Cycle Caravans

[hamster]

This is the Law of Conservation of Misery in action. Trade the mild discomfort of camping in a tent for daily misery of riding at 6mph with every hill a nightmare.

Note the one in the photo is pulled by an e-bike.

[foxyrider]

Note the one in the photo is pulled by an e-bike.

and your point?

[hamster]

Note the one in the photo is pulled by an e-bike.

and your point?

Strong circumstantial evidence that it's complete misery to tow it???

I simply don't comprehend what problem a cycle caravan solves.

• If you dislike camping, fine, stay in B&Bs or cheap hotels and enjoy easy riding and/or more distance or the flexibility to hop onto a train.

• If you want to get to out-of-the-way places then camp.

A bike caravan will not allow you to get to out of the way places (needing gentle gradients and decent surfaces), your options are seriously limited by the short distances you can ride in a day (and I have toured on a tandem with a 7 year old on the back and a 4-year old in a trailer).
It's the equivalent of those Victorian expeditions when they took along a mahogany dining table and piano. Complexity spirals outwards.

[thirdcrank]

Strong circumstantial evidence that it's complete misery to tow it???

eg rjb notes that the image was taken at the Somerset Levels and that may be a bit of a clue about the typical gradients in the area ....

[foxyrider]

Strong circumstantial evidence that it's complete misery to tow it???

eg rjb notes that the image was taken at the Somerset Levels and that may be a bit of a clue about the typical gradients in the area ....

Have you ridden in the Levels? some serious % grades around there!

[foxyrider]

Note the one in the photo is pulled by an e-bike.

and your point?

Strong circumstantial evidence that it's complete misery to tow it???

I simply don't comprehend what problem a cycle caravan solves.

• If you dislike camping, fine, stay in B&Bs or cheap hotels and enjoy easy riding and/or more distance or the flexibility to hop onto a train.

• If you want to get to out-of-the-way places then camp.

A bike caravan will not allow you to get to out of the way places (needing gentle gradients and decent surfaces), your options are seriously limited by the short distances you can ride in a day (and I have toured on a tandem with a 7 year old on the back and a 4-year old in a trailer).
It's the equivalent of those Victorian expeditions when they took along a mahogany dining table and piano. Complexity spirals outwards.

Not with an E-bike, i've seen vids of folk tootling along at 20-30kph towing a bike caravan and covering reasonable distances at the same time.

Who said it solved a problem? What it does allow is for people who for whatever reason* find they can no longer tent camp but prefer the idea of camping on some level to paying out for bricks and mortar accomodation**. Its not for everyone but thats true of pretty much everything

* maybe health or mobility for example
** not everyone can afford or wants to spend in excess of £50 per night which is a typical b&b price these days

[Nearholmer]

I’d always assumed that it fell into the “because you can” bracket.

[donald.stewart.nj]

The first time I saw the KampRite camper I thought that I could use the tent part over a trailer like a Burley Nomad. Smaller and lighter than the bushtrekka. I know the tent is still quite heavy but i would use it on towpaths and flatter routes. I’d attach it with a hinge mechanism to be able to get at things in the trailer. It would make a nice afternoon siesta not having to really find a spot to pitch a tent.

[pwa]

I'm still trying to understand what is the problem that this solves.

Don't like tents? Fair enough, stay in hotels / B&Bs / YHA etc.

Exactly. B&Bs weigh exactly nothing, on the road, and have lots of comfort advantages. Or use a tent. How long does it take to pitch a small tent? Fifteen minutes, including the fine tuning? Or drag around your own bodyweight in extra clobber! It reminds me of those folk who do running and walking challenges with a fridge on their back.

[jimlews]

I’d always assumed that it fell into the “because you can” bracket.

Think you're right.