We receive all types of stories here at the Bike Trailer Blog. Some are from people just writing in to tell us about their latest bike trip. Many are indeed bicycle trailer stories. But my favorites still have to be the DIY home trailer creations–especially the ones created from others unwanted stuff.  James and his rummage-fueled bike trailer is a perfect example of a trailer that came from trash to treasure–not to be confused with trailer trash.

One of the great things about James’ project is that he said that the Bike Trailer Blog gave him a little direction while he was pondering how to approach his trailer creation.  The trailer chassis was salvaged from a bike child trailer that his neighbor was going to scrap.  James decided to stick with the original hitch that came with the child trailer.  The trailer load bed was created from two salvaged aluminum road signs.  James upturned the edges and added aluminum curtain rods for extra stiffness.  The pieces of the load bed were then joined to the frame using pop rivets and  small bolts.

For the initial test ride James loaded the trailer down with a cinder block and two concrete test cylinders–about 58 pounds–all inside a plastic tub for a ride around town.  James took it on some hills and some rougher roads and said that the trailer rides quite nice. The bungee net that he used was a salvage score as well.  James originally thought that he would need to add additional railing for cargo support but now believes that a refinement of a strapping system should be all that is necessary.

For anyone who wants to start a DIY bike trailer but isn’t quite sure where to start, just take some inspiration from James.  You don’t need to have a lot of specialty parts to build a useful sturdy trailer.  Who knows? Maybe the beginnings of your next trailer are just waiting for you in a local dumpster.  Our hats off to James for a great trailer and for sending us the story and photos.

It was a Sunday. My first full day in Austin. I slept in until noon. My hosts wanted to show off their fair city, yet my enablers Chris and Denise tiptoed stealthily around the house–instead of banging pots and pans over my head.

By the time the three of us had finished breakfast at the Kerbey Lane Cafe (try the chai pancakes), it was pushing 2:00 PM, but we had a plan.

The plan included swimming, a change of clothes, a nightclub, dinner, bridge bats, and eight miles of cycling. I’d brought the Burley Travoy Bike Cargo Trailer with me to Austin for just such a test.

We folded and stuffed our evening clothes, along with beach towels and a pair of cowboy boots into the Travoy’s Lower Transit Bag. More swimming supplies were strapped to the top of the Travoy in an orange shopping bag. A little overflow went into a pannier.

We zigzagged through alleys, bike lanes, and multi-use paths and arrived at Barton Springs Pool.

After locking the bikes, I flipped down the hitch arm of the Travoy, putting it in handcart mode.  Then I carted the Travoy right through the gate. The “pool” is really a section of river, with concrete decks built along both sides. The water was cold, but in a good way.

We changed into our street clothes, and hit the paths again. This time Chris towed the Travoy, and tried hard to flip it by running the right wheel over the mini railroad ties in Zilker Park.  The trailer wouldn’t comply.

Then we climbed Congress Ave until we reached The Continental Club where Junior Brown was playing.

With the bikes locked up outside, this time I folded the tow arm of the Travoy, and then folded it again into “tote mode.”  I carried it right past the bouncer, and parked it behind the sound man.

Boldly going where no bike trailer has gone before.

This isn’t a music blog, sadly, so go here and enjoy some Junior Brown.

Back already? Okay.

When we left The Continental Club we carted the Travoy into Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar Guero’s Taco Bar . No one batted an eye.

For the trip home in the dark, I was able to remove the Knog rear light from the seat post of the bike, and attach it to the upper handle of the Travoy.  No tools necessary.

We passed over the Congress Bridge, and saw a few bats. Chris informed me that “Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America.” That’s impressive. But I digress.

Given a late start, we got a lot done. Thanks to the Burley Travoy, we were able to bring our valuables in with us at every stop on our itinerary. On my next visit to Austin, I’ll try not to sleep in and maybe get even more done in a day.

