Pulling trailer with road bike

[Caffeind]

Is anyone pulling a trailer with a road bike? I'm currently pulling my kids around in an aluminum Performance trailer with my 10-year-old, too-small-for-me, no-suspension mountain bike. I have looked at hybrids, and they seem okay, but I sat on a road bike the other day and immediately felt at home with the frame geometry and drop bar. And, boy, have road bikes come a long way since my '86 Centurion LeMans. So now I'm thinking about something along the lines of a Giant OCR or Specialized Allez. Any opinions on whether the frame is up to trailer duty? What if the rider weighed, say, around 230 (for now)?

[MasterSezFaster]

You should have no problem with either of those bikes pulling a trailer. Plus both are very nice bikes so you should get the one that fits/feels best to you.

:beer:

[Caffeind]

Thanks. I used those two bikes as examples of what I'm interested in. I plan on riding everything I can find in my frame size and budget and basing my decision on what feels best.

[Michel Gagnon]

There might be a problem with the road bike : most don't have low gears and you'll need much lower gears to climb hills with the trailer.

Of course, if you live in a flat area, it won't matter.

[Caffeind]

Most of the bikes I've looked at have had triple chainrings. This area isn't too hilly. There are some challenging hills, but for the most part there's an alternate route that's mostly flat. I don't think I've dropped into the smallest chainring on my MTB while towing yet... well, maybe just once... :D

Back when I was young and pain was temporary, top tubes were flat, and shifters were on the down tube, I did several tours with a 42x52 double. Including mountain tours. Ouch. I did a century in the mountains on that same setup. I'm thinking a modern road bike with a triple chainring will seem like a treat.

[joejack951]

They might have a triple like your MTB, but their gearing is nothing like your MTB. Most MTB's come with a 44/32/22 triple. Most road bike triples are 52/42/30. Your MTB probably has a low gear of 22-30 whereas the best you'll find on a stock road bike is usually 30-25. Couple that with the taller tires on a road bike and you'll be hurting in no time flat. But, I don't know your area and if it's as flat as you say it is then you could be alright. I'd try to do a practice run first though before committing to a road bike.

[Caffeind]

I understand the gearing is different. Funny thing is, I don't even like using my small chainring because I feel like I could expend less energy and make better time just pushing the thing. :) Even when I rode it off-road, if it was steep enough to need the small ring, I couldn't keep the front wheel on the ground. When I leaned forward to weight the front, I just spun the rear tire. Mountain bikes just aren't for me, I guess.

Now, I wonder if there's an LBS that will let me hook up a trailer to a test bike and take it out of the parking lot so I can try it out on what passes for hills around here. :lol:

[hrcarol]

I pull my son in a trailer w/ my road bike (triple). I even ride a hilly 15 miles and I'm a small woman. If I can do it you can do it, no problem! I'm not saying it's not challenging, because it is! But, it's definitly doable! My husband did have trouble getting the hitch to fit on his OCR. He ended up having to grind off a little bit of the hitch and it works fine now. You might want to take your hitch w/ you when you look at bikes and see if it would fit.

[DogBoy]

I have pulled our Cougar 1 trailer with a cyclocross bike (road-geometry with beefed up frame/wheelset) and with a hybrid. Both are okay, but the mount is via a skewer. I don't think I'd put a chainstay mount on a road-bike. The gearing comments are appropriate if you are planning a road-double, but I think I heard you say road-triple so no worries. One suggestion though, if you can find it get a 30/39/52 instead of a 30/42/52. 39/25 is just so much easier than 42/25. Anyway, here are my observations. Trailer + Child ~ 50 lbs. Me ~ 220 lbs.

Cyclocross bike: Kona JTS. Gearing: 28-39-50 Chainring, 11/32 9-sp cassette.
No problems towing around town, but my mirror is a bar-end mirror and I can't see both my daughter and behind me, its either or. As soon as the grade increases to 6% or so I am in or around 39/28. For longer(1/2 mile)/steeper(>6%) uphills, I have hit 28/32 several times. For downhills, I don't think the brakes are strong enough, and I get significant pushback from the trailer. My typical comfortable crusing speed with the child is about 12 mph. Without I go around 16. Biggest issue: no kickstand. I have to lay the bike down to take the child out of the trailer because its too hard to find a wall/object to prop against and still be able to get a the trailer. Plus, the trailer moves the bike a bit as we take our daughter out, and the bike tends to fall even if propped up. I can't fit a kickstand to the bike because of clearence with the bottom-pull derailleur and the small space between the chainstay bridge and the seat-tube.

