Here's our situation. We are a one-car family of two parents and two boys, ages 7 and 9. I bike to my office job; my wife combines being a stay-at-home mom with a fine art and graphics career. So she is the primary car user, for grocery trips, general errands, and schlepping art around. Her cycling is limited to short recreational rides with the family on back streets and trails, using her classic Schwinn 3-speed that she's had since she was 15.

She was just complaining to me last night that she never has time for exercise, especially during the summer when the boys are on school vacation. I suggested we could get a bike trailer to enable her to do some trips by bike, especially for groceries. To my surprise, she is open to the idea. So now I need to decide what to get.

I'd personally love to get an Xtracycle, but we are of fairly different heights, so we couldn't share a bike comfortably, unless maybe it was primarily her size but rideable by me if I jacked the seat way up. I wonder if any frames are more conducive to that than others?

If an Xtracycle is out, that leaves a trailer. I'm imagining that she would get to the grocery store through the back street route, which also involves a short distance on a paved pedestrian path. (The alternative is a busy shoulderless 4-narrow-lane road, which I'm pretty sure she would not ride because she's not comfortable in traffic. Although that street also has a paved sidewalk/path next to some of it.) The terrain is mostly flat, one or two small hills.

I know some trailers are 2-wheeled and some are 1. I've heard that 1 wheel handles better and can go more places, but how are they on carrying uneven loads? When you are stopped, does the weight of the bike keep the 1-wheeled trailer upright, and does that produce a noticeable pull on the rider? How about packing it at the store without tipping over the bike ('cause you're not on it at the time)? What can you recommend for trailers specifically for loads such as groceries? (We don't need a kid trailer; the boys are too old to ride in it anyway and have their own bikes to ride along with Mom.)

If it matters, once every couple of years, I have a need to fly somewhere on business, so I would also take advantage of whatever trailer we buy to bike to the airport with a suitcase. I suppose anything would work for that.

Thanks for any advice.

https://www.carryfreedom.com/bamboo.html

https://www.electric-bikes.com/traile...lf)%20Trailers

https://www.ibike.org/economics/trailer.htm#unabridged

https://www.google.com/search?num=100...icycle+trailer

This is the most objective and informative article on trailers I have seen. I hope it helps.

One of the complete bike setups that Xtracycle sells uses an Electra Townie as the base. I understand that people of widely varying heights can ride the same Townie, by adjusting the seat.

Great basic trailer: https://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-InSTEP-QE125...QQcmdZViewItem

we have many hundereds of trouble-free miles on ours. Packs down nice & flat, comfortably handles heavy loads, very stable. I put Stan's in the tubes and no flats. I've towed about 100lbs (kid +beer) in here Can pack a shocking amount of stuff in there, even with a kiddie.

Cheers & best of luck

Not to toot my own horn, but you could follow my lead. https://www.bikeforums.net/utility-cycling/311932-rehabbed-kiddie-trailer.html
The trailer itself was free and the mods were fairly cheap.

While I love my Xtracycle it sounds to me that a two wheel trailer would be a good fit. The major problem would be if your bike routes had obstacles that will trip up or flat the outside wheel of the trailer.

I have a Burley Solo, a Burley Flatbed and a Wike Woody Wagon.
https://www.burley.com/products/index.html
https://www.wicycle.com/kit.htm

Sorry, I can't comment on the single wheeled trailers. I have no experience with them, but a Burley Nomad might fit your needs.

I love the Flatbed and used to tow it almost every single day, until someone gave me racks for two of my bikes, and panniers.

I have found the Solo to make a pretty good covered utility trailer, but with limited space for bulky loads.


The modifications I made to the Flatbed:
The horizontal sections of PVC pipe are so I don't have to tie down most loads I carry.
The vertical sections of PVC pipe are rod holders for carrying fishing rods and reels.
All the PVC is just zip-tied on. Didn't want to drill holes in the trailer.
I replaced the rear reflectors with a Cateye TL-LD500 on each rear corner of the trailer.

Here's another trailer resource on the web that I hadn't seen before. Some good pics of trailers, hitches, etc. and it looks like they will send DIY plans on request, I think for free.

John,

I have a Wike trailer, the "shopper" version. It's a 2 wheeler and weighs about fifteen pounds. I have hauled our weekly groceries home and our laundry to the laundromat many times, usually with lots of room to spare. I don't usually, but if I want to the wheels will come off (push button) and the trailer will fold up and fit in the hall closet, no problem.

I bought several extra hitches so I could use it with more than one bike. In my mind, it makes much more sense to get a trailer that you can use with any bike than it does to get a bike specifically made to haul cargo. When you're not needing the trailer, your bike can just go back to being your source of fun and exercise, your commuter ...... whatever. To me, it seems a much more economical solution than a purpose built bike.

I pull our Wike with:

my HP Veloteknic "Grasshopper" (recumbent)

my Wiz Wheels, Terra Trike, "Cruiser"

And my Downtube Vlll FS folding bike

The Wike totes along behind all of these very nicely. I don't really feel it back there much, except for the obvious extra weight on accelleration. I'll admit that I'm not very fast even without a trailer so stopping has never been a problem for me either.

I have a Burley Nomad and love it for around town use. It holds plenty of stuff and pops on and off the bike in about 10 seconds when you want to attach or remove it.

https://www.bicycletrailers.com/Burley-Cargo-Nomad.pro

John, I really appreciate my Burley Flatbed and would recommend it to anyone, but I think the 2 most important factors for your wife would be the type of hitch (chainstay vs. seatpost) and one wheel vs. two. If your wife's idea of a bike ride at this point is a short one on a 3 speed, I really think you should stick to two wheeled trailers. I also think you should consider for this first trailer of yours a chainstay hitch instead of a seatpost hitch. I think their handling isn't as tricky, and your wife would have more confidence in pulling one. It's also a good trailer if you're thinking of teaching your kids to pull one in the future.

As I said, I really like my Burley Flatbed. At $200, I realize the cost is prohibitive for many (my brother and I co-own it), but it is sturdy, stable, safe, and has a fantastic hitch assembly. I don't have to be concerned about its maintenance beyond the basics. It's super easy to attach and remove, and your wife would become good at it quickly. You'll get the same hitch with the Nomad, if you prefer that set-up. I hear Burley redesigned the hitch considerably for 2007, so I went out of my way to get a 2006 model. After all, why mess with what works?