In a few months I’ll have a 3 year old and 9 month old to cart around on the bike. Hoping the wife will take one on weekend rides (though she’s reluctant at the moment, she’s not a hugely confident cyclist) however for nursery drop off its down to me.
It’s only a mile or so each way, currently use a Bobike front mounted seat. Trailer is obvious choice for 2 but seems a pricey option for such short journeys. Anyone ridden with a front and rear mounted seat at same time?

Alternatively thinking a tag along or trail gator for the older one?

Would also like something to ride with the older kid at the weekend, currently he loves MTB rides on the Bobike, would a trail gator be decent for off road with him? Nothing extreme, happily ride Glentress blue and similar with him on the Bobike currently.

I have a 3 year old and an7 month old so am watching with interest . I imagine a trailer or cargo bike for stability particularly when loaded (with kids 🙂

Had the same requirement and went for an extracycle conversion on an old hardrock I had. 1year old goes in regular seat post mounted seat and 4 year old sits behind on wooden deck of extracycle. She had just turned 4 when I started riding with her on the back and never had any problems. It’s a great solution and have used it well over 100 times. Can also carry loads in the panniers it comes with. Rides really well and much easier to manoeuvre than a trailer. Overall a great piece of kit.

Here’s a picture of it as it’s easier than explaining. Older one just sits on the back and holds onto seat and loves it. You could always add another seat to the deck if you think your 3 year old is a bit young to just hold on.

That’s an interesting setup though suspect storage would be problematic, none of my current storage spots would fit a bike as long as that

I got a trailer when our boys were about 8 months and 3 1/2. It’s fantastic. Far nicer to ride than with weight in a Hamax on the back or a Weeride.

Not expensive really. We got the Halfords one and it’s going strong after a year.

I recently saw a guy on a sit up and beg, one child on a bar seat, another one on the back. It looked hard work but he was going for it, full mash.
At the point I saw him he was also running a red light directly in front of a marked police car. First they looked surprised, then he looked even more surprised when they pulled him over for a chat.

Longtail cargo bike is probably more convenient, the trailer is warmer and easier for the kids I’d say (side by side, can sleep eat and drink, and can chat to each other)

I’ve always got on well with Adam’s Trailer-bikes, with a Bobike up front for youngest, who then inherited the trailer bike. Trailer bikes are reasonably capable off-road, too if you put a chunky tyre on for some suspension (I made a massive crud catcher for the TB out of a piece of carpet and zip ties. Looked daft, worked a treat!)

One on the front, one on the back presents a problem when you want to swing your leg over.

I’d imagine it’s stable enough with one child front and back when you get going, issue will be getting both kids into respective seats then getting yourself in a position to start riding, doable with practise but I wouldn’t fancy the risk of dropping the bike with both kids on board trying to get a leg over

As well as a TrailGator look at a TrailAngel, this is the one I went for it seemed a bit more secure I’ve used it on gentle offroad with no issues (just raise the front wheel of kids bike up a bit more) although I’m not sure how it would handle something like GT blue with berms and ‘whoops’ (as my daughter calls rollable jumps). It will always be a compromise compared to a proper tagalong
The only ”attached bike’ that probably does the job properly and is any good offroad is a Follow Me tandem, they are big € bit I’ve never heard a bad review and as often with these things you will get most of your investment back when you finally sell it on

Having had a Weeride seat before which was excellent and finding the TrailAngel isn’t ideal to fold up onto my bike when my daughter is going under her own steam (it wobbles around and rubs the tyre when folded) I like the look of the Weeride Co-pilot tagalong
http://www.weerideuk.co.uk/Weeride_copilot.asp

One of my mates had one of those bikes with a big box on the front, popular in Cambridge and Holland. More expensive than a trailer though.

I used a trailer for my twins, Halfords job cost about 100 quid. it was fine for bridleways, roads etc.Also very handy when they could ride themselves and I could load it full of stuff when riding to the beach in France or filling it full of shopping on camping holidays.

Good luck.

We had a Burley trailer when our (now early 20s) kids were tots. Worked great..and we sold it on and it hadn’t cots too much in reality. There weren’t many options at the time, there seem to be loads now.Trailer all the way IMHO

It’s a Volvo you need not a bike.

Used a trailer from when youngest was walking…
[url=https://flic.kr/p/6bBjQX]IMG_6524[/url] by pten2106, on Flickr

Used it right through Winter. Tucked them in with a blanket. They were the envy of other children, & lazy parents. They’d often nod off on the way home. Used to leave the trailer round the back if the nursery, under cover then cycle on to work. Fantastic few years.

Then a Kona Ute until they became too heavy…
[url=https://flic.kr/p/cvVHmf]IMAG0774[/url] by pten2106, on Flickr

The Ute was simply fantastic, & changed the way I looked at local transport for a few years. All the children’s friends loved it, & wanted a go. I even carried a few tipsy Mums around the park at one BBQ. Fab times, but they become independent & preferred their own bikes eventually, so I foolishly sold it. With hindsight I’d have kept it. Amazing bike.

Whatever you do, enjoy it because the next few years will zip by.

The loneliest cyclist I’ve seen was riding a tandem with a kids trail gator on but only himself riding it. Your children are probably a young for that setup but it’s a possibility in the future

I got a cheap trailer off ebay when I had an 18 month and 3.5 year old to transport, was fine till the eldest hit about 5.5, but she was riding by then, they’re now 4 and almost 7 and both riding, but it’s easier for family rides to put the 4 year old on a tag along…

In retrospect I wish I had gotten a ute or an extracycle but as they grow you’re always looking for temporary solutions…

I used to use a tag along and a front fitting seat. It was pretty stable but the front seat was soon grown out of.

If mine were a wee bit younger I’d probably be explaining this purchase to the missus now…

“Whatever you do, enjoy it because the next few years will zip by.”

Definately this. We went on from solo bike and trailer to a tandem with kiddy cranks and a trailerbike. Then a mix of tandem and own bike…then they went to uni/met boys/got a car

For those with the Halfords trailer, how easily does this fold down? Currently at £100 so pretty tempted despite the drawbacks, however the way our nursery pick up/drop off works means wife would collect kids every day by car so trailer would need to be easy to fold down for her to load up. I had a look at some trailers in my LBS at the weekend and the folding was not particularly easy.

I had a Halfords trailer and would take the kids to childminder and fold down the trailer ready for wife to put in boot of car. It was easy enough to fold, but the locating pins were a bit fiddly and my wife may well have struggled which is why I folded it and left it folded.