Do any of you use a trailer on your folder?

I'm thinking about getting one, mainly for shopping (think bags of cat litter, beverage crates - so 40-50kg/90-110 lbs capacity good) but also for day trips (picknick kind of thing, some trail riding), and it would be good to hear any thoughts and tips.

I was looking a Burley but now I'm gravitating toward the lower-priced Carry Me Freedom, not certain on the size yet. The flatbed style looks more versatile. EUR 300 is probably the threshhold of pain, pricewise. Must be foldable for storage.

Is a kickstand necessary on a bike used for towing?

The bike I'd be using is a Nexus three-speed set up as 'normal-low-lower' (low gear of 36 gear inches I think) - does that sound feasible for a fairly flat area? Any issues with fitting the hitch on a solid axle?

I have a couple of cheapo Next-Step child trailers that I use. They are very inexpensive ($20 to $50), readily available on Craigslist or other second-hand sites, can easily be converted to a flatbed trailer (there are numerous instructions/examples online). They fold flat and easily handle 100 lbs.

One of these may be a good starting point to see if you even like pulling a trailer before investing in a new fancy one.

I would definately suggest a kickstand because the range of motion of the trailer hitch is limited.

^
indeed, looking out for used kid trailers parallel to this - if I find one that's not too abused it's an option too. Should maybe have picked one up in the winter months... Always thought you could leave the top on those, let drivers think you've got kids on board.

I don't mind buying new though and spending the cash on something well thought out and compact/light if it avoids a few headaches.

Towing a Burly flatbed, I can fold up my Brompton in it,
unlike older Kid trailers ,
the Burly Fatbed tongue folds under . for compact storage , 2 QR wheels, front type.

then got a carry-freedom, city trailer
it fits in the load bed of the flatbed for storage, Brompton sits on top of the C-F,c,
, the trailer itself folds flat.
Behind the Brompton, the rear fold stand effect still works as before ..

my Pocket Llama and Burly trailer are all the same 406-20" tubes for spares..

Reorganized , Post CoOp, Burly is different.. the new trailers are 16" wheels..
the Tow bar un Plugs.

I have the Carry Freedom flatbed, the small one. I use it for pulling my dog mainly when I want him to be able to jump in and out. I bought a folding box I atatched to the top. what I really like about it is the pushbutton "wheelchair hubs", much faster and neater than on cheap child trailers. If you need to fold it for storege this is a "must" in my opinion. If you buy one I`ll post some pictures of what I did to make it easyer to pull by hand.

My friend is looking for a trailer. I suggested to her a child trailer without the fancy moulded plastic or alu bottoms, pushbutton wheels plus a stroller kit. That way you can park the bike and "stroll" the trailer into the store. Also you can put a small folder (like a Brompton) innside and stroll away into shoppingcenters and similar places, no need to fear about the locked up bike.

This is my Carry freedom:
Ready to go 2 by bad.mother@ymail.com, on Flickr

This is where I bought the box: https://www.dutchbikebits.com/index.p...product_id=221

Thanks!

Ordered the CF small (I was very tempted by the large, but lots of my cycling is on fairly narrow paths). One or two bags of cat litter or a couple of crates shouldn't be a problem, and that's 90% of what I need it for just now - sure other uses will present themselves. It may even serve as a trailer for the Bickerton. I'll let you know how it goes.

Keep us updated .

I like the Radical design trailers but they are fairly expensive: https://www.radicaldesign.nl/en/prod...ailers/cyclone been thinking that if I find a suitable bag i could put the flatbed innside, make (reinforced) holes for axels and drawbar and thereby get almost the same result..

The Y Frame Small arrived yesterday. Glad I ordered the 'small' after all - plenty room on the deck and I don't think I'd like it any wider. A big old 90l heavy duty plastic tub for example fits just fine:



The trailer is very functionally kitted out and feels bombproof.

Only problem - my rear axle doesn't have enough length for the hitch. So this evening's job is to try and relocate the axle on the Nexus 3 a little over to the left.

Give us a picture of your chainstay/axel area. Do you have "fat" chainstays? I have a fast easy DIY solution for trailer hitch on fat chainstays.

This is the best I can do just now:



If that thick yellow anti-rotation washer wasn't there would be plenty space...

Mounting on the right (which would have been better for folding, too) is unfortunately not possible due to the Nexus's external shift box.

