Does anyone have a Follow-me

[Ebola]

I have recently moved to Brugge and seen various bike attachments for kids which add on an extra wheel and seat... I'm not that keen on the idea as kids quickly outgrow these things... however recently I saw someone riding round with a "Follow-me" stuck on the back which allows you to temporarily fix a childs bike to yours: great for when they get tired!!!

I have seen it on Amazon for £200... gulp! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycle-Fol...sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1254945155&sr=1-1 but you can get a Trailgator for considerably less though it looks far less sturdy: perhaps not so good on all of the cobbles!!! http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-2009-Tr...sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1254945070&sr=1-2

I saw there was some debate here a few years back on the subject but I would be keen to hear from anyone who actually has a "Follow-me" or "Trailgator"

Cheers

Micky

 

[HJ]

I saw someone using a Follow Me yesterday, unfortunately they were going in the opposite direction so I couldn't talk to them. It looks like a great idea, certainly the kid looked like he was really enjoying it...

 

[ttcycle]

I saw the trailgator used on the recent Skyride in London and to be frank they looked a bit flimsy and often lots of kids were being towed around a little wobbly and struggling by their parent who was a little bit oblivious to the kid floundering.

The follow me though much more costly looks more solid and as it is set down into the ground would be more useful for helping the child cycle - as you can see on the tailgater the front wheel is raised and elevated- from an observation point of view just looked a bit iffy but I have no personal experience of using it myself - reckon someone here might do and may think they're great

 

[upandover]

Trailgator is ok, and works well with smaller kids, if you tighten it well. It does more about a bit though, and I chose not to use ours on busy roads. With a seat-back on the childs bike it did support our 2-3yr old regulary while sleeping on the bike!

The main issue is that the pole between the bikes is a huge lever! I found inner tube between the bike and the grip mech worked very well.

The follow-me does look more stable. I wonder from the pic, how big a bike it will manage?

Trailgators can be had very cheaply now. In fact (afterthought) I have two to sell, as with 2 bithdays last week, both girls have new bikes.

Cheers
Steve

Steve

 

[FOAD]

I had a Trailgator and I tightened it to the frame of my kids bike as tight as I could, to the point that the Trailgator was biting into the metal of the bike frame.

Second ride the bike twisted through 90+ degress after 30 yards of cycling purely because my lad was leaning to one side. Big accident and took me ages to persuade him to get on the Spokey Joe trailer bike I got to replace it.

The Trailgator went straight back for a refund, I think the supplier were in a rush to refundme the money and not be sued after the pictures I sent them of the injuries, but hey it wasn't their fault but that of a rather flawed design that requires a lot of customisation to get it to work safely (god knows how they are still in business tbh).

I can recommend the Spokey Joe, and if you collect Tesco vouchers you can pick one up at half price for only £40 worth of Tesco vouchers online! You will recoup that in resale on Ebay no problem.

 

[Ebola]

Thanks for all of the replies: I think you have put me off the idea of a Trailgator!!! Perhaps I need to have a look at getting hold of a second hand Follow-me... though so far I have drawn a blank. Still not convinced about the idea of add-on bike or chariot type thing: just seems like more stuff to fill up the hallway which already has 4 bikes and a buggy. What attracts me to the Follow-me is the fact that you can use it for kids up to 9 years old and for bikes with up to a 20" wheel.
I had a good look at one yesterday when it was parked up at school... they look very secure and very stable... sadly there was no one about to ask!