Trail Gator / Trail Angel towbar for kids bikes

[nunheadmum]

Has anyone used these and got any thoughts on whether it's worth it? And could a not so experienced rider (me!) use it on a cycle trail?

We're going off to Brittany and it sounds like there are some lovely bike trails around the area. But kids are too small to cycle far. We may get away with youngest in the child seat but that means I'd need to tow the elder one as don't think MrNHM could really do both (and issues of fittings too, I think). The reviews I've read so far sound quite mixed but largely negative unless you're fairly experienced. I don't ride a lot around here due to the traffic but I think I'd get more into it on quiet tracks. And it'd be lovely on hols to do things without the car.

Any thoughts or comments?

[ryedalema]

We've been looking into this too - and it's be fab if anyone could also recommend local stockists as we'd like to see it first..

[largeginandtonic]

Hello. This is largeginandtonic's other half. I have used a Trail Gator for about three years now and absolutely love it. I've used it to pull my daughter from shortly after she learned to ride aged 4 and now she is 7. We don't have a car so cycle everywhere, mainly on roads but also on dirt tracks occasionally. Until recently I also carried my son, now 3yrs, in a seat on the front of the bike at the same time. The ability to pull your child and then unhook them so they can ride themselves is really really useful.

My daughter and I both found the Trail Gator really easy to use. I'm an experienced cyclist but not at all fit. So long as your child actually pedals I don't think you need to be very strong. I also don't think it is difficult to balance when using it on a road but I do go very carefully and quite slowly on dirt tracks with mud or loose gravel. It is very quick and easy to attach and unattached the child's bike and now I only pull my daughter up big hills.

You do have to make sure you fit it very tightly when you first put it on the adult's bike (which you only do once). I didn't do it tightly enough first time and my daughter ended up leaning at quite an angle.

You can't use the Trail Gator with either a rear child seat or a rear rack.

I would recommend it to anyone. We ordered it over the internet I think so I can't recommend a stockist.