cargo trailers?

[ie]

We've started riding tandem again and we're thinking of using it for around
town stuff, in addition to training rides, i.e. grocery runs, going to visit
friends, parties, etc., but have no way to carry "stuff" (like pot luck
offerings, six pack or bottle of wine, etc). About the best we've come up
with is that a baguette can be carried shoved through the water bottle cages
on the stoker's downtube. I thought the best alternative would be a cargo
trailer.

Any input from experienced folk on which type/brand of trailers are most
economical and perform best?

Haven't really studied up since the Burley Tourist was the only thing out
there...looks like they don't even make that anymore....

Thanks in advance for any input.
ie

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
"ie" <[email protected]> writes:
> We've started riding tandem again and we're thinking of using it for around
> town stuff, in addition to training rides, i.e. grocery runs, going to visit
> friends, parties, etc., but have no way to carry "stuff" (like pot luck
> offerings, six pack or bottle of wine, etc). About the best we've come up
> with is that a baguette can be carried shoved through the water bottle cages
> on the stoker's downtube. I thought the best alternative would be a cargo
> trailer.
>
> Any input from experienced folk on which type/brand of trailers are most
> economical and perform best?
>
> Haven't really studied up since the Burley Tourist was the only thing out
> there...looks like they don't even make that anymore....
>
> Thanks in advance for any input.

I've thought about trailers, myself. But my current rig of
a milk crate on the rear rack has been so handy that I've
never really had need of anything more. In fact I've been
amazed by its capacity. And it spares me the inconvenience
of storing and hitching/unhitching trailers, and maybe some
manoueverability issues while traveling. If I needed to haul
stuff like 50 lb sacks of flour or lanscaping tools I'd look
again at trailers, not so much for their volume, but just to
keep all that weight lower to the ground.

I suggest trying the milk crate thing first. See if it's
good enough, before springing for the price of a trailer.
It's certainly adequate for urban grocery runs, pizzas,
and 6-packs. And if you need more stuff than the milk
crate can hold, you get an excuse for another ride.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[maxo]

On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 18:41:54 +0000, ie wrote:

> Any input from experienced folk on which type/brand of trailers are most
> economical and perform best

Most folks I've known to use a cargo trailer have been pretty keen on the
BOB trailers. http://www.bobtrailers.com/trailers/

I've seen a Korean kid haul his tiny grandmother in one--now that's
versatility!

 

[Will]

I've got a BOB that I've used for a couple of years now. Tracks well,
I've had it off road with no problems. Mostly though I use it as a
utility trailer to tote the groceries, salt for the water softener (50
pound bag) and so forth. I've even used it to carry a spare bike <g>.
It's very handy and dead easy to install/remove (30 seconds). Be sure
your chain-seat stays are reasonably substantial though. And it might
help to have a touring hub. I've replaced the guts of my rear Chris
King once already. This is probably not an issue with a tandem, but for
a single I would use something industrial.

Will

 

[John_Kane]

ie wrote:
> We've started riding tandem again and we're thinking of using it for around
> town stuff, in addition to training rides, i.e. grocery runs, going to visit
> friends, parties, etc., but have no way to carry "stuff" (like pot luck
> offerings, six pack or bottle of wine, etc). About the best we've come up
> with is that a baguette can be carried shoved through the water bottle cages
> on the stoker's downtube. I thought the best alternative would be a cargo
> trailer.
>
> Any input from experienced folk on which type/brand of trailers are most
> economical and perform best?
>
> Haven't really studied up since the Burley Tourist was the only thing out
> there...looks like they don't even make that anymore....
>
> Thanks in advance for any input.
> ie


There was a recent thread on uk.rec.cycling that you might find
interesting. It was entitled:"cycle cargo trailers". The British seem
to be into trailers.

