Morgan Cycle Shadow Aluminum Trailer Bike

by Morgan Cycle

Product Features

• Single speed 20" wheel folding model with aluminum frame
• Fits nearly all 26" and 700c bikes
• Proven steel hitch with quick-release system fits most seatposts
• Safety flag, full coverage chainguard, and splash guards
• Weight capacity of 100 pounds

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 62 x 22 x 41 inches ; 23 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 24.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0023R2HZY
• Item model number: 41109
• Manufacturer recommended age: 4 - 8 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,359 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #26 in Toys & Games > Bikes, Skates & Ride-Ons > Pedal Cars
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Great way to teach children the rules of cycling, while keeping them close and safe. Parent rider has total control of steering, braking, speed, and balance. Your son or daughter can pedal to help you along, or just coast and enjoy the scenery. Silver color.

Product Description

Teach your little ones about cycling or bring them along on that epic ride with the Shadow aluminum bicycle trailer from Morgan Cycle®. This passive trailer is designed with a single 20" wheel, and it gives the adult on the pilot bike total control of steering, braking, speed, and balance. It is designed with a folding frame, so it stows easily in a trunk.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Watch out, July 20, 2010

By 

KELLY ADKINS (IRONTON, OH, US) - See all my reviews

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Morgan Cycle Shadow Aluminum Trailer Bike (Toy)

Bike arrived with a dent in the fender from the rack being packed on top of it. The hitch to the adult bike has multiple hinges. No matter how much we adjusted the hitch, the bike leaned to the right significantly where our child could barely stay on the seat. It also rode out the the left behind the adult bike. We are returning the product. Very diappointed.

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Buy It!, August 11, 2011

By 

DHS (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Morgan Cycle Shadow Aluminum Trailer Bike (Toy)

This thing was a total waste of money. I wish I would've returned it but by the box got destroyed and it seemed like too much of a hassle. I kept thinking I could solve the problem of the crappy hitch and the subsequent instability, or that my kid would grow into it and get better at balancing but neither ever happened. Instead, my son was so insecure on it that he hardly ever wanted to ride and has gotten turned off to biking altogether! I got sucked in by the rack on the back, thinking it would help us carry stuff to the beach after we gave up the trailer but adding weight to the back makes the wobbly hitch issue even worse. Terrible quality for the money.

3.0 out of 5 stars Hitch wobbles, July 25, 2011

By 

S. Cornett "stevecor" (Redmond WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Morgan Cycle Shadow Aluminum Trailer Bike (Toy)

The hitch quality is poor. Despite being made of overly thick and heavy steel, it does not keep the trailer upright securely. The amount of wobble will scare any young child as soon as they get on. There was duct tape on the hitch parts, a lame attempt to reduce the slop. I spent many hours studying and experimenting and was eventually able to solve this problem with some precision machining. Details on that below. I have numerous other minor complaints. The axle is not long enough to attach both the fender and the rack. I opted to discard the fender. My child complained that the seat is too hard. The cranks are too long. The gearing is too low/slow. The inner tube arrived punctured.

On the plus side, this trailer bike is very lightweight. After solving the hitch problem, my child loves it. Even with my hitch solution, riding is a challenge compared to a two-wheel trailer. It takes some arm strength and concentration to hold it steady, especially at low speed.

Here is how I solved the hitch problem. Basically, the parts do not fit tightly enough and the holes are all too big for the bolts. There are four bolts. The instructions offer an alternate configuration that uses only three bolts, claiming more stability, but it is a joke as it does not allow the hitch to pivot up and down, and reduces the wobble by only a quarter. (1) The bolt farthest forward is the quick release type that is typically used to hold a seat post. I discarded it in favor of a larger diameter 3/8in quick release pin from Home Depot. The Home Depot pin is not threaded, it is just a straight rod with a spring clip. I drilled the hole larger to 3/8in for this pin. The new pin fits very tight, and needs to be persuaded in and out. However, it is maybe even faster to remove and insert than the original, not needing to be threaded every time. I also inserted a shim I made from roofing sheet metal (Home Depot again) that reduced the free play even further. (2) There are two bolts going through yokes and a section of square tube that are the horizontal and vertical pivots forming a U joint. I inserted greased washers carefully sized to shim the parts so they all fit snug. Then I tightened these bolts very tight to keep the parts from flexing and twisting. The grease allows them to pivot, even under pressure. (3) The 4th bolt, farthest to the rear, holds the hitch to the trailer frame. The alignment of this joint is critical to keep the trailer perfectly upright, so I first clamped both the towing bike frame and the trailer frame upright and checked with a level to get them perfectly plumb and therefore aligned to each other. I drilled the hole larger to 3/8in and used a 3/8in bolt, which fits more snugly than the original. After I was satisfied with the alignment, I used JB Weld epoxy to permanently fix them. With all this work, there is still a bit of flex in the hitch, but it is acceptable to me now.