Locking up a Burly child trailer?
 

I have a question for those of you who live in urban areas and regularly pull a trailer, either for kids or groceries. Do you lock it, and how do you lock it? When you go to the grocery store, or the library, or wherever the bike is out of your direct view. Do you use a double-loop steel cable in addition to your U-Lock? I see mainly 6 ft, 15 ft, and 30 ft for cables. What is the best length for this? If you have a Burly with the push-button, quick-release wheels, do you thread cable through the wheels and the frame somehow?

Thanks!

It has been many years, but I pulled my daughter (and occasionally her friends and our dog) in a Winchester trailer in the Maryland/Washington DC area and occasionally on vacation. I never felt the need to lock the trailer when we locked up the bikes and never had it stolen.

In this day and age of Craig's List and eBay making it easier to sell just about anything, I might. I would use that steel cable that I now have with my U lock - it is a "keep the honest people honest" thing, as it is pretty easy to cut through. But, I'll bet most of the bike thieves carrying bolt cutters wouldn't be going after your trailer...

Thanks! That's the conclusion I came too also. I ordered a 15 ft cable to loop through the trailer and attach to my u-lock. Hopefully it will be just enough to give off a "not worth the effort" vibe.

I had two Norco trailers stolen in Toronto. There was an attempted theft when I walked away without locking the trailer but the bike was locked. They almost had it off the bike but I think I must have scared them off as I was returning. Then it was stolen a few months later but it was unlocked again. My fault.

Second trailer was locked with a Kryptonite Cable and it was cut and that was the last I saw of that trailer.

With the third trailer, a Chariot, I was much more careful of where I parked it, and how I parked it. I would fold it up and run the cable through the frame and the two wheels so you just couldn't ride away with it. It never got stolen and I had that one the longest.

Toronto is a high risk city for bike thefts. My son had his tricycle stolen, my two trailers and I had two expensive bikes stolen. Knock on wood nothing has been stolen lately.

I never locked the trailer as long as it was attached to the locked bike, but then i always used a custom hitch because the standard designs were rubbish.

It would always have been possible to pin the hitch to the bike with a small long-shackle padlock, I just never did.

We never locked our trailer but we also were never away from it very long. You say your trailer has push button quick-release wheels. I'd consider just removing one or both wheels and locking with the bike and not carrying the 15 foot cable. s

Yes, I lock my trailer with a cable through a wheel (no QR).

Mine had push-button wheels but I took the rubber caps off, and they just look like bolted wheels underneath.

Atleast in the case of my Avenir Cleveland the cap covers a 19mm hex bolt - the button is the end of a shaft that releases a securing bearing the inner end.

I usually just used a cable lock through the frame of the trailer and the rear triangle of the bicycle.

It's definitely a 'keep people honest' kinda thing, and I'm not sure it is entirely necessary. I'm guessing that most people who just want a quick ride off wouldn't want to deal with unhitching a trailer, and professional thieves would not be interested in the kinds of bikes I use to pull a trailer.

Remove the trailer wheel and lock it (the wheel) to the frame with the u-lock? I had not considered that. That might be a great idea! Thanks!

That was what I did and I didn't have any problems in Boston 7-8 years ago when I did it.

That's good to hear. Thanks!

I’ve never locked the trailer when attached to the bike, but when using it as a jogger I’ve cable locked through the handlebars around a tree/lamp post/whatever.

if I still lived in a large city I’d probably have a U-lock for it.

I’ve found that you need to regrease the shaft on the push button wheels every time you remove and replace them. Carrying a tube of grease, applying every time you unlock and reassemble, and then cleaning your hands again seems more hassle to me that just having a slightly longer cable lock.

Regrease every time, really? What do you do, ride through salt water? On both Thule Chariot trailers and Burley Trailers we have owned, the axle only hold the wheel on the trailer, the sealed bearing rotates on the axle. We've found that the thinnest film of lubrication--think how you would grease a seatpost--is more than sufficient. Of course, different conditions may dictate some other approach.

I use a 8’ Kryptoite cable looped through the frame of my trailer and have eyelet on the other end in the cable going through my U lock. I don’t bother running the cable through the wheels.