my son experienced while he was seated on his bike. This left him feeling very unsecured.The bigger issue, though, is the connection between the tow bar and the trailing bike. On our very first ride, despite tightening the bolts as best I can, the tow bar receiving piece on my son's bike twisted so that my son's bike collapsed to the side and he fell off (I saw what was happening and stopped in time, so he was not seriously hurt). I have since made multiple attempts to find ways to get the connection solid--including using a piece of rubber bike tubing to increase the friction, which a reviewer mentioned here--but I have just found nothing that works. We did use the tow bar a number of times over the summer, but I have just not trusted it for any significant distances or speeds.I finally ditched this tow bar and bought my son a tag-along trailer (when I finally found one in stock) a couple of weeks ago. It is much more stable and I am happy with that purchase. I would suggest most people should go that route and skip this tow bar.