clamping trailers to carbon or ti frames

[chrisb]

Is it a mistake to buy a carbon or titanium alloy frame with the intention of occasionally clamping a trailer to the seatstay or chainstay, or clamping a trail-a-bike receiver to the seatpost?

Will the clamp crush down on the carbon, or will the force from the trailer crack the carbon or light Ti tubing?

Thanks.

[chrisb]

Just saw this thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=320808&highlight=carbon+trailer

[masiman]

You will put about as much pressure on the seat post as the seat post binder bolt does. Depending on the setup you may even be spreading the pressure over a larger area than your binder bolt does. Just make sure the clamp is clean so that you do not scratch or damage the post (if carbon). From my understanding carbon can fail over time with small dings. It seems rare but it can happen. Have heard it anecdotally regarding bar failure. Have not heard of seat posts or frame failures.

The Ti will be more resistant to crushing than equivalent sized steel.

I have clamped to Ti in the past but not carbon.

[littlewaywelt]

I know it's not an entirely accurate comparison, but the first thing that popped into my head was a uhaul trailer attached to a porsche.

[Siu Blue Wind]

Ti should be okay. Be careful with carbon. They say over tightening carbon without the proper torque will cause it to splinter. This vid is a little over the top for your question but it's still fun to watch. :)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3741362681682291899

[Phantoj]

If you want to pull a trailer with a nice bike, you are really better off getting one with a skewer-mount hitch. I think Burley has finally gotten with the program might be getting away from the clamp-on mount. For older Burleys, you can buy the "alternate hitch" skewer hitch. I have one and it works fine.

If you clamp a hitch onto your stays, you are going to, at the least, wear off the paint or clear coat. Plus, you will likely have heel strike issues with short roadie chainstays.

I haven't used a trail-a-bike, but I'd be inclined NOT to use it with a carbon seatpost.

[sunflowerflyer]

I've used 3 brands of bike trailers.. And would never again use one that clamps to the frame like our first cheap department store one did. They will scrape up the paint at a minimum, but it's just not a good connection. In my opinion the best ones on the market are the Chariots (Currently use a Chariot Cougar 2). Burley has upgraded their hitches since we researched them.

The rubber ball and socket hitch on the Chariots works way better than some of the cheap ones that use a spring. It is also very quick and easy to attach / detach. When we made the switch I was surprising how much jerking around disappeared, it just feels solid yet flexible. You can lay the bike down with this hitch, but it twists the rubber so I don't do it intentionally. The spare hitch for my wife's bike was only $20 at REI.

The one piece 5 point shoulder harness is comfortable, difficult for kids to remove (important for my son), and just way better than the thin straps in some brands. The one down side is they take a couple minutes to convert from 1 kid to 2 since you have to move the straps to separate attach points. In our cheapest trailer ($200) the seat belts broke the one time I dumped it over in a low speed sharp turn and the kids fell out on their head (nobody hurt luckily). After replacing the seat belts with new ones my 3 yr old son wanted out and physically broke them! That's when we started researching a replacement.

The spring suspension on the wheels also works surprisingly well. This lets me run high pressure in the tires for rolling ease and the kids still have a comfy ride. They really pull rather well.

As you can tell after owning 2-3 on the market and checking most of them out in stores, I'm sold on the Chariots. Problem is they are a little more expensive and dealers are harder to find.