Recreational & Family - pulling a trailer with a road bike

I have been contemplating buying a trek 1.1 but am not sure it is really geared to pull a trailer (that's what I keep hearing at least) . Anyone have any experience with this?

What kind of trailer are you pulling, a popup camper? :lol: I'm assuming you are pulling kid(s). I was worried about tugging along extra weight when we got our trailer, but found it took minimal extra effort to pull them along. If you are comfortable riding the bike, you will be comfortable towing the trailer.

What kind of trailer are you pulling, a popup camper? http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/images/smilies/lol.gif


priceless!

how many gears you think you need? the trek has what, 24, 32, 36? surely you can find a gear that works.
dragging a loaded (or even unloaded) stump trailer ( in louisiana the whole thing is called a stump truck. ) up a 45 degree incline might be stretching the bike's capabilities, but with your physique looking like arnold schwarzenegger's, it should still be possible.

I pull a trailer with a child or two pretty regularly. Max load--2 children and groceries--is probably 100 pounds. I had fairly standard road gearing on my bike--52/39, 14-28 7-speed freewheel--and that was definitely too high geared for my strength. I'm not a very strong rider though--on a really good day I could probably ride with a B group.

I dropped to a 34 small ring, and now it's easy to ride even up fairly steep hills with two children. I think your gearing will work--34-25 is my second-lowest gear, and it takes a serious hill for that to be hard for me.

And changing cassettes is not an expensive or difficult change.

excellent. I pull a trek 2 kid trailer currently with a marlin 29" mtb. I know the mtb is granny geared but like i said i keep hearing that road bikes arent geared for the extra weight but i'd say thats mostly just gum flapping from what you guys are saying.

Thanks