Hybrid: Specialized Crossroads Elite XC. 28/38/48, 8-sp 11/32.
The upright position and bar-end mtn mirricycle allows me to see both the kid in the trailer and traffic behind. The upright position doesn't rob me of any speed unless the wind is REALLY blowing. The linear pull brakes are much better on downhills than the cantis on the JTS. It feels a bit more natural to me to be pulling the trailer with the hybrid than pulling it with the JTS. Gearing is similar to the other bike, but I find myself dropping to the 28 ring more often on this bike than the other. I don't have a computer on this bike, but I think I probably go slower on it, mostly because of the attitude/feel of the bike. The kickstand makes this bike much easier to use since I can stop in the park right next to the play area and let our daughter run free much more quickly than I can with the JTS.

I don't want to discourage you from getting the type of bike that you want, but definately concern yourself with quality brakes/pads and proper gearing if you go road-bike. Also concern yourself with the ability to mount a kickstand. Road-bikes often have tight clearence between the seat tube and the chainstay bridge with bottom-pull derailleurs. That means traditional kickstands are likely out of the question, and chainstay/hub mount kickstands may interfere with the trailer mount. I hope that was helpful.

[Karenemt]

I use both road bike and mountain bike to pull my son in his trailer, depending upon the surface. Lately, I've been riding at a paved fitness park area, and have been using my Giant OCR-1. It works great pulling the Burley - no problems at all. It was difficult in the beginning with the gearing (yes, even with the triple), but I was a beginning cyclist. It has really helped me get stronger with my riding in general. I usually ride about 50 trailer miles a week in summer with this setup.

Trailer with child is about 75 lb. I was 190 when I started cycling 2 yrs ago, now down to 160)

[phinney]

Another vote for the skewer hitch.

[Caffeind]

Another vote for the skewer hitch.
I'll have to look in to that. My heel sometimes hits the knob on the chainstay hitch.

So far no problems pulling the trailer with the Mt. Shasta. I was in the shop this weekend drooling over a candy-apple red Allez. :love:

[legocoach]

I got my first "real" bike just before my son's first birthday. I have always been a road bike person, so there was no question in my mind about that. I bought it and the child seat at the same time. My large child outgrew the seat quickly, so we replaced it with a Chariot Cougar 1. Now he's using an Adams Trail-a-Bike. All of them have worked fine witht he road configuration. I will say this: you may want to consider a touring or light touring model; that's what I have, and the slightly longer chainstay means I can use a kickstand, which has been helpful, although clearly not necessary. The other thing is, that while I agree with other comments taht the skewer hitch is wonderful (it is also an option with Burley trailers, apparently), I had a bit of trouble with it on my road bike. The skewer that Chariot includes has a very long threaded side, and the nut on that side (the non-quick release side) is open so you can screw it down as tight as you need to. However, as it is designed to fit anything up to crazy-wide mountain bikes, it stuck out frighteningly far from my hub. I ended up using the skewer from my wife's hybrid on my road bike, and the Chariot skewer on her bike, although there are clearly many other solutions as well. The overall moral of the story is, while I never took it up the Alp d'Huez, I also never, in the four years I've been trailering, had to get off and push.

You'll be fine -- enjoy!

[christoph1]

I found a best of both worlds scenario in a older Cannondale touring bike. It has similar geometry to a racing bike, light aluminum frame & drop handle bars, it deals nicly for my occasional need for speed. But, a longer sturdier frame, triple chain ring, heavier duty wheels, wider tires, all of which help distribute and remove the drag of my 40-pound daughter in a bike seat. (we are 220 together)
The combined attributes make for a quick and supportive ride as we cruse the trails, hit the assault or run over the occasional curb, while pulling a Burly trailer.

[christine]

I primarily use my road bike to pull my son in a trailer - a Bianchi Sport SX (I think). It has no granny gear - which really stinks, but when I ride regularly it builds my leg muscles - getting up hills is rough though. I've never had a problem. I occasionly use a really old Schwinn (a bike I got in the sixth grade that somehow still fits me) hybrid bike. This is more comfy for me, but the bike is in such bad condition I don't like to be seen in public with it. :)

[caloso]

If you feel more comfortable on a road bike (as I do), you should get it. Some may disagree, but a 30x25 or 30x27 low gear is plenty low for pulling a trailer.

Right now, the dedicated trailer hauler is an 80s GT mountain bike, but I have pulled our twins' Chariot Cougar 2 with both my road bikes, including my carbon fiber racing bike. With the skewer hitch I didn't think it would put any greater stress on the wheel than a hard sprint. But I would never put a chainstay hitch on CF.

