Biking With Kids

This past March (2009), after a year of research and pondering, I purchased a KidzTandem from Chris Brown at Brown Cycles in Grand Junction Colorado.  Chris was great to deal with and has a real passion for biking with his own kids.

Arrival and Assembly

Excitement mounted as I got the call that the bike had been delivered. As we tore into the box, we found our new gray tandem was just as quality as we had hoped.
I spent the evening putting on fenders, cargo rack, wheels, handlebars and adjusting the brakes. I also swapped out the stock seats for the ones that we normally use.

It's Here!

Fresh out of the box

A nice user manual

Ready to go

First Ride

The rain/snow finally let up enough for us to try out our new toy. I took a quick ride by myself to get a feel for the bike. I was a little wobbly at first, but after a hundred yards or so I had the hang of it.
Next the kids took turns taking rides, they were smiling ear to ear.  The fenders worked great to keep the spring mud off of us.

In the above video you can see the optional child’s seat.  This has been great for kids that are still a little small to pedal.

Configurations

Over the last six months the KidzTandem has surpassed my high expectations. We’ve done everything from road riding to singletrack mountain bike trails and the bike has performed beautifully.
Below are some of the different ways we’ve used the KidzFirst tandem:

With Sidecar

The Sidecar worked OK, but because the sidecar wheel is so far forward, its scrubs a lot when you turn. I decided to move the sidecar back to the regular mountain bike until I can build a mount to move the sidecar toward the back of the tandem.

Notice the different handlebars for the captain.  I swapped out the comfort handlebars for some straight mountain bike bars.  At 6′3″ I needed a little more room to stretch out.  With the handlebar change I had plenty of room to get comfortable.

Side Car from the other side

Sidecar in motion

With Trail-a-Bike

We put a ton of miles on with the trail-a-bike. This worked really well, other than the fact that the largest child is getting a little heavy for the trail-a-bike itself.

Trail-a-Bike off-road

Once again in the photo above you will see different handlebars.  I swapped out the kids bars with a straight bar and some bar ends.  The kids enjoy having more than one hand position on a long ride.

I also added Power Grips to the child’s pedals.  These grips are easy for the child to get in and out of, but keep their feet from slipping off.

Singletrack at Bradbury Mountain State Park

The latest thing we’ve done is to add some fat tires and head off road.  We were able to tackle all but the toughest single track at Bradbury Mountain.  My child was yelling “Woohoooo!” as we swept though the downhill corners.

Fat rear tire "borrowed" from my wife's old mountain bike

Conclusion

The KidzTandem has been a great way to get out and enjoy biking with my kids. It is a quality product that really delivers.
I will continue to post about our uses of the KidzTandem. If you have any questions please post a comment or send me a message on the Contact Form.

I came across the FollowMe while browsing dreirad (a blog about a family traveling on bikes):

Above Pictures from http://dreirad.fenris.ca
The device hooks to the rear skewer and can fold up when the child wants to ride on his/her own:

Picture from followme-tandem.com

The “FollowMe” would be perfect for my oldest child.  He’s becoming a great mountain biker, but still needs a break more often than his mom and dad.  The “FollowMe” would also allow us to get home easier when we travel a little to far from the car.

I saw this on Craigslist this morning:

Trek Tag-A-Long Bike, few years old, excellent condition

Phone 207 767 1819

• Location: Cape Elizabeth

I found a Gary Fisher “Free Loader” kids tag-a-long bike on Craigslist for $70.

Very lightly used Gary Fisher “Free Loader” kids tag-a-long bike. Folds for easy transport. Adjustable handlebar (allen wrench) and saddle (quick release) positions. Includes attachment for adult bike with various size seat post size adapters.

Cash and local pickup only.

My children have enjoyed many miles on our tag-a-long bike, its a great way to bring them a long.

I came across this today, it looks like a fun way to get your young child out on the trail.

Brit invents child seat for mountain bikes

The website has some videos of how to install the seat and what it looks like to ride with a child.

There is also a review here.

If you google “loct bike kid review” you will find some useful links.