Buying Guide
Getting a tandem bike attachment is an excellent way to introduce your kids into the world of bicycles. There are many options out there, which can make picking a good attachment for you and your kids a bit confusing.
To help you find the best option, we have reviewed a number of the best tandem bike attachments we could find. We have also made a short guide on how to pick child bike attachments to help you make a more informed decision before you purchase.
A tandem bike attachment is designed as an alternative to child bike seats and trailers. Instead of simply being passengers, children using tandem bike attachments will play a more active role in maintaining the mobility of the entire bike.
Apart from the obvious benefit of transportation, these attachments are great for teaching your young children how to properly ride a bike. They will learn how to properly balance themselves while riding a bike, and they will also get used to the overall feel of bike riding.
What’s more is that you, as a parent, can rest assured that children will have a smaller risk of getting injured, as you have a higher degree of control over the ride as opposed to letting your children learn by themselves.
It’s important to note that tandem bike attachments are designed for young kids between 4–9 years old (although some products have different recommended age brackets). The size of your chosen bike attachment should correspond to your child’s age as well as their height.
This is important because not all tandem bike attachments have adjustable seat posts or handlebars. Having one or the other positioned awkwardly may leave your child feeling uncomfortable, or worse, may cause accidents.
Additionally, the size of a tandem bike attachment should be relative to the main bike that you’ll be attaching it to, so the weight distribution remains equal or as close to equal as possible. This is so you can maintain mobility and comfort while on the road. Large attachments will significantly make turning around tight corners more difficult compared to smaller ones.
You will need to consider the weight of both your children and the bike attachment itself, especially if you choose an attachment with two seats. This will affect your pedaling experience, overall riding speed, and most importantly, safety.
It should be noted that different attachments have different passenger weight thresholds. If your bike attachment is not able to hold the total weight of your child, then the risk of danger will increase dramatically. The locks holding the attachment in place may fail, disjoining the attachment from the main bike.
There is no clear-cut definition of the “ideal” weight for a children’s bike attachment. What matters most is that it can handle all of the weight that it will be carrying without being too cumbersome. With that said, keep your bike’s weight limit in mind when choosing a bike attachment for kids.
Of course, user comfort should not be overlooked. Quality of life features such as adjustable seat posts and handlebars can mean a world of difference for your children, especially if you plan to use one tandem bike attachment for a long time.
You may also consider getting bike attachment features like splash guards to keep your kids dry or reflectors to help with visibility in low-light environments. Additionally, a tandem bike attachment that’s easy to attach is always a good idea; there are many bikes that don’t require tools to be attached. These types of attachments are much more convenient, but you should always bring a set of tools in case of emergencies.
Lastly, it’s important to consider the stability of a tandem bike attachment. You should be sure that it will stay attached to your main bike even through rough terrain to guarantee your child’s safety. Also, the locks connecting the tandem bike attachment to the main bike should be secure enough to prevent any wobbling that might make balancing much harder than it should be.
Some tandem bike attachments may not be compatible with the bike that you own. While most bikes can easily be connected to a tandem bike attachment, it’s always a good idea to check for compatibility first so you don’t waste any money or expose your child to risk.
In a hurry? Checkout the winner
Barracuda – Trail Buddy Folding Tow Bike
Pros:
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The Trail Buddy 6 is a simple tandem bike attachment for kids. It has all of the important features you would expect from any other bike attachment, but its sturdy frame and 6-speed Shimano drivetrain give it a quality feel.
This attachment’s frame is primarily made of durable steel and best suited for kids between 4–8 years old. It uses a 20-inch wheel supported by the Shimano gears to provide a very smooth cycling experience that is further improved by a comfortable seat and well-leveled pedals.
Assembly is easy and straightforward, and the frame can be folded for easy storage. It also comes with a safety flag as an added bonus, giving you and your kid an additional source of visibility while riding out on the road.
The Trail Buddy can keep up with adult riding speeds thanks to the Shimano gears, but it might be a bit hard to control. Stability is decent, but it can be improved with some creative home remedies. Otherwise, it’s a solid pick for any parent looking for a way to safely ride with their kids.
FollowMe – Tandem – Parent-Child Bicycle Coupling Pros:
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The FollowMe Tandem Hitch is designed to connect two entirely different bikes together, instead of providing only half a bike for your kid. This clever design allows kids to conveniently ride on their own bikes while also having the option to ride in tow with their parents.
This attachment can seamlessly connect two bikes without much trouble from either party. Once it’s attached to the rear wheel of your main bike, the hitch can then be attached to the front side of your kid’s bike. If you want to separate each bike while in the middle of a trip, you can easily disconnect your kid’s bike and retract the hitch. This will allow you to freely ride on your own without having to take the hitch off, saving you a lot of time and effort.
