With a few adjustments, a kid’s bike and an adult’s bike become a tandem. Undo those adjustments, and your child is free to cruise around on their own again.
The FollowMe was developed ten years ago, but has only recently become widely available. In the UK, Cyclesense is the exclusive distributor, working through local retailers and online.
Unlike some bike joiners that anchor a child’s bike to the seatpost of an adult’s bike, the FollowMe connects at hub level. This creates a more stable ride because of the lower centre of gravity, said company spokesman Christian Musgrave.
“The problem with most tow-bar devices on the market today is that most invariably attach to the seatpost of the adult bike,” Musgrave said, “creating an unstable connection which can force the child’s bike to wobble and lean.”
The steel, 4kg tandem device attaches to the adult bike via a special quick release and skewer. BikeRadar asked Musgrave about the potentially heavy torque that this system could place on the quick release.
“With regards the torque, the FollowMe tandem was developed taking this into account, and the skewer and quick release mechanism has been tested to ensure it was able to withstand the force placed upon it,” Musgrave said.
Another benefit to the system is that it can be joined and disjoined on a family ride. For example, the two bikes could be separate when riding on safe, low-traffic roads, then connected to get through busy intersections.
When the child is cycling independently, the tandem remains attached to the adult bike and is hitched up by a nylon strap to the seatpost.
The FollowMe works with kids’ bikes with 12- to 20-inch wheels.
The FollowMe is £210 and is available through followmetandem.co.uk and select shops.
