Tandem bike attachments are an excellent way for your child to share in the fun of your bicycle riding. After all, many kids can be too old for a bike trailer or a bike seat, but still too young to ride on their own. Or they could be too young to handle specific trails by themselves. A good tandem bike attachment can easily resolve this issue; it is a good way for children at this age to be able to tug along safely and securely while you do the hard work.
Of course, you don’t want to simply purchase any tandem bike attachment available on the market for your kid to use because you first want to know that what you’re getting has been tried, tested, and proven safe. You don’t want to be on a trail with your kid on tow and have the whole thing break down at the most inopportune moment, after all. This is why we took it upon ourselves to check out the different tandem bike attachments available on the market today, running them through our own tests, so we can give you a good idea which ones are worth considering and which are definitely worth paying for.
In other words: we’ve done the leg work for you! So, before grabbing your credit card and making a purchase, be sure to check out our roundup below what, in our opinion, are the best tandem bike attachments available on the market today!
1. WeeRide Co-Pilot Bike Trailer
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WeeRide is a top-rated manufacturer of bicycle accessories for kids, and their Co-Pilot bike trailer is another great product from them that’s both sturdy and easy to attach. It comes in a variety of designs, too, to match any bike.
It’s an attachment that looks and feels like a real bike—it has an adjustable seat post, as well as handlebars and pedals for a child to rest their hands and feet on. The attachment itself is just around 24 pounds, and we were really impressed with how sturdy the whole thing was. It has a quick-release detachment system that makes putting it on or taking it off really easy, and it’s foldable, too, for easy storage.
One thing that some people might not like about the WeeRide Co-Pilot is that, at 24 pounds, it’s heavier than some of the more expensive mountain bikes. The attachment will be doubling the weight of one’s bike. Of course, a tandem bike attachment like this, or like anything else for that matter, will necessarily add weight to your bike, and while the extra weight was something we expected and wasn’t all that big a deal for us while riding, it is something that someone might want to consider before purchasing this accessory.
2. WeeRide Pro-Pilot Tandem Bicycle Trailer
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From the same well-established creators of the Co-Pilot Bike Trailer, the WeeRide Pro-Pilot is pretty much the same as the former, except it’s lighter and made from aluminum. How much lighter? Well, only 2 pounds. But let us tell you: that two-pound difference can really be felt. Comparing the Co-Pilot to the Pro-Pilot, we felt that the latter was overall easier to maneuver. Indeed, the WeeRide Pro-Pilot just might be the lightest tandem bike attachment that utilizes this design, so it might very well be the best choice for someone who prefers this specific bike attachment design.
The WeeRide Pro-Pilot has all the bells and whistles of its more affordable brother, including the foldable hinge for easy storage. Overall, it is a slightly better version of the WeeRide Co-Pilot. It is also the lightest tandem bike attachment on this list—this and the fact that the design is so great makes the WeeRide Pro-Pilot our favorite choice.
3. FollowMe Tandem – Parent-Child Bicycle Coupling
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The FollowMe Tandem Bike Attachment is another great option for those who want to tow their kids, and it implements a rather unique system. Basically, the attachment allows parents to couple their bikes to their kids’, in effect hauling their kid’s bike as they ride.
The great thing about the FollowMe Tandem is that kids can basically bring their own bike on a trail, and parents can attach their kids’ bikes to theirs only when needed, like during high-traffic situations or when their kids get tired. Disconnecting and reconnecting both bikes will be easy once the relevant parts of the attachment have been installed on both bikes. FollowMe Tandem says that it takes around 30 seconds to either disconnect or reconnect, and while it took as twice that long, we’re sure anyone can do it within the advertised time-frame with enough practice.
We have no complaint about the construction of the attachment. We find it to be well-built and very durable. This thing will last a long time and will be able to take a lot of abuse, that’s for sure. We also appreciate the fact that it’s made from Chromoly steel, which makes it not just durable but lightweight, too.
One downside to the FollowMe Tandem is that the initial installation can be quite difficult, especially to the non-technically inclined. It took us about an hour to make the initial installation, and some of the tools that we needed to use weren’t even included in the package.
Another downside is that there will be hardware installed on your bike on a rather semi-permanent basis (because taking it out and reinstalling it when needed will be a chore). And this will be the case for both your bike and your child’s bike. While both bikes are detached, the adult’s bike will have almost the whole attachment tucked behind their bike via a strap connected to the saddle. Once this initial installment is done, however, attaching and detaching your kid’s bike will be somewhat of a breeze.
And yet another downside to the FollowMe Tandem Bicycle attachment is that, although it will fit most bikes, it won’t fit all bikes. In fact, we would recommend that you contact the seller or distributor first before purchasing the FollowMe Tandem attachment just to clear out any possible compatibility issues.
4. Weehoo Turbo Bike Trailer
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If your child is too small to use the tandem bike attachments mentioned above, then you might want to consider the Wehoo Turbo Bike Trailer. Unlike other child trailer attachments, the Wehoo Turbo Bike Trailer has pedals that will allow your child to contribute some energy to the laborious task of pedaling—if your child wants to, that is!
This attachment is advertised as being great for kids who are 2-9 years of age, but we honestly think that at around seven years, your child will probably prefer a design akin to one of the bike attachments above.
The Wehoo Turbo Bike Trailer can hold kids up to 80 pounds, and even has a storage area behind, which can hold an additional 14 pounds. The attachment also has an easy release switch that will allow you to connect or disconnect it in literally seconds.
Maybe the only reservation we might have with the Wehoo Turbo Bike Trailer is that it might be a little more difficult to store than the other options in this list because it doesn’t fold like the WeRide. And, yes, at 26 pounds, the weight of your bike will be doubling.