BikeTrailerShop.com just got in a batch of the new longer forks for the Extrawheel Voyager.  These longer mounting forks were designed with 29er mountain bikes in mind, though the longer fork is also useful for the 28″ European wheel standard as well as for providing extra clearance for 26″ or 700c wheels with fenders.

As you know, the Extrawheel Voyager is a great bike trailer for mountain biking.  With the recent rising numbers of 29ers in use, I thought it was very important for Extrawheel to get on the ball and manufacturer a longer version of their fork.  They got to work promptly and its cool that they got them out there  just in time for the summer bike touring season.I’ve been keeping an eye on BikePacking.net and noticing that the ultra-light setups are the main emphasis here.  Most of the setups that they are discussing are quite lightweight and often bypass even using racks and panniers.  Those that are using racks and panniers seem to be utilizing Old Man Mountain racks as these are about the best bike racks around for mounting to front and rear suspension mountain bikes.  But more common than a rack setup, are the custom bike bag setups made by the likes of Carosel and Epic Design.   These setups generally involve some combination of an extra large handlebar bags, an XL saddle bag and a large usually custom bicycle frame bag.  This setup, offers a fairly limited amount of storage capacity and  addition of a bicycling specific backpack also is often used for both extra capacity and for the convenience of carrying a water bladder.

Bikepackers have been pushing the envelope towards ultra lightweight load setups.  To get an idea of what I mean, have a look at the personal setups page at BikePacking.net.   Ultralight bikepacking setups generally involve a custom made handlebar bag, saddle bag and often a large bicycle frame bag.   Sometimes for even more capacity a bicycling specific backpack is also a good way to go.  Most of the bike backpacks we carry include a water bladder with extra water capacity definitely being appreciated for most bikepacking adventures.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, is the need for lots of gear.  Perhaps you are riding through the outback.  Perhaps you are the sherpa for your spouse.  Perhaps you just like bringing more luxuries.  Perhaps you like to have access to a mountain bike unencumbered with gear along your ride.  Perhaps you prefer to keep the majority of your load off of your bike.  All of these reasons would encourage the use of an off-road suited trailer like the Extrawheel Voyager.

The Extrawheel Voyager is not just an option to ultralight touring, it can be considered a part of it.  How about ultralight expedition touring.  The kind of tour where you need a ton of gear but still want to be as light as possible.  The Extrawheel Voyager trailer itself only weight 8.6 pounds along with the weight of the panniers you choose.

Beyond mountain biking,  the Extrawheel Voyager shines as a bike commuter trailer.  It’s small, short size is fast and maneuverable through the most heinous of traffic conditions.  This lightweight maneuverability also make it a great trailer for a tandem where every ounce of maneuverability is well appreciated.

We are offering up the Extrawheel Voyager for $199 thru July 19th to celebrate the new Extrawheel 29er fork.

If you have ever wondered what to do with all those old street signs that you stole as an adolescence we’ve got and idea for you.  Robert sent us some pictures and a short story about his DIY bike cargo trailer that he created.

Robert officially named his project as the dog/hauler build.  He came up with his own quick disconnect bike mount, which unfortunately he didn’t send any pictures of.  One of the best parts of seeing all the different DIY bike trailer creations is the ingenious types of hitch designs and mounts that people have come up with.

If I understand Robert’s story correctly he mounted his custom designed bike mount to the tonneau cover of his pickup truck which clips right into he tailgate latches, which Robert said is very secure. He is able to fit the trailer between both bikes on the truck for a nice secure snug fit.  Robert points out that the bases for his cargo trailer is a recycled aluminum street sign.

Based on the photo’s that Robert sent us. it looks like his trailer has the capacity to carry a large Rubbermaid type container, great for hauling any kind of cargo, including dogs if need be .  Thanks for the photos and the story Robert, keep up the good work.  This is Bob’s third submission, following up his DIY dog trailer and the “blue” trailer. For a non DIY bike cargo option, check out a Wandertec Bongo Bike Trailer or a Croozer Cargo Bike Trailer.

So I fell in love, moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, and got married.

