The simple practicality of a bike trailer
An inexpensive, low-tech way to decrease your car trips
If you've been reading my work for a while, you know that I am all about the microbility movement. I want to help the environment and my own physical fitness by getting out of my car by using smaller, greener forms of transportation.
Sure, I'm a big advocate of riding an electric bike for short trips around town when a giant metal box with wheels is overkill. And I'm bullish on the new wave of electric cargo bikes that seem to be announced each and every week.
But today, I want to talk about a somewhat quaint and old fashioned addition to my mobility toolkit that has been downright transformational. I'm talking about the humble bike trailer.
Getting a bike trailer
To be clear, using a bike trailer with an electric bike makes it infinitely more enjoyable to use. But you can certainly strap a trailer to a standard "acoustic" bike to get around town with cargo and get a hell of a workout too.
As I've been shopping around for an electric cargo bike for the past few months, I got curious about what could be done with a bike trailer instead. I feel like these contraptions have gotten a bad wrap. They either scream "dorky bike family" or "transient vagabond" but they’re extremely useful in a variety of scenarios.
Rather than spending several thousand dollars on either a front-loader or a mid or long-tail cargo bike, I thought I'd dip a toe into the waters and see if I could find a reasonably priced used bike trailer to fulfill my needs in the short term.
If you scour your local Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or equivalent, you're bound to find some bike trailers that families have outgrown. And many of them will be hardly used and offered at affordable prices.
A few weeks after starting my search, I was the proud new owner of a Thule Chariot bike trailer designed to carry two kids.
Carrying Kids
Yes, many trailers are designed to carry one or two kids (maybe even 3?) safely behind your bike. They have seat belts and neck harnesses to keep our precious cargo safe and sound. I've loved taking my daughter around on her Yepp child seat for the past few years. And she loves the ability to be up on the bike with Dad taking in all the sights of the neighborhood.
But a kids bike trailer becomes a fun little mobile fort! In our case, we have only one child so the extra space of a two-seater is much appreciated. She gets chauffeured around town like royalty. She can have the wind/rain cover down or up depending on her mood and the weather. The internal pockets allow for an element of snacking that was never really doable when sitting in the child seat with wind in the face.
And maybe more importantly, she can ride with a friend...
Hauling Pets
Don't be fooled when a trailer lists its intended use for transporting children. A pet is basically just a hairy child right? Yes, your furry friend can certainly ride along in your bike trailer.
My dog weighs about 30 pounds and has always enjoyed car rides. He's not the type to stick his head out the window, he prefers to lay low and chill. So I thought he'd be the perfect passenger in my chariot. And for the most part, I've been correct.
Ol' Charlie happily jumps into the trailer and lays across the bench seat when he's the only passenger. And when he has to share the space with my daughter, he obediently curls up beside her. It's pretty darn cute and yet such a practical way to combine her pre-school drop off with a quick morning jaunt to the dog park sans automobile.
Of course, your mileage may literally vary with your own pooch. I'd encourage enticing them with treats to make the trailer seem like the most fun place on earth if they're a little skittish. Charlie can be prone to motion sickness on really steep or windy roads so I try to keep it short and straight when carting him around.
There are also plenty of pet-specific trailers too if you're only looking to create a mutt mobile. But I appreciate the versatility of a rig that's designed for two kids even if one of my kids is four-legged.
But that's not all these trailers can do.
Picking up Groceries & Other Gear
I think many people envision in a world where they are gracefully riding their bike to pick up groceries. Maybe they have a baguette peeking out of a front basket on their beach cruiser. It's a sensible way to complete one of our most basic and frequent errands. But it's just not a realistic way of operating for many people.
If you're anything like me, the pandemic may have caused you to rely more on delivery or curbside pickup groceries. You can't beat the convenience and time savings whether you have a kid or not. These days, I usually do a big grocery order for the week and plan to do a pickup at the store.
