Anyone got or use a bike trailer? That's a trailer used to transport the bike, not being towed by the bike.
We bought one this summer and despite it being time consuming loading, securing and unloading, we think it's brilliant. It's been quite expensive initally what with buying the trailer, straps and having a towbar fitted but the anticipated savings from fuel, wear and tear on the bikes and easier/quicker journey times means it should pay for itself in a year or two.
Interested to hear others views and/or experiences on them. Love it or loathe it? Would you or do you?
bluesbiker In: Birmingham in th
Posts: 2510
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It's not something i would use unless the bike was broken. What you save on fuel on the bike would be more than made up on the car.
I enjoy the journey as much as arriving anyway. It's an option for those less able to cope with distance riding i suppose.
I would too agree with the above post and what your saving on the bike fuel will add up on the car and trailer.
Depends on the price of the trailer i guess:)
Bikes do about 40mpg and the car does about the same with the trailer so that's a huge fuel saving plus the saved wear and tear on tyres etc.
There are also other cost savings involved, such as being able to drive pretty much non stop from home deep into Europe rather than taking a few days to get there. This means a trip could be done in a shorter period with the same amount of time at your destination area thus saving on accommodation and food costs.
And yes, for me...350 miles in a day travelling on a bike is my limit and it takes ALL day (like over 12 hours) with all the comfort breaks needed.
I've got a great one that I use for the dirt bikes. It's a Dave Cooper bike rack and goes on the towbar so the bike sits across the back of your car/van. And very cheap to buy. Not much use for sportsbikes of course but then I'd want to ride mine there.
can see the pros and cons of this but for me as a busy mummy i often do 6 or more trips a day everyday in the car so wouldnt miss the chance to get on the bike even if it was down to dover to get onto the train or the ferry, its all part of the holiday to me.I suppose if i had the chance to go away more than 3 or 4 times a year i may consider it but being on my own and having only one bike (at a time )then its not something i would consider.
Another plus point is the convenience of having a car at your disposal whilst away.
You want to nip into town to the shops or go out in the evening for a nice meal. Perhaps the weather is awful one day so you take the car sightseeing. Plus you're not limited to what luggage you can take - big bonus for those into their camping I would imagine.
There is no right or wrong answer to this, only opinions although it is fact that for certain types of trips away it will work out cheaper overall for us.
Why don't you just leave the bike at home, put your leathers on and helmet in the car, then when you get out at the other end you pretend that you have come on a bike.
Or you could travel to a rally and unload a couple of miles down the road and miss all the bad weather and not have to wash the bike or get wet or anything
The only time I would think about it is if you were for example travelling abroad, couple of vans with 5-6 bikes in each, that's much cheaper ferry crossing. Park up the vans and then ride your bike
this is prob better for couples or groups, prob really good if you have 4 people and 2 bikes touring but with one person there is no real advantage except the luggage space and if weather turned bad i would just use the local transport or taxis,but as we found out in Ireland Roachy a wet day deff doesnt mean an end to getting out on the bike and having fun!
Yes SF, that's the intended use - for going out of the country although we'd also do it for a week in Scotland or down South as well as you're still saving the fuel, wear and tear and motorway slog.
This isn't a rally I'm talking about you know!
yes exactly! but as Geoff said if you want the option of going to switzerland for example and can share car costs and driving time between 4 people, drive through the night and as a result get a few days extra packed in then thats got to be good for lots of people,there is a lot more flexibility if thats what you are looking for in a holiday.
Don't see the point of this myself the cost of the trailer plus a proper installed towbar the extra cost of car and trailer on a ferry! For the few times that it's get used it's quite an outlay to re-coup.
If you are touring abroad then it's by bike for me, and as I'm not adversed to camping I'd stop when I wanted and not have to book ahead for motel/hotels etc. Again adding to the over all cost plus the fact the trailer cover is inverably ONLY 3rd party so your bikes are vunerable in more than one way whilst on the trailer. Ok their own insurance probably covers them but I'd expect insurers to give a very frosty reception when two bikes are stolen or written off???????