Here are a couple of urls that might be useful

http://www.bikesandtrailers.com/bike-trailers/index.html
http://www.healthchecksystems.com/croozer_cargo_bike_trailer.htm

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

I submit that on or about Sat, 16 Jul 2005 18:41:54 GMT, the person
known to the court as "ie" <[email protected]> made a statement
(<[email protected]> in Your Honour's
bundle) to the following effect:

>Any input from experienced folk on which type/brand of trailers are most
>economical and perform best?

The BoB is a good bet, it tends to cause weaving if you load it high,
but keep the load low and it tracks like a dream. It's better on
large-wheel bikes (my recumbent and my Bike Friday tandem both have
20" wheels). For all-round usefulness (but less good on the road, so
not a good touring trailer) the BikeHod is hard to beat. Roll up at
the shops, unhook the Hod, use it as a shopping basket, hook back on
the bike and away!

Lots of others on the market, too. Velovision
(http://www.velovision.co.uk) had a market review recently.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

 

[[email protected]]

ie <[email protected]> wrote:
> We've started riding tandem again and we're thinking of using it for around
> town stuff, in addition to training rides, i.e. grocery runs, going to visit

I bought my first trailer about fifteen years ago to haul my kids
around. When they outgrew it I sold that one (got about 65% of the new
price for it), and a while after bought a Burley cargo trailer. Burley's
web page used to have a testimonial from a couple who had bought the same
model and was riding all over the world pulling it behind their tandem.
They say that after 17,000 miles, all the repairs it needed were a new top
(sunlight is tough on nylon) and a replacement hitch. The model they and
I have has been supplanted by a new one that's more streamlined and can be
equipped with a top rack.
There was a pannier vs. trailer thread here a while back, and I was too
preoccupied with other things to add my $0.02 worth. Panniers are
compact, which is both a plus and a minus. The minus with them is that
you have to have a backpacker-like neurosis about weight and bulk. Also,
weight in a pannier is weight on your frame, spokes, and tires.
There are a variety of trailer models out there. Search "bicycle cargo
trailer" on eBay and Google and you'll see what I mean. One model I saw
was essentially a picnic cooler with wheels. There's a trailer you can
buy that is so big and hairy the maker has a picture on their web page of
it carrying an old refrigerator. One super expensive kid hauler I saw is
shaped like the tip tank on an F-80.
I settled on the Burley, perhaps because I've been a backpacker for
decades and it's built a lot like a backpack, with aluminum tubing and
nylon fabric. I like it because it's roomy (any trailer's biggest
advantage over panniers), it can be used without the top cover, and it
folds for storage in my cluttered garage. It's rated for loads up to 100
lbs. (45 kg).
The plus of this or any trailer is capacity, in both bulk and weight.
Try getting three gallons of milk, four loaves of bread, a dozen eggs,
lettuce, bananas, pizza, tortilla chips, and poster paper for the kids'
homework into panniers! For cold items you can buy small fabric picnic
coolers if you travel long distances in hot weather. I got an antibiotic
shipping box (styrofoam) from a friendly pharmacist that I use for ice
cream.
Someone on the other thread mentioned that if you have a trailer, it's
another tire (and an odd-sized one at that) to go flat. On short trips I
just carry the same old patch kit. On a long trip with a trailer, you
have a place to carry a spare, both for the trailer and for the bike.
The minuses of a trailer: Mass is mass. It has weight and inertia.
You'll notice that coming out of red lights, going through dips, hauling
up hills, and riding into the wind. Coming home from where I do most of
my shopping I climb about 300' in a mile. A fifty-pound load generally
costs me one gear unless I'm already tired, in which case it can cost two.
OTOH, going downhill or downwind you get a bit of a break. The inertia of
the trailer also means you have to be careful when braking. A little
weight will of course go on your hitch. You'll probably notice too that
the hitch will eventually rub some paint off your frame if it attaches to
a painted spot as the Burley does.
A minor plus of trailers: attention. You get all kinds of it hauling
kids. With a cargo trailer most cagers give you a lot of room. And I
recently overheard a shopper as I was mounting up with a trailer of
groceries. "I gotta get one of those," she said. A trailer gets you all
the usual benefits of biking: exercise, clean air, savings on gas--all of
this, to a slightly higher degree.
Bottom line: get a trailer. I recommend the Burley. I think you'll
like it.

