A Few Questions About Riding With a Trailer

[Pat "5mph"]

Nae worries, mine only used for taking the cat to the vet and for shopping

 

[compo]

Mine is a cargo trailer and my kids are all in their 30's and 40's so not much chance of sitting them in the trailer.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Mine is a cargo trailer and my kids are all in their 30's and 40's so not much chance of sitting them in the trailer.

 

[Nebulous]

I rarely venture into this section of the website, but had a stroll in today and found this topic.

We've recently acquired a dog, a standard poodle and one of the surprising things is that I've got a dog and he isn't allowed to walk. Apparently if he walks too far he'll damage his joints, so he's fairly strictly rationed until he's nearly fully grown.I thought joining you on a walk was what a dog was for?

We looked for a trailer and found this. This is a damaged one, but we got a new one from Germany.

It's a strange object, very big because he's a big dog. You can stick on the front wheel and use it as a dog buggy. On our recent holiday we took him to central London in it and had him on the tube. We got some pretty funny comments and looks. One man asked if he was a bear!

Here's a photo of him in it - though you can't really see him, as he's too black. That's another thing about him its almost impossible to photograph him. He's black - nose, tail, paws, eyes just about everything except his tongue and he generally keeps that hidden. In most of our photos he looks like a caricature of a dog glued onto a background. He just absorbs all the light until you're just left with what looks like a cutout.

 

[trampyjoe]

Dont ban trailers, I use one to take rubbish to the tip and various other utility functions, they are a great tool, but PLEASE dont put children in them on the road.

What would you propose those of us with kids do when we need to travel across town and collect shopping on the way?

 

[mickle]

I seem to be going to buck the trend here, but we are all a sum of our experiences, and this is mine. I would never risk the life of a child in a trailer on the road. Cycle paths, tow paths, GREAT, but not on the road. Its not the act of having a child on the road, in a trailer that bothers me, its the vehicles that accompany us on those roads that make it a bad idea. If a non attentive driver happens to hit a tree, boohoo. If they try and take a bend too fast and go into a wall, re-build the wall. If they hit another vehicle, take them to court and fine them. If they kill a child, what are you gonna do. Would you ever forgive yourself for putting a child in that vulnerable position. The driver may never forget the experience and I doubt your family would ever forgive you. If your experience of towing a trailer is that vehicles give you more room, GREAT. But what about Daisy Duke who is busy putting on her lipstick while driving, or Billy Bob the trucker who is reading his newspaper while driving. Fat Larry the cabby busy putting a few extras on his meter while driving. Any one of them may simply not see you at all. Dont say it wont happen, because it does, every day, multiple times, as well as down right bad driving. As a cyclist, you have no protection, not even heavy duty clothing to absorb any impact. I have been the victim of 3 serious bike accidents in my life, none of them my fault, one of them nearly killed me. I continue to ride, because I can take the risk with my own life, but I simply dont understand how anyone can do that with a child. Dont ban trailers, I use one to take rubbish to the tip and various other utility functions, they are a great tool, but PLEASE dont put children in them on the road.

What a load of rubbish.

 

[ianrauk]

What a load of rubbish.

+1
And quite sad really.

 

[Arch]

+1
And quite sad really.

Indeed.

Are there any stats on the number of bike trailers hit by motorists per year? I'd be willing to bet it's tiny-to-zero, compared to the number of individual cyclists hit. I think I recall one instance, years ago, which was actually road rage, rather than carelessness.

Drivers are far more likely to see and take care around a trailer - any trailer - because they have a greater road presence. In fact, perhaps if we all towed them all the time, we'd all be safer.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Few years ago when my daughter was a lot younger & into ponies we bought a youngster & I broke him into a harness & bought a trap. I was worried about cars not seeing us or getting too close. So I got a burglar alarm strobe, put it on the end of a pole & connected it to a battery, I'm sure something along the same lines could be done if you're worried cars wouldn't see you.

Alan...

 

[Arch]

Few years ago when my daughter was a lot younger & into ponies we bought a youngster & I broke him into a harness & bought a trap. I was worried about cars not seeing us or getting too close. So I got a burglar alarm strobe, put it on the end of a pole & connected it to a battery, I'm sure something along the same lines could be done if you're worried cars wouldn't see you.

Alan...

It's easy to rig up a flagpole from fibreglass kite pole, and attach a bright ripstop nylon flag, and a little flashy backup type light (the sort that run on button batteries), if wished.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

It's easy to rig up a flagpole from fibreglass kite pole, and attach a bright ripstop nylon flag, and a little flashy backup type light (the sort that run on button batteries), if wished.

I think trailers for kids come with a flag. Mine came with a bright red one, and it's only a pet trailer.

 

[ianrauk]

It's easy to rig up a flagpole from fibreglass kite pole, and attach a bright ripstop nylon flag, and a little flashy backup type light (the sort that run on button batteries), if wished.

Exactly what I have on the trailer.
A flag and a flashing red light.

 

[400bhp]

I've got an Adventure trailer which I've had for 6 months or so and am getting very pished off with the mount.

I bought a longer QR skewer as the original one was, I thought, too short as the quick release kept coming undone with the wheel dropping out. The longer QR had made ligglt difference.

My wife seems to have more luck with the attachment on her bike but it still occurs, just less frequently.

A right royal PITA.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

we got a burley, and the kids love it. we also got the attachment that lets you drop a front wheel down and turn the thing into a stroller buggy.
never had so much space from drivers when i've ridden it, with/without kids (or cats)…
the only downside is that the local ex-railway trail (the middlewood way) does not have wide enough access for trailers all the way along…

 

[compo]

What would you propose those of us with kids do when we need to travel across town and collect shopping on the way?

Make them run behind?