Oh hello agin folks lol (friend has paid for me to stay till new year (big yayyyyyyyyyyyy) lol
I was against the trailer idea at first. But a week trial with it on the west coast of Ireland has convinced me.
We needed to get there in a day, a distance of around 320 miles and needed to stop to see friends on the way. That meant using motorways and I don't care what anyone says, 320 miles on the motorways on a bike is cr*p. Whereas in the car it was nothing short of relaxing.
There are two types of "touring" holiday as far as I'm concerned and I've done them both. There's the one where you get to a destination and then tour around there (I've done over 700 miles of motorway in a day before and I'm happy to explain to anyone how much fun that is on a bike) and there's the type where your touring is spending time getting to a place, then spending just a day or two there and then spending time getting back.
We are planning on spending some time touring around the South of France and the Alps and possibly Italy next year. Because of the size of trip we won't have the time to spend several days getting down there and several days getting back, a distance of over a thousand miles each way. But with the trailer we can do the entire run down over 24 hours saving lots in accommodation not to mention several hundred pounds in fuel alone!
I personally think it's ace and as a rider doing about 20k a year, that's saying something I feel.
I do agree with your cost issue to an extent. But we've worked out that considering additional fuel, accommodation and food costs making the trip over a single day rather than two or three (each way), our trailer will pretty much pay for itself next year.
Plus the comfort and convenience factor?? What sort of price can you put on that? I personally am looking forward to being able to combine biking holidays with having the car with us as well.
Don't quite see your argument with the insurance though. What difference would it make to your bike insurance if both bikes are stolen? Only the same as a van turning up and loading two or more bikes into the back! What's the insurer going to say? "Sorry not paying out for your bike cos that other guy's has been nicked as well"
Of course, the big advantage we have is that there are two of us. This is only the reason why the trailer makes sense to be honest. Prior to meeting Roachy, my touring was always done solely on the bike ... and I did ride down to the Alps over two days and then two days riding back, so I know exactly what it is like lol!!
Got to agree with Geoff, done the Alps run in a day and it's not much fun.Will take my van next time, 4 bikes in it one ferry crossing one lot of diesel share the driving got to be better.
Hey!
Whatever works for the individual is fine.
Some people have the attitude that you should only travel on the bikes and by trailering them you are sort of 'cheating'
What a load of balloney!
You do it exactly how you want to. If you want the convenience of a bike and a car whilst touring, why shouldn't you?
Driving long distances on the 'slab' on bikes can be boring and tiring and in bad weather even dangerous too with spray etc causing problems.
It's difficult carrying a couple of weeks camping equipment on a bike to cover all necessities. Eating out permanently whilst abroad in the EU is no longer the cheap option it once was but now is on a par with eating out in the UK, so a means of cooking some meals while camping can reduce costs. All this extra eqiupment to cover most eventualities is much easier transported by car.
By the way I run a bike and a car but don't have a trailer.
I have camped and toured by bike in Europe.
If people find trailering, the better option for themselves - good luck to them!
Never used a trailer for road bike transport, other than breakdowns/accidents, although I've used them occasionaly in the past for race bikes, when the vans been laid up. I've welded a couple of trailers up for/with mates for their moto X and trials bikes. Its a lot cheaper to build them yourself from a couple of old car hubs, and strips of angle iron.
This never occurred to me as an option but the more I think about it, the more it appeals. Just returned yesterday from the 900 mile blast up from the Ardeche region in the south of France (by car ooeerr). The roads down there are fabulous -really good quality surfaces and properly maintained, relatively empty and stunning views opening up round every bend. I can see the sense of enjoying more days savouring that and share the car driving doing the grotty functional bit especially the M25/M1 /M6 with all the congestion, potholes, roadworks and contraflows
I can see the point for a dirt bike or track bike, but, if I'm touring I rather ride. I can see the advantage in terms of luggage, but then it's not always a bad thing to have to travel light. As for journey time, I'd rather take my time to be honest. Journey > Destination, as in so much in life.
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