Bill

-----------------------------------
| We must be the change we seek. |
| --Mohandas K. Ghandi |
-----------------------------------

 

[ie]

Thanks for the great feedback!

There is a chance we'd use it for touring in the future (I'm hoping to get a
life) and I've always heard that trailers are more stable than racks on a
tandem. It's an Ibis Touché and we have bosses for a rear rack, but only
eyelets on the front drop outs and would have to 'rig" for a lowrider. Not
sure I want to go there if the trailer is that much more stable, and
certainly easier to attach and remove.

We don't have a drum rear so we'd probably need to add that before hilly
touring, eh?

Thanks again--REALLY appreciate the responses!
ie

 

[[email protected]]

Couple of things I forgot in my earlier post. First of all, Burley's
web page is at the obvious URL:

http://www.burley.com

The trailer I was going on about is called the "Nomad." They also make
a flat bed trailer.
And just for fun, check out the Owners' Gallery. The highly
experienced trailer I mentioned is down toward the bottom. It and its
younger brother currently live in Thailand, where they both still work
hard.
Burley is an employee-owned business that makes all its products here
in the USA, in case that kind of thing matters to you.


Bill

__o | SUVs are the reason gas costs $3 a gallon.
_`\(,_ | Bicycles are the reason it isn't $4.
(_)/ (_) |

 

[ie]

Thanks, Bill, and yes, having worked in a bike shop in the previous century,
I'm very familiar with Burley's business--very cool organization. They were
the gold standard in trailers when I was a more serious cyclist then (the
only one in trailers for a while) but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing
something particularly new and significant for tourists.

And for a good story--A friend of mine took his 4-year old out one day in
their D'lite and got a little excited (animal) and took a corner a little
too fast and nicked the curb with the trailer wheel. They all rolled over
(bike, rider, trailer, and hence passenger) and he had a good landing in
someone's lawn so was up immediately to rush to his daughter's aid. She was
wide-eyed and smilling--belted in safe and sound in the trailer,
exclaiming--"Daddy--that was FUN! Can we do it AGAIN?" Though he was
mortified to say she was not wearing her helmet--the roll cage did it's job.
Of course, he never let her ride again without her helmet and he never
rolled her again, in spite of her request.

 

[Lorenzo L. Love]

maxo wrote:

> On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 18:41:54 +0000, ie wrote:
>
>
>>Any input from experienced folk on which type/brand of trailers are most
>>economical and perform best
>
>
> Most folks I've known to use a cargo trailer have been pretty keen on the
> BOB trailers. http://www.bobtrailers.com/trailers/
>
> I've seen a Korean kid haul his tiny grandmother in one--now that's
> versatility!
>

I have a BOB Coz trailer and I like it so much that I hardly ever take
it off my commuting/utility/shopping bike. They no longer make the Coz
but a Yak with a tub in it is functional about the same. The original
poster sounds like they only need a light cargo trailer and BOB's are
ideal for that. But carrying anyone's grandmother in any one wheel
trailer, no matter how tiny she is not a good idea. I took my cat to the
vet yesterday and I could feel him moving around in his carrier in the
trailer. A larger live load could be dangerous.

http://www.bobtrailers.com/

For a heavy cargo trailer, I would like to have one of these:
http://www.bikesatwork.com/
But I would probably only need it once a year or so.

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms
of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure
in heart."
Iris Murdoch

 

[Rich]

Tom Keats wrote:

>>We've started riding tandem again and we're thinking of using it for around
>>town stuff, in addition to training rides, i.e. grocery runs, going to visit
>>friends, parties, etc.,

We use our tandem for all our in-town trips, it works great.

