Originally Posted by plin
My fear is not about going up but rather coming down. If I am going at 40Km/h downhill I have the impression that I am slow as a snail and chewing my brakes. But I am sure that even that's way too fast if I am pulling a trailer especially in the switchbacks. How fast do you come downhill and how do you manage the slow speed? The only way of having a nice ride with my son is pull him up for about 800 vertical meters and ride on a plateau.
Well, the manufacturer of my trailer (Burley) recommends that speeds not be over 15 mph (25 Km/h). If the road is pretty clear and open, I'm comfortable taking it up to 25 mph (40 Km/h). However, I'll slow down a _lot_ for any corners. I'm not sure how to tell you how fast you can go through a corner with
a trailer; I played it very conservatively at first and sped up as I got used to how it handled. Even with experience though, the trailers don't lean and can't corner sharply. Managing speed isn't as hard on a gentle downhill as I initially thought it might be - at least my trailer produces a very large amount of wind drag which limits downhill speed. I've gone down several hills where my wife (on her own bike) is coasting and accellerating away from me, while I'm pedalling with the trailer. I do avoid steep slopes where possible. Anticipating your need to stop is also good - try your brakes out well before you think you need them, so you know how much slowing they will give you. If the hill is steel enough, I tend to brake in chunks, rather than continually riding them on the way down.
Keith