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Old 09-24-17, 10:47 AM
  #1  
gdlerner
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Bike Friday Trailer hitch

Hi fellows
I own a BF trailer never use it before I was thinking I will take it to my next adventure .
I wanted to tried it today and I can fit the hitch to my bike I own a Pocket Llama with rohloff external box gears and the hitch collapse with the external box see the pictures.
I wanted to change the hitch for the carry freedom lollypop and it s not working also because I need to drill a new hole on the lollypop ,because the holes in the trailer are from the side.
I was thinking maybe use this
Trailer Accessory - Trailers

get another hose for the trailer and in the hose put the elastomer llolipop
Carry Freedom Lollypop elastomer

What do you think or maybe another better idea?
Thank you
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Old 09-24-17, 10:56 AM
  #2  
CliffordK
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What about using the Bike Friday hitch adapter.

https://store.bikefriday.com/product...qsrbprfeis0062



It should fit just ahead of where all the hub stuff is. I'm surprised it didn't come with your bike.

You might be able to get a local welder to make something similar if purchasing/shipping is too big of a hassle.
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Old 09-24-17, 11:32 AM
  #3  
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Alternatives, A) spacer and a 145 tandem hub QR skewer,

B) Thule-Chariot ball and socket hitch.. Interesting to note the company you link to uses the chariot hitch on the carry-freedom city trailer..
https://shop.planet-used.com/shop/en/...railer-51.html its a perfect match there , (My Brompton tows It)

but the red lolly and pin on the Y frame..



C) Burly hitch

I have a Co Op era Burly Alternative hitch.. (I got 9 years ago) the hitch and QR are integrated into one item.

I have it on my Rohloff Koga world tour.. https://www.backcountry.com/images/it...LY0016/ALL.jpg

My BiFri Rohloff Llama has the brazed on fitting for the air hose connector , ( its a threaded sleeve brazed on the upper stay)

NB ( readers)you could have specified it be fitted on the order specs the frame and bike was built to..
( My bike, a refused BTO someone else ordered)





...

Last edited by fietsbob; 09-24-17 at 11:55 AM.
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Old 09-24-17, 12:28 PM
  #4  
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
What about using the Bike Friday hitch adapter.

https://store.bikefriday.com/product...qsrbprfeis0062



It should fit just ahead of where all the hub stuff is. I'm surprised it didn't come with your bike.

You might be able to get a local welder to make something similar if purchasing/shipping is too big of a hassle.
My bike didn´t come with the hitch adapter on the frame like other BF they forgot it and for this small peace 39 pluss shipping to Germany.... I will find somebody to build something will be much cheaper
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Old 09-24-17, 12:35 PM
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One of my bike friday bikes came with the 1/4" NPT pipe welded to the frame.

One came with that little adapter. I can take any photos you like, although you should be able to work on the dimensions from the tubing size on the bike.

I did use the adapter on my old Colnago, but it seemed to have worked itself loose on the tapered rear stay tubing. I believe the BF tubing doesn't have a taper, so that shouldn't be an issue.
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Old 09-24-17, 01:33 PM
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Originally Posted by gdlerner
My bike didn´t come with the hitch adapter on the frame like other BF they forgot it and for this small peace 39 pluss shipping to Germany.... I will find somebody to build something will be much cheaper
If you bought everything new from Bike Friday, Bike, Rohloff, & trailer kit as a single package purchase, and you're missing a part (or were sent incompatible parts), then I'd send them an e-mail and ask about the adapter.

It is quite possible they would just drop it in the mail for free.

The worst they can say is NO.
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Old 09-24-17, 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
If you bought everything new from Bike Friday, Bike, Rohloff, & trailer kit as a single package purchase, and you're missing a part (or were sent incompatible parts), then I'd send them an e-mail and ask about the adapter.

It is quite possible they would just drop it in the mail for free.

The worst they can say is NO.
I already did but the trailer I bought it online used like new
Maybe I can just make an extension of the arm with a hose and put there the lollipot I will see
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Old 09-24-17, 02:10 PM
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You can mount the Rohloff shiftbox the other way round (cables facