Recreational & Family - Replacement Bike Advice for Trailer/Commuting

My old Giant XTC mountain bike was stolen last week, so i've got to buy a replacement this week.

I used the Giant XTC for pulling a Burley trailer with two kids and commuting a few miles to work via street and through an easy trail.

Could a road bike pull double duty as a recreational road bike and as a work horse for weekend trailer pulling?

I was concerned that a bike with carbon bits or a carbon frame might not be suitable for use with a Burley or a trail-a-bike. I have a Yeti 575 full suspension bike with the carbon joints in the rear triangle that i've avoided using with the trailer due to concerns about stress.

I haven't found racing-bike gearing (52/42/30 12-25) sufficient to pull a trailer of kid(s)/groceries around the topography I have to live around. I have gone the touring bike route, which is basically like a road bike (dropbars, anyway) w/ mountain-bike gearing.

Especially of note was that the kids kept growing faster than my conditioning could increase to lug them uphill. Of course, now one is out of the trailer and onto a trail-a-bike so that is a sudden load lightening.
But the other still has a couple years to go in the trailer and the last hill heading home still gets me down (well down, w/ the right headwind) into single digits of mph. And that is with the touring bike gearing. I still want to get a smaller granny ring.

I think you could do it depending on the hookup you used. If you could stay away from the direct contact with the carbon parts you'd probably feel safer. The carbon could probably take it but why take the chance on such a pricey item as you note. I think the Burley's have an axle mount option don't they? I know our late 90's one was a stay mount contraption.

The racing gearing is okay for the DC area but I definitely would want a touring setup as HW notes in the Puget Sound area.

Our burley has the 'alternative' hitch, which is axle-mounted (trailer hitch on the quick-release skewer).

Why not ask the folks in the Commuting forum and/or the General Cycling forum?

A road bike would do fine. I use a hybrid even though I'm not fat and old. I commute 6 miles each way to school on my '07 Specialized Crossroads Sport and I pull the Burley Flatbed With it sometimes. Road Bikes will tow pretty much anything unless its one of those heavy duty Bikes at Work Traiilers with a refrigerator on top

I would look at a bike like the Trek Portland myself. It has disc brakes and if you use the alternate skewer mount this will cause you no ill will at all. I've heard great things from those that ride this bike due to its durability and ride qualities.