As for hauling stuff, we personally use a burley kid trailer, becuase in
addition to the stuff we haul a kid. It hooks and unhooks with ease. I
think you'll find a cargo trailer works well, although I can't really
provide any useful specifics on which one to get.

 

[LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m]

ie wrote:

> We've started riding tandem again and we're thinking of
> using it for around town stuff, in addition to training
> rides, i.e. grocery runs, going to visit friends, parties,
> etc., but have no way to carry "stuff" (like pot luck
> offerings, six pack or bottle of wine, etc).

For those purposes, we prefer folding bicycle baskets, either wire or
cloth. They're a fraction the cost and weight of a trailer, reasonably
inconspicuous when folded, and hold two shopping bags full of goods.
We've also used trailers [BOB and Bykaboose] when we needed the larger
carrying capacity, but the baskets are a lot more convenient.

--
"Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much
to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes,
it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877)

 

[maxo]

On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 22:10:24 +0000, Lorenzo L. Love wrote:

> But carrying anyone's grandmother in any one wheel trailer, no
> matter how tiny she is not a good idea

LOL, true. Come to think of it, It *was* a two wheel trailer with a
flatbed. Perhaps a burley or one of those "bikes at work" type trailers.

Grandma was wearing a dinosaur helmet and seemed very pleased with the
arrangement.

 

[Bob]

ie wrote:
> We've started riding tandem again and we're thinking of using it for around
> town stuff, in addition to training rides, i.e. grocery runs, going to visit
> friends, parties, etc., but have no way to carry "stuff" (like pot luck
> offerings, six pack or bottle of wine, etc). About the best we've come up
> with is that a baguette can be carried shoved through the water bottle cages
> on the stoker's downtube. I thought the best alternative would be a cargo
> trailer.
>
> Any input from experienced folk on which type/brand of trailers are most
> economical and perform best?
>
> Haven't really studied up since the Burley Tourist was the only thing out
> there...looks like they don't even make that anymore....
>
> Thanks in advance for any input.
> ie

Have you considered building your own trailer? You can make it any
size/shape and as light/heavy as you require. 20" BMX wheels are dirt
cheap (the wheels on my trailer were free) and aluminum flat stock is
extremely easy to work. The tools you need are minimal- a sturdy
workbench with a vise, a tape measure, square, hacksaw, drill with
bits, and a few files. Alumaweld and a Mapps gas torch are handy as
well but not required. FWIW, if you decide to build instead of buy
begin your design phase with a clear idea of how you'll hitch the
trailer to the bike. Starting with the hitch will make a lot of your
design decisions for you. I found it was easier and cheaper to buy a
hitch assembly rather than try to fabricate my own.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ie wrote:
>> We've started riding tandem again and we're thinking of using it for
>> around
>> town stuff, in addition to training rides, i.e. grocery runs, going to
>> visit
>> friends, parties, etc., but have no way to carry "stuff" (like pot luck
>> offerings, six pack or bottle of wine, etc). About the best we've come up
>> with is that a baguette can be carried shoved through the water bottle
>> cages
>> on the stoker's downtube. I thought the best alternative would be a cargo
>> trailer.
>>
>> Any input from experienced folk on which type/brand of trailers are most
>> economical and perform best?
>>
>> Haven't really studied up since the Burley Tourist was the only thing out
>> there...looks like they don't even make that anymore....
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any input.
>> ie
>
> Have you considered building your own trailer? You can make it any
> size/shape and as light/heavy as you require. 20" BMX wheels are dirt
> cheap (the wheels on my trailer were free) and aluminum flat stock is
> extremely easy to work. The tools you need are minimal- a sturdy
> workbench with a vise, a tape measure, square, hacksaw, drill with
> bits, and a few files. Alumaweld and a Mapps gas torch are handy as
> well but not required. FWIW, if you decide to build instead of buy
> begin your design phase with a clear idea of how you'll hitch the
> trailer to the bike.(clip) Starting with the hitch will make a lot of your
> design decisions for you. I found it was easier and cheaper to buy a hitch
> assembly rather than try to fabricate my own.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
My home-made hitch was extremely simple, and quite effective. I made the
trailer frame and tongue out of electrical conduit, and the hitch consisted
of a 6" length of 1" Tygon tubing held with hose clamps. The flexibility of
the Tygon made it possible for the bicycle to turn and lean as necessary.
The bicycle end of the hitch was made of conduit, and held to the seatpost
with hose clamps.

