Bicycle Trailers

A bicycle trailer is nothing but a cargo carrier with wheels attached, designed to be ferried around with the use of a bicycle. The bicycle trailer is connected to the bicycle using a hitch system, so that it is dragged around by the bicycle whenever it moves forward. Thus the trailer enables the bicycle to carry around more cargo.

 

Coupling the bicycle trailer to the bicycle could be done in a variety of ways. The sturdiest portion of the bicycle is surely the frame and hence the bicycle trailer's hitch is connected to the various parts of the frame. Sometimes it is the seat post while in other cases the trailer may be attached to the chainstay portion of the frame. In some cases, ropes or chains or a strong bungee cord may also be used to couple together the trailer and the bicycle.

A bicycle trailer can be made use of to transport upto an impressive half a ton of cargo from place to place with a bicycle. While these are mainly used to ferry cargo, they are also used sometimes for transportation of passengers. Such vehicles are known as cycle rickshaws and are in active use even now in many cities worldwide. The driver pedals and the attached bicycle trailer moves along, carrying the passengers in the process. There are also trailers designed to carry pets specifically. Sometimes, canoes, wind surfing rigs and even kayaks, when needed to be transported from one place to another by road, make use of specially designed bicycle trailers. These trailers are designed to carry long and thin cargo in them. The kayak trailer is an example of such a trailer. Also, there are also special wheelchairs that can double as bicycle trailers when hitched onto a bicycle. These are extremely useful for transport of disabled people.

Depending on how much cargo needs to be carried and the riding conditions, bicycle trailers can either be single-wheeled or may have two wheels. Each variety has its own advantages and disadvantages. The two-wheeled bicycle trailer can carry a wider trailer and hence has much greater load carrying capacity. However, unlike the single-wheeled variety, a two-wheeled trailer tends to be very jittery when its comes to sharp turns and chances of tipping over is pretty high. Also, since the two-wheeled trailer would invariably have the trailer width to be greater than that of the handle-bars, the rider needs to be extremely conscious of the width, failing which he might end up hitting objects when riding through narrow spaces.

Bicycle trailers are very popular in many places even today. Some people make a living out of ferrying passengers around on a bicycle trailer while some others use these trailers for their daily grocery shopping or to take their kids to the park. Being environment-friendly and available in cool designs nowadays, using bicycle trailers is a fun way for short-distance transportation of your cargo.

Navigation