8 Best Tag Along Bikes (Bike Attachments for Kids)

Tag along bikes, trail a bikes, trailer cycles – whatever you call them,  these bike attachments for kids are a unique and adventurous alternative to traditional bike trailers. Tag along bikes allow kids to be out in the open air and active participants in the ride! They’re also a great option for older kids who no longer fit in a traditional bike trailer.

Bike tow bars and tow ropes are a bit of a DIY tag along bike. Using the child’s own bike, you can attach them to your bike and help them cover distances or terrains they wouldn’t be able to on their own. Whether a true tag along bike or a towing option is best for your family will depend a lot on your child’s abilities and what you’d like to accomplish on your family rides.

8 Best Bike Attachments for Kids

Want to see our top picks in action? Check out our video demonstration of all our favorite bike tag alongs and towing options. You’ll see our kid bike testers at work and learn what we love about each towing option on our list.

TAG ALONG BIKES & TOWING OPTIONS DETAILS

Trail-Gator

Best Bike Tow Arm

MSRP: $99

BEST FIT: 12″-20″ bikes (without hand brakes) with riders weighing 70 pounds or less

FULL REVIEW: Trail-Gator Tow Bar

The Trail Gator is a unique alternative to a traditional tag along bike. It consists of a metal arm that connects an adult bike to a regular kid’s bike with tires between 12″-20″ in diameter. This opens up all sorts of interesting possibilities, such as towing a child too small to fit on a traditional tag along bike, or doing rides where a child rides solo part of the way but is towed by an adult through challenging or less-safe sections.

Once the arm is removed, it’s really small and easy to store. Because the Trail-Gator is so portable, it’s saved the day on multiple occasions with tuckered-out kids towards the end of a ride. It’s also a great option if you want the functionality of both a child bike and a trailer cycle, but you don’t have enough storage space for both. Be aware though, that this set-up is noticeably more wobbly than traditional tag along bikes.

KaZam (WeeRide) Co-Pilot Trail a Bike

Best Trail a Bike on a Budget

MSRP: $134

BEST FIT: 4 to 9-year-olds, minimum 41″ tall

FULL REVIEW: WeeRide Co-Pilot

The Co-Pilot Tag Along Bike is a unique and affordable ride that’s a ton of fun to cruise around the neighborhood, drop kids off at school, or even go on longer, paved family rides.

A solid-quality, budget alternative to the Burley Piccolo or Kazoo, the Co-Pilot features adjustable seat height and handlebars, as well as a splash guard and safety flag. Attaching to the seat post, it will be more wobbly than the rack-attached Burley, and also has a heavier steel frame compared to Burley’s lighter-weight aluminum.

Weehoo Blast

Best Trail a Bike for the Youngest Riders

MSRP: $299

BEST FIT: Kids ages 2 to 5

A more economical version of the Weehoo Turbo, this trailer cycle is also a better fit for your youngest little riders. A footrest replaces pedals, which, lets be honest, 2-year-olds certainly aren’t going to use anyways!

Burley Kazoo/Piccolo

Best Standard Tag Along Bike

MSRP: $379/$419

BEST FIT: Ages 4 – 8.  The Kazoo is single-speed, so better for younger riders.  The Piccolo is geared and best for older riders because shifting can be a challenge for younger kids.

FULL REVIEW: Burley Piccolo, Burley Kazoo

Everything Burley makes is pretty awesome, and their tag along bikes are no exception.  The Burley Piccolo and Kazoo are some of the most expensive trailer cycles, but absolutely worth the investment, especially for families who use a trailer cycle a lot. Their unique mounting system makes the tag along bike MUCH more stable than others brands.

Mounting to a rack versus a seat post, we (along with other Burley tag along bike users!) report minimal problems with the bike leaning to one side or the other, especially compared to traditional seat post-mounted tag along bikes. The lack of leaning, or rocking back and forth, makes Burley trailer cycles easier to use and more enjoyable for both parent and child.

In addition to extra stability, the rack mount allows the Piccolo/Kazoo to pivot smoothly in all directions and maneuver around tight corners. As an added bonus, the Piccolo/Kazoo can pivot all the way around so it actually sits next to the adult bike in a bike rack.

Be aware that Burley’s proprietary rack cannot be used for a child bike seat, so you cannot use a child bike seat with this installed.

Weehoo Turbo

Best Recumbent Trailer Cycle

MSRP: $499

BEST FIT: 3 to 9 years old

FULL REVIEW: Weehoo Turbo

Standard trailer cycles can often sway side to side, and their lack of a harness can’t keep kids safe in the event of a fall. That’s where Weehoo comes in! Built much lower to the ground, the Weehoo Turbo is incredibly stable compared to most standard trailer cycles. Additionally, it has a wide, recumbent seat with a height-adjustable harness that keeps kids secure and safe.

Besides keeping kids safe, the recumbent seat allows them to sit back and relax, or throw their hands up in the air! And with pedals that are completely optional, kids can choose to take an active or passive role in the ride.

While fun and enjoyable on paved paths, use on non-paved trails and single-track trails is where the Weehoo really shines.  

Compared to a bike trailer, the narrow footprint of the Weehoo allows the trailers to easily glide through narrow trails without getting stuck on low-lying branches or rocks.  With one wheel, the Weehoo is also able to track smoothly on uneven surfaces, versus a trailer that bounces back and forth on two tires which can create a bumpy and uncomfortable ride.

