Life can be a challenge for a family with young children that is serious about cycling. There are several awkward years, when the children are to big for child seats or even bike trailers, but too little to keep up with the adults on their own bikes. We covered trail-a-bikes in a previous post as one option.  Another option is a suitable tandem which can  allow your family to maintain a continuous cycling tradition.

Tandem bicycles, particularly for families already riding one, can be another option for families with a young rider. You can buy a tandem but new ones are very pricey and there are not many used ones available. When your kids are tall enough, you can install a kidback, also known as a child stoker kit. This device raises the rear crank set so children who cannot reach the normal stoker pedals, can ride along and help pedal.

One of the issues with tandems is that when you pedal, the child must also pedal unless they take their feet off the pedals. They can just spin the pedals, taking it easy. This, along with price, is why trail-a-bikes (where the rider can coast), are more popular than tandems for riding with kids.

The tandem bike itself is a bigger investment than a tag-along but it may be worth it for a family that wants to go long distances. The tandem puts the child up at about the same level as the adult, and often the child has steering and shifting capabilities. This set-up can work for a wide age range as your child grows but who knows how long a pre-teen would want to be seen on a tandem with his or her parents.

this article was adapted from the tandem section in Fit Family

top photo by tandemracer     lower photo courtesy of Sheldon Miller

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