My husband, Scott, doesn’t trust me on bicycles. He worries about my lack of balance, my failure to notice hazards and my tendency to make “irrational” moves. The news that I would be test-driving a new pram-bike – pedalling, steering and braking with our 16-month-old son strapped helplessly in front – did not sit well. I was also six months pregnant at the time.
He needn’t have worried. It wasn’t that I handled the bike expertly. On my very first run, I crashed into a tree. But our son, Jack, was unfazed by the experience and the vehicle undamaged. The Taga offers an extremely safe and smooth ride – on a suburban pavement in north London at least.
The pram-bike concept was initially developed by Shlomo Barak, an Israeli industrial designer looking for a way to enjoy the outdoors with his grandchildren. He made a prototype from two folding bikes and then spent four years perfecting it for commercial production with help from his sons, Amit and Hagai, their business associate Michael Heimann and design and engineering specialists from Israel, the Netherlands, Belgium and Taiwan.
As I said, I’m not a serious cyclist but the specifications seem impressive: extra-thick aluminium alloy tube frame, Shimano Nexus Inter-3 gears with three different speeds, disc brakes at the front, roller brakes at the back and 16in quick-release wheels. It is a high-tech and streamlined machine, albeit in a girly, upright, touring-bike sense; this is no manly mountain climber.
On the pram side, the Taga has an adjustable seat with a head cushion, five-point safety harness and a removable, waterproof, non-flammable fabric cover. Most important, this seat is positioned below the handlebars in front of the cyclist – much better than the standard arrangement whereby the child sits above the wheels at the back. From the end of this summer, Taga will offer a couple of two-seater options for the passengers. There are also plans for an infant car-seat attachment.
For a buggy, it looks cool. And, as anyone living in an upscale family area nowadays knows, style is important. In my neighbourhood, you can’t walk down the street without seeing several superbly designed and highly priced Bugaboos. We’ve opted for the more rugged Mountain Buggy, which costs about the same but can double as a jogging stroller, as well as a lightweight Maclaren, another top seller among the yummy-mummy set.
For suburban mums, the Taga is more eco-friendly than travelling by car. It is by no means a compact contraption, however – weighing 44lbs-63lbs depending on its configuration and measuring 2ft 5in wide and 5ft 5in long in bike mode (with a stroller length of 3ft 11in). Even if I got rid of the two prams and three standard bikes we currently own, I’d still have trouble finding space for a Taga in our two-bedroom flat. It also costs a whopping £1,695 ($2,820), easily outstripping prices on the best prams and even on some high-end bikes.
Still, given unlimited space, unlimited cash flow and a neighbourhood with reliably traffic-free streets, I’d love to have one. Putting Jack in and tightening the straps around him was a snap, as was pedalling, shifting gears and braking down our leafy street of terraced houses. The ride was smooth and easy and, since it was a cool day, I didn’t break a sweat. There weren’t any nearby hills to try, but I imagine they would be good exercise going up (always important for a busy mother), if slightly scary going down (especially since Jack was riding without a helmet).
I did feel safe, though; the Taga meets all European safety standards for bikes and prams and it certainly weathered the tree incident without a wobble. Indeed, my only real problem was turning, since you don’t lean as you would with a two-wheeled bike. Instead I ended up making wide U-shapes, which wouldn’t have been possible on a crowded path or busy road.
Jack, meanwhile, seemed confused at first but then rather pleased with the speed, especially when we passed the cheering Taga entourage helping us with the demo. He likes to point and wave.
The next test was converting the bike to a pram, which should be a 20-second process, according to the company’s press materials. It took me rather longer, even after having it explained several times, but perhaps that’s due to my own ineptitude. You start by removing the seat with the child still in it and setting both on the ground; you then flip a lever, pull the seat over the handlebars and lock it into position. I probably would have got the hang of it after a while. Jack was uncharacteristically patient.
When pushing the Taga as a pram, however, it felt rather unwieldy. I’m used to our compact Maclaren and our Mountain Buggy, which, though larger, has a swivel-front wheel that allows for easy turning. I couldn’t imagine taking the Taga into a crowded café or hoisting it on to a London bus.
Still, back in bike mode, I was the envy of my mummy-and-child-filled neighbourhood. My friend Nicole stopped by to try the Taga with her son, Finlay, and liked it too – although she was more worried than I was about safety. As we were testing both our boys in the bucket seat, two other women passed with their children and stopped to inquire. One gave the Taga a test run; the other couldn’t convince her son. But both took the brochure and told the company reps that they could do all their marketing by intercepting mums on the school run.
I may not have the money, space or cycling skills to justify buying a Taga. But I suspect there are more than a few wealthy, sporty, status-conscious parents who do.
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The details
Taga, www.taga.nl
How much
£1,695
How fast
The three-speed Taga can be pedalled up to 20mph
How big
2ft 5in wide, 5ft 5in long in bike mode; 44lbs-63lbs, depending on configuration
How ethical
Manufacturing in Taiwan is certified by the government
Also consider
Trio and Christiana carrier bicycles, both from Denmark, or a standard bike with a Co-Pilot child seat
