HOW TO CARRY TWO KIDS?

April 2, 2006

    I have a baby seat on the back of my bike and would like to attach a tag-a-long bike also. Can this be done? I thought I found pictures of it being done online, but now I can't find them for the life of me! I know the Gator towing attachment can't be used, but how about a regular tag-a-long bike?

Heather A.

Heather:
    A product called Tandette seems the only such “tag-a-long” that would work with a rear child seat. All the other ones attach to the adult’s bicycle using an in-line seatpost hitch, which goes right thru the space where the child seat sits. While you might find a Tandette on eBay, however, Tandette’s manufacturer no longer makes them.
    Which I consider just as well—cuz I don’t recommend you carry two kids the way you propose. It forces you to provide balance for yourself and both the kids; if they both happened to lean to the left at once, it’d make toast out of all three of you.
    If you can’t reasonably put your kids together into a single two-wheeled trailer, consider getting a used tandem bike. Put the older child on the back of the tandem, and tow the younger child with that trailer. This requires something of an investment, but look: Any two family members can use the tandem forever, and the trailer will let you carry groceries and other stuff using any bike. Plus, it’d probably come out cheaper than hospital bills—or worse.

Mr Bike

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