neilfein

When I got home and saw that box on the front porch, I was pretty excited. I got the trailer assembled that night in about an hour. Most of it is pretty simple, and the only puzzling bit was trying to find where to mount the flagpole.

I tried putting a sticker on the back "bumper" area, but stickers don't adhere well to fabric. Anyone manage to get bumper stickers to stay on a Nomad?

The next evening, I brought the trailer outside to take it for a spin around the block. Looking in the garage, I found a dozen sweaters to use as ballast. (It's time to bring those inside anyway.)

The trailer handles very well indeed, much smoother than a one-wheeled trailer. Cornering is a small issue, but I didn't have to slow down all that much; making the turns a little wider seems to do the trick.

A few days later, I took 30 pounds of laundry downtown (about a mile). The weight is noticeable, but the bike feels more nimble than it does with panniers. The front of the bike did feel a little squirrely, but nothing I can't get used to. The trailer does attract attention, but I hardly mind that. I'll have to pick up a second hitch so I can pull the trailer on Little Red (my Dahon Curve).

Not having a second lock, I locked my bike to an iron bench outside, and rolled the trailer into the laundromat. I'm wondering if I'll be able to do that in the supermarket; I guess I'll find out this week.

The one thing I don't like is that I can't jacknife the trailer, but that's a limitation of two-wheeled trailers in general. I'm gonna have to break down and get a kickstand.