Trailers!

Wildduck · Post by **Wildduck** » 8 Jul 2008, 9:32pm

Don't tell Mrs.Wildduck but I've now ordered one for doing the weekly shop by bike. I don't care if I'm the one lugging it around as long as we're not burning anymore petrol than we have to. Its not the cost, I just don't think its the responsible thing to do.

Anyway, I like the idea of going back to my student habits and being, dare I say it, a bit more hippy!

mhara · Post by **mhara** » 8 Jul 2008, 10:48pm

numbnuts wrote:mule trailer
saw one of these at Asda today looked good

I had the use of one when I was helping out on Cycle Sunday at the end of National Bike Week. Don't recommend them

I like the sound of MickF's trailer.

chrisoleary · Post by **chrisoleary** » 9 Jul 2008, 8:16am

Thanks for all the replies guys I think I have enough uses for a trailer and like wilduck the less petrol I am burning up on short journeys the better.

All I have to do now is convince myself it is worth the money.

Wildduck · Post by **Wildduck** » 9 Jul 2008, 9:12am

mhara, what was the problem with it?

Willpower · Post by **Willpower** » 9 Jul 2008, 9:46am

chrisoleary wrote:
All I have to do now is convince myself it is worth the money.

#

At current fuel prices you only have to drive the car off the drive and that's a fiver already. It won't take long to pay for itself.

(the other great thing with CF trailers - you get three hitches, so you can fit a variety of bikes with the hitch.

jocks · Post by **jocks** » 9 Jul 2008, 10:54am

I couldn't agree more with the contributions so far - trailers are great! I bought a cheap Canine Croozer and I find it brilliant for lugging recycling and general thundering about.

My town has just had a new ASDA store build and my wife and I are actually looking forward to doing our shopping with the trailer on the back of our tandem...after we have finished our cycle round Holland starting tomorrow.

As far as I am concerned it does not matter what the fuel price is - it will go up as well as down, but it is much hipper to shop by bike!

GrahamG · Post by **GrahamG** » 9 Jul 2008, 11:17am

Mick F wrote:
essexman wrote:For touring i'd suspect panniers are better. Less weight and bulk.

Couldn't be more wrong!

I've used my CF YF for many thousands of miles. I wouldn't even consider using panniers again. Panniers load down a bike, a CF trailer with two wheels at the back, supports itself. All you need to do is tow it behind.

Your bike will still feel like a bike - not like a tank.

No prematurely worn tyres, no heavy bike, no worries about how much stuff you can take. I took my laptop!

I had a plastic suitcase strapped to mine. No doubt you've read my blogs
www.lejogandback.blogspot.com
www.my-grand-tour.blogspot.com

The suitcase has bitten the dust now. Zip packed in. I'm on the lookout for another or something more waterproof.

For shopping, I made a wooden box. Holds tons of stuff!
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=3201

Mick, I'm convinced but have a quick query - how were you geared for the LEJOGLE tour? I'm looking at a trailer for flexibility and so that I can hopefully tour with my road bike (30/42/53 triple and 12-27 cassette), without having to make huge efforts to restrict luggage to the 10kgs I'm comfortable with loading up in panniers on it!

Post by **Mick F** » 9 Jul 2008, 2:28pm

Gearing, when I was 9sp for my LEJOLE was 52/42/30 with 13-26 rear.
LEJOG doesn't have many super-steep hills, so I was ok.

For my Grand Tour, that I deliberately sought out super-steep hills, I was 10sp 53/42/30 with 13-29 rear. Much easier!

chrisoleary · Post by **chrisoleary** » 9 Jul 2008, 3:44pm

Gearing is another thing that worries me as my super galaxy as standard has (i think) 26/36/48 and 11-32 on the rear and I already use the lowest available on some local hills and on a lot of hills last week on the c2c. Will I need to build up my legs a bit to get a bit more stamina?

Willpower · Post by **Willpower** » 9 Jul 2008, 4:37pm

That rather depends on how much load you're planning on lugging. you're not gonna get much lower than 26 x 32.

chrisoleary · Post by **chrisoleary** » 9 Jul 2008, 5:15pm

I'd better head for the hills. :lol:

glueman · Post by **glueman** » 9 Jul 2008, 5:40pm

My two penn'orth of prejudice. I found a trailer very energy sapping when the eldest was a nipper, an endless boing-boing of misplaced effort in a way I've never found loaded panniers to be. However a luggage trailer has its uses and if it was for no more than a weekly shop or the occasional run to the tip I'd get a cheap Tesco or Decathlon kiddie trailer, remove the child seat apparatus and use that as the 3-dimensional space is dead handy for large bags of soft lightweight stuff like kitchen roll or soft veg and you can use the floor pan for the heavy things like spuds.

The old fridge to the re-cycling point is not to be taken lightly (sic) IMO. Especially on the hills.

Wildduck · Post by **Wildduck** » 9 Jul 2008, 5:49pm

Just strap it to the side of the bike!

chrisoleary · Post by **chrisoleary** » 9 Jul 2008, 5:59pm

glueman wrote:My two penn'orth of prejudice. I found a trailer very energy sapping when the eldest was a nipper, an endless boing-boing of misplaced effort in a way I've never found loaded panniers to be.

When you put the kids in the panniers do you use one pannier or two. :wink:

Post by **Mick F** » 9 Jul 2008, 6:10pm

Oh don't!

Seriously, though, panniers are great, but a trailer is far better.

Single wheel trailers have one wheel at the back, so 50% or so, of the trailer-weight is on the rear axle of the bike. Two wheel trailers have their COG just in front of the wheels, so very little weight is on the bike. If you can do it right, zero weight is on the bike. This cannot be done with a single wheel trailer.

Panniers, on the other hand, put ALL their weight on the bike.

Yes, X weight has to be hauled up Y hill at Z speed. It's just simpler and easier with a trailer.

Especially a CF YF trailer.