Locking your trailer.

[hanjin]

I've been using trailers for time to haul my kids around. But on fathers day my wife bought me a Burley Nomad and told me with gas prices the way they are I'm going to start making the trips to the grocery store. No big deal, I ride twice a day for fun anyway. But now that I'm thinking about it, how do you lock up the trailer?? I have a U-lock and a short cable for my road bike but whats the best way for locking a trailer??

Thanks,

Jason

[stevo9er]

A common way to lock up a bike is to use the u-lock through the frame and one of the wheels. Then to use a long steel cable to weave through the seatpost and the remaining wheel, if you get a long enough cable you could use that same cable to weave through your trailer.

[anielsen]

How easy is it to simply wheel the trailer into the store and use it as your shopping cart? If the tow bar flips up so that you can push it by hand, this might work well. (My Wike trailer does this)

[deburn]

How easy is it to simply wheel the trailer into the store and use it as your shopping cart? If the tow bar flips up so that you can push it by hand, this might work well. (My Wike trailer does this)

That's a great idea! I can do that with my Chariot

[hanjin]

I can't do that with my burley, I'll have to get a longer cable and thread it thru my bike and trailer.

[surfimp]

We have a Wike, too. It's got quick release wheels which are nice when you want to pack/store it, but not so nice for locking up conveniently. I have a cable lock that I run through one wheel, through the trailer frame, then through the bike frame & around/through whatever I'm locking the bike through. (I use a U-lock for the bike itself). It works out OK, but trailers are so darn useful I do worry a bit.

Steve

[bicyclridr4life]

remove one or both of the quick release wheels, lock them with the bike, to the bike rack, with your cable lock. put a retractable "helmet" (or seat) cable lock through the safety strap anchor and seat stay. I've been locking mine like this for years, and it has always been right where I left it when I come back out. If you have the third wheel, unhooking from the bike and using the trailer for a cart works great. HOWEVER, since your trailer is new, be sure to paint or engrave your NAME or other ID on the underside, so the store cannot accuse you of stealing it, or just as bad, try and charge you for it at the register during check-out. (I hate when that happens!)

[badmother]

Tis is a LOT of locking guys, in the long run I would look for easyer solutions. Few days ago somebody posted a homemade trailer (I think in the "sticky" for trailers maybe?) that had the axel welded to the nut (I think) on one side. Why not do this on both sides (or epoxy)? Maintenance is maybe more work, but the ewery day use is soo much easyer. Maybe get some second hand cheapo wheels with nuts for ewery day use, use the good quick release wheels for when you pack it in the car and so on.

OR buy the expensive quick release things that comes with its own tool to open (or make your own system). Maybe cheaper is to remowe the axels and put the type that is made for fastening with nuts.

AND / OR use a padlock instead of a bolt to connect it to your bike (also seen in a trailer posting here, try the same "sticky".

AND / OR make or have somebody make a system (ekstension?) for your trailers arm so that you caneasely pull it by hand. Seen on a "flatbed" trailer I copyed, do not remember name. They make a dogtailer and one called "city" too.

Maybe put a small wheel in front like on a childs trailer for handpulling.

I wanted to buy a cheapo childrens trailer for long trips with my dog. Then I went to a shopping senter and innside was somebody using a childrens biketrailer (towbar remowed, ekstra wheel in front and the "handles" in the back for easy pushing like a stroller). That made me think, if they can do it I can do it. I`we got health issues and there or low energy. Often I want a solution for transport where bikes (and cars) is not accepted or wanted. Buying a better quality like that coul make it useful for a lot more than the dog. I tained my dog to pull a cart. This one also he could pull (just add two canes for him to pull), especially since I do not like two wheeled carts on small and medium dogs. Has to be SOO careful with balancing the weight. That is: dog can pull it, I can push it and bike can pull it with dog or other stuff innside. Nice?:D

[dinges]

Few days ago somebody posted a homemade trailer (I think in the "sticky" for trailers maybe?) that had the axel welded to the nut (I think) on one side. Why not do this on both sides (or epoxy)?


AND / OR use a padlock instead of a bolt to connect it to your bike (also seen in a trailer posting here, try the same "sticky".


I think you're talking about my post to that sticky trailer thread. Pictures with short description can be found here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/motorconversion/BicycleTrailer

However, I need to point a few things out.

74284

The axles of the wheels are not welded to the frame, nor epoxied. What got welded were the nuts in the loadbearing beam. The wheel axles screw into those nuts. I may however loctite the axles into the nuts. Not for theft reasons but to prevent them from coming loose in use.

74282

The padlock is one way to lock the trailer to the bike. But in general use I'd also want to lock the bike and trailer to something that's firmly connected to the outside world.

[badmother]

The axles of the wheels are not welded to the frame, nor epoxied. What got welded were the nuts in the loadbearing beam. The wheel axles screw into those nuts. I may however loctite the axles into the nuts. Not for theft reasons but to prevent them from coming loose in use.

I realised this, but two wheels welded to the axels is not much fun to steel? Biggest problem for them would be to find out what your system is. They say you should lock your rig next to a better looking one to make sure yours is not getting the attention. If you comfuse them with a complicated homemade system they`ll fast go to the next one. My main message was "weld it wherewer you can". In this area dumpster bikes (also small wheeled ones) is plentiful.

Also the system you go for depends of if the wheels is attached on just one side or on both sides. The "one side system" you could remove both tire and tube without remowing the wheel from the trailer. Different trailers different solutions, but weld it or glue it!:D:D

[qmsdc15]

My trailer stays locked to my frame with a cable and padlock. So when I stop, I just lock my bike to a post same way I would if I didn't have a trailer.

[crazybikerchick]

I've been using trailers for time to haul my kids around. But on fathers day my wife bought me a Burley Nomad and told me with gas prices the way they are I'm going to start making the trips to the grocery store. No big deal, I ride twice a day for fun anyway. But now that I'm thinking about it, how do you lock up the trailer?? I have a U-lock and a short cable for my road bike but whats the best way for locking a trailer??

Thanks,

Jason
I use one of those cables with loops at both ends and loop it around the arm of the trailer and put the other loop through the u-lock locked around the rear wheel of my bike through the rear triangle so frame, trailer, and rear wheel are secure. I think the cable is about 4'.

[JosephPaul86]

I have a Burley flatbed I use for my grocery runs. I lock the wheels to the frame using a cable, then the frame to a pole using a U-Lock if I am in for a 30 minute shopping spree. Besides that I just lock the frame to the wheels when I make quick stops, like into the GNC or PetsMart.

[CommuterRun]

On my Burley Flatbed and Solo I run a cable through both wheels, the frame and around a stationary object.

Not the best system because parts can still be removed from the trailer, or the cable can be cut, and the stuff on the trailer isn't secured, but it's worked so far.

[Supertick]

I have a Burley Nomad trailer with the luggage rack on top. I run a cable lock around the luggage rack and onto the rear rack on the bike. No problems so far.