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Old 05-07-13 | 09:50 AM
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staehpj1
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,037
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From: Tallahassee, FL

Bikes: Several

How much do you plan on carrying? A trailer can be overkill if you are a light packer, but may be a plus if you pack heavy especially with a light bike.

I too found that I didn't like a two wheeled trailer because one wheel or the other always seemed to be dropping off the edge of the pavement or rolling over rumble strips unless I made allowances for that. Also dodging road debris was harder to manage. I only rode one briefly but it was enough to put me off of them.

I like the way one wheeled trailers handled, but sold mine for two main reasons. First it was a lot heavier than the racks and panniers that I would have otherwise chosen. And second, I thought it would be a major hassle to deal with shipping or flying with a trailer. Some folks may find that neither of those are an issue for them so YMMV.

Lately I have taken to packing lighter and lighter using ultralight backpacking gear and a generally very minimal packing style. As I went lighter the trailer made less and less sense. Going that route my racks, clothing, gear, and bags can weigh less than the empty trailer did.

One reason to use a trailer is if you want to carry medium to heavy loads with a light road bike. I rode with a young guy on the ST who was carryiing a heavy load with a carbon fiber race bike, light wheels and all. I will say that he did have a bunch of mechanical breakdowns that he blamed on the trailer. I am not completely convinced the trailer was at fault though. The problems were bent derailleur hangers and bent derailleurs, as well as a wheel problem caused by the chain and derailleur getting into the spokes.
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