The Family Who Bikes Together Needs an Adams Trail-a-Bike

The leap from trike to bike is a big one. There’s the balancing, the stopping, and the super-challenging one: keeping up with the parents. As a parent, it can be incredibly hard to ride slowly enough to stay near a kid on a bike. Then there’s the worry that the wee cyclists won’t stop where and when they’ll need to. If you really want to ride a bike with your kids rather than watch them ride, think about an Adams Trail-a-Bike.

This one-wheeled bike attaches to most adult bikes so the pair of you can pedal away together. You add a hitch to the adult’s seat post, which only needs to be installed once using an allen wrench and the included plastic shims to ensure a snug fit. To add the trail-a-bike, plug it into the hitch and secure it with a pin and nut that’s tightened by hand. That’s it. Hop on and ride away.

Riding takes a little practice: The adult pulls the trail-a-bike, which can go left/right or up/down at the hitch. Turns need to be a little wider and going up hill takes more effort. Even though the kid can pedal, the adult controls steering and braking. This means you’re free to go longer distances and faster speeds than if the kids were riding on their own bikes. Plus you’re both getting exercise. We have one and — to our surprise — it’s become our preferred method of transportation.

When you’re done, simply unpin and unplug the trail-a-bike. It also folds in half when you remove the seat post for easier storing or fitting into a car.

Ready to feel the wind whip through your helmet? The Single Speed (pictured) is designed for kids 4-6 years old and fits most 26-inch and 700c bikes. It’s a single-speed bike that comes with a chain guard and a removable safety flag. It comes in black, blue, pink, white, silver and red for AU$249.95.