I realize now that what was really missing from my life in the DC area may have been a really amazing folding bike trailer, like the Burley Travoy “urban trailer system” which sells for $289–a small fraction of the cost of a wedding with 100 guests.

I’m sure the Travoy would have quickly paid for itself in other ways too. I think of all the times when I couldn’t resolve the (a) the load size, (b) the distance, and (c) the size constraints of public transportation and it’s related elevators.  So I would rent a car, or pay for a taxi.

This week, however, I was able to approximate one of the urban uses a Travoy: a cat food run.

The hitch attached easily to the fat seat post of my Dahon folding bicycle. This being my first-ever trailer-pulling experience, I did some test maneuvers. I could turn as tightly as if there were no trailer attached. Then I took off for Olsen’s Grain–which is where I buy cat food.

Seat-post-mounted trailers, I’m told, are less prone to tipping over than traditional bike cargo trailers which mount to the frame dropout. I tempted fate several times by riding too close to a curb or to the edge of the bike path. The Travoy never wobbled or showed any instability. The empty trailer weighs less than nine pounds. I couldn’t tell that I was pulling anything at all.

On a full-sized bike, the seat-post mount might interfere with a rack-top bag, or a rear bike child seat.

In DC, I would have taken the bike and the Travoy onto a subway, but in Flagstaff I only managed to pass a freight train.

When I arrived at Olsen’s, I detached the trailer easily, and dropped the hitch arm,  converting the Travoy into a hand cart.  I pulled it into Olson’s and loaded it while still in the store, using only the included tie-down straps.

Burley may not necessarily want their products associated with cat hairballs, and that is not my intention here. I’m really liking this trailer. My only complaint is that it could have used about four more attachment points for the tie-down straps. The ones I used were just a bit too high or a bit too low for this particular load. A bungee would have made it work. Instead I ended up putting the cat food inside the tote bag that comes with the Travoy. (When completely folded, and wheels removed, the Travoy fits into the tote bag.)

Back in DC, I’d tried many ingenious ways of loading grocery bags onto my Dahon. Grocery panniers were not an option because they interfered with my heels while pedaling. What I found worked best was walking. The store was less than half-a-mile from home.

But pulling the Travoy with 20 pounds of cat food, the bike handled much more naturally than a bike with grocery panniers, or any of the other methods I’ve tried. The Travoy can carry up to 60 pounds. If this were to become my regular grocery-hauling system, I’d consider the Travoy Market Bags.

I’d definitely recommend the Travoy to any cyclist whose day-to-day environment still includes elevators, subways, or small condos.

Warning: Slick Burley marketing ahead.

This Week Bike Shop Hub and the Bike Trailer Blog are focusing on the growing electric bike revolution. Electric Bikes, Future or Fad? is a Bike Shop Hub article exploring the bigger picture of e-bike popularity.  Obviously e-bikes have some implications when it comes to bicycle trailers as well.  An electric assist bike or or kit could certainly make pulling a trailer easier, or enable a greater carrying capacity, but what about an electric assist bicycle trailer?

We received some photos and a story from Dave in Colorado Springs.  Dave is a long-time out door enthusiastand loves to ride his bike into the woods for recreational activities, but anyone who has been to Colorado Springs knows that just about everywhere you would want to go, the roads point up.  For Dave this meant that hauling a day’s outdoor supplies in a bike cargo trailer was going to be a steep endeavor, so to speak.

So Dave got to thinking, having seen growing availability of electric assist bikes and kits got him to thinking, why not an electric assist cargo trailer? So Dave sat down and started designing.  Using parts that can be purchased off the shelf he came up with the electric bicycle trailer.

The Design uses a rear hub drive system found in many after market electric bike kits laced into a 20″single rear wheel.  The battery for the motor is housed under the cargo deck of the trailer.  The system can use either lead acid batteries or upgraded batteries such as a lithium ion.  The folding tow arm attaches to the seat post for ease of use. Dave says that the trailer can assist his pedaling for up to 25 miles on average paved terrain and up to 30 mph.  Not bad for a trailer.

