Taking a kids bike with you...

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[XAP]Bob
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Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by [XAP]Bob »

With the addition of a kiddie back tandem to the fleet I have the potential to go and collect kids from various things. However... There are two of them, one of whom is quite capable of riding home, if only I could take the bike with me on the tandem...

Something like a tagalong would be great, but I don't have a lot of seat post showing, so I'd rather something that rack mounted. It's not required to take a loaded bike though... (so I could probably pop fake seat post on the rack)

Given the lack of loading required I'm wondering if I can bodge something...

Hmm...
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Tangled Metal
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by Tangled Metal »

I don't understand what you're looking for. A means to carry a complete child's bike to where the child is so they can take the bike to ride freely off your bike? All without using your seatpost.

An expensive option is a followme tandem. It lifts a child's bike front wheel off the ground to tow. Loaded or unloaded is possible. Then at your destination unhook the bike and hook up the tandem part. Then you both cycle free of each other.

It fits to a replacement rear axle. The tandem fits onto this axle. The child's bike fits into the tandem frame which hooks onto a bracket fixed permanently to the child's bike downtime lifting the wheel up. Once you've got the hang of the tandem it's a minute to hook up and unhook. Heavy but not too bad.

https://www.followmetandem.co.uk
Vorpal
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by Vorpal »

Since you only need to carry the bike without a passenger, I would think you could just strap the front wheel to to the rack. If it were me, I would experiment a little, and maybe make the trip a couple of times using bungees or toe straps, then rig something a little quicker and easier to use.

An old pannier (gaz might have one he doens't want ;) ) could be modified to hold the front wheel and strap in quickly?
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Tangled Metal wrote:I don't understand what you're looking for. A means to carry a complete child's bike to where the child is so they can take the bike to ride freely off your bike? All without using your seatpost.


Yes - so I can take MiniBob's bike with me, and collect them *both* - MiniBob on the bike I took, and MicroBob on the tandem.

The follow is horrifically expensive for such a trivial purpose.


I suspect the 'strap the wheel to the rack' approach, or the 'get a fork clamp and bolt it to the rack' methods might end up winning.
Not sure how well the trailing bike will follow at such an angle (24" wheel bike, with the fork held over a 26" wheel - that's a 14" slope)
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honesty
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by honesty »

I need to do this as well... if you do work out a way to strap the wheel to the side of the rack I would be interested in hearing how. Guessing straps rather than bungees would be the better option.
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by Vorpal »

[XAP]Bob wrote:
Tangled Metal wrote:I don't understand what you're looking for. A means to carry a complete child's bike to where the child is so they can take the bike to ride freely off your bike? All without using your seatpost.


Yes - so I can take MiniBob's bike with me, and collect them *both* - MiniBob on the bike I took, and MicroBob on the tandem.

The follow is horrifically expensive for such a trivial purpose.


I suspect the 'strap the wheel to the rack' approach, or the 'get a fork clamp and bolt it to the rack' methods might end up winning.
Not sure how well the trailing bike will follow at such an angle (24" wheel bike, with the fork held over a 26" wheel - that's a 14" slope)

Racing cyclists used to have clips on their fron forks that they could use to carry their spare wheels. Maybe you could make a sturdier version of those for your rear?

Otherwise, I think the head tube just needs to be close enough to vertical to allow the bike to track what the tandem does. That's one of the reasons I suggested a pannier conversion.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by [XAP]Bob »

I have done it once before, getting a BSO back from my office, being towed by my trike.
I know it works - it's just a case of guarding the various frame elements - the fork wants to be able to rotate about the wheel - so you need some way of creating a standoff between the rack and the wheel.

That actually might be *easier* with a 24" following bike than a 26" one - I can imagine a 'fold out' support at the bottom, and an arm to hold the top of the wheel... Holding the wheel by three points, a few inches to the side of the rack. The fork/frame can then rotate easily about both the vertical and horizontal axis.

If I could get my head around the geometry of a bike being towed with it's front end significantly higher then I suspect I prefer the 'inline' option.
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rjb
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by rjb »

Sounds like you may need a "Rann" or "Hannington" trailer. They do appear from time to time but you have to be patient. :wink:
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Are they not both trailer bikes - i.e. not a bike when I arrive.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
rjb
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by rjb »

[XAP]Bob wrote:Are they not both trailer bikes - i.e. not a bike when I arrive.


Sorry I thought from the inline option that was what you were looking for. Useful tip for carrying wheels here and it may give you some ideas for mounting on the rear rack.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=69330&p=594958&hilit=Wheel+Carriers#p594958

:wink:
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by [XAP]Bob »

I'm looking to tow an existing bike.

There is a bit of me that wonders if I could strap it, inverted, to the stoker saddle/bars but I suspect that would be unsafe in many ways.

I have seem a pic of a cyclist with a rear rack that had a roof rack style fixing to carry another bike basically hanging off the back :shock: It was a cargo bike, so not *quite* as bad as it sounds, but close.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by Cyril Haearn »

N+1!
You could buy the triplet that was advertised here recently
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Still doesn’t provide a solo at the far end though...

I took a look and the isla front wheels are 100 OLN, so I might sacrifice an old front wheel and clamp the hub shell to the rack as a cheaper version of the (overpriced) dropout mounts.
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SimonCelsa
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by SimonCelsa »

An oldish (and not very clear) picture but why not fit a sturdy rack on the rear of your kiddiback and stick one of the little beggars there?

tandy.jpg
tandy.jpg (19.41 KiB) Viewed 2019 times


I fitted foot pegs to prevent small feet getting mashed in the spokes, & pipe insulation along the rack rails to facilitate comfort for bony bums.

That was good for about 3 years until it definitely became uncool to even have a Dad!! We only used it around town & for school and back so no trips much in excess of 5 miles. Never had any hassle from the 'rozzers' although can't recall seeing that many,

All the best, Simon
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gaz
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Re: Taking a kids bike with you...

Post by gaz »

Trailgator?
Having seen some in action I wouldn't choose to tow a bike whilst a child was using it but I'd probably be happy enough to use it to tow just their bike.

You may still need to drop out the front 24" wheel.
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