... but a truck with a real trailer, such as this one!
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I have acquired some experience now riding my single wheel trailer behind my bike and it's not always that simple to handle. Generally speaking, it's nice, easy, fun. Yet in some situations, it may get a little tricky.
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On the trailer, it says that the limit speed is 40 km/h. Of course, you soon want to test this limit and I did it just once, the first day. As you go fast with a heavy cargo, breaking can become quite tricky. And somehow going down steep roads becomes as complicated as going up. I would even recommend having disk brakes to enhance braking with the trailer (I don't have such brakes).
I especially feel like a truck driver when I am trying to park my bike and trailer. Try to ride backwards for a few meters and you suddenly realize the skills of a truck driver.
Say you are in the middle of the countryside and you have a sudden urge to admire the landscape while wistling. You can not just let your tricycle on the ground as you may do with a simple bike: all wheels are in line and you need to find something to hold it against which may delay your wistling for a while.
In the wind, especially side wind, the trailer gets also somewhat delicate to handle, amplifying the push that you already get on the bike itself. Sometimes, you get this side wind effect from heavy trucks running past you and it happened a few times that it pushes me out of the road onto the shoulder.
Yet the best thing with this little black and yellow trailer on one wheel is that everyone likes it. Some people driving stop to discuss it. And you can even carry some personal items with it.
More tips:
* Have disk brakes
* Wear a stronger tire on the rear wheel of the bike as it handles the weight of the biker, the weight of the trailer as well as propels the whole tricycle. I currently use (which seems to be a good combination):
- front wheel: Bontrager road warrior select slick, 26 x 1.25
- rear wheel: Michelin city, 26 x 1.4
* Get a spare tube also for the trailer; you can also get flat tire with it.
Posts
Very interesting informations about the handling of a trailor . Not so simple ! And may be dangerous with side wind and going down steep roads ...
ReplyDeleteand also from trucks runnind past and the US trucks are much bigger than what we know in Europe!
So , take care
Bises
PP.
Je vais t'appeler "mon chauffeur routier à roulette" quand tu reviendras ;-)
ReplyDeleteA trailer scares me a bit. And I like to go fast downhill. I think I still prefer the strap on bags in the front and the back of my bicycle.
ReplyDeleteBut the trailer sure looks cool and would carry a lot more stuff I assume.