Sunday Parkways.
Tag-alongs (a.k.a. trail-a-bikes) are common sights on the streets of Portland. They’re an excellent option for kids who are too big for a trailer, but who aren’t yet able to safely ride in traffic by themselves.
Now there’s a new twist on this popular product — the “FollowMe”. Clever Cycles (908 SE Hawthorne) has recently become a dealer for the FollowMe, which the Switzerland-based company calls a “parent-child tandem coupling” device.
In a nutshell, the $399.00 FollowMe kit allows you to quickly attach your child’s complete bike to yours. It’s different from a tag-along in that your child rides their own bike. When not in use, the FollowMe folds up out of the way over your rear wheel. Also unlike a tag-along, you can still carry one kid in a child seat on your bike while towing another behind you.
I saw one of these in use at Sunday Parkways and it seemed very well engineered. It’s great to have another kid-carrying option available (and at a local bike shop no less) for Portland’s growing number of biking families.
For more on the FollowMe, cruise over to Clever Cycles or visit the manufacturer’s website.
400 Bucks!?!? Sheesh – you can buy a tagalong for under half that amount. Not sure the extra $250 is worth the “convenience” factor.
Very cool but depressingly expensive!
It’s not really that much more than a Burley Piccolo trail-a-bike.
But the key thing is that it allows you to use a childseat in addition the trail-a-bike.
I try to bike whenever/wherever I can, and most often that means hauling both my kids with me. I didn’t want to do the trail-a-bike + trailer train (too long!) and the FollowMe was the only option that would allow me to use my Bobike seat too.
We’ve had one for the past year now, and it seriously was worth every penny (and I paid a bit more since I had to deal with the bank transfer/currency conversion and shipping from Europe on my own).
My favorite things about it (other than the aforementioned compatibilty with a Bobike seat) are the low center of gravity and accompanying stability that comes with it attaching to both sides of my rear axle, and the fact that when we get to a park or bike path, it takes mere seconds to disengage my son’s bike and off he rides on his own. During the last Sunday Parkways, my son was riding on his own until we reached the base of Mt. Tabor, then we hooked him up for the ride up and down, and unhooked him again.
We’ve been on Clever Cycles’ waiting list ever since they first thought about getting them. Just brought it home last night. Looking forward to being able to switch between two bikes easily so either one of us can take our son across town to his now kindergarten.
The tagalong option didn’t work for us because of both the instability and its incompatibility with our racks. I could use our tagalong with my mt. bike for leisurely rides, but could not use it with my city bike and its racks on my commute to work.
The trail-gator tried to perform this function.
I love the innovation that is happening in the realm called “family” bicycling. I just want to see MORE of that innovation trickle down to serve low-income familise who travel by bicycle because they absolutely have to (rather than choosing to).
For those that have used this type of system – is the child being able to apply the brakes on their bike not an issue? I like the idea of being able to let the child ride on their own for awhile (or where safe to do so) but then connecting when their tired or it’s not safe. (Although I agree that the price makes it very unlikely that we’d opt for going that route).
Kim, I can feel it when Milo applies his coaster break, but it’s not enough to stop the bike(s). And after the first ride or two, it didn’t take long for him to figure out not to use it unless I specifically tell him that we’re stopping at a stop sign/light.
Ryno, the Trailgator is definitely similar in concept, and certainly has a much more reasonable price, but it doesn’t allow for the use of a seat for a 2nd child. Also, the few times I’ve seen them in use, they looked pretty wobbly/off-balance with the single connection point way up high on the lead bike’s seat post. But I’ve never used one, so I can’t really compare it to the FollowMe.
I just can’t get over why it is so darn expensive… I mean… it’s just an attachment.
This is one of those times where I would be lining up for the (safety approved of course) department store option if there ever is one.
Hello Magna? Schwinn? Huffy? Are you listening?
We used a Trail Gator for years, and it performed wonderfully. When my older child was riding on it, we could attach our trailer carrying our younger child to the Trail Gator. When the small bike was deployed, you could attach the trailer to the adult bike without any conflict from the Trail Gator. We gave it to my brother when our kids outgrew the kid’s bike and now it’s still doing duty in Alaska!
$400 is a LOT of money for this, but its also about the only thing in its class at this point. personally, i dont like this hitch style for single-wheel trailers like the bob, and i dont like it for this application either. if you used a hitch style like the french used in the 50s for their single-wheel trailers, you could do the same thing, and mount the fork of the kids bike instead of the usual trailer body.
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/images/GBwTrailer.jpg
this hitch design beats the pants off the style of hitch theyre using here, and i dont understand why no one has built trailers and such using it.
it still beats the stuffing out of those careening, awkward-looking, seatpost-mount trail-a-bikes, none of which hold a candle to the burly piccalo.
at the same time, though – im with beth – prices on these things need to come down where people on lower incomes can afford them – though having said that, the more of these that are sold now, the more used ones will be on the market 5 years down the line, at a price point more people can afford.
im gonna get one to attach my zoobomb bike to my tallbike
It is great to see expanding options, spendy to be sure but another choice is always welcome. That said, a kids bike can be carried quite easily on an Xtracycle so the kid is carried on the deck when tired or in complex traffic and rides solo when they choose. All you need to do is stuff the front wheel of the kid’s bike into one of the free radical bags and cinch it all down tight. The rear wheel will trail along. The Xtracycle kit is similar in price and you’ll now have one of the most versatile pieces of kit ever invented.
for $400.00 I bet Pereira could build you one. buy local.
this thing is about 50 assembled pieces of worked metal, engineered, manufactured, insured, documented, distributed, supported with alternate and replacement parts, etc. sure a local artist will whip you one up for $400 – get back to us on that. on what basis are you all concluding that this is expensive? on the vastly simpler products that don’t work as well/do as much? do you drive or take the bus with your 2 kids? uh-huh.
Looks cool and could be a solution to some of my challenges, but I’m unlikely to be interested at that price.
Combine the $400 with the price of of a BoBike seat and you’re approaching the cost of a cargo bike (and more than the cargo bikes Tom LaBonty is making).
Maybe some local entrepreneur could take Joel’s idea and make a better, more affordable version using the French design he showed. Maybe even Tom LaBonty.
Will this fit grownup size bikes? Sometimes I’m awful tired and wouldn’t mind a tow home at night!
the maximum towed bike’s front wheel size is 20″, and there’s a weight limit that most adults will exceed. maximum recommended age for the towed rider is 9.
Of the tag-a-longs I’ve seen, this looks like the most robust and stable. I am very encouraged by this leap forward for child inclusion. I would opt for a local version first, if available.
It is not, IMHO, over-priced. This is on par with any of the quality child-trailers – yet it offers an opportunity for older kids to come for a ride as well. My oldest has now outgrown her trailer and this is a great alternative! I could hook her bike up and pull her through some of the more precarious parts of the route as we get to an are that is safer for her to bike on her own and then hook it back up for the ride back home.