 

[ie]

10-4 the hitch....I hadn't thought of that yet...actually, fairly
significant considering I am all torso, no legs so I only have about a 3/4
of an inch of seatpost showing....a seat post hitch is out. Now, if someone
made a suspension seatpost for stokers that needs only 3/4 "....
tx!
ie

.. FWIW, if you decide to build instead of buy
> begin your design phase with a clear idea of how you'll hitch the
> trailer to the bike. Starting with the hitch will make a lot of your
> design decisions for you. I found it was easier and cheaper to buy a
> hitch assembly rather than try to fabricate my own.
>
> Regards,
> Bob Hunt
>

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
"ie" <[email protected]> writes:

> 10-4 the hitch....I hadn't thought of that yet...actually, fairly
> significant considering I am all torso, no legs so I only have about a 3/4
> of an inch of seatpost showing....a seat post hitch is out. Now, if someone
> made a suspension seatpost for stokers that needs only 3/4 "....
> tx!

Here's a PDF document containing plans for a home-built trailer:

www.re-cycle.org/trailer/Trailerbw.pdf

The hitch is a chainstay one, made from a section cut out
of an old bike frame (downtube plus headtube) and some
coiled pipe-bender to effect a sort of universal joint.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

 

[The Wogster]

ie wrote:
> 10-4 the hitch....I hadn't thought of that yet...actually, fairly
> significant considering I am all torso, no legs so I only have about a 3/4
> of an inch of seatpost showing....a seat post hitch is out. Now, if someone
> made a suspension seatpost for stokers that needs only 3/4 "....

If you have eyelets for a carrier or fender, then you might be able to
take some stiff but flat metal bend it into a U shape to go around
behind the tire, add another piece bent the same way but the prongs of
the U are top and bottom, weld or bolt them together. Bolt the piece to
go behind the tire to the eyelets, make sure the bolts are short enough
to not interfere with the wheel, and that it's wide enough and long
enough to clear the tire.

Now the front of the trailer is hollow or solid metal sized to fit
between the second set of prongs. Get a length of plastic pipe big
enough in diameter to fit over the prongs. Drill a hole straight
through the pipe prongs and front of the trailer. To attach the
trailer, drop a long enough bolt straight through, a nut is not
required, although it does make it harder for someone to remove the
trailer and walk off with it.

The bolt will allow the trailer to turn separate from the bike, and you
can add the front part of the hitch to more then one bike, since it's
just a couple of hunks of metal. Put a cap on the end of the plastic
pipe, this goes over the prongs and gets bolted in place, so that the
prongs can't be damaged, and can't damage anything or anyone when the
trailer is not in place. Attach a red reflector to the cap, so that it
is visible that there is an extra length to the bike.

There is your hitch, and no seat post involved.

W

 

[botfood]

I use the Burley 'double-wide'. My kids are now 4 and 7, so the 7 yr
old is now on the trail-a-bike hooked to my seatpost, then the burley
with 4 yr old is attached to that for school runs. For errands I
usually move the burley to my road bike... holds about 6 bags of
groceries. Also great because mine folds flat when empty to reduce
wind resistance.

IF you dont need to carry as much, the single wheel BOBs might be
better since the track inline with your wheels and are a little easier
to deal with on narrow streets. But having a wide rig is sometimes
better for eastablishing yourself mid-lane as a vehicle!