Trail a bike opinions?
July 1, 2009 6:34 AM Subscribe
I would love a recommendation on a trail-a-bike for my 4 year old. Looking around, the ones at REI are $200 for Novara to $275 (for one that was instore only). At Target, they have a Wee Ride for $81 and then they had a schwinn instore for $169.
Does anyone have an opinion or experience with any of these? We are just going to be doing street and bike path rides for now.
I am leaning towards the Novara but that may just be because I can't stop myself from spending money at REI these days...
Remember he'll grow out of it in a season, so go cheap, or expect to resell it later on.
posted by Gungho at 7:02 AM on July 1, 2009
posted by Gungho at 7:02 AM on July 1, 2009
Check the message boards at bicycle club sites for more information. Cheap is good, but you also need safe.
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:44 AM on July 1, 2009
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:44 AM on July 1, 2009
What orme said--there seems to be a thriving secondhand market. If money's an issue, it's probably worth looking into. Besides craigslist, you might also check out local shops/co-ops, cycling message boards like mtbr/rbr and local cycling club websites. And just ask around--as with bike trailers, there are a lot of these collecting dust in garages.
The Adams Trail-a-Bike is the only brand I've heard specific things about--people seem to think they're good. Then again, there's not a lot to a trail-a-bike, and, unless you had a custom framebuilder make one for you, I suspect that all of them, the Novara one included, are pretty similar.
posted by box at 7:46 AM on July 1, 2009
The Adams Trail-a-Bike is the only brand I've heard specific things about--people seem to think they're good. Then again, there's not a lot to a trail-a-bike, and, unless you had a custom framebuilder make one for you, I suspect that all of them, the Novara one included, are pretty similar.
posted by box at 7:46 AM on July 1, 2009
Kinda what the others have said. I advise adults to steer clear of cheap bikes due to durability issues and some slight fear of catastrophic failure. But four year olds puts a lot less stress on the system and are unlikely to go more than a few hundred miles on a bike before they outgrow it.
I'd look at Craig's List or even Freecycle and see if I couldn't find something in reasonable condition there. If you still want to spend some money, have a local bike shop give it a once over to makes sure the brakes work and the wheels aren't going to come off.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:47 AM on July 1, 2009
I'd look at Craig's List or even Freecycle and see if I couldn't find something in reasonable condition there. If you still want to spend some money, have a local bike shop give it a once over to makes sure the brakes work and the wheels aren't going to come off.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 7:47 AM on July 1, 2009
I have an Adams bought from Craigslist. I wouldn't recommend new, but I tend to be frugal. It works well. Craigslist is great for stuff that people don't tend to keep forever.
A couple of interesting points: it wobbles a bit, as the hitch linkage is not completely free of slop (a new one will do this too as far as I can tell). It's something you easily get used to, but it can take you by surprise as the combined weight of kid+TAB wobbles a bit. There's a more expensive Burley model (Piccolo) out there that attaches via a different kind of hitch that some people like better--it probably has less wobbling issues but I don't see either one actually failing.
Some people like the Trail-Gator because you can ride to a park, unhook the kid's bike, and they can actually ride around with it.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 8:13 AM on July 1, 2009
A couple of interesting points: it wobbles a bit, as the hitch linkage is not completely free of slop (a new one will do this too as far as I can tell). It's something you easily get used to, but it can take you by surprise as the combined weight of kid+TAB wobbles a bit. There's a more expensive Burley model (Piccolo) out there that attaches via a different kind of hitch that some people like better--it probably has less wobbling issues but I don't see either one actually failing.
Some people like the Trail-Gator because you can ride to a park, unhook the kid's bike, and they can actually ride around with it.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 8:13 AM on July 1, 2009
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posted by orme at 6:36 AM on July 1, 2009