A trailer bike (also known as a trailer cycle, and trademarked names such as Trailerbike, Trail-a-bike, Half wheeler or Tagalong) is a one-wheeled, or sometimes two-wheeled, bicycle trailer designed to carry one or more children in positions that closely resemble that of a bicycle rider. It can be described as the, "back half of a bicycle." [1] The rider of a trailer bike usually has a saddle, handlebars, and pedals. Some fold for more compact storage.
The trailer bike was patented by Canadian entrepreneur Delbert Adams in 1987. [2] [3] Adams started the manufacturer of trailer bikes, Trail-a-Bike, and began selling them in the early 1990s, [4] although the same concept had been previously independently and imitatively invented by others at least as far back as the 1930s with the Rann Trailer. [5]
Trailer bikes have come in a variety of configurations. These include upright-bicycle-like seating, and recumbent-bicycle-like seating as with the Weehoo iGo. [6] Trailer bikes have been available in single-seat and tandem configurations. [7] Trailer bikes may have just one gear or more than one. They seldom have brakes.
A trailer bike is attached to a bicycle at either the seatpost or on a special rear rack by a linkage that allows for pivoting. Alternatively, the hitch mechanism may rotate using the seatpost as the pivot. The attachment may include a quick-release option. [8]
The Trail-Gator tow bar and FollowMe Tandem coupling are two products that convert an existing, complete kid's bike into a trailer bike. [9] [10]
A trailer bike (also known as a trailer cycle, and trademarked names such as Trailerbike, Trail-a-bike, Half wheeler or Tagalong) is a one-wheeled, or sometimes two-wheeled, bicycle trailer designed to carry one or more children in positions that closely resemble that of a bicycle rider. It can be described as the, "back half of a bicycle." [1] The rider of a trailer bike usually has a saddle, handlebars, and pedals. Some fold for more compact storage.
The trailer bike was patented by Canadian entrepreneur Delbert Adams in 1987. [2] [3] Adams started the manufacturer of trailer bikes, Trail-a-Bike, and began selling them in the early 1990s, [4] although the same concept had been previously independently and imitatively invented by others at least as far back as the 1930s with the Rann Trailer. [5]
Trailer bikes have come in a variety of configurations. These include upright-bicycle-like seating, and recumbent-bicycle-like seating as with the Weehoo iGo. [6] Trailer bikes have been available in single-seat and tandem configurations. [7] Trailer bikes may have just one gear or more than one. They seldom have brakes.
A trailer bike is attached to a bicycle at either the seatpost or on a special rear rack by a linkage that allows for pivoting. Alternatively, the hitch mechanism may rotate using the seatpost as the pivot. The attachment may include a quick-release option. [8]
The Trail-Gator tow bar and FollowMe Tandem coupling are two products that convert an existing, complete kid's bike into a trailer bike. [9] [10]