Agree with the comment that a kick stand is helpful. Especially if you're loading two kids.

[Metieval]

Deffinatly, check the trailer before buying!!!

I was out with a friend, and I ended up pulling his daughter. I couldn't clip because my heel would hit the trailer neck.

[Phantoj]

I pull a Burley Encore with a road bike. I use the chainstay mount, but I think the skewer hitch would be better on a modern road bike.

I have three road bikes - two 1980's steel bikes and a 2000 Cannondale R800. The R800 has short, fat aluminum chainstays and I can hit the hitch mount with my heel if I'm not careful, but it's not a major problem. I never hit the hitch on either of the steel bikes.

I mostly ride on a local paved trail, but I do ride a mile or so on the road from my house to the local trail. There is one large hill on this route and it's located so I have to climb it on my way home.

The Cannondale is a 39X53 double crank and that gearing is fine for me.

One of the 80's steel bikes is a Centurion with a 42-tooth small ring and a smallish 7-speed cassette. It's a bit tough to crank up the hill going home at the end of the ride, and I find myself in the bottom two or three gears if there's much of a headwind, but it works okay.

The other steel bike is a Schwinn Passage. It's set up as a 42x18 fixed gear. That means 20+ mph at 90 rpm... a little tall for the flat and requires some serious strength for the hills. I can power up the big hill on the way home without a whole lot of trouble, but I wouldn't want to pull a trailer with a 70+ gear-inch fixed gear over very many hills.

The chainstay mount will mar your finish, so I recommend getting a skewer-mount. My bikes are older, and I'm not that anal, so it's okay for me.

"Strength" of the frame will not be an issue. You aren't going to be putting more force onto the frame unless you get stronger legs.

Gearing is acceptable with my double-equipped road bikes, FOR ME. You may be weaker or may like to ride hillier terrain. Unfortunately, I live in a city and I don't feel comfortable pulling the trailer on the local roads.

[Powerful Pete]

I regularly ride my De Rosa with a Burley Solo. Skewer mount. No problems at all. Difficult on the hills, but nothing problematic. Still riding a 53x39 up front, 13-27 on the back.

No reliability problems with the bike. Ultra-light alu/carbon fiber frame, bike mounted Campagnolo Chorus, with bog standard wheels (36 spoke Mavic Open Pros).

Not very long rides (20 odd km), and very enjoyable both for my daughter and myself.

Here is a picture, a crummy one of me, but a decent one of the setup and the daughter! :D

[rickertk]

I pull our Burley D'lite with a Seven Axiom, skewer hitch. I hit my foot on the hitch with the rear triangle hitch. Running a double 53/39, 12-25 in back; I'm fine with mid range hills on that (Up to about 7-8% sustained, short bits up to 10%). If I were planning on pulling significantly more weight (My son is about 25 lbs), or climbing steeper hills, I'd probably rather have more gears there. 10% sustained was doable but not much fun. I've pulled this up to about 45 miles over rolling terrain. I wouldn't recommend this gearing for someone who wasn't a strong hill-climber on their own, though.

Keith

[plin]

I pull our Burley D'lite with a Seven Axiom, skewer hitch. I hit my foot on the hitch with the rear triangle hitch. Running a double 53/39, 12-25 in back; I'm fine with mid range hills on that (Up to about 7-8% sustained, short bits up to 10%). If I were planning on pulling significantly more weight (My son is about 25 lbs), or climbing steeper hills, I'd probably rather have more gears there. 10% sustained was doable but not much fun. I've pulled this up to about 45 miles over rolling terrain. I wouldn't recommend this gearing for someone who wasn't a strong hill-climber on their own, though.



My fear is not about going up but rather coming down. If I am going at 40Km/h downhill I have the impression that I am slow as a snail and chewing my brakes. But I am sure that even that's way too fast if I am pulling a trailer especially in the switchbacks. How fast do you come downhill and how do you manage the slow speed? The only way of having a nice ride with my son is pull him up for about 800 vertical meters and ride on a plateau.

[rickertk]

My fear is not about going up but rather coming down. If I am going at 40Km/h downhill I have the impression that I am slow as a snail and chewing my brakes. But I am sure that even that's way too fast if I am pulling a trailer especially in the switchbacks. How fast do you come downhill and how do you manage the slow speed? The only way of having a nice ride with my son is pull him up for about 800 vertical meters and ride on a plateau.

