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.
