acorsaw

I've got a new LeMond Alpe d'Huez and it's got carbon seat stays and carbon chain stays. I've also got a bike trailer that attaches with a bracket that gets sandwiched between the skewer and frame of the bike.

I've asked the manufacturer what they recomended for bike trailers either a seat post mount (my seat post is also carbon), skewer mount, or some other type of mounting system. They said that the bike wasn't built to withstand the kind of stresses that a trailer would apply. However I find it hard to believe that it's built any lighter than some of the other bikes I've seen mentioned here. I'm specifically thinking of the guy that hauled the trailer during a TT up a hill that was posted a few days back.

What are your experiences or recommendations regarding the use of the trailer with my bike?

DrPete 

I would check with the manufacturer. If the stays can withstand the force of the drivetrain and the weight of an adult person, you'd think it would be OK. That being said, I was wary of using the trailer with my CF Pinarello too--mainly because I never asked anyone at Pinarello.

Dick Rhee

The image I'm getting in my head from reading these posts is a Ferrari Enzo trying to tow an RV trailer. It'd probably work, but seems kind of...well you know, odd. Nothing wrong with that though.

DrPete 

I never found out because I was too embarrassed to ask Pinarello. I was afraid they'd want their bike back.

Dick Rhee

haha well if you ever do decide to try it make sure you post some pics!

MrCjolsen

Spandex tights and colorful spandex jersey.
Clown shoes.
Helmet that makes one look like a mushroom.

We passed "odd" a long time ago.

Dick Rhee

I don't know, I think we've still got a ways to go.

Case in point :

Brycycle

^ that helmet doesn't meet regulations.

Dick Rhee

^ No way dude, you're just jealous

Phantoj

I don't have any experience hauling a trailer with your bike - but loan it to me, and I'll tell you how it works...


A skewer-mount trailer puts no significant additional stresses on the frame. The loads from the trailer (which are quite minimal just riding around) "go" right into the wheel without stressing the frame. The manufacturer is just trying to cover their bottoms, and may not have thought about the question fully. They may deny warranty service if a frame problem occurs, but they would be wrong to do so. I think using an old-style Burley clamp-on hitch with a carbon frame would be a bad idea, however.

There's nothing wrong with pulling a trailer with a road bike, even a "fast" road bike. It's a good way for a parent to get in a workout.

Adagio Corse

Just got a Burley D'lite for my Bianchi 928 C2C all CF bike. I'll let you guys know how that goes

acorsaw

Adagio, I'd appreciate it if you could post your experiences with your trailer after you get it in.

Phantoj, I thought the same thing when I got the reply back from LeMond. They only thing I could think of was that the pull on the trailer attachment going up a hill would pull on the frame in a vector it wasn't designed for but I can't imagine that it would be enough to damage even the most fragile of frame components.

jrobe

You could get one of these (see trailer hitch part for $10) and connect it directly to the hub/skewer.

https://www.wicycle.com/parts.htm

Dick Rhee

In all seriousness, because the trailer would be hooked up to the skewer (which is the object exerting a 'push' force on the frame/stays when pedaling), your frame should not be experiencing a pulling effect from the trailer except when freewheeling. Because I can't imagine anyone on this forum trying to coast up a hill, I'd expect that you should be alright in that respect.

I have no experience with bike trailers, but I would imagine that they have the hitch/mounts set up so a twisting force on the stays whenever you lean your bike into a turn would not be a problem?

This would be a great practical question for the Engineering Statics class I took last year.

acorsaw

Right, the trailer has a spring type mechanism that allows the bike and trailer to pivot and twist independently of each other. I really can't imagine any kind of forces on the bike that would be damaging to the bike. I had the trailer on my old flat bar hybrid and I could barely tell it was back there except when I was stopping. I'm really just hoping to get some feedback from some of the carbon folks who have a trailer and need to pull it on occasion. My best guess is that maybe 1 in 20 rides would be with it and I'd likely be with my wife on her mountain bike anyway. No high speed stopping or starting, maybe 30 to 45 minutes.

After todays ride of two hours in 30mph winds gusting to 40 a trailer would be a welcome break

Phantoj

If you flipped the trailer over on its side, or if you ran into something, I could see damage occuring.

Imagine if you tried to squeeze between a pair of bollards (posts) on a MUP at 15 mph, and the trailer got wedged! That would damage something (My guess is that it would snap off the end of your axle and then the safety strap would rip the dropout out of the rear triangle...)

MrCjolsen

Not to mention, lil' acorsaw jr. is going to be really pissed.

mrfish

We use a trailer with our 7 month old on our tandem and on my wife's bike. I even tried it on my Colnago C40 for riding round the park. In my view the stresses of riding round the local park with a trailer will be minimal. Firstly the spring connection ensures there torsional / bending loads are minimal. Secondly the towing force isn't very big, and any jerks will be damped somewhat by the spring. What you need to worry about is overtightening any non-scewer arrangement that clamps onto the chainstay.

merlinextraligh

+1. I think the real danger is cracking a CF chainstay from over tightening it.

I've pulled a burley trailer, and a BOB trailer, and they just don't put that much force on the bike's frame.

In fact if the frame couldn't handle the tongue weight from a burley trailer, I wouldn't be trusting my safety to the bike in the first palce.

I wouldn't worry about a skewer mounted trailer.