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.

Functionally, this is a great item. I had used tag-alongs before, but didn't want to buy a bike AND a tag-along for my kid. This allows me to only have to buy one. The first time I installed it, however, the nuts on the U-Bolts that go around the steering column to attach the receiver stripped out. The bolts are long enough that you have to use a wrench instead of a standard socket (unless you have a deep socket that size), and it takes forever to get them tight with an open-end or box-end wrench. I got it all installed, and it was tight enough for my liking, but I new that it was going to be a nightmare when I needed to remove it, and it was. I'm putting the receiver on a different bike now, and it took quite a while for me to get the proper leverage under the receiver while turning off the nut for it to cut a new groove through the threads. Eventually, I got it off, and examining the U-bolt, it really got jacked up. So now I've ordered a new hardware kit from their website for $4.95 + $4.95 shipping, as I wasn't able to find any of their hardware available on Amazon. To their credit, at least the parts are available for individual order on their website and I don't have to rig it together with parts from Lowe's. I was able to buy an exact replacement for the quick release I lost as well.

Although it took a while to put together and get my son's bike to be the proper height off the ground when it tow, it felt like a very sturdy product. My son and I were very excited to use it, and the ride was going great for the first 10mins. He seemed to feel safe and secure behind me, and was able to go up and down drive-ways and small bumps with ease. We were very excited that when we reached our destination, we'd be able to unhook his bike, lower is training wheels, and he could use his own bike again. However, all of a sudden, he felt he needed to stop and started braking. Before I had a chance to fully stop, he started to leaning to one side to hop off, and his whole bike torqued and twisted. We were going extremely slow as I was almost fully stopped at this point. He hopped off and I went to re-allign his bike with mine to start again, and his bike was slanted sideways. I'm not sure what bent, but it was no longer a functioning bike while in tow. Also, the small bar that holds his bike's handlebars straight could not be tightened enough. When his bike torqued, this slipped and his handle bars turned. Returning this and getting an all-in-one bicycle tow. As this product only has one point of connection (adult's bike, as opposed to child's and adult's), it will be much strudier and safer.