My new trailer for cruising, adding audio system next!

[LuMax]

In addition to both mountain and road biking, I am an enthusiastic cruiser-bike cyclist.
I am a member of 5 different cruiser clubs and usually spend 1-2 nights a week cruising with one of these groups. Usually we meet at a pub and then ride to other pubs, but on nice summer evenings it's always fun to go to a local park and sip frosty beverages outside. Since no one in my groups had a decent cooler for hauling beer, I decided to take the project on.

Step 1: Buy a used Burley on Craig's List for $50



Step 2: Strip all of the child-friendly bits



HINT: Always be certain to include a small dog in the photo for proper scale. ;-)

Step 3: Clean the beejesus out of it. I used a Scotch-Brite pad and lots of soap

Step 4: Lay on lots of gloss black enamel to match my bike



Step 5: Thoroughly clean and paint an old cooler black also



Step 6: Make a new cargo bed out of red oak and paint it to match.

Step 7: Painstakingly mask and paint the trailer wheels to match the wheels on your cruiser.
HINT: Drinking beer while masking each individual spoke and spoke nipple makes the process far less painful.



Step 8: Paint and mount the oak rack to the trailer frame and install the finished wheels



Step 9: Have some decals made to match the logo on your cruiser bike and stick them to the sides of the cooler



Step 10: Fill cooler with beer & ice, add dogs to cruiser basket and go cruising with many friends

[Reynolds]

Cute dogs too!

[PaleoFloridian]

Your post made my day!!

[Nightshade]

A fine effort well done!

[LuMax]

If you liked my trailer, I thought you might also like this.
I couldn't find a cool looking basket for my dogs to ride in.
Most baskets are either very effeminate or ugly as sin.
So I bought some template cardboard and got to work.

Step 1: Make groovy new basket by VERY carefully cutting and designing templates (the first canvas and steel frame basket I made is to the right in this photo, but it looked pretty 'boxy' on my cool bike so it had to be replaced).



Step 2: find some awesome steel mesh to make the basket out of





Step 3: disassemble cardboard basket and get materials and templates to the TIG welder

[IMG]TOP SECRET photo of basket plans which will not be revealed to keep it one-of-a-kind[/IMG]

Step 4: Welding followed by beating with big hammers to smooth it out and then powder coating





Step 5: Make a custom LED headlight out PVC and polycarbonate for the basket



Step 6: Enjoy the awesomeness of a custom, one-off dog basket

[Rx Rider]

vice nice. just curious are your dogs named 'bitey' and 'nipper' by chance? great guard dogs for the bike.

[Dave Armstrong]

004.jpg


Nice basket, nice trailer.I like the red spokes. One thing every self sufficient party trailer should have is a bottle opener.

[LuMax]

vice nice. just curious are your dogs named 'bitey' and 'nipper' by chance? great guard dogs for the bike.

Lucilla and Maximus (The Gladiator). Hence my user name, LuMax.

004.jpg
Nice basket, nice trailer.I like the red spokes. One thing every self sufficient party trailer should have is a bottle opener.

Cans only allowed in the parks around here, but nice touch.

[PaleoFloridian]

You should send these pics and all over to the guy at bike hacks, he'd really enjoy it. http://www.bikehacks.com/bikehacks/

I think you have mad skillz!

[LuMax]

The trailer is starting to get a bit beat-up from all of the cruising.
Rode it in the New Belgium Brewery, "Tour De Fat" in Denver yesterday along with about 10-12K of my closest cruiser friends.

[chaadster]

That is some very cool and creative stuff!

A red version of your headlight would be a cool trailer taillight! (But I'm sure you already thought of that!)

Let us know what you do for the sound system.

[fietsbob]

Guess My Idea of a sound system would be towing, like A Carvin Battery powered PA, 2 cabs
battery sub mixer for more channels, and speaker stands to run an outdoor gig , setting it up,
playing some live Bands thru it , then packing it all up, towing it home.

[LuMax]

Nope, the idea is being able to listen to it WHILE cruising.
Will leave the DJ-ing up to a song list on my MP3 player.
Probably going with a 10"-12" downward firing SW, 2 6"x9" speakers out the back, and 2 5"-6" speakers out the front.
600W x 5 channel amp and a deep-cycle 12V battery with high enough Ah rating to play for 5-6 hours.
Speakers will be marine grade in case I get rained on while riding (again).
All in a self contained box that is reasonably compact and hopefully not extremely heavy.
I know a few folks who use PA style speakers and the sound is quite harsh.

[Nightshade]

I'm gonna be a bit of a wet blanket here 'cause I just gotta know.

How much does the whole bike/trailer with you and dog weigh?

Can you still pedal it when you add more weight?

Nice set up anyway.