This could be a great alternative for someone who would like the added benefits of electric assist, but wants to continue to ride a traditional bike,  You can purchase the plans from Dave at ElectricBicycleTrailer.com.  For a more traditional trailer check out either a BOB Yak trailer or a Wandertec BONGO bike trailer.

“I just wanted to build an avant garde bicycle trailer that was somewhat unique. I’ve yet to fit a set of fully functional automotive trailer lights (indicator and brake) to complete the look.  I’m still scratching my head as to how to mount a set of mechanical trailer brakes, but i’ll get there in the end.

The trailer base is a 2007-2008 Burley Tailwagon, and I’ve built an aluminium reinforced box section that attaches to the base. The photos show a set of gas struts to add a bit of flare.

The unloaded trailer weight is 20 kilos and the most amount of weight i’ve towed was 75 kilos (including the weight of the trailer).  Naturally, my bike has a high  specification set of brakes, being an Avid BB7 caliper and Shimano 8″ disk rotor at the front and standard Tektro caliper and 6″ disk rotor at the rear.”

If anyone has any suggestions for Fabian on mouting a brake system to his trailer, please post them in the comments. In our estimation brakes on a bicycle trailer are difficult to deploy and for the cost and effectiveness, putting high quality brakes on the bicycle is where time and money is best spent.  With Fabian’s high quality disc brakes he should be well served for most bicycle uses though the presence of the 2-stroke assist motor and a heavily loaded bike trailer may necessitate an even better quality brake system, perhaps one designed for downhill mountain bike racing.

The addition of turn indicators and brake lights sounds like an interesting addition for this project both for the look and function of the trailer.  I was considering that perhaps a motion sensor could be used for the brake lights, coming on when a sudden deceleration was sensed.  Turn lights would require some wiring to a turn indicator switch though a remote switch would be excellent for this application.

It is interesting to hear that Fabian chose the 2007 Burley Tailwagon as his base for the trailer.  The canopy of the 2007 Burley Tailwagon Dog Trailer was not very well designed and the 2008 version was much improved with a fold up function very similar to the easy fold-up Burley Baby Trailer line.

The look of Fabian’s trailer is excellent with the aluminum corners and baby blue panels.  One interesting design change that this trailer might lend itself well to is repositioning the hinges on the rear of the trailer allowing for the lid to hinge rearward.  The lid could double as a table if fold-down legs were deployed.  This could be very nice for going on a picnic, a camping trip or using the trailer for vending goods.

The design can certainly be called spacious, with the potential for capacity on top as well as inside.  With this large of a bike trailer, fully loaded, an electric assist bicycle or gas motor assist bicycle, such as the one on Fabian’s bike would be well appreciated especially in hilly areas.

YOU
Hello Ted.

I’m a new guy at Bike Shop Hub. You’d reckon I had to have some minimal cycling cred to get in the door.
I do.
This is it:

That was more than ten years ago, just outside of Washington, DC. A bike cargo trailer might have come in handy. For one thing, my dog wouldn’t have had to learn the hard way to stay in the baskets. For another thing, I wouldn’t have endured the occasional reprimanding from outraged motorists concerned about the welfare of my dog.

Perhaps trailer-pullers endure a different kind of scorn. This is what I intend to find out.

Living in DC, I also tasted a car-free lifestyle–and I liked it. In fact, I haven’t owned a car in about six years.

YOU
(Clapping.)

I’m determined to continue life without a car as much as possible here in Flagstaff.

For my practical needs, I’m aiming to test out the Wandertec Bongo bike trailer, the Croozer Cargo Bike Trailer, the Burley Travoy bike commuter trailer, and I’m especially interested in an exotic animal we have around for evaluation (but not for sale at the moment), The Dirty Old Monkey T1.

Be nice to the new guy. I’ll be pulling a bike trailer soon. I promise.