This would be hard to carry in a front bike basket. Hell, it would likely be hard to carry on a fancy cargo bike with panniers or a rear rack too. A front loader cargo bike could probably do the trick, but the bike trailer is a far less expensive way to get home with groceries without the aid of a car.
My trailer is rated for about 100 pounds of cargo and 6-8 grocery bags actually fit in surprisingly well. I've also picked up firewood, gallons of paint, and other large, heavy, or unwieldy items that typically have no place on a bike. And the cover has secure velcro that fastens around the corners of the trailer. This gives me confidence that nothing will fall out whether it’s a dog, a toddler, or a bunch of bananas from the store.
No, I wouldn't pedal for hours with all this cargo. But it's 100% doable for a mile or two in my very bikeable neighborhood. And I should also point out the very useful storage built into the trailer beyond the main compartment. There are two deep pouches in the rear in addition to a small cargo pouch and a tiny envelope that closes via velcro for valuable things that you don't want to lose. I never seem to run out of space when I'm looking to stash something. And it's an extra bonus that the back compartments can be covered and secured so I don't have to worry about anything toppling out mid-ride. It's an extremely clever, space-saving solution.
And there is something comforting about just tossing several shopping bags right into the trailer rather than having to delicately pack several panniers or baskets on a bike. The latter certainly works and is better than driving a gas-guzzling SUV less than a mile to a grocery store. But it can also take some time and be a bit of a balancing act to master the weight distribution on the bike. You also need to be more vigilant on the ride home if you have cargo stuffed everywhere that could fall out. It’s nice to just have the weight in one spot covered securely so you only have to keep your eye on one area of your rig.
Jogging Stroller
And this bike trailer has another trick up its sleeve. Like many similar models, it can easily convert itself from bike trailer to jogging stroller. Just pop off the arm that attaches to your rear wheel axel, and instead insert a singular wheel for the front. Just like that, you have a 3-wheeled speed wagon ready to push.
I've been a runner for over 20 years and a Dad for almost 4 years but I had not used a jogging stroller until recently. It honestly is a game changer. First off, it's an amazing workout. Even with minimal cargo, just pushing anything while running is a satisfying uptick of difficulty. It feels like a tougher strain on the lower body while also adding some arm tension. It's pleasantly exhausting.
And now I can push both the kid and the dog to the park or just around the neighborhood when I need to put in some miles but also need to be responsible for their supervision. It's an even more controlled, and smoother operation than towing them on a bike. And I’m even better equipped for those times when I need to literally run some errands.
The thin wheels of the trailer just glide along silently without much effort. This is preferred to the bumping and rattling that can come with the bike rig. It just ends up being a faster, more comfortable ride than our other big stroller. The other bonus is that we used to let our dog ride along in the undercarriage of the stroller when he got too tired or stubborn/lazy on long walks. Now he can sit comfortably in the jogging stroller and be protected from the elements to stay cool or warm depending on the weather. I only wish I had gotten a jogging stroller sooner to take advantage of those early years where my daughter would still take long naps.
I should also point out that there are other more specialized accessories that allow you to turn your bike trailer into a ski trailer or standard stroller with two front wheels rather than the single wheel on the jogging stroller. I'm so impressed with the ecosystem of accessories that Thule has created for this particular model. Although competitive brands like Burley and others have their own similar accessories as well.
Conclusion
You may not have a child or a dog, but I'm pretty sure that you sometimes buy groceries or other important goods that need to be transported back to your home. A bike trailer/jogging stroller/wheeled pod of some sort could be a fantastic solution for you. They hold their value really well and can easily be purchased on the second-hand market too.
Yes, I think buying a fancy cargo bike is an excellent investment for many people who want to cut down on short car trips. But finding an inexpensive bike trailer to attach to your existing bike can be a very economical way to test out the car-free or car-light lifestyle. I can't recommend it enough.
Any one else have any experience with bike trailers?
Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next week!
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Reminds me of all the people tagging kids, pets, and groceries along on bikes in Amsterdam. What a great way to get around and get some exercise too! 😀