Author Topic: I carried this on my bicycle  (Read 214882 times)

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #725 on: 21 September, 2020, 09:01:53 pm »
A local lad posted, on social media, an appeal for old bike bits to make a trailer to transport tools for the gardening and woodworking business he was starting.

As I had an old trailer, built from tower scaffold and wheelchair wheels, that I did not need, I offered it to him.

I also found he needed a bike to tow it with, so found a fly-tipped one and stripped it (to bare metal  :o) resprayed and rebuilt it for him.

He made a wooden box for the trailer, from decking offcuts, and today he sent me a photo of his biggest load so far (I only gave him the bike and new trailer hitch last Sunday!):



 :smug:
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #726 on: 21 September, 2020, 09:56:54 pm »
Impressive! Both of you!  :thumbsup:
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #727 on: 21 September, 2020, 10:11:11 pm »
Thighs of steel.
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Kim

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Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #728 on: 01 November, 2020, 03:21:47 pm »
Following on from this: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=117285.0



We now no longer have a dead mattress dominating the living room, and the Useful Bits Of Wood in the shed are no longer buried under a pile of WEEE.   :thumbsup:

I think that's the heaviest load I've carried on a bicycle.  Even slower than that time I rode a tandem with a stoker who didn't put out any power, but more controllable, on account of it not being an ill-fitting BSO.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #729 on: 01 November, 2020, 08:35:47 pm »

Is that the Carry Freedom Large-Y with the extension thingy? How do you find it? Would you recommend it? I'm thinking I either need a Bakfiets, or one of these...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #730 on: 01 November, 2020, 08:49:52 pm »
How did you reach the pedals from back there?

Kim

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Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #731 on: 01 November, 2020, 08:53:03 pm »
It is indeed.  Normally gets used with the regular length hitch and a 145 litre Really Useful Box for bulk shopping and similar - a combination about which I only have one bad thing to say: It won't fit through a standard width doorway (the Y-Small will).

I bought the longer hitch some years ago, because it was the same price as getting some wood delivered.  I've only used it a few times, for things like this.  It works well, assuming you can secure your load sensibly (given the floppiness of the foam, I've extended the load bed with a bit of mildly soggy chipboard that also needed to go to the tip, hence the clamp).

In use, the main difference with the longer hitch is that you have to think about the line you take on corners - the trailer doesn't politely follow the line of the bike as it more or less does with the normal hitch.  Also, it seems a bit bouncier when unloaded (though it's never actually flipped on me apart from one time with Sustrans involvement).  And while motorists are pretty forgiving when you're towing a massive comedy load like this, you start to worry if they haven't spotted the empty trailer.

And for completeness: The pannier (Altura Orkney, hangs a little lower than a standard Ortlieb) was rubbing on the hitch arm.  I figured it would be okay for a couple of miles, but wouldn't make a habit of it.  Normally when I use the trailer, I just have a racktop bag on the bike with locks and tools.

Also, that was far too much load.  I was struggling to manage >10mph on the flat, and got alarmingly close to stall speed on the climb over the canal bridge at Lifford Lane.  If I'd realised that Veolia were about to clarify their cycle policy, I wouldn't have dismantled the steering on the electric assist trike.

quixoticgeek

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Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #732 on: 01 November, 2020, 09:14:48 pm »
It is indeed.  Normally gets used with the regular length hitch and a 145 litre Really Useful Box for bulk shopping and similar - a combination about which I only have one bad thing to say: It won't fit through a standard width doorway (the Y-Small will).

Is the difference in width worth the awkwardness re doors?

Quote
I bought the longer hitch some years ago, because it was the same price as getting some wood delivered.  I've only used it a few times, for things like this.  It works well, assuming you can secure your load sensibly (given the floppiness of the foam, I've extended the load bed with a bit of mildly soggy chipboard that also needed to go to the tip, hence the clamp).

I want to get some wood, and don't fancy keep spending €20-30 per trip to the wood shop on a green wheels, if I can bring it on a trailer. But at €350 for the trailer, and another €95 for the extension arm, the cost benefit analysis is not clear.

Quote
In use, the main difference with the longer hitch is that you have to think about the line you take on corners - the trailer doesn't politely follow the line of the bike as it more or less does with the normal hitch.  Also, it seems a bit bouncier when unloaded (though it's never actually flipped on me apart from one time with Sustrans involvement).  And while motorists are pretty forgiving when you're towing a massive comedy load like this, you start to worry if they haven't spotted the empty trailer.

I have nice fietspadden to ride on, which helps somewhat...

Have you used the trailer with the Brompton? How does it integrate?

