Utility Cycling - Trailer lighting

I just ordered a Burley Nomad, and I'll be using it to haul groceries and laundry, mostly after work at night. I need to start thinking about how to light it up. The trailer comes with a light you clip on the flagpole, but that's not gonna be enough.

How do all of you light up your trailers? How many of you ride with them at night?

I just ordered a Burley Nomad, and I'll be using it to haul groceries and laundry, mostly after work at night. I need to start thinking about how to light it up. The trailer coems with a light you clip on the flagpole, but that's not gonna be enough.

How do all of you light up your trailers? How many of you ride with them at night?

Planet Bike (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/tailights.html) is your friend.:love: when I pulled a trailer years ago, I mounted a solid battery tail light and a flasher as well as added plenty of reflective tape. I would highly recommend the DOT conspicuity tape (http://www.etrailer.com/pc-r~29845.htm?utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=ppc).

Aaron:)

I second PB recommendation, specifically Planet Bike Superflash.
Personally I have flashers mounted to vertical rear tubes - Cateye LD-1000 from the curb side (right) and I set the bottom half on steady and the top on flashing and PB Superflash set flashing on the left.
The bike itself also has a Superflash in the rear and if I tow a trailer I set it up on steady, not to blind the kids in the trailer.

I have not seen the rear of the Nomad, so I'm not sure the cover would not interfere with mounting flashers to the rear tubes.

You can use the Plant Bike Taillight Rack bracket to mount a Superflash (or any other PB blinky)to the Nomad where the rear reflectors go. It looks like the blinky would then be sideways, but I don't think that would matter too much.

I have two blinkies on the back, and a liberal application of reflective tape on the frame.

I just ordered a Burley Nomad, and I'll be using it to haul groceries and laundry, mostly after work at night. I need to start thinking about how to light it up. The trailer coems with a light you clip on the flagpole, but that's not gonna be enough.

How do all of you light up your trailers? How many of you ride with them at night?

Visit your local hardware or farm supply store to buy a "slow moving vehicle triangle" to place
on the rear of the trailer. Then see if you can rig up a single white or yellow strobe on a short
pole on the left side or on top of the trailer.

Both of these will vasty improve your visiblity while riding day or night. :thumb:

I'm getting a Nomad over the holidays, and I plan to use PB Superflash blinkies mounted to the reflector tabs, some sort of cheap dangling blinkie on the safety flag, and since I'm handy with a sewing machine I'm adding reflective material (probably SOLAS) to the tarp/cover.

Good for you for being concerned about lighting up. When you get your rig set up, light up at all times, not just at night. There is a reason auto headlights turn on with the key now a days.

Anyway. poke around this site, maybe there is something for you here: http://www.fossilfool.com/

Thanks, everybody. I'm gonna start out with two Superflashes and go from there.

If you haven't used a trailer much before, be aware that cars are not expecting something to be following your bike which is why a good flag with a light on it are important. I have some colorful flashers that go on the valve stems of the wheels on my trailers for side visibility.

The one trailer I used to have had blinkers and break lights on it, all powered my bike generaters lol and dymo hub, I used car trailer stuff , more wires but it was very visable and safe, the blinkers came on when I squeezed the break on what side I wanted to turn slightly , and forther down was break lights, it's abit harder to do this but it works nice. best part is the clip they come with to dissconnect if from the bike, I even had a hitch lol

The one trailer I used to have had blinkers and break lights on it, all powered my bike generaters lol and dymo hub, I used car trailer stuff , more wires but it was very visable and safe, the blinkers came on when I squeezed the break on what side I wanted to turn slightly , and forther down was break lights, it's abit harder to do this but it works nice. best part is the clip they come with to dissconnect if from the bike, I even had a hitch lol

I've hear of these, for the bike itself. Sounds cool but a lot of work.

Ooh, someone (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=29573) just pointed (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=489463) these out:

http://www.niteize.com/Images/product/ledAccess/spokelit/spokelit_left_image2.jpg (http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=26&product_id=163)

I've got the SpokeLites on the wheels, and they look great! The trailer came with a light that clips onto the flagpole, although it's hard to keep it pointed behind me. Between those and the blinky on the bike, I'm in good shape.

However, I still can't figure out where I'd mount the superflashes. There's one tab on the cover, but I put a blinky on it and it droops. The frame is not an option if I want to leave the cover on. Any ideas?

I run a Cateye TL-LD500 on each rear corner of the trailer. This gives me a CPSC certified reflector and an active light in each location; in addition to the lights and reflective material on the bike, me and my helmet.

I run a Cateye TL-LD500 on each rear corner of the trailer.

How do you attach them?

I just saw those niteize spoke lights in a store yesterday. How do they compare to Tireflies (http://www.bumperstickermagnet.com/tireflys-tireflys-section.html) as far as visibility and length of useful life is concerned?

My trailer has no spokes, so I'd need tireflies for it. Having only one operable tirefly left, it's time for more. Perhaps I'll get some spoke lights for the bikes if folks think they're better.

I just saw those niteize spoke lights in a store yesterday. How do they compare to Tireflies (http://www.bumperstickermagnet.com/tireflys-tireflys-section.html) as far as visibility and length of useful life is concerned?

My trailer has no spokes, so I'd need tireflies for it. Having only one operable tirefly left, it's time for more. Perhaps I'll get some spoke lights for the bikes if folks think they're better.

Not sure, I've only had them for a few days. I'll report back after running them for a few weeks.

If you ever go touring with the trailer you could consider a dynamo, enabling you to charge a phone, ipod etc. Nicely complements a solar panel.

The headlight on the front of the trailer has the added effect of lighting up the bicycle+rider, which makes you more visible from the side. I installed a 'super capacitor' at the bridge rectifier so the rear lights continue to glow for about half a minute after stopping. Incidentally the rear LEDs are rows of 10mm red giants. These lights are *much* brighter than typical rear lights.

If you ever go touring with the trailer you could consider a dynamo, enabling you to charge a phone, ipod etc. Nicely complements a solar panel.

The headlight on the front of the trailer has the added effect of lighting up the bicycle+rider, which makes you more visible from the side. I installed a 'super capacitor' at the bridge rectifier so the rear lights continue to glow for about half a minute after stopping. Incidentally the rear LEDs are rows of 10mm red giants. These lights are *much* brighter than typical rear lights.

please explain what all of that means? I only really understood bright lights and being able to charge stuff off of a generator?

The bicycle generator shown is 12volts, 0.5Amps (picture 1). It comes out AC but it's more useful as DC, so you use a 'rectifier' which turns the snakey AC signal into a camel-humpy DC signal. The capacitor smooths the camel-humps to give a constant DC source of power. Just like magic (picture 3). The beautiful part is that the capacitor acts like a small battery so even when the generator isn't generating electricity the capacitor still has some juice. This is how the lights continue to glow for a while after stopping the trailer.

The black box with the red display (picture 2) just 'regulates' the incoming voltage (from generator or solar panel) so that the ipod gets the correct voltage (5v) as do the various other things attached (the lights, rechargeable batteries, GPS unit etc). It's basic electronics made to sound complicated.

If you just want lights for shopping trips then the blinkies are the solution. For tours, consider a dynamo. One could debate endlessly about the pros and cons.