FollowMe Tandem

Best Bike Tow Bar

MSRP: $320

BEST FIT: 12″ to 20″ bikes, long or short paved rides

FULL REVIEW: FollowMe Tandem Bike Coupling Device

The FollowMe Tandem is similar to the Trail Gator in that it allows you to tow your child on their own bike, and connect or disconnect mid-ride. But the FollowMe Tandem’s design is much higher-quality, which results in a much more stable and smooth ride. If you plan on doing a significant amount of bike towing on paved trails, we highly recommend investing in the FollowMe.

TowWhee

Best Bike Tow Rope

MSRP: $49 – We highly recommend purchasing the version that comes with a lanyard

BEST FIT: All ages and skill levels

FULL REVIEW: TowWhee Tow Rope

The TowWhee is the simplest and most affordable option on this list, and is also the easiest to bring along for the “just-in-case” scenario. Extending from 56″ to 180″ when fully tensioned, the TowWhee allows you to keep your little one close, but also provides enough space so they can more independently ride.

The TowWhee is especially ideal for mountain biking families that want to tackle aggressive terrain or climbs, but who have little ones that don’t yet have the stamina to keep up. Rather than sticking to easy, flat trails, Mom and Dad can provide that extra burst of energy when your little grom is spent. Your eager rider can continue to master mountain biking skills while not becoming too discouraged with the difficulty of the climb.

NOTE: Tow ropes are for climbing only and should not be used on downhill or flat sections.

Tag Along Bike & Towing Comparison Chart

How to Choose the Best Trail a Bike or Tag Along Bike

Choosing the best trailer cycle for you and your child depends a lot on what type of experience you’re looking for, as well as the age and ability of your child. We cover this in more detail in our article Kids Bike Attachments: How to Choose and strongly recommend that you read that before you buy!

Here’s a quick summary of what to look for when selecting a tag along bike or trail a bike that fits your child and your bike.

Tag Along Bike Type

There are three primary types of trailer bikes, trailer cycles, tag-along-bikes… call them what you want, each style has a different purpose and experience.

Standard tag along bikes function like a “half-bike” attached to the back of the adult bike. These trailer cycles allow kids to have a realistic bike riding experience and are great for kids who want to pedal long distances, but just can’t go that far without help. They are commonly called trail a bikes.

Recumbent trailer cycles sit lower to the ground and are more stable than a standard tag along bike.  They are the only type that has a harness system to keep littles safely in place and are the best for riding on more aggressive terrain.

Tow bars or tow ropes allow a child to ride their own bike, and simply get towed by mom or dad if at any point they get too tired to keep riding with their own strength. Tow ropes are super easy to bring along on a ride for a “just-in-case” scenario.

The Child Rider – Age can make a big difference

Many trailer cycles include pedals, which give a child the option to help the parent with the workload. It’s certainly a nice change from pulling a standard trailer full of dead weight, but a child also needs to be able to reach the pedals.

If your child is too young to reach the pedals, consider a recumbent trail a bike like the Weehoo Blast. Its foot rests and harness system are especially great for 2 to 4-year-olds that may not be big enough (or mature enough) to sit safely on a standard trailer cycle.

Older or fiercely independent kids tend to prefer tow ropes or bars, because they still have the comfort of riding their own bikes.

Gears – Do you need them?

Gears are a possibility with trailer bikes, although there are very few options available (the Burley Piccolo and Tout Terrain Streamliner). Because trail a bikes are most frequently used with younger kids, gears can often be too much for them to handle. For most families, a trailer bike with gears is not necessary.

If you’re going to ride rugged terrain or in hilly areas, gears can certainly come in handy if your child is ready to tackle that challenge. You could also use a geared trailer bike to teach a child to shift properly.

Adult Bike Compatibility – Will it fit?

Some trailer cycles attach to the adult bike’s seat post, while others attach to a rear rack. Rack-mounted trailer bikes tend to have less compatibility issues, as long as your bike can take a rack.

If the trailer bike attaches to your seat post, the trailer arm will need to be high enough so there is sufficient clearance between the arm and your rear wheel. If you’re concerned about this issue, our individual reviews of products go into more detail.

Quick Release – How easy is it to remove?

Having the ability to quickly put on or take off a tag along bike can mean the difference between going out on spontaneous rides or staying at home because it’s too much of a pain. Every trailer cycle on this list is relatively simple to mount and un-mount. That said, the Burley Kazoo and Piccolo’s rack mounting system is exceptionally simple to use.

Stability of the Trail a Bike

Any time you’re pulling something behind your bike, you have the potential for some wobble factor. Traditional bike trailers sit on two wheels low to the ground and attach to the rear axle of your bike. This system produces exceptional stability.

Unfortunately, tag along bikes just aren’t as stable as a normal bike trailer. You’re going to feel it behind you and there will be some element of “wobble” for you and the child. Generally, the lower the child sits to the ground, the less wobble you’re going to feel. That’s why recumbent trailer cycles are generally more stable than standard trailer cycles.

As far as standard trailer cycles go, the more you spend, the more stability you get. Budget (but still awesome!) trailer bikes like the Weeride Co-Pilot attach to the seat post and can be pretty wobbly. Burley’s rack-mounting system is more expensive, but also much more stable for parent and child.

Related Trail a Bike Articles

Kids Bike Attachment: How to Choose: Everything you need to know to choose the best trailer bike for you and your child.