Survey: If you bike with a trailer, does it improve your safety?

"MeditationMan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Do you agree that pulling a bike trailer seems to magically cause cars to move further away?

It ain't magic - the trailer takes up more of the lane. I suppose that the bright red and yellow may
help. Perhaps it is the thought that there is a child inside. Who knows? But they do give me a much
wider berth and even let me switch lanes without much hassle.

-Buck

Quoted message said:

Do you agree that pulling a bike trailer seems to magically cause cars to move further away?

yup. Except for trucks North of Sault Ste. Marie...

Riding with my daughter in the trailer makes ME an extra safe rider. I'm even more aware of everything that's going on around me and even better able to spot potential hazards. I'm out there riding for the enjoyment of being with her rather than to get my endorphines.

MeditationMan said:

Do you agree that pulling a bike trailer seems to magically cause cars to move further away?

I feel safer without the trailer since I'm then out of the way of the cars even if they
stay in lane.

Also a trailer restricts you in pothole avoidance, since you have to figure three tracks not one.

And, every uphill is twice as steep, if you're pulling your own weight more or less anyway. You'd be
surprised how many unnoticed grades there are on your regular routes.

Tanjor solved the wind resistance problem but the sheer physical uphill hauling remains.
lodrag.comlodrag.comOpen ↗ happy to give them a plug. The wind-proof enclosure makes it useable for
living creatures in arctic winds, say Dobermans for instance.
--
Ron Hardin [email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Papayahed1 <[email hidden]> wrote:
: yup. Except for trucks North of Sault Ste. Marie...

do the trucks aim for children north of sault ste. marie?

isn't that peace-loving ontario? a province renowned for (among other things) its near complete lack
of baby-mulching machines and if i am to believe michael moore perpetually unlocked front doors.
it's the UP that near single-handedly gave birth to american methcathinone usage. maybe you meant
south? anyway, the UP shares that nice bridge at least.
--
david reuteler [email hidden]

Buck said:

"MeditationMan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Do you agree that pulling a bike trailer seems to magically cause cars to move further away?

It ain't magic - the trailer takes up more of the lane. I suppose that the bright red and yellow
may help. Perhaps it is the thought that there is a child inside. Who knows? But they do give me a
much wider berth and even let me switch lanes without much hassle.

-Buck

I use a BOB Coz trailer which is no wider then my bike is with panniers full and dark green and
pretty obviously doesn't have a child inside. But cars do me a wider berth. It's probably just the
unusualness that makes it more noticeable.

Lorenzo L. Love home.thegrid.net~llloveOpen ↗

"Americans are broad-minded people. They'll accept the fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a
dope fiend, a wife beater, and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive there's something
wrong with him." Art Buchwald

[email hidden] (MeditationMan) wrote in
:"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Do you agree that pulling a bike trailer seems to magically cause cars to move further away?

Completely agree. I bought a BOB Yak to further minimize use of the car. I'm putting it in storage
next month.

I've noticed that people slow down and look at me a lot more. Some laughs, but mostly they must
think I'm crazy. Or poor.

I'd like to think that they're admiring the calf muscles I've gotten hauling 50lb loads of
groceries. 🙂

-Whit

Yes, vehicles seem to give a lot more room. I have a Trek "CC Ryder" trailer, which is 33 inches
wide, which is about 10 inches more than my shoulder width.

Ron Hardin said:

Also a trailer restricts you in pothole avoidance, since you have to figure three tracks not one.

I just yell "bump" to my kids in the trailer.

RFM