Many of the members of the Tandem Club are cyclists who did not want to stop cycling when the kids came. Many adaptations can be made to make cycling with children easy and fun for everyone.
The national events such as Tandem 99 or the International rally are very popular with families. There are many like minded people and many opportunities for the kids to make new friends. There are usually shorter family rides organised during the day, with special events in the evening to keep them occupied.
Trailers are suitable for kids from a few months up to 4 or 5 years. Initially the child is strapped into a car seat which is strapped into the trailer, but once the child can support its own head then it can be strapped into the seat normally provided with the trailer. Some trailers can accommodate two children next to each other.
All these trailers have a nylon cover allowing the child, teddy and favourite toys to be kept dry and safe inside. Most have storage space for the other essentials. Safety is high on the priorities when designing a trailer, so most have strong chassis and frames to provide protection in the event of an accident.
Trailers are also useful for carrying luggage such as the weekly shopping! When not in use the wheels are easily removed and the roll over frame folds flat.
Trailers are surprisingly easy to tow and are very stable. Make sure you choose one where the towing attachment is low down near the wheel axle.
Secondhand trailers are often found in the classified section of the Tandem Club Journal.
These cannot be used until the child is old enough to hold its head up by itself.
They are normally positioned behind the rear seat and are widely available. The child is not as well protected from the elements as in a trailer.
An additional set of cranks that is attached to the rear seat tube. The chain from the kiddie crank connects to the rear chainset on the tandem. The device is simply moved up and down the seat tube as the child grows, however some tandem frame designs limit the possible adjustment range.
The handlebars also have to be considered. For young children a simple frame is available to surround the child and which can be used as hand holds, later on adjustable stoker stems are used to bring the bars close enough.
Special seats are also available where the child can be strapped in - they often fall asleep with the legs still going round but held securely in position!
These are essentially the rear half of a child size bikes with the front specially designed to attach to a pivot point on either the rear seatpin or the carrier rack.
These are tandems built with very small rear seat tube lengths. Generally, the child grows too quickly to make the investment worthwhile, however they could be worth considering if you plan a large family or can find one secondhand.