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Hi
Was thinking of buying a Trailgator for my son instead of a Tagalong. His sister has a Tagalong, which is really good, and we have done some offroad on it as well. Will the Trailgator be OK for some light offroad (forest tracks etc.) use? Anyone had any experience of the Trailgator or both?
Thanks Doug
I've got both - Trailgator is ok, not as stable as the tagalong, but will be ok for the type of tracks you're planning.
Downsides: They are a right faff to get installed in the first place and the bracket that's fixed to the headtube of the kids bike has to be done up pretty tight or it can twist (I've put some inner tube under it to stop this). It wrecks the paint on the headtube of the bike, if you're bothered about that.
That said, they are worth it for the ability to tow the child on dodgy road sections (or when they are knackered), then let them free when they want to ride.
Edit - Pay Ebay prices, not Halfrauds!
I've got one which we no longer use so can sell if you are interested?
Dezb said it - allow time to set up - don't try it on day you want to use it
My oldest loved it as gave her freedom to pedal herself stupidly tired then get towed home
It will be used to tow him up hill (Glentress), and then he can ride down himself, I like the idea of being able to clip it out of the way when he is not attached.
How much Mudslinger, would need to be posted?
Doug
I agree with all of the above but bear in mind that it weighs a tonne*
*Well, that's a slight exageration but I was quite suprised how much difference it made, even when clipped out of the way.
I have not used a trailgator, but I was wary of them for most of above reasons. I have loads of use with 6 speed tagalong though. On and off road. Even gnarly rooty descents and climbs are possible if you get the teamwork right. You'd be amazed how much a 6 fit year old can contribute if they have the right gears. I recon we go up hills almost as fast together as I do on my own. The geared tag-alongs are SOO good.
I'd be concerned that on the flat, a trailgator would make it impossible for many kids to pedal and contribute, because they are too low geared and couldn't keep up at ~ 200RPM. That might lead to some problems and boredom on long rides. My 6 year old daughter gets enormous satisfaction at making a really big contribution to the effort both on the flats an up the hills. Worth remembering.
Also what happens to a trailgator off road if the kiddies front wheel (not very far off the ground) touches down? - What gives? - And is it extra fun if it happens in a corner?
As mountaincarrot says, watch out for bumps as the front wheel of the kids bike will only be a few inches above the ground. You can adjust this higher to some extent, but it pitches the kids bike back so they feel they are going to fall off the back.
Its quite a lot longer than a tagalong too, so watch out for trees/posts on the inside of tight corners!
And do those bolts up real tight - my daughter ended up leaning 45 degrees to one side on the first few rides, I kept tightening them until I thought i would crush the head tube!
Trailgator(ed) bike front wheel pretty much tracks what your back wheel is doing - ie. I've never come across a bump that has caused the front wheel of the kid's bike to touch down.
As far as the child's contribution - it's no different to a tagalong. Although if they have a geared bike attached by the 'gator, they can obviously contribute more. No danger of boredom in any case.
Have one. Like it (and so does 5 yr old). For all the reasons you say. When you said take one to GT - I presume you don't mean the red/black?
I've crashed it once with him on it - clipped his handle bars on a tree. Low speed so no injuries - but be wary in narrow single track in trees etc.
I haven't tackled the black yet, but do the red with my daughter on the tag along, I just thought being able to unclip the Trailgator would give them a bit more freedom on the decents (I obviously don't take them anywhere dodgy thats going to cause them to crash!). It's a good workout, and the kids love it.
Doug
there are bits of the red that would be OK - but I think you would need to do all the chicken runs in spooky wood etc. I'm not sure which would fail first my sons bike or the trail gator - but I don't think either were designed for anything too rough. Assuming your child has a standard kids bike I would be most worried about their ability to brake on the downhills when disconnected from you. Given the extra length I would have thought that getting it round some of the switchbacks would need manual intervention - but if you manage it easily with the tag I might be wrong.
Have one. Both kids have used it. Canal rides, Ae, Dalbeatie and Mabie green routes with no problems. The initial set up is a bit awkward, especially the clamps on the headtube.
Remember to take a wide berth when cornering.
Only other thing I would add is make sure the rear tyre on the kiddies bike is fairly solid to avoid punctures, and if you do get one remember to take something along to remove the rear wheel - not many kids bikes have QRs.
keep a look out on lidl, they annualy do one for a fraction of what a trailgator costs.