Hello, Bike Trailer Blog readers!

I’m Eric Hanson, and I’m a sales dude at Burley Design in Eugene, OR. Josh and the team at the Bike Trailer Shop offered me the chance to introduce Burley Trailers to their readers and I thought it would be a great chance to show off some of the cool things Burley has been up to lately.

But first, allow me to share a little history. In the beginning, there was a farmer’s market and a dream. From a humble beginning manufacturing ways to haul arts and crafts, Burley quickly grew into one of the foremost builders of bike trailers for children and cargo. Since 1978, we’ve built millions of trailers and a whole generation of kids has grown up envious of the other moms and dads in the neighborhood who loved their kids enough to buy a Burley. For 32 years we’ve stuck to what we know best: cycling and figuring out how to have the most fun and get the most use out of a bike.

We’re also known for our long-term commitment to safe child products. We’ve worked with the American Society for the Testing of Materials over the years to develop their safety standards for child bicycle carriers. All of our trailers are ASTM-certified and free of harmful substances such as lead and phthalates.

One of the most interesting things about working at Burley is the dedicated fan base we’ve tried to earn over the years. Every day, people call us with questions about their old trailers, or to brag about how far they’ve ridden. I’ve seen pictures of Burleys on treks across at least six continents, and I have faith that there are biologists or geologists using a Flatbed in Antarctica. If you know anyone like this, let them know we have a map here just waiting for a final bike-shaped pushpin.

Today, we’re confident that we have the best trailers on the market. We like them so much that we use them ourselves. In fact, if you ever flip through one of our catalogs, you’ll see a lot of Burley folk and their extended families. Here’s the Burley front office crew last month, showing off our new Travoy trailers.

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The Burley Travoy is a new bike commuter trailer that we’ve been working on for two years and finally released to wide acclaim last month. We sent one down a Burley Travoy to the Bike Shop Hub team for testing around Christmastime, and they liked it enough to bring some into the shop for their customers.

The Travoy hitches to the seat post of your bike and lifts off in seconds to wheel down the street and right inside with you. Because of its ease of use, it solves one of the principle objections we hear to using your bicycle for daily utility trips: how to carry things and/or lock them up. Since you can take the new Burley inside with you, there’s no need to worry about locking up what’s in your pannier bag or leaving anything outside. And if you don’t want to stand the trailer up in your office or a restaurant, it folds down to briefcase-size to fit under your desk or in your cramped downtown apartment.

We’ve had the new Travoy out and about for reviews around the country and it’s received a lot of praise. So far, we’ve seen it used to haul all manner of gear:

Computers
Golf clubs
A mini-fridge
3 cases of microbrew beer
Bike shop employees (who clearly disregarded the manual’s prohibition against loads of more than 60 pounds)
Skis
Dog food

But we’re on the lookout for more. Stay tuned to this space to learn more about our Travoy contests. We know that you have something cooler to haul on a Travoy and we want to know what it is. It can haul up to 60 pounds worth of anything you can imagine. If you send us a picture, we may even send some swag.

That about does it for my inaugural guest post here at Bike Trailer Blog. Feel free to share your ideas of what you would haul on a Travoy, or any other Burley Child Trailers or Burley Cargo Trailers, in the comments.

Or perhaps you’re looking for a bike trailer that offers the flexability and versatility for everything from off-road bike touring adventures to getting stuff done on the roads.  The BOB Trailer has always been our favorite choice when it comes to a trailer that does it all.  To make it do even more, we came up with the idea to add a fabric liner to it.  The Wandertec SAX BOB Cargo liner (along with the Wandertec Cargo Net) is a perfect addition to the BOB, turning the cargo area into a tightly contained area where your stuff stays put.  The SAX, made from tough ballistic nylon, is perfect for using a BOB Trailer as the “trunk” of your bike.  Throw in groceries, throw in your laundry or clean out your close.

To prove the point, we are giving away a Wandertec SAX-BOB Liner with every BOB Trailer thru June 29th!