Any issues with a road bike on 27" wheels and standard double crank towing a trailer?
 

I currently tow my kid in his Burley using a MTB. Looking into buying a nice, old school road bike to do the same. However, the bike is on 27" wheels and has a standard double crank (don't know anything about the cassette if that makes a difference). The town I live in has moderate rolling hills but there are some pretty steep roads too. I have to walk the MTB and trailer the last 1/4 mile uphill to my house as it is a double digit grade so I fully expect to do the same with the road bike. Question is, will I be able to tow at all with it? What's teh diff in gearing between a MTB and road bike on 27" wheels and standard double?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

That should give you some idea.

Did it for years with an old Motobecane Nomade. You are going to want lower gears than most road bikes come with.

Aaron :)

a bike with 27" wheels is likely to have a 52/42 or 52/40 crank. Freewheels, which is what you're likely to find on such a bike, came in huge range of ratio spread, ranging from the ever-unuseful 13-18 to things having a big cog of 34 teeth (usually with an 8 or 10 tooth jump down from that.)

If I lived somewhere where there were hills, I'd want lower gearing. I'd want lower gearing, even in flatlandia, were I pulling a trailer. If you get an Asian made bike, it will have standard threading, which makes putting a triple, or a double with a more sensible range, easy. (if not cheap, if you want something shiny, or vintage. Options range from a 20 buck bottom bracket and a 30 buck mountain crankset in black to that same bottom bracket and a 120 buck sugino triple in super shiny, to arm-and-leg vintage stuff. Plus maybe a derailleur and shifters, depending.) If you get something French, it's harder.

i don't see you running into any problem towing a trailer with 27" tires or a standard double crank. i think because of the width of the tires that the gears on the bike should be OK for towing and you may make it farther up the hill as apposed to mountain bike tires that are wider and feel heavier when you are biking.