Trail Gator/Tandem bar problem - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

04-20-2004, 09:21 AM

Thanks. I can see why it should pivot up and down but to be honest
it's much easier to ride if I can stop it swinging from side to side,
and I'm not sure if there's any reason why I shouldn't do so.

"Steven M. Scharf" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message news:<vgSgc.348$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].pas.earthlin k.net>...
> "J Jenkins" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].uk> wrote in message
> news:1ae2b200.0404190424.48694f0f@posting.google.c om...
> > I've just got one of these things; it's not actually a Trail Gator but
> > a similar German device called Profex. Unfortunately the instructions
> > are in German, which I don't read
> >
> > The bar is attached to the seat post of the adult bike. I'm not sure
> > whether it's supposed to pivot around the bar. It's almost impossible
> > to stop it doing so, but the effect is that the child's bike then
> > moves off centre, and tries to pull the adult bike off to one side. I
> > was wondering whether perhaps the joint should be quite loose, so that
> > if the child's bike does wander off centre, it will quickly wander
> > back again.
> >
> > I have actually managed to get it so it doesn't move, by strapping it
> > to the bike rack. This feels OK, but you can't turn in a tight circle.
>
> " What keep the child's bike in an up right position, when attached?
> The tow bar has a vertical and a horizontal pivot, which allow for side to
> side and up and down movement only, and keep the bike in an up right
> position when being towed."
>
> It should pivot, and yes it tries to pull the adult bike. The trail-a-bikes
> that attach to the seat post of the adult bike all suffer from this problem.
> The best model is the Burley Piccolo, which is quite expensive, and requires
> a special rear rack for attachment. But it pulls the adult bike much less
> than the seat post type models.
>
> You're just going to have to deal with the fact that it makes the adult bike
> hard to control.