The FollowMe Tandem Hitch is made of sturdy materials, and it’s surprisingly stable. It’s more modular than your traditional tandem bike attachment, but some bikes may require adapters before this can be installed on them.
Burley Design – Kazoo Pros:
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The lightweight Kazoo bike attachment features an amazing balance between durability and performance. This kids’ bike attachment combines all of the core features that make a tandem bike great without compromising its overall quality.
The Kazoo owes its light weight to its aluminum frame. The attachment weighs approximately 17 pounds, which is fairly well-balanced considering its build quality. The Kazoo is best used by children from 4–10 years old, and it can handle a maximum weight load of 85 pounds.
Installation can be a little tricky since it uses a proprietary hitch mount, but this patented design offers unparalleled stability and security. The mount’s pivots use ball-bearings to create a tighter lock that prevents wobbling and adds a layer of security. The hitch also serves as a tandem bike rack.
This bike attachment for kid features adjustable seats and handlebars for extra comfort, a front splash guard for protection, and a removable towbar for compact storage.
The stability of this bike attachment is great for getting your kids more used to riding a bike since they won’t have to deal with any painful wobbling or swaying. It also offers a more comfortable experience if your kids just want a more relaxed ride with their parent.
Adams – Trail-A-Bike Folding Tandem Pros:
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The Trail-A-Bike is a bike attachment meant for two children. The extra seat makes it longer and somewhat more difficult to control than your typical single-seat tandem bike attachment. But if you’re looking to have fun with both of your kids at once, then you can’t go wrong with this one.
The dual-seat design is complemented well by a high-durability frame made of steel. It can support two children between 4–6 years old with a maximum total weight load of 125 pounds. The large steel frame, however, makes this attachment quite heavy at 34 pounds. It is compatible with most 26-inch and 700c lead bikes.
The Trail-A-Bike is surprisingly easy to store thanks to its ability to be folded down to conserve space.
The attachment’s 7-speed Shimano gear drivetrain makes for a very comfortable ride for your kids while also allowing them to cruise along if they get tired.
Additionally, the child bicycle attachment features adjustable stems, a steel hitch with four different adapters for maximum compatibility, a chain guard, a bash guard, and a safety flag for visibility.
The Trail-A-Bike is a great option if you want to accommodate an extra passenger to tag along with you. The low position of the pedals might mean that you’ll have to bring a taller bike to prevent your kids from hitting the pavement, however.
WeeRide – Co-Pilot XT Deluxe Wide Tire Bike Trailer Pros:
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The Co-Pilot XT Deluxe by Kazam is a great variant of the original Co-Pilot design. The deluxe version offers the same excellent strong points of the original one, but with a handful of extra features and design tweaks to make it stand out.
The overall design of the Co-Pilot XT Deluxe remains very close to the original version. This tandem bike attachment sports a high-tensile steel frame for excellent durability and a quick-attach mounting system that connects to bike hitch posts. It uses Kazam’s patented Sync-Link system to ensure the bike attachment is safely locked in place, preventing accidents and providing peace of mind. Additionally, it can support up to 75 pounds of weight.
The Co-Pilot series is designed to feel like a real 20-inch bike to give children an experience that is as close to the real thing as possible. This bike attachment features quick-detach clamps for the seat, high-quality pedals, and adjustable handlebars. However, what separates the deluxe edition from the normal one is the presence of a 3-inch wide wheel.
The fat wheel’s width allows for a smoother and more comfortable experience for your children. This is a great option to get if your child feels uncomfortable with thinner bike wheels. However, the size of the bike might make turning tight corners a bit more difficult than usual.
WeeRide – Kazam Co-Pilot Bike Trailer Pros:
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Kazam is renowned for their quality children’s bikes and bike attachments, and the Co-Pilot bike trailer stands firm as a great tandem bike attachment for kids between 4–9 years old.
This bike attachment is popular for its high durability and convenient nature. Its sturdy, foldable frame is made of heavy duty steel that can withstand strong impacts. It also has a quick-attach mount that can be easily attached to most 26.8mm–31.6mm bike post hitches. The Co-Pilot’s construction and overall feel resemble that of a normal 20-inch bike.
Apart from its solid construction, the Co-Pilot also has adjustable handlebars, a quick-release seat, high-quality pedals, and a safety flag for added visibility. The front-face side of the wheel has a splash guard to keep mud and water at bay. These features greatly increase the comfort value of the bike attachment, and the priority on safety is a nice touch.
The Co-Pilot can support up to 75 pounds of weight, and the attachment itself weighs 24 pounds. The weight of the bike attachment isn’t terribly heavy, but those who have never ridden a bike with an attachment before might feel a bit awkward upon first use. Regardless, the Co-Pilot is great if you have a kid who wants to take cycling seriously.
