Kids - beyond trailerdom

[Chris French]

Ok, Elinor's only 2 years 4 months, but I'm thinking ahead here so that I can start looking out for
suitable stuff 2nd hand if necessary.

At what sort of ages do kids start moving on from the trailer to a trailer bike (most likely) or to
a kiddiback tandem or whatever? We've only the one at the moment, but another one would be a good
excuse to get a Triplet

And while we are at it at what age do they really start being able to cycle independently?
--
Chris French, Leeds

 

[Just Zis Guy]

"chris French" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> At what sort of ages do kids start moving on from the trailer to a trailer bike (most likely) or
> to a kiddiback tandem or whatever?

About 4 IME but YMMV. It's mostly to do with the age at which they can reach the pedals of course -
I have seen wooden blocks on trailer bike pedals to reduce the inside leg requirement.

> We've only the one at the moment, but another one would be a good excuse to get a Triplet

We reckon the middle seat of our Thorn is probably just about big enough for Mum ;-)

> And while we are at it at what age do they really start being able to cycle independently?

Michael managed 43 miles on his solo aged 8 - but tandems / trailer bikes are a Good Thing because
they even out the difference in pace and help small people cope with big hills.

--
Guy
===
I wonder if you wouldn't mind piecing out our imperfections with your thoughts; and while you're
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[robbiew]

We first went a fair distance with the trailer bike from aged 4 . Our three year old can sit on it and pedal round a field or whatever but gets a bit alarmed on the open road, despite having been happy in a bike seat and trailer in the past.

As our youngest is going to be too big for a bike seat next summer we need to decide whther to get a second trailer bike or a tandem for the eldest who will be six going on 7. All advice is that tandem gives much better handling, but with the disadvantage of not being able to go on trains. If I don't buy a tandem I will spend the cash on a much better bike for myself to tow. Hmm difficult call and difficult to avoid being selfish.

As she is getting heavier the handling of the trailer bike is getting worse as her movements are more likely to make the tail wag the dog as it were. Plenty of great cycling to be done.

CAn anyone near Edinburgh sell me a good value second hand kiddyback?

R

 

[Chris French]

In message <[email protected]>, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
<[email protected]> writes
>"chris French" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>
>> At what sort of ages do kids start moving on from the trailer to a trailer bike (most likely) or
>> to a kiddiback tandem or whatever?
>
>About 4 IME but YMMV.

I was sort of thinking about that
>
>> And while we are at it at what age do they really start being able to cycle independently?
>
>Michael managed 43 miles on his solo aged 8 - but tandems / trailer bikes are a Good Thing because
>they even out the difference in pace and help small people cope with big hills.
>
That's a point, what sort of age do they continue riding a trailer bike?

--
Chris French, Leeds

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Sat, 28 Jun 2003 00:17:29 +0100, chris French <[email protected]> wrote:

>what sort of age do they continue riding a trailer bike?

Aged approaching 6 we decided Peter was getting a bit enthusiastic on the trailer bike (my wife is
not a large person) so we went to investigate tandems at St John Street. We decided on the triplet
to allow big brother Michael to come along as well. But I have taken Michael on the trailer bike
when he was 8 (and large for his age) - however, any time he put serious power on the whole assembly
went very wobbly.

So in my view how long you continue with trailer bikes is largely a matter of how often you ride.
During the summer our lot ride to school most days so it makes good sense to go for the more stable
option. For the occasional weekend family jaunt you could probably live with a trailer bike up to
the point where they can ride a 24" wheel bike of their own.

Guy
===
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notice: ADSL service in process of transfer to a new ISP. Obviously there will be a week of downtime
between the engineer removing the BT service and the same engineer connecting the same equipment on
the same line in the same exchange and billing it to the new ISP.

 

[Tim Sharrock]

On Sat, 28 Jun 2003 00:17:29 +0100, chris French <[email protected]> wrote:

>[...] what sort of age do they continue riding a trailer bike?

I have been limited by the total weight of the children - I used a tandem trailer bike until my boys
were nine and seven (and the nine-year-old is big) There seemed to be a ratio of weights between
them and me at which I started to be unstable. The ex-nine-year-old now weighs at bit more than 60kg
(I am 95kg - we both need to lose weight) and he rides the trailer whenever I let him - it is at the
stage where it is perfectly fine on the flat with little luggage, but up a gentle hill with two
school backpacks and a cornet is not fun.

Tim

--
Tim Sharrock ([email protected])

 

[clare9]

first time i have ever posted on here. But we have a trailer bike for sale and we only live in dewsbury. Best thing we ever bought but our son is nearly 10.5 and he is now ready to hit the road on his own bike. Our son started off on the trailer bike at about 3.5 and he loved it did the yorkshire dales cycleway on it when he was 6 yrs old ours has got three gears and is the proper isla bike they have stopped making them unfotunately due to the lady who invented the company going back into racing. some of the designs of trailerbikes are a bit rigid for our liking.

UOTE]Originally posted by Chris French
Ok, Elinor's only 2 years 4 months, but I'm thinking ahead here so that I can start looking out for
suitable stuff 2nd hand if necessary.

At what sort of ages do kids start moving on from the trailer to a trailer bike (most likely) or to
a kiddiback tandem or whatever? We've only the one at the moment, but another one would be a good
excuse to get a Triplet

And while we are at it at what age do they really start being able to cycle independently?
--
Chris French, Leeds [/QUOTE]

trailerbike

 

[Chris French]

In message <[email protected]>, clare9 <[email protected]> writes
> wrote:
> > trailerbike
>
>first time i have ever posted on here.

Ah welcome, to the sometimes obscure (bibshorts, paving slabs??), but normally friendly
world of urc.

> But we have a trailer bike for
> sale and we only live in dewsbury.

>and is the proper isla bike they have stopped making them

Well I certainly could be interested, though I haven't actually started looking into this
yet properly.

Any other experiences with this or any other particular makes of trailer bike anyone?

(I am tempted by a Tandem +kiidiecranks or a child back tandem - not sure if I can justify it
though...)
--
Chris French, Leeds