Anyone using a Follow me Tandem ???

Pipster3

Hi

Anyone using this clever setup ... I was going to buy a Trail Gator for my lads Cnoc 14 spoke to my friend who had used one in the past and he reckons the clamp knackered the headstock of the bike ...
Phoned Islabike and asked if they could recommend something and told me to have a look at the Follow me ...

http://www.followme-tandem.com/english/index.htm

I think from looking its a classic you get what you pay for the Follow me at £210 and and the seat post setup at around £70 big difference ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr5_O1cFi8k

But I think I'm going to go with the Follow me ...My Lads just 4yrs old so I'll get 4/5yrs use out of it that's less than £50 a year...

Would much appreciate some feedback from someone who has been using one ...

Regards
Phil

Yann___k

I'm using this for about two years with 12'' kid’s bike; I'm now preparing it for 16'' bike.

It is easy to get mounted before the ride on the parent's bike, the kid's bike is really just click in - as on the video you posted.
First time installation on the kid’s bike takes few minutes but nothing serious, once mounted you can forget it.
One think you'll find out - once you get the box - is the weight. It is made of steel; therefore you will feel it once mounted on the parent bike. For me it means I'm not going to terrain with it but I'm limited by kid's skills anyway so it is no problem.

Operation during the ride is easy, connect or disconnect bikes is matter of one minute max. The connection itself is stiff and robust. Since it is connecting between axes close to ground, the kid's bike is not influencing balance of the parent's bike so much. (I hope this makes sense, what I want to say).
I'm mounting it on the hardtail bike used for commuting.

htsw5

Apologies for jumping in on the topic. I'm also considering a Followme and have a couple of questions which Yann or others might be able to help me with.

How do you find the Followme without the child on?

Does the attachment get caked in dirt / mud? Does this cause a problem?

Many thanks

Yann___k

To answer your questions….
Q: How do you find the Followme without the child on?
A: Option 1 - no kid, bike attached :-) – never used, I always use the “complete kit” meaning kid with (on) the bike.
A: Option 2 - only FollowMe mounted child’s and bike disconnected – using the ribbon it is parked attached to the saddle. I do not find it problematic; however you need to consider higher weight on your rear wheel.

Q: Does the attachment get caked in dirt / mud? Does this cause a problem?
A: Mud is not a big problem, with FollowMe mounted I’m avoiding such a roads (look futurer down) and I do have mudgards mounted (is it bike for commuting), plus there is a bit of mudguard on Follow me to prevent kid being dirty (see the picture). I never found mud as a problem, but as I said I try to avoid it.

I either go out with the child who needs sometime to be pulled and therefore I’m going in easy terrain - irrespective of being connected or disconnected since the weak point are skills of the child - and mud is not such a problem or I go our for ride in terrain I do like and than I do not mount FollowMe. In fact for this kind of riding I’m using my second, full-suspension bike.

htsw5

Thanks Yann - a big help.

To put some context to my question, I'm considering options for my (& my son's) commute. Not looking for all terrain capability but would be year round and on cycle paths rather than just dry roads, hence concern for mud & dirt - hadn't spotted the vertical mudguard - just bought the WeeMan a Isla bike, so didn't want it (and him) totally caked.

Currently use a tag-a-long, but want to give him the ability to cycle for part of it solo, so Followme is definitely a strong option.

Thanks again

Pipster3

Yann thanks for the feedback

I bit the bullet and ordered a Followme it arrived today and as expected you do get what you pay for in this case the build quality is fantastic .
As Yann mentioned it does feel heavy but once set up on the bike you don't notice the weight ,it's really easy to set up the instructions are great very easy to follow ... Took it out for a ride this evening with my son on his little Cnoc 14 very impressed with how it rides the way the child's bike clamps in position is so secure no side to side wobble like you get with tagalongs and trail gators and so easy to attach and release child's bike ...
Plus the follow me comes with all the adaptors needed to fit to both bikes just let the distributor know if your bike is not quick release and they will provide adaptor for any rear wheel setup ...
I have just ordered a spare skewer for my wife's bike and the followme can quickly be swapped over to her bike ...

Another plus is you can use this setup with a rear rack so you can use a rear child seat or panniers as well ...
It's works for my family as we like to get out on the bikes at every opportunity so it will be well used ... If your doing a daily commute or in traffic well worth the money for peace of mind ...

Will post some more feedback once we have been out on a few rides ...

Todd Sweeney

Hi all,

I'm also looking to get one of these. It looks so much more convenient than a dedicated tagalong. I wondered whether anyone might be able to help with the following questions.

1. My child's bike has a quick relsease skewer at the front. Would I need to purchase the extra skewer adaptor for the bike?

2. Where is the best place to purchase this from? I have only found it on Cycle Sense on Google, but they charge an additional £10 for postage, so I wondered whether anyone else had found it elsewhere.

Thanks in advance

Pipster3

Hi Todd

I used Cycle Sense very helpfull and placed order and it arrived the next day ....

£10 postage for a large item is OK and its next day as well ...

You will also need the Skewer as you mentioned..
http://www.cyclesense.co.uk/m53b0s592p1 ... ont-wheels

Regards

Phil