Tagging along with mom

Bicycle enthusiasts like me out there, can maybe relate to this story.

For years I enjoyed riding with my daughter safely on the back of my bike. With helmets fastened, and a seat-belt for her, off we'd go. I'd pedal her to daycare, the store, into town and eventually to school.

Back when she was smaller and could ride behind me.

However, around age 4, my daughter outgrew the child seat, she was too tall and heavier than 35-lbs- the weight limit on ours.

This put me in a bit of a quandary-I couldn't do the activity I loved with her because she is not yet confident enough to ride along beside me on her own bike.

Then through a conversation with the owner of Old Goat, a bicycle shop in Ithaca, I learned about the tagalong bike (or trailer bike). This is a single wheel contraption, which attaches to the back of an adult bike, allowing you to pull your child behind you as you ride.

The tagalong bike, attached to the back of my Trek

Lucky for me, the store had one in stock. I purchased it, after some fiddling and futzing I managed to get it attached to the back of my Trek racing bike-not the ideal frame for the set up because of my bike's thin wheels. But the tagalong attaches to a seat post, and the seat post on my hybrid bicycle was too thick for it-but the racing bike post fit. So for now this tagalong has provided a great outlet for my daughter and I to still enjoy bicycling together.

This past weekend, when late November graced us with sunshine and 50-degree temperatures, we took to the park and my daughter loved every minute of riding her new tagalong bike.

With the tagalong, she can gain confidence in her ability to pedal on her own, while still relying on me to balance the bike for her. She also gets the feel of what riding is really like-the sensation of balance and a degree of speed without the worry of falling as she would have on her own.

So, until she rides her own bike, this is how we will be getting around together (weather permitting).