Am I right in thinking the wheels pop off easily? I'm wondering if having cycled to the B&Q with a Dutch accent, could I pop the wheels off and place it in the shopping trolley next to the Brompton while I wander round picking up supplies?

What's braking like?

Quote
And for completeness: The pannier (Altura Orkney, hangs a little lower than a standard Ortlieb) was rubbing on the hitch arm.  I figured it would be okay for a couple of miles, but wouldn't make a habit of it.  Normally when I use the trailer, I just have a racktop bag on the bike with locks and tools.

I have a pair of Ortlieb back roller classics, tho one had an adverse reaction to Tyler hill and no longer has the water proof qualities it used to have :(

Quote
Also, that was far too much load.  I was struggling to manage >10mph on the flat, and got alarmingly close to stall speed on the climb over the canal bridge at Lifford Lane.  If I'd realised that Veolia were about to clarify their cycle policy, I wouldn't have dismantled the steering on the electric assist trike.

That's fine, this is about carrying stuff, rather than carrying stuff fast. If I need to do it fast, I'd get an ebike.

It's cos I'm too tight to get a Bakfiets...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Kim

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Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #733 on: 01 November, 2020, 10:46:55 pm »
It is indeed.  Normally gets used with the regular length hitch and a 145 litre Really Useful Box for bulk shopping and similar - a combination about which I only have one bad thing to say: It won't fit through a standard width doorway (the Y-Small will).

Is the difference in width worth the awkwardness re doors?

Probably depends on what you're using it for and what your doors are like.  For shopping, I bring the bike in first, then just lean the hitch arm on the doorstep[1], carry the contents of the box inside, then the box, then lift the trailer, and carry it through sideways before dismantling and putting it inside the box.

If you've got a communal hallway or a door opening directly onto the street or something this could be annoying.  OTOH, our London flat had an immediate 90 degree turn through a second door that didn't open fully, and no trailer (other than perhaps of the granny's shopping-trolley style) would have fitted through that.

I decided that if I wanted a trailer, versatility for large items was most important.  In normal times, I manage the day-to-day shopping just fine with a couple of panniers.  I've been using it a lot more since March, to minimise supermarket visits.


Quote
I want to get some wood, and don't fancy keep spending €20-30 per trip to the wood shop on a green wheels, if I can bring it on a trailer. But at €350 for the trailer, and another €95 for the extension arm, the cost benefit analysis is not clear.

Yeah.  My original cost:benefit was primarily against the cost of supermarket deliveries, which made the whole proposition economically dubious, even though I got the trailer heavily discounted due to shop-soiled condition.  If you can offset against some car hire or building materials deliveries, it starts to look better.

OTOH, the convenience for tip runs and awkward items has been brilliant.


Quote
Have you used the trailer with the Brompton? How does it integrate?

I've got a sturdy hybrid with low gears and an electric assist ICE trike available.  Why would I want to use it with the Brompton?  (I have used it to transport the folded Brompton a couple of times.)  Similarly, I haven't tried with the Streetmachine (good at heavy loads, not ideal for stop-start traffic), though I'm sure that works fine.

The trailer bed is reasonably level when coupled to something with a full-sized rear wheel.  With the 20" wheel on the back of the trike, it leans noticeably forward, and the Brompton would exacerbate that.  But that's probably fine, unless the load is quite droopy - just means that any lights on the trailer are pointing upwards.  Obviously the longer hitch means a shallower angle.

My main concern with using the Brompton to tow it would be the homeopathic braking.  I know people do use more modest trailers to good effect with Bromptons for multi-modal touring.  I think they tend to be the seatpost-hitch type.


Quote
Am I right in thinking the wheels pop off easily? I'm wondering if having cycled to the B&Q with a Dutch accent, could I pop the wheels off and place it in the shopping trolley next to the Brompton while I wander round picking up supplies?

Yep: Wheelchair-style hubs.  Press the button in and the axle slides out of the bearings on the trailer frame.  It does benefit from a cable tie between a pair of opposing spokes to stop the rubber cover that keeps the road gunk off the release mechanism pingfuckiting if you brush against something.


Quote
What's braking like?

With the regular hitch, and assuming you've loaded the trailer with a reasonable consideration for nose-weight, it's just phantom extra mass.  Which is to say that on an DF bike with rim brakes in the wet, you don't want to pick up too much speed with a heavy load downhill, and that a tadpole trike with three disc brakes can cope with anything you might reasonably throw at it.

If you get the nose weight wrong, you find the back wheel of your cycle is far too eager to lift under braking, at which point either your MTB reflexes kick in and you come to some semblance of a controlled stop and hastily re-pack the trailer, or... [left as an exercise for the reader].

