Trailering today.Looked over the Burley Solo before setting out, for safety's sake, and...
Yes, that's a hole my pinkie fits thru. And, on the other side
Yes, that's a 10mm deep groove worn thru the fabric and the plastic reinforcement bar! Will be sending these to Burley to see what they have to say. I put a pillow on either side of J when trailering (no, not every time, but damn near) in an attempt to keep him upright/off the walls, but. A kid is gonna sleep and slump over in a trailer- it's how they roll. To not take this into account when designing is irresponsible at best. Fixed it with a tie down wrap around.Here's the secret sneak going down to Veteran's Park. You come ripping off the schmoovely pave twisty road and stuff it right thru these boulders.
and then head down the singletrack briefly
under the cypress
down down to town. Then the foggy bike/tourist path bayside
And back up in the hills to get away from the fog heading towards _____ ____ ____ . A hidden gem. Looking up the East end's sneaky back door, there was a deer scoping the traffic situation
Climbing the main road to the park. I didn't try to tilt the camera to fake the grade, I just was tired and rushed. It's a neat (and seldom seen) perspective on the bay
Looking up the grade
Cruising along the ridgetop
Looking North from the hiking trail at the Monterey Pines. This place has the last old growth stand around, and it's got a real nice feel
Here's the view from the other end. The sneaky West back door. See with your eyes how tucked in J is with his woolie blanket and his aristocratic pillows
The trailer binding. I know it's cruel, but I'm willing to sacrifice it's freedom to make it beautiful. And, plus it can't run away from me all bound up like that, it'd fall over.
Monterey-style back road
Rockin the Country Gentleman style today, bitches. Sorry I left the white (perforated!) kid leather gloves at home
And a brief look at some weathered shellaced cotton tape. It's Forest Green under an Amber shellac. Click to appreciate
Seeing all these intreweeb teaser photos of people who've received their Big Dummys is making me antsy. Come on 22" Big Dummy....come ooooon.
And, y'all might be innerested in this, because yor Horrible People. And I'm out!
11 comments:
Nice identity hiding image. Classy.
You've got more fluff then kid stuffed in there. We bought friends of ours a 2 seater Burley for their one child and readjusted the strapping for a center seat only setup. She couldn't slump if she tried though shamefully it's barley been used. Thought about getting the same one but not switching the straps for kid on one side and all their gear on the other to balance the load.
So how much effort goes into pulling a trailer? Garage is full of one speeds, might need to try one of those new fangled derailuers (sp).
nice to see somebody also takes the trailer and child out on dirt, although here in the frozen north dirt is but a memory or a treat to be hoped for....still i dream of dusty trails or maybe moist yet firm soil.
Fix- Effort? More than without it. I really notice the trailer on 4-6% stuff that feels like it should be easier. I can feel the momentum sucking pull from one side then the other as I reach the top of each pedal stroke, and the trailer loses it's roll and jerks on me. It's a min_uck, and I find it a lot harder to pedal circles and make it smooth than when on my fixed alone, but it's a similar sensation. I definitely use my geared bike, but I'm soft in that respect- but ONLY that respect. The really steep stuff just feels like a huge effort, but it's not bothersome becauase you expect it. Makes you real strong, but kills your top end.
As for the double- our last 2 trailers were doubles (havin 3 kids over here, boss)and we had no trouble like this rubbing, even with both of them and all their stuff, and groceries, etc. But the older 2 are not trailer material now, and the single is, like, 7 lbs lighter, and I had great experiences with my other Burleys...so this rubbing is a surprise. I'd still swap the straps and load some pillows on the sides with just 1 in the double. They are gonna slump and they're so much more comfortable and safe ensconced in the middle.
You can ride it one speed, and fixed too. Depends...
Yesterday, I found myself thinking frequently about the possibility of jackknifing the trailer. Never thought about that before, but I was looking at the Big Dummy info on the Surly site, and it was mentioned. So, similarly to the way I used to scan the deep end for white sharks, I found bits of fear popping up every now and then. Stopping is a big issue. Especially when it's at all slick. According to Burley's ass-coverage instructions, you're not supposed to exceed 15 mph. That's laughable. We've certainly gone 45 at least.
Andrew- yes. Dirt is almost upon you. J fusses quietly when we hit bumps in the road, but on the bumpy extended dirt downhill yesterday, he began yelling at me in a very irritated way to "Stop it!"
of course the son will always be a back seat driver for me...the worst is when he says 'go faster daddy'
Good point about jack knifing, makes sense though under panic braking condtions. Cable actuated drag brake would be a sweet addition, I think I've seen this on a hauling trailer before.
Still a toss up on single or double trailer, wifey will like the prettier one regardless. The gifted trailer was a Lady Bug Burley and it looked pretty nice assembling it.
Fix- I now remember some e-something brake activated trailer that had a spring-loaded rod in the hitch so that the trailers forward momentum against the slowing bike would extend the rod and activate the trailer brakes. Need to go googling... I was imagining a thumbshifter hooked up to some kind of brake to run it drag, but I don't see a real possibilty for improvivsing that on the Burley. I also imagined talking to Rick Hunter about a custom trailer with a roll cage and 700c wheels (one front one rear), but that would get spendy quick. It would have sweet braking, tho. I hope my wife doesn't look at these comments. Just kidding, Boba Fet.It's all hypothetical. The Burley will work.
Andrew- my children watch me cyclocross and hand up bottles. They've stopped asking if I won. Now they ask (in the middle of the race) "why are you so slow, Papa?". Then I laugh and put on a burst of less slowness.
thanks for the visit reverend. i miss me some CA ride time as my home used to be SF. one day i'll return to the land of nutttiness.
until then... keep me posted
Why you gotta make fun of my dog?! She don't need no stinkin' prosthetic!
No, your tripod of yappiness is not the problem dog in your household, CB.
Plus, your dogs love me.
Have you thought of making a brake system for the trailer yourself? Or with the help of a(Guinness-loving) friend?
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