When you want to carry some stuff beyond a 6-pack of beer on your bike, trailers are the way to go. Minneapolis, being the bike-friendly city it is, is home to the “Little Red Trailer” – a neat little trailer that’s made from recycled wood.
David of Dayworks Inc. builds sets for theater productions, and when it’s time to strike, he uses the wood to fashion the trailer. It has a metal frame at the base and 12″ pneumatic tires. Continue reading →
It comes with a rudimentary, yet versatile mounting system which can hook up to virtually any bike. It has evolved over time, so the one you receive may not look exactly like the one in my older photos or other reviews.
Making All Trailers Interchangable
In some of the photos in this article, you’ll see the trailer hitch mount in its original form. But shortly after purchasing a used Chariot trailer, I realized how convenient it would be if both my and Jessi’s bikes could interchangeably tow either the Chariot or the Red Trailer.
I really liked the Chariot mounting system, so I contacted David at Dayworks and he supplied me with a “virgin” hitch-arm. I purchased a Chariot Axle-Mount ezHitch Upgrade to add to the hitch-arm. It includes almost everything needed to adapt the trailer, except an extra-long bolt to secure the lollipop, which can be easily purchased from the hardware store.
The only issue was the “lollipop” that Chariot uses is smaller in diameter than the tube steel of the Red Trailer hitch-arm. So I went to the hardware store and browsed for some suitable PVC pipe to act as an adapter. The one that worked for me was this:
3/4″ x 6″ PVC Riser
With some sanding I was able to get it into the hitch-arm tube. Then I drilled a hole through both the hitch arm and the adapter for the lollipop fastener bolt, which also holds the lock pin, safety strap, and D-ring. Here you can see it installed with all the accouterments:
Lollipop with adapter, lock pin, and safety strap attached.
Putting it to use
I initially got this trailer to get propane refills from the local convenience store – the trailer can accommodate 2 propane tanks. But I shortly realized it can do so much more. It really opens a world of what you can carry via bicycle.
I’ve gone to the hardware store and returned with multiple 5-gallon buckets full of gardening or syruping supplies.
More often that not, I use it to shuttle goods between my parents house and my own. It’s carried several bike parts including a complete kid’s bike:
On one one trip to my parents, I spotted a rad retro-style ottoman at a garage sale. It was only $5 and I already had the trailer, so I just added it to my cargo.
It’s great for a large grocery trip – it can carry up to 4 bags.
While the trailer explicitly recommends against carrying animals, I’ve done it. Once you start moving past 10MPH, the excitement of fresh air and the fear of jumping out keep the dog in place.
I don’t normally go into gushy personal stuff here, but since publish day lands on my wedding anniversary with Jessi, I thought it was appropriate. Also, our gift giving seems to be at a stalemate this year as neither of us really wants anything, besides “your extra time and your… KISS!
We try to keep record of what we did in an anniversary journal, at least when it comes to what we did on our anniversary date and what gifts we exchanged. Those minor details often trigger memories of what was going on in our lives at that point.
Often times we forget to actually write stuff down, so when we go fill stuff in years later, it may resemble fiction more than fact. Sometime we rack our brains on what gifts we previously exchanged – and how sadly they must not have been great if we can’t remember. But the gifts themselves (or their longevity) aren’t what I’m concerned with, it’s the memory we associate with them.
One recent memory that really resonates with me is that Jessi is a strong woman.
In 2012 (one of the years missing from our journal) I convinced her to march Minnesota Brass with me. She proved that she is still the strong woman she always has been by working hard and doing her job. She wound up being voted the colorguard “rookie of the year” which she rightfully earned.
In 2013 she gave birth to our second child, a beautiful girl. Jessi proved again during delivery she is still as strong as ever. I thought we were going to be “those people” having the baby in the car. Jessi labored so much at home, by the time we got to the hospital, labor was 90% over. No time to waste, let’s have a baby!
In 2014 we rode the St. Paul Bike Classic. I always talk Jessi into doing one of the local bike tours around our anniversary. This year she rode all the way up Ramsey Hill. I know it seems like a silly feat of strength but she actually did it. I never have, and I’m the guy that’s always talking about bikes. So I did the walk of shame once again and Jessi got to stand on top of the world as the powerful woman she is.
There are several ways to carry kids on a bicycle, and many can be combined if you’re portaging 17 children and Vito your helper monkey. I’d like to focus on one of the less expensive options which should work on many bikes: the Topeak BabySeat. Continue reading →
The BabySeat (technically the BabySeat II) is $150 and mounts to a Topeak rear rack that can be used for several other things. That’s what I like most about this setup, you’re buying a system. Take the BabySeat off and you can can mount any of Topeak’s bags or baskets (plus any panniers).
Once the rack is mounted to your bike, adding the BabySeat is somewhat simple. The trickiest part is making sure the metal clip in the crotch part of the seat is properly clipped to the front bar of the rack. You’ll probably pinch your fingers a couple times before getting it right (Lord knows I did).
The major difference between the BabySeat rack and all other Topeak racks is the big hole where the slide lock goes. You probably can’t buy an extra rack for your extra bike at your favorite local bike shop, but you can easily order an extra online.
