Trail Gator

[jjlynn27]

Anyone using one? Seems like very good execution of a simple idea.

[vetrof]

Great bit of kit, used one for my son for a couple of years. Install is relatively straight forward. Quick and easy to attach/unattach the trailed bike when on a trip.

Not suitable for very small bikes though, first tried it on a 12" wheeled/swb bike and it hoisted the front wheel way too high.

[jjlynn27]

My son is 4. Not sure what bike he has, but it's time for new one anyway. So, thanks very much for your input.

[Bill]

What he said. My only issue is its not great for the paint on the kid's bike because it needs to be tight and can move.

[vetrof]

I think ours came with, or maybe I fashioned, a rubber sleeve my son's bike. The bike I pulled behind has 16" wheels and maybe a tad shorter than the one you pictued. You can arrange the brackets on the kids bike a couple of different ways and a set of shims lets you fine tune the mounting angle.
I'd post some pics, but a friend has borrowed it for the summer.

Edited by vetrof on Wednesday 21st September 12:22

[groomi]

They work great but they are mighty heavy if you use your bike regularly without towing.

[LordHaveMurci]

Used ours once, hated it!

[Bill]

groomi said:

They work great but they are mighty heavy if you use your bike regularly without towing.

Yo u can remove them with the QR doodah by your seat post.

[Downward]

Nope never again.
Although I think my lad was a bit too big for it at the time.

[idiotgap]

It worked very well for us in the summer. My eldest son (6) was able to ride himself as far as he was able, then my wife could tow him when he flagged. I had the other two boys (4 and 2) behind me on the trail-a-bike in the background

[jjlynn27]

One on order, thanks everyone for contributions.

[Watchman]

Very heavy and involves two contact points which can slip. Unless you actually need to detach and use the smaller bike, better to use a half-bike solution like the WeeRide.

[idiotgap]

Watchman said:

Very heavy and involves two contact points which can slip. Unless you actually need to detach and use the smaller bike, better to use a half-bike solution like the WeeRide.

I can't see how either end could slip. Can you elaborate?
The child bike end is anchored to the junctions between the head, top and down tubes. On the adult end it grips the seat post at the bottom, just like the weeride co-pilot or any other trail-a-bike clone.

The weight of the hardware is noticeable, but is it really heavier than a half-bike? There is less to it and you don't have the permanent child weight penalty.

I think they are for different situations anyway. I have a tandem trail-a-bike, a single trail-a-bike and a trailgator. I'd always use the trailgator for a slightly older child who wants and will benefit from being self-sufficient for a large part of the ride but needs the bail-out option of being tagged along.

[Watchman]

In those circumstances, I agree with the solution but to get the WeeRide to stop slipping I had to put an inner tube around my seat post and tighten the clamp so much that my seat post is no longer round.