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'Bike' trailer - Is this a mad idea?

(87 posts)
  • Started 7 years ago by HankChief
  • Latest reply from HankChief
  • This topic is resolved

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  1. HankChief
    Member

    I'm pondering the next stage in our school run adventures...

    Mini-Chief is of an age he wants to cycle his own bike to school. He's quite capable of the distance and we've fine tuned the route to be relatively safe (albeit not the most direct).

    Micro-Chief isn't at the same stage yet and will continue to need to be transported for the time being.

    So far so good...

    The problem is that there isn't really anywhere to secure or dry to lock up his bike during the day and even if there were we'd then have the problem of getting it home as their return journey is motorised (sorry).

    So, would it work to have a bike trailer with a bike rack on it and I take his bike away with once I've dropped him off (I have secure bike parking). This would give the benefit of being able to expand capacity once Micro-Chief wanted to do the same.

    The disadvantage would be the cost and amount of engineering required.

    I had thought about a trailgator or Follow me tandem but they only work up to 20" wheels and I'm not convinced they would stand up to daily use.

    So mad idea or not?

    Posted 7 years ago #

  2. crowriver
    Member

    I've transported bikes by trailer. It works, but can be a faff lashing them down to stop them moving about or falling off. If you had something like the roof racks for cars that might be quicker, I don't know. Removing front wheel might aid stability.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  3. wee folding bike
    Member

    I used to pick three of them up. I folded the kid trailer and bungied a bike on top then went to their school.

    On the way back I had two in the trailer and one on his own bike.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  4. urchaidh
    Member

    Flatbed trailer (like a Carry Freedom) with a car roof style cycle carrier fixed to it? Could be engineered to be removable so that trailer and carrier could be used 'normally' too. Always plenty of cheaper roof carriers on Gumtree, ebay, etc.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  5. LaidBack
    Member

    As Urchaidh just said - CF has nice deck to bolt stuff onto. I have one you can borrow to measure up if you like. I also have the long towing arm so longer bikes can fit.
    Of course these bikes are always in a bike box but car rack / bike rack could work.

    It's all modular and very useful for all sorts of things. Got it just after we moved into the first shop at Marchmont and use it every week to take stuff.

    Got a Circe Atlas folding trailer for sale at £100 but think the larger CF is more useful for you.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  6. HankChief
    Member

    @urchaidh That's what I had in mind.

    I should say the wee man's bike is a 26" one which means it needs to be a robust solution.

    Someone else has suggested one of these bespoke rear racks which you can strap front wheel(s) to.

    http://www.tinyhelmetsbigbikes.com/blog-we-ride/the-caddyrack

    @laidback - thanks for the offer. I might take you up on it with my engineering consultant (@biketrain) to think through if it is doable

    Posted 7 years ago #

  7. Greenroofer
    Member

    @HC - you do realise that CCE is one of the worst places to come and ask if the bicycle-related thing you are doing is a 'mad idea'. Inevitably people on here will give you lots reassurance that it's not a mad idea, followed by helpful advice about how to do it.

    I wonder if you'd be better getting your engineering consultant to design something made of wood to bolt to your Carry Freedom. You could custom-build it to fit the bike you need to carry, so you could drop the bike into it and clamp it in place very quickly. A car roof rack thing might be cheap, but it will be massively overengineered for your purposes, as even you won't manage 60mph with this trailer.

    Two parallel pieces of marine ply the length of the top tube and spaced the width of the frame might be enough. You'd drop the bike into the gap between the two and clamp it lightly in place. The bike couldn't fall over, it couldn't roll forwards because it will be caught by the bottom bracket and can't roll backwards because it would be caught by the forks. Drawings available on request

    Posted 7 years ago #

  8. HankChief
    Member

    @greenroofer- Oh, I knew exactly the response I would get ;-)

    Just spotted a potential problem. Mid way on the route is a 1m wide gate that you approach at an angle. Will need to do some measuring...

    Posted 7 years ago #

  9. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I think this is a wonderful idea. The flat bed plus rooftop carrier solution is obviously the gold standard, but probably over-engineered;

    * Designed for 80mp and not even you do that with a trailer
    * Designed to keep fancy bikes looking good
    * Quite pricey

    If you make a plywood and bungee version it will work fine but the paint will inevitably be rubbed off frames and cable outers might suffer too.

    The proper response to your 1 meter gate is a midnight angle grinder session.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  10. biketrain
    Member

    @IWRATS you are right that the design, it does not have to survive at 80mph however there will be a lot of vibration and as you point out rubbing. Small trailer wheel, no suspension and the quality of Edinburgh road will all contribute to the shake, rattle and roll.

    Lots of great ideas on this thread. please keep them rolling in.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  11. Frenchy
    Member

    Whilst looking for pictures of how other people had solved this problem I found this:

    http://mccraw.co.uk/bike-trailer-for-bikes/

    I believe the author is of this parish. I do like how the solution to the "this bike doesn't have lights" problem is "build a bike transporter" rather than "attach lights to the bike".

