Originally Posted by
gpsblake
I agree it's preference and the topic asked 1 wheel vs 2 wheel. But it's simple math... 2 wheel trailer means 4 wheels instead of 3, thus your odds of a flat increase, that's the law of physics. And not trying to pick a fight, but you won't be riding slightly left of the white line in the picture I showed with a 2 wheel trailer unless you want your right rear trailer wheel to be on the rumble strip all the time. You will be way out in the road. But with a one wheel trailer, I could ride at times to the RIGHT of the rumble strips if I had to (say when I sense a large tractor trailer coming) , something that would be impossible (or miserable) on a 2 wheel trailer.
Also riding something like this is miserable with a two wheel trailer, this is the C&O canal from bikewashington
With a one wheel trailer, this presents no problem.
Do you own a touring trailer? I do and it has two wheels.
A couple of points. The likelihood of having a flat based on the number of wheels has little if nothing to do with physics and more to do with probability. As mentioned before, the right wheel on my trailer tracks just slightly to the right of the bicycle so the rumble strip would not be a factor with my Wike trailer.
I would never ride to the right of the rumble strip. The idea is to take your proper position on the road and maintain your line. I expect the other users of the road to give me room. It's worked so far and I'm 58.
There are some practical advantages to using a two wheel trailer that are worth mentioning. You can use a modest kickstand with your bike that makes stopping very convenient. Load balance is less critical with the two wheel trailer. It's much easier to connect and disconnect the trailer from the bike even when it is loaded. I like to disconnect the trailer from the bike when stopping for the night and pull it up alongside the bike so I can cover both with a tarp.
Having said that, I think a single wheel trailer is a very viable option particularly when travelling on single or double track. I would have no problems doing the road in your picture above with my trailer but wouldn't want to do it for long. If that was the kind of road I was going to tour on then I'd pull a single with my Kona Lava Dome.