Cycle trailer on an equilibrium?

[wheel71]

At the moment I have a Surly LHT but although it's a lovely smooth ride I really notice the weight after riding my Genesis Equilibrium (which I ride 95% of the time). So I was thinking of selling the Surly and buying a trailer to go on my Genesis for short tours. But I know nothing about cycle trailers and am not even sure the Genesis would cope with it.
At the most I'd be doing a week with camping kit but no cooking stuff. Probably carrying 10-15kg.
Any advice on wheather the Genesis would be up to it and what are good trailers to look at (single or double wheel? With a bed or upright to take panniers?) would be much appreciated.

[andymiller]

It looks to me (Link to very big picture) like you could put a rear pannier rack onto the Genesis. There are good arguments for trailers if you need a big load carrying capacity (say 80 litres - four panniers plus top bag), but for a lightly-loaded week-long tour they seem like overkill. You could do the maths: Surly LHT plus pannier rack versus Genesis plus trailer.

Something like an Extrawheel had the advantage of taking the weight of the bike itself while not adding a huge amount of extra weight.

This article here seems like it might be useful:

http://www.freewheelingfrance.com/plann ... ailer.html

[foxyrider]

The Extrawheel is a good solution for road bikes as nothing is fitted directly to the bike so it's even suitable for CF frames. Putting a rack on is the other option, it will keep the whole package tighter and if you are going bi modal (eg using trains/planes/buses).

Although I have an Extrawheel it's for that reason that i'm using a rack when I go to Austria next week, flying and trains with a trailer can be interesting!

If you prefer the trailer idea, stick to single wheel and remember some of them can weigh a ton! The Extrawheel is 2.5kg plus whatever wheel you drop in.

[wheel71]

I'll look into the links this evening, thanks. And it's more the "unladen" (well, 1 pannier, not fully loaded) weight thats the issue.

I usually use 4 panniers, mainly due to bulky items like sleeping bag and liking it well balanced. The Surly's great for the job but does it do the job often enough is the question I'm asking myself. I wont be going abroad, just out from home but I do like a bit of comfort.

I don't realy want a rack on the Genesis. The back wheel on there wouldn't take weight, certainly not on the lumpy roads around here anyway. Obviously a trailer takes most of the weight off the back wheel but must stress the rear end.

A bit of thinking and research to be done I think.

[wheel71]

Extrawheel sounds interesting, thanks.

[andymiller]

I don't realy want a rack on the Genesis. The back wheel on there wouldn't take weight, certainly not on the lumpy roads around here anyway.

The cheapest and lightest option would be a decent hand-built 36-spoke rear wheel.

[wheel71]

Thanks for your thoughts. The extrawheel with a little rack and a small bar bag could certainly do the job and mean I can keep the bike how I like it. I could also use it on my MTB which is a bonus. And the possibility of leaving the trailer somewhere for a couple of hours and exploring on the bike is very tempting.

Now I just need to decide weather to sell the Surly and actually do it.........................

[RickH]

My concern with an extrawheel and a lightweight bike would be whether there is a danger of damaging the frame from any twisting forces if you, say, get out of the saddle.

[foxyrider]

My concern with an extrawheel and a lightweight bike would be whether there is a danger of damaging the frame from any twisting forces if you, say, get out of the saddle.

The Extrawheel is not fitted to the bike itself but rather uses ball type joints on its own dedicated Q/R unit so it shouldn't put any forces through the bike frame. Well that's the theory!

[RickH]

My concern with an extrawheel and a lightweight bike would be whether there is a danger of damaging the frame from any twisting forces if you, say, get out of the saddle.

The Extrawheel is not fitted to the bike itself but rather uses ball type joints on its own dedicated Q/R unit so it shouldn't put any forces through the bike frame. Well that's the theory!

But it needs to be rigidly vertically - otherwise it it would just fall over - so any forces waggling it from side to side, i.e. riding out of the saddle, will put bending forces into the rear of the frame. And do it multiple times per minute. I don't know how large those forces may be. I would have thought, but am no expert, that the forces from a 2 wheel trailer would be smaller in all directions.

[wheel71]

The Equilibrium is steel and pretty sturdy at the back, it's not quite a superlight climbing machine. I'd imagine standing up and moving the bike side to side a lot would feel wierd with the extrawheel anyway so doubt you'd do it too much. I certainly do it a lot normally too.
Gearing is another thing though. I have 34 front 30 rear on 700c on the genesis, I have 24 front 36 rear on 26" on the surly she'll go up anything she'll stick too........with a load. Lots to consider.

[DaveP]

The LHT has an excellent reputation for loaded touring - 15 kilos would hardly stretch it. Not knocking the Genesis, but while it probably has the capacity to carry that load it won't have the design features to make doing so a comfortable experience. I think you could do worse than to attempt a loaded comparison - you might be pleasantly surprised. The weight of the bike itself tends to disappear when you have enough luggage. "Am I comfy?" is the important question!
A trailer will certainly remove the direct load of your luggage from the bike, but with a single wheel trailer you can expect to be conscious of that weight when travelling slowly or manoeuvring as you and the bike will have to hold it upright. At least that's how it felt with a Yak - I haven't tried an Extra wheel yet. I have reverted to a two wheel trailer because I'm only really aware of it when climbing. The rest of the time it just follows me. It's possibly a bit over the top for your requirements though.
Just a couple of thoughts to complicate matters for you

[wheel71]

Yea the LHT is good when loaded. Still undecided so not jumping into anything yet.
Funnily enough I asked my other half if she thought I should sell a bike and she thought it was a great idea , I can't think why?

[Kiwisue]

I had a BOB trailer and found that great. I am able to jack knife it when I stop so easy to park. For overseas travel I pack it with my gear and remove the wheel and swing arm. I have had a bag made that I put the trailer and gear into it so when travelling it is another bag . Here in New Zealand I ride on rough tracks at times so hubby designed a trailer with shocks on the trailer which allows for a smooth ride over the bumps on gravel roads. I pull a trailer very successfully with my carbon mountain bike. Over the Mawson Trail in Australia it was invaluable. No bouncing .[emoji4] An extra wheel is a higher weight and therefore harder to handle.

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my SM-N920I using hovercraft full of eels.

[wheel71]

As it was taking me so long to decide I thought I'd regret selling my LHT so I'm sticking with it. It's a great bike for "hauling" and I'll just have to do the shopping on it more often (40km round trip) to feel like I'm actually using it.
Thanks for all the advice and opinions, all very helpful. Trailers were something I'd never looked into and it's good to have a little knowledge that may come in handy in the future.