[LuMax]

It's actually not that heavy until the cooler gets completely filled with ice and beverages, then it's a bit of work on the uphills. With the cooler empty I can barely tell it's hooked up, the trailer itself is quite light. The basket weighs about ~6 pounds because I used perforated steel and lighter gauge steel for it's construction. The combined weight of my dogs is 14.4 pounds. I plan to convert my rear wheel from a Nexus 3-speed hub to a Nexus 8 this winter, then trailer weight will no longer be an issue. I road and mountain bike a lot and spin in the winter months, so my fitness is generally quite good. Not certain how much weight the sound system will add just yet. Also contemplating adding a front wheel drum brake hub.

[Nightshade]

It's actually not that heavy until the cooler gets completely filled with ice and beverages, then it's a bit of work on the uphills. With the cooler empty I can barely tell it's hooked up, the trailer itself is quite light. The basket weighs about ~6 pounds because I used perforated steel and lighter gauge steel for it's construction. The combined weight of my dogs is 14.4 pounds. I plan to convert my rear wheel from a Nexus 3-speed hub to a Nexus 8 this winter, then trailer weight will no longer be an issue. I road and mountain bike a lot and spin in the winter months, so my fitness is generally quite good. Not certain how much weight the sound system will add just yet. Also contemplating adding a front wheel drum brake hub.

When you change to the Nexus 8 be sure to swap out your front chain ring for a 32 tooth ring or you won't get a useful range from the 8.

[LuMax]

Thanks!

[LuMax]

To take the guesswork out of it I just weighed everything and checked my cog and chainring.

I'm currently running a 44t with a 20t cog with the nexus 3-Speed.
I'm guessing the cranks are 172.5-175mm.
My bike weighs 55 pounds as pictured (no dogs) and has 20" wheels.
The diameter of the fat tires is nearly 26" (25 3/4").
The trailer + empty cooler weight is 33 1/2 pounds.

One big problem is I just measured the rear dropouts, they are only 120mm. I thought they were 135mm with spacers but they are not. So I am limited to the 3-speed hub AFAIK. So now the only option is to change the front ring or the rear cog. I can only gain up to a 23t in the back, so swapping out the front ring is probably the best choice. Probably don't need to drop down to a 32t though, maybe more like a 36t.

[badmother]

To take the guesswork out of it I just weighed everything and checked my cog and chainring.

I'm currently running a 44t with a 20t cog with the nexus 3-Speed.
I'm guessing the cranks are 172.5-175mm.
My bike weighs 55 pounds as pictured (no dogs) and has 20" wheels.
The diameter of the fat tires is nearly 26" (25 3/4").
The trailer + empty cooler weight is 33 1/2 pounds.

One big problem is I just measured the rear dropouts, they are only 120mm. I thought they were 135mm with spacers but they are not. So I am limited to the 3-speed hub AFAIK. So now the only option is to change the front ring or the rear cog. I can only gain up to a 23t in the back, so swapping out the front ring is probably the best choice. Probably don't need to drop down to a 32t though, maybe more like a 36t.

Is the bike aluminium or steel? If alu leave it as it is. If steel you can re space the rear. I tend to do it the rough way, just put a slim car jack in there and respace that way. Remember it is going to stretc a bit so make it a bit wider than you need, it will "travel back" some mm`s when you remowe the tension. Read up on respacing and how to check that your frame is straight (string method) before you start. Sheldon Brown wrote about it but also others. Keep us updated!

[LuMax]

Aluminum.

[Nightshade]

One big problem is I just measured the rear dropouts, they are only 120mm. I thought they were 135mm with spacers but they are not. So I am limited to the 3-speed hub AFAIK. So now the only option is to change the front ring or the rear cog. I can only gain up to a 23t in the back, so swapping out the front ring is probably the best choice. Probably don't need to drop down to a 32t though, maybe more like a 36t.

If your location is mostly flat lands then the 36t will be much better with your 3 sp.. Any hills and the the 32t will be just what you need. Either way that 44t has got to go!

[LuMax]

Thanks. I live in Denver, plenty of hills here.
I can keep up with most people with dogs + a full cooler on the trailer, but it requires a standing climb.
Maybe I'll post a video clip from the TDF ride.
I'm going to try to find a cool looking 36t for now and see how that does.
Maybe get a 23t cog also just in case.

[Nightshade]

I'm going to try to find a cool looking 36t for now and see how that does.
Maybe get a 23t cog also just in case.

The 23t will be so low that in the lower gears of the hub you will spin yourself silly! Use the 23t only if your bike project gets seriously heavy so you can pedal the weight.

Good luck!

[trestlehed]

LuMax wrote:

Step 10: Fill cooler with beer & ice, add dogs to cruiser basket and go cruising with many friends

Next you should consider inventing/building a conveyor system that will deliver the ice cold beers from your cooler to you,
then return empties and dump them in a recycle bin...?
Just an idea.

[Reynolds]

One big problem is I just measured the rear dropouts, they are only 120mm. I thought they were 135mm with spacers but they are not. So I am limited to the 3-speed hub AFAIK.

The Nexus 8 is 132.5mm from factory, but you can slim it down by changing spacers/nuts on the non drive side, if not using a roller or coaster brake. Don't know if as far as 120, though. You may check out here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Geared_hub_bikes/