When I've used the long hitch, I've been sufficiently concerned about security of load that I've avoided picking up enough speed to really test the braking behaviour.


Quote
I have a pair of Ortlieb back roller classics, tho one had an adverse reaction to Tyler hill and no longer has the water proof qualities it used to have :(

You can get repair patches of the various Ortlieb materials.  Though I bet the damage is in an awkward place to patch.  I have a front roller with a pinprick hole on the side from some sort of Sustrans jungle adventure, which patched admirably well.  And another with road-rash on the bottom corner from a diesel spill incident which, while now rain-resistant, is best regarded as Carradice-quality waterproofing, and not to be placed on wet ground.


[1] Getting the nose-weight wrong while unpacking can be hazardous to your eggs.

fuzzy

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #734 on: 02 November, 2020, 08:58:27 am »
Following on from this: https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=117285.0



We now no longer have a dead mattress dominating the living room, and the Useful Bits Of Wood in the shed are no longer buried under a pile of WEEE.   :thumbsup:

I think that's the heaviest load I've carried on a bicycle.  Even slower than that time I rode a tandem with a stoker who didn't put out any power, but more controllable, on account of it not being an ill-fitting BSO.
Proper preparation for comedy off roaring induced moments :thumbsup:

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #735 on: 02 November, 2020, 09:13:13 am »
 :thumbsup: I am in awe of your thighs.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #736 on: 02 November, 2020, 11:15:03 pm »
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #737 on: 22 November, 2020, 04:32:03 pm »
On a 65km ride around various villages here, someone was having a board game clearout - piled by the road.  Never owned Risk (great game though), and thought it may be good for over Xmas period.  Fortunately I always have two toestraps on the carradice, so joined them together and... nice secure load.  May have had some funny looks I guess, on the 16km to home.  Game is nearly new relatively unused, as four of the plastic piece colours are still attached to their 'frames'.  :thumbsup:

Drivers may have been giving me more space when passing than usual.   ;)

PXL_risk1 by a oxon, on Flickr

PXL_risk2 by a oxon, on Flickr

Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #738 on: 22 November, 2020, 05:05:50 pm »
On a 65km ride around various villages here, someone was having a board game clearout - piled by the road.  Never owned Risk (great game though), and thought it may be good for over Xmas period.  Fortunately I always have two toestraps on the carradice, so joined them together and... nice secure load.  May have had some funny looks I guess, on the 16km to home.  Game is nearly new relatively unused, as four of the plastic piece colours are still attached to their 'frames'.  :thumbsup:

Drivers may have been giving me more space when passing than usual.   ;)

PXL_risk1 by a oxon, on Flickr

PXL_risk2 by a oxon, on Flickr
They thought the board was a road sign?  :D
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #739 on: 22 November, 2020, 06:19:07 pm »
I like that game, but can rarely find opponents. I played it as a teenager, then got a copy for my 60th birthday last year. So not exactly a practised expert!

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #740 on: 28 November, 2020, 08:02:59 pm »
I got surprisingly few strange looks this afternoon, as I cycled back from the allotment with a garden tool on my shoulder...

If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #741 on: 28 November, 2020, 09:02:13 pm »
Were you wearing the grey hoodie?  :demon:

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #742 on: 28 November, 2020, 10:04:14 pm »
DID YOU TALK TO ANYONE ON THE WAY ? ANY RATS AROUND ?

Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #743 on: 13 December, 2020, 04:36:17 pm »
Sorry to say I decided the trailer was a safer option to take the scary sharp scythe back to the allotment.  :( :(

Anyway, I had something to bring back...  :o



(14 ft, before you ask.  ::-) )
If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is...

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #744 on: 13 December, 2020, 04:37:44 pm »
(14 ft, before you ask.  ::-) )

And how big is the tree? :p

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #745 on: 19 December, 2020, 11:56:51 am »
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #746 on: 16 April, 2021, 12:07:49 pm »





One 3m long 90mm x 90mm length of douglas fir, transported on a Brompton...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Kim

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Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #747 on: 25 April, 2021, 03:39:07 pm »
Uncooperative pile of stickamore cuttings...


quixoticgeek

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Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #748 on: 25 April, 2021, 04:51:29 pm »

Do you have a known point where you cut your hair to avoid entangling the rear wheel? It's looking close.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Kim

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Re: I carried this on my bicycle
« Reply #749 on: 25 April, 2021, 07:31:38 pm »
Do you have a known point where you cut your hair to avoid entangling the rear wheel? It's looking close.

Yeah, I am overdue for a trim.

It's a bit iffy on the trike, which I don't use very often - if I was paying attention I'd have tied it up a bit more.  My bikes have more hair clearance and an enclosed rear wheel respectively.