Adding a bag
Since the BabySeat occupies would-be trunk space, I was missing out on my cargo carrying ability. What fun is a trip to the library with your child if you can’t bring anything home?
I used some zip ties to attach a lightweight backpack to the back of the BabySeat. Any cinch-bag will do the trick, but the bag you see below is a Banjo BrothersNice Ride branded bag with a waterproof pocket on the inside. Check out the reflective straps!
Many (nanny) states have laws stating that you can’t legally ride a bike with a child under one year of age. I believe this recommendation is for an age where a child may not be able to hold his/her head up. If you have a trailer (and an infant), you can simply fit your car seat inside. I was able to fashion a strap out of 1″ webbing, the same size used on my Chariot trailer. To that I added a “parachute” buckle purchased from JoAnn’s, which happened to be interchangeable with the buckles on the trailer. Then I could put the car seat in and attach our new “belt extension” to both of the outside straps/buckles to secure the car seat in place. (See photo below for example).
Combinations
Many of these options can be combined for maximum carrying capacity.
Jim Thill of Hiawatha Cyclery wrote a great post about the evolution of his kid-carrying rig. He has experimented with several combinations on a tandem with a raised bottom bracket for a kid co-pilot, with iterations including a BabySeat and an Xtracycle. It’s one wild machine that surely will give inspiration.
I had an opportunity to acquire a canoe from my parents. All I had to do was pick it up. Everyone else owns a boat in Minnesota, right? Why shouldn’t I?
A friend insisted that if I have (1) an opportunity to purchase a quality canoe for a song, and have (2) easy access to water, that I must seize the opportunity. She also suggested that since this is Minnesota, I should give it the “when in Rome” treatment and portage it via bicycle. And the trailer she recommended is the Wike brand, “woody wagon” bike canoe trailer. Not sure why it’s called “woody,” it’s made of aluminum (like my canoe), not wood.
For anyone interested in canoeing and/or bicycling, here’s what I’ve learned…
Hull – The main structure of the canoe.
Gunwale (pronounced “Gunnel”) – Rails at the top edge of the canoe.
Yoke – Strong crossbar in the middle of the canoe, usually curved (for portaging).
Thwart – Crossbars in the canoe. Not to be confused with the yoke in the middle.
Keel – Projection on the center bottom of the hull. Helps the boat go straight.
Fore – Towards the front.
Aft – Towards the rear.
Bow – Front.
Stern – Rear.
Stem – Edge at the bow/stern of the canoe. Follows the keel line up the bow/stern.
Starboard – Right.
Port – Left.
You don’t strictly need to know these terms, but I find it’s better to know what other people are talking about. That way, when someone (or some instructions) asks you to strap something to the aft thwart, you’ll know WTF they mean. The Hull Identification Number (HIN), which I needed to register the canoe, was found on the starboard side of the stern, bolted right to the starboard side of the stem.
Navigating on Land
I’ve got quite a few years experience riding my bike with trailers attached. I’m pretty good about judging what sort of turning radius is required. Riding with a canoe is totally different. My canoe is 17 feet long. It’s like biking while towing something that is longer than a car. You will hit things, especially on your first trip. Go slow. Use a mirror if you have one, if you don’t, go slower. With up to 100 pounds of extra weight, you shouldn’t (and probably won’t) be going fast anyway.
Here is me taking delivery of the canoe, with my son riding in it. Portaging kids-in-boat is probably not recommended, but we made the 2 mile trek with (almost) no issues.
Remember the “almost” part of my first canoe trailer experience? Well, there was some pothole construction on one of the roads on our way home. It was an a corner, and half of the road was blocked by some safety cones. I thought I turned wide enough to clear them all, but I hadn’t. A cone got lodged between the trailer wheel and the hull and brought our first journey to a screeching halt. I had to unhook the trailer from the bike, re-align the wheels, make sure my son was ok, etc. etc. It was all in the spirit of adventure, but the point was quickly made: this is not a normal trailer turning situation.
Car + Bike + Canoe + Trailer
Our family truckster has a roof rack, to which I added a Yakima Canoe Carrier to bring the canoe to far-away waters. The vehicle has two spots where the one tow-hook provided can screw into the frame at the front. I spent $30 at my local dealer to buy an extra tow hook so I could strap the front of the canoe down on both sides of the car.
The Wike canoe trailer packs pretty small once everything is apart. If you’re driving somewhere with your bike and canoe, I recommend bringing the trailer. Even without a bike you can use the wheel cart to portage the canoe around rather than dragging it or enlisting help. Then you can use your bike to bypass any long lines at the boat launch.
Paddling with kids
Here’s another lesson I learned. While the canoe holds two (or more) people, it works best if the weight is spread evenly. I put my son at the front and I sat in the back.
He’s less than 1/3 of my weight. The canoe traveled like it was doing a wheelie. Besides looking silly, it was sort of non functional. The keel was only partly in the water, so the canoe wanted to turn much more than normal. On a windy day it made paddling extra unpleasant. As soon as the bow of the canoe came out from behind an outcrop, it would easily get blown in another direction.
Talking to a relative, he suggested a better alternative. Use a flotation cushion and kneel in the center of the boat while paddling so it sits evenly in the water. I’ll definitely be doing this on my next kid-canoe outing 🙂
