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Utility Trail-a-Bike

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Utility Trail-a-Bike

Old 02-26-09, 05:36 PM
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Utility Trail-a-Bike

Utility Trail a bike.jpg

It struck me that the trail-a-bike concept is all about "recreation" and utility isn't really part of the equation. So I've enhanced my kids' trail-a-bike with utility in mind, since I'm typically carrying one of my kids to school, on errands, etc. I've added a fender to the trail-a-bike, nice wide homemade mudflaps (particularly on my bike but also on the trail-a-bike for when we get a train going with the Burley attached), a back-rest with reflective tape for added visibility, a reel-light blinker, and a seat-post rack attached to the back-rest with a wald basket--my kids and I call it the "trunk." It handles pretty well, as long as I keep weight down in the back basket, which I do (usually it carries a backpack or lunchbox). Just wondering if anybody else made any mods to a trail-a-bike with utility in mind.
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Old 02-27-09, 03:28 AM
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Neat ideas there.

I haven't modded our trail-a-bike (yet ) ...but I do hook up a trailer to it, 'road train' style, when I take one of the kids with me on shopping trips.
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Old 02-27-09, 07:57 AM
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has anyone added gears to a single speed trail-a-bike? Either a clamp on rear derailleur, or swapping in an internal geared hub? Just curious if that would work, and what the drop out spacing is.
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Old 02-27-09, 08:12 AM
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Wow... sweetly dont. I am so doing this when our kids get older.

I've actually been considering how to attach reelights to our burley.
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Old 02-27-09, 11:52 AM
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I too would like to attach Reel Lights to the Burley. I think the only way to do it would be something along the lines of what this handy person did on Instructables, detaching the led lights from the magnetic induction coils, connecting the lights by wire to the coils, and then putting the lights wherever you want. Check it out: https://www.instructables.com/id/Magn...n_Bike_Lights/ There would be some modification since you'd need a different way of attaching the coils to the Burley's frame than this person shows on the bike.

This is all a bit out of my personal range of handiness, and I get nervous about tearing one of these spendy little lights apart, but it's pretty cool and maybe if I get the courage up I'll try it...
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