If you have a gear hub, you should look at the Burley Travoy, as it clamps to the seat post


IMG_0226 by What Photos Look Like, on Flickr

Exactely. Found your bike here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ght=front+rack while looking for something else.

You have a Shimano Nexus three speed hub with coaster brake. Not the easyest to deal with, especially with the coaster brake that has to be clamped to the chainstay. I would NOT try to mess with the axel on a IGH, they are not like the axels on other hubs, they need to stay where they need to stay. I suggest you contact Carry Freedom first of all, you are not the first person trying to fit a trailer to a Nexus3 with coaster. I am sure they have a solution.

This one? https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-...H20100756.html

May give you a huge fold..

I did in fact consider the Travoy - considerably more expensive than the Carry Freedom though. The flatbed should be more versatile at the price of convenience.

It's this bracket (3-4mm thick):


Oh I'll get it attached somehow though - if there is no play to move the whole axle to the left then losing just one (hopefully fairly non-essential) washer or nut on the axle - or fitting a thinner one - will be enough. Only one, max. 2 mm in it.

I know, I own one you know .

I use a Burly hitch on some of my bikes (for this and other trailers) but that is not going to solve your problem.

Look here for (general) inspiration: https://www.flickr.com/photos/simple-...7631518301717/

this is what I did with mine: https://www.flickr.com/photos/simple-...57631518301717 Rotate the drawbar 1/4 and drill new holes (in the drawbar) and the trailer is much easyer to pull by hand. You can add a loop of webbing or put some foam on it if you pull it like this a lot.

This is how I use it: https://www.flickr.com/photos/simple-...57631518301717 (not my photo or dog).

I like this. Use just the frame atatched to a suitcase and get a BF -like trailer. I am sure you can add 12" wheels if you want small size for travel: https://www.flickr.com/photos/simple-...57631518301717
https://www.flickr.com/photos/simple-...57631518301717

Yeah I was aware - just wasn't sure if the bracket had changed over the last couple of years.

I suppose I could call Carry Freedom for help but I do like a challenge - stage one is filing the anti-turn washer a little flatter, I started this last night and it did seem to help the wheel nut grip. Just missing that crucial half-turn to really grip, but we'll get there yet...

Great idea rotating the bar for handcarting, thanks for that.

I did file one down some time back actually, could work.

Also it could be possible yo use a anti rotation washer from a different manufacturer, like SA- have done that too. Ask in your local bikeshop.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/sturmey-a...515-prod19110/

If it were me, I would make a bracket that also doubles up as an anti rotation washer, i.e. the bracket has a slotted hole for the axle and a protrusion that fits in the drop-out slot. For simplicity, the drop-out protrusion could be a nut and bolt of a suitable size to fit in the drop-out slot. Hope that makes sense.

The second one tries to fit the bracket, oh it certainly does make sense - and it would be the ideal solution.
Alas, too product specific for an already niche market for sure, and I'm more of a breaker than a maker.

Well, only slightly less ideal than Shimano making their axles a bit longer in the first place

Ultima ratio would be filing the dropout a little flatter, they are very thick.

My trailer is a home built frame using a Rubbermaid Action Packer and Harbor Freight wheels. Roger

Well I managed to fit the bracket yesterday.

On the premise that the axle isn't turning (it can't), the removal of the thick left hand lock nut was enough to do the trick. Admittedly not ideal, and in practice it wasn't quite that straightforward, but with a bit of bodging it worked out OK in the end.

Barring the silver bullet of a bracket that doubles as an anti-rotation washer, a mount in the rear triangle would have been easier.

Worth remembering if you have a 3-speed Nexus with coaster brake and are considering a trailer (I'm sure the good people at CF would have been happy to help if the problems seemed unsurmountable). The Carry Freedom trailer itself can be fitted with a large variety of hitches (e.g. Weber). I would have been reluctant to try anything else as the supplied fittings are of impeccable finish and quality.

Looking forward to a trial run in the next few days!

When you are using a bike with Coaster brakes towing a trailer, keep in mind that you do not rely solely on the coaster brake itself. Just a word of caution, only if you have a number of hills to go downhill with.

Cheers...

Ditto, hand brake on the front , at least..

How long is the axle under the acorn nut. ?

perhaps the yellow one can go inside, remove another spacer so it's no wider,
then hitch can go where the yellow one is with out eliminating it.

you need it, yellow anti-rotation washer, for the 3 speed to work right.