    Posted 7 years ago #

  12. crowriver
    Member

    The 1 metre wide gate is definitely an issue!

    Maybe you need a long tail cargo bike instead? Convert your old steel MTB into an Xtracycle, for example.

    Otherwise, sometime soon-ish I will probably be selling my Kona Ute. I have towed bikes with that by simply lashing the front wheel to the rear...

    BTW you'll need something tougher than bungees for this job, trailer or not. Cargo straps, nylon velcro straps, or rucksack compression straps will hold the bike much more firmly in place...

    Posted 7 years ago #

  13. acsimpson
    Member

    Mr Hart of his namesakes Cyclery talked about offering a collection service for those working in the Gyle and needing a service. I don't know if he got anywhere with it but his solution sounded like the Caddyrack upthread.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  14. HankChief
    Member

    Some good advice. Thank you.

    The gate would only need to be tackled whilst the bike was being ridden, so may not be as bad as feared.

    Another suggestion is placing the front wheel into a large pannier or somehow fixing to the back of the towing bike and using its own back wheel.

    This guy built his own http://www.webikeeugene.org/2013/08/17/how-to-tow-a-bike-with-your-xtracycle-or-similar-longtail/

    It will have to do 6miles a day without rider and through some traffic, so it will need to be robust enough for the miles.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  15. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    If it's only one bike just push it along beside you as you cycle yours?

    Posted 7 years ago #

  16. Bhachgen
    Member

    The car roof rack type bike rack is not such a bad option when you can consider a basic model from the likes of Halfords can be bought pretty cheap and gives you a ready made piece of kit to affix to your carry freedom or other flatbed trailer. Depends on how keen you are to build something yourself I guess.

    Definitely a viable solution - I built one with 2 bike racks on a wide Carry Freedom for work use. Can't find any pics anywhere though and it's not currently assembled as I don't use it any more, so I can't take any for you I'm afraid.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  17. biketrain
    Member

    @HC. I measured your pitch point this morning. The minimum gap is 105 cm. That is taken a line at a slight angle. We are probably looking to keep the max width of trailer to 80cm. Also have to make sure that any bikes on the trailer do not have their handlebars overhanging the sides of the trailer.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  18. HankChief
    Member

    Thanks - the carry freedom Y is 75cm wide. Makes me think that we'll probably be limited to 1 bike know the trailer.

    Also the bike wouldn't need to be on the trailer when going through the gate. When I'm riding solo I will avoid the gate.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  19. wingpig
    Member

    Wouldn't a 26" bike on top of a narrow trailer get a bit tippy?

    Posted 7 years ago #

  20. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @wingpig

    Good point. It might need lead ballast under the axles. HankChief, I feel sure, would simply regard that as a training aid.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  21. biketrain
    Member

    @wingpig. A 26" bike does not have to be heavy and therefore upset the balance of the trailer. Surely a carbon bike for Mini-Chief would solve the problem.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  22. biketrain
    Member

    @HankChief. Do we have a budget for this project?

    Posted 7 years ago #

  23. acsimpson
    Member

    @HankChief. Do we have a budget for this project?

    Gold after all is far denser, less bulky and better for Children than Lead. Of course Tungsten also has those properties for more lead like prices.

    Mounting the bike(s) upside down should give a boost to the stability.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  24. HankChief
    Member

    Don't have an explicit budget in mind but it would be better if I didn't have to go to the Investment Committee or Bank Manager.

    @IWRATS- you know me too well - I was already considering weighing down the trailer.

    The carryfreedom does have an option of interchangeble wider axles, so I could pull the trailer empty on narrow wheels and as part of the loading process switch to the wider set up.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  25. biketrain
    Member

    Next time I see Mini-Chief, will I see if he can ride a Brompton?

    Posted 7 years ago #

  26. Harts Cyclery
    Member

    Trick is to have the rear wheels on the ground, so that you can make the most of the in-built articulation and don't need a massive flat bed. A regular trailer with roof rack style quick-release mounts would be fine, or just a wheel mount of some description.

    I have pondered making myself that Bullit one linked above for my cargo bike for ferrying customer bikes around.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  27. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Hart's Cyclery

    Devastating simplicity. Love it. Keen to build it. Would you see the bikes pivoting on their steering columns or would they be held in line?

    Posted 7 years ago #

  28. wingpig
    Member

    You could use it as an excuse to buy a BikeHod and just lash the handlebars/front wheel to the bag bit, thereby using the Harts technique if letting the headset swivel and the back wheel to follow.

    Posted 7 years ago #

  29. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Bike Hod is a nice base for this because its upright stance will facilitate the fabrication of the bit that holds the handlebars.

    Something like this could hold the steering tube;

    Posted 7 years ago #

  30. Klaxon
    Member

    Minimum viable product applies here - what about a £50 ebay trailer and just dumping the bike in it with a strap around?

    Many like this for the same money http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332087911849

    Posted 7 years ago #

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