# Towing a trailer with a road bike?



## lulubel (7 Feb 2012)

This might seem like a stupid (and very obvious) question to some, but can you tow a trailer with a road bike? I've only ever seen people towing with MTBs and hybrids.

I'm looking for a way to transport more stuff by bike, and I think a trailer might be the way to go. I can't afford another bike at the moment - if I could, I'd be buying a recumbent - and don't really want to put a rack on for panniers. In any case, a trailer can take more.

My road bike has an alu frame and carbon forks, so there's no carbon to worry about in the area the trailer would attach.

If it is viable, is there anything I need to know about trailers and towing before I go ahead and buy one? Is the riding experience very different? Are there any particular makes/styles or trailers that are recommended or best avoided?


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## ianrauk (7 Feb 2012)

I tow a (kiddies) trailer on my (alu carbon forked) road bike no problems.
The hitch is attached through the rear QR lever.

Of course you sure know you are towing something so have to adapt your riding to suit. You have anticipate and brake far earlier then normal and have to remember to cycle a little further out in the road so as to not hit the curb with the trailer wheel and to stop silly overtakes.

(Sorry for yet another gratuitous pic of jnr in his trailer).


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## lulubel (7 Feb 2012)

Thanks for that. It's really helpful.

Do you know how much your trailer/passenger combination weighs? Just so I can get an idea.

He looks really cute in there, by the way. Almost enough to make me start wanting one of my own, but not quite


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## ianrauk (7 Feb 2012)

Trailer weighs 12kgs and the stated max cargo is 18kgs

A dedicated trailer for cargo I can imagine take much more weight then that


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## lulubel (7 Feb 2012)

I've had a look online, and I've seen one on eBay that says it can take up to 100kg. I don't think I'd want to try and tow that, though. My bike + me is about 60kg, so I'm guessing I'd want to keep the maximum towed weight (including trailer) lower than that - maybe about 2/3, which means I wouldn't want to transport more than about 30kg once I'd allowed 10kg for the trailer. I could probably manage more weight if I avoided any downhills, which I could do easily enough if I was coming back from Malaga, but there still wouldn't be much point in trying to transport more than 50kg at a time if I wanted to actually move the thing!

This is sounding quite viable.


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## palinurus (7 Feb 2012)

I've towed my cargo trailer using various road bikes (either steel or Al. frames so far). I don't know what the maximum weight I've carried is but I've carried a fair old bit of stuff at times.


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## lulubel (7 Feb 2012)

Does this trailer look any good?
Cargo Bicycle Trailer

It would probably be used if I had to go further than walking distance for shopping because the things I wanted weren't available in town, so it doesn't need to be huge or carry a lot of weight.

It could also be used on foot in town (just holding onto the bar and letting it follow along behind me) for things that are too heavy to carry.


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## lukesdad (7 Feb 2012)

My trailer will go up to 50kg. Single wheel trailers track much better than twin wheels ( mine is a single) when towing a lot of weight its best to keep the hitch as low as possible. Frame mounted within the rear triangle is the best option. That one looks like a seatpost mount or down tube.


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## lukesdad (7 Feb 2012)

Some pics here to give you some idea, I also tow it with the road bike. http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/finnished.63381/#post-1180026


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## YahudaMoon (7 Feb 2012)

I ve pulled a 6 year old with a 7 year old all round Manchester on a fixed track bike running a 53 x 18 in a home made bucket cargo trailer before now. Currently pulling a 2 year old and a 7 year old about at the same time with a normal drop bar bike. I even manage to pull up to 300 pieces of 12" vinyl of what must weigh three children I guess ?

That said them in the east are just amazing !


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## lukesdad (7 Feb 2012)

Having looked at the better pictures lulubel it looks like a Q/R attatchment similar to Ian s Id check out how it attatches tho if you can quality might be a bit iffy ?


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## lulubel (7 Feb 2012)

lukesdad said:


> My trailer will go up to 50kg. Single wheel trailers track much better than twin wheels ( mine is a single) when towing a lot of weight its best to keep the hitch as low as possible. Frame mounted within the rear triangle is the best option. That one looks like a seatpost mount or down tube.


 
Hmm .... I read somewhere that twin wheels are better for carrying loads on the road, which is why I was looking at that style. This was the site I saw it on. Their trailers look nice, but expensive:
Bicycle Trailer Information

I'm not sure about the hitch, but if it's like their bigger capacity trailer (same make), it attaches next to the rear wheel.

Anyway, there's a lot more research to be done before I buy anything yet.


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## lulubel (7 Feb 2012)

I hadn't thought about quality. That's a good point.


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## lukesdad (7 Feb 2012)

Read their info, to a certain extent what they say is true. However this is why the hitch is so important. If you look at the pics of mine the ball joints are between the frame mounts and the trailer frame on both sides. This allows you to steer and lean the bike as normal while the trailer stays upright. Another thing to remember is your trailer wheel follows your bike you can put it on a sixpence without realising it. Twin wheels you do have to be a litle more care full with road furniture sangs and potholes etc. I think the bit about the low centre of weight on a single is a bit of BS on their part. Why would nt you want to keep you centre of gravity as low as possible.


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## Muddyfox (7 Feb 2012)

I've thought about buying a trailer before now and the model i looked at was the Burley Nomad ..


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## lukesdad (7 Feb 2012)

Muddyfox said:


> I've thought about buying a trailer before now and the model i looked at was the Burley Nomad ..


 Obviously chosen to reflect your charachter fuddy


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## lulubel (7 Feb 2012)

lukesdad said:


> If you look at the pics of mine the ball joints are between the frame mounts and the trailer frame on both sides. This allows you to steer and lean the bike as normal while the trailer stays upright.


 
Now I'm going to seem really stupid, but how does that work? If you lean the bike and the trailer stays upright, won't the rear tyre of the bike rub against the trailer frame? And doesn't it mean the trailer will just tip over when you stop? OK, I'm guessing there must be some limits on it, but I'm trying to figure out how it all works. Maybe you need to explain it to me in very, very simple terms


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## lulubel (7 Feb 2012)

The Burley Nomad does look nice. I like the way you can have the extra rack on the top of it, and being able to fold down the back and front could be useful if you need to carry something that's too long to fit inside.


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## lukesdad (7 Feb 2012)

The trailer frame is tapered out towards the bike and there is plenty of clearance for angle of lean. The trailer is balanced on a tiangle of points its wheel and the 2 ball joints its also pivoted thru the vertical at the front of the trailer. So no problem when stationary. The only problem with mounting this way when fully loaded backing the bike up takes a little getting used to as the trailer trys to dictate the path, turning the bike while backing up tends to tip the bike sideways on the ball joints. Not a big deal but can be a bit tricky on tight manouvres. Its a small price to pay for the other advantages. Of course you can allways un hitch. Unloaded or light loads its not an issue.


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## Muddyfox (8 Feb 2012)

lukesdad said:


> Obviously chosen to reflect your charachter fuddy


 
I'm not that Burley ;-)


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