Well, the manufacturer of my trailer (Burley) recommends that speeds not be over 15 mph (25 Km/h). If the road is pretty clear and open, I'm comfortable taking it up to 25 mph (40 Km/h). However, I'll slow down a _lot_ for any corners. I'm not sure how to tell you how fast you can go through a corner with
a trailer; I played it very conservatively at first and sped up as I got used to how it handled. Even with experience though, the trailers don't lean and can't corner sharply. Managing speed isn't as hard on a gentle downhill as I initially thought it might be - at least my trailer produces a very large amount of wind drag which limits downhill speed. I've gone down several hills where my wife (on her own bike) is coasting and accellerating away from me, while I'm pedalling with the trailer. I do avoid steep slopes where possible. Anticipating your need to stop is also good - try your brakes out well before you think you need them, so you know how much slowing they will give you. If the hill is steel enough, I tend to brake in chunks, rather than continually riding them on the way down.

Keith

[Redrom]

You roadies pulling those wide trailers with kiddies in the road freak me out. You place so much trust in drivers of automobiles. I would probably freak you out too, I put two kids on the back of my xtracycle equiped mountain bike, and ride on greenway trails. We're all probably all a bit nutty. :roflmao:

[richardmasoner]

I pulled both of my children in a trailer pulled by my road bike (with a skewer hitch). Currently, my younger child rides a trail-bike -- I'll pull the trail bike (she doesn't pedal much) AND the trailer using my triple-equipped road bike. I'm in Colorado and some of the uphills take effort, but it's certainly doable.

Redrom, consider this commentary (http://www.velorution.biz/?p=943) about the level of perceived "control" of a situation and the amount of risk people are willing to accept. The less control you have, the less risk many people are willing to accept, although statistically the real risk is equal or less than that of many other everyday activities.

Example: Some people are terrified of flying, and a significant population feel some anxiety in the plane because they are not in the driver's seat, so to speak. This is not a rational fear, but people feel the fear anyway.

[chipcom]

I pulled both of my children in a trailer pulled by my road bike (with a skewer hitch). Currently, my younger child rides a trail-bike -- I'll pull the trail bike (she doesn't pedal much) AND the trailer using my triple-equipped road bike. I'm in Colorado and some of the uphills take effort, but it's certainly doable.

Redrom, consider this commentary (http://www.velorution.biz/?p=943) about the level of perceived "control" of a situation and the amount of risk people are willing to accept. The less control you have, the less risk many people are willing to accept, although statistically the real risk is equal or less than that of many other everyday activities.

Example: Some people are terrified of flying, and a significant population feel some anxiety in the plane because they are not in the driver's seat, so to speak. This is not a rational fear, but people feel the fear anyway.

I never had the opportunity to take my kids along on a trailer when they were young, but I am curious, do most people put helmets on their kids while they are in the trailer? From what I can recall from people I see toting their kids, they don't for the most part, but admittedly I really haven't paid attention to the contents of folks' trailers.

[Portis]

I never had the opportunity to take my kids along on a trailer when they were young, but I am curious, do most people put helmets on their kids while they are in the trailer? From what I can recall from people I see toting their kids, they don't for the most part, but admittedly I really haven't paid attention to the contents of folks' trailers.

Yes. Helmets on my kids.

[santiago]

There might be a problem with the road bike : most don't have low gears and you'll need much lower gears to climb hills with the trailer.

Of course, if you live in a flat area, it won't matter.

Michel,

Sorry to go off topic here but in another thread I noticed you have a Burley Piccolo. Where did you buy it from here in Montreal?

Thanks

[caloso]

I never had the opportunity to take my kids along on a trailer when they were young, but I am curious, do most people put helmets on their kids while they are in the trailer? From what I can recall from people I see toting their kids, they don't for the most part, but admittedly I really haven't paid attention to the contents of folks' trailers.

My kids do. I probably wouldn't make them do it except that in California kids are required to wear them even in a trailer and it will be that much more automatic for them when they start riding on their own. They'll just associate riding a bike with wearing a helmet. By the way, I always wear a helmet when I pull the kids, even if it's just 9mph on the dirt path at the park, for the very same reason.

[Patriot]

My version of parenting. :D

I commute with my old steel Centurion. I ride to the store with my old Centurion. I also tote my kids in a NAshbar trailer to school, to the park, and just getting out for some excersise when the wife is at work.

And yes, they do have helmets.

[santiago]

Whoops - forgot to reply to the question regarding kids in trailers with helmets.

My two daughters know that if they go in the trailer, they must wear a helmet. Gets them into the habit of associating cycling, regardless of the form, and wearing a helmet.

[Phantoj]

wicycle.com sells a skewer-mount trailer hitch for the Wike trailer that looks like it would work with the Burley... I've not seen the Burley Alternative Hitch up close, but I think it's rather pricey... $40? The Wike hitch is only $7 - I think I might try it.

[lws]

I made a custom chainstay hitch a few years ago for my road bike, to replace the Burley chainstay hitch which interfered with my left heel. I don't think they had a skewer hitch then, at least I didn't know about it. I towed one or two kids all over the city with it, and never had any trouble at all with motorists. In fact, I used to pull the empty trailer around (folded down) sometimes just for fun, because motorists always gave me lots of extra room. Hills would have been tough with a double, fortunately, I had a triple -- lowest gear was only 32/23, but it was enough.

[masiman]

As others have stated, a road bike is not an issue for pulling with maybe some exceptions for mounting position. I pull my kids on my Litespeed Ultimate (Campy Record 8, 53x39 12-23). Although there are a few hills I cannot do, it is a good challenge :).

Sometimes I will put all three in the trailer, lol. 3 kids (1-6), ~120 pounds of meat and steel going down a slight incline at 20+ gets a real hoot and holler out of them. I should get my mountain bike back up to speed and hitch them up there but we just like the speed we can get on the litespeed. The 6 year old is near the end of his trailer tenure and will soon be upgraded to stoker on a tandem until he can do the longer rides. They are not super athletic kids, we just like going out on the bikes.

I respect that others helmet their kids but I don't helmet mine in the trailer. They do helmet up on their singles with no problems or complaints. I don't helmet in the trailer because they sometimes sleep on the longer rides and that helmet really pushes their chin into their neck. I wish our trailer had reclining seats like the Trek, but tis not so. Other than that I really like our trailer, Cycletote. I had a Burley but that just did not last. One season in our only available partially covered area turned the fabric into a fraying muted mass. Plus I thought the hitch was only okay. The Cycletote has a way cool seatpost hitch. I can tell you from personal experience that the trailer can flip and roll 360 degrees and you will not go down. 27" aluminum rims that I like much better than the small plastic or aluminum rims on other brands. Plus it has a slightly lower Center of gravity than most other carriers plus the wheels are slightly canted. I like the way the seat post hitch makes it track better. You do get a little more rock in the trailer when you take off hard but it isn't bad, it actually makes you act like you are in a paceline and ease in and out of the saddle with smooth straight line acceleration. Additionally, Cycletote came with extremely sturdy Cordura fabric that you could actually replace at reasonable cost if needed. Try finding replacement fabric for a Burley. It was going to cost ~200-250 if I remember correctly to replace what I thought was cheap nylon fabric. I remember thinking why should I pay that much for fabric I know won't last and is nearly the cost of the trailer.

As others have stated, braking is key. Avoid emergency braking at all costs. 80+ pounds of kid and trailer will easily lift your rear wheel and push it alongside of you. Keep your weight back when you brake, give PLENTY of extra room and slow down well before sketchy conditions if at all possible. The 6 year old stopped short on me just yesterday, I ended up sitting @120 turned around (the seat post hitch allows very complete freedom of movement that the cluster hitch does not).

Another great unique option of the Cycletote is a trailer brake. The brake is spring activated via the hitch. As you slow down, the spring compresses which activates a brake on the trailer. If you live in hilly areas or want to use the trailer for loaded touring, this is a great thing to have. There are a few times I wish I had it. At ~$300 it is pricey but well worth it if you know you will be doing some hills. I have actually given test rides to neighbor kids (9 and 12) which was ~200+ pounds in the trailer, although that was just for around the block.

The cycletote is a great machine in terms of function and quality. If you are just doing around town rides to the park it is very much overkill. In fact the other Trek, Burley, etc. type would be much better suited as they fold nicely have more comfortable seating and a little more bomb proof on the wheels. However if you want to do some mileage with the kids (our longest so far is 50 miles with the 4 and 1 year old), I highly recommend this one.

I don't work for cycletote, I just really like the thing. It has really paid for itself over these 4 years. I still have another 3-4 to go unless we have anymore kids. This will easily go that distance.

See you on the road.

[mporter410]

My wife and I are on our 3rd season pulling our daughter in our Burley delight. We have gone as far as 30 miles as time, taking turns "pulling" as we go. In fact we like it so much we sometimes fight over who's turn it is to pull because it is such a great workout. We do lots of hills. My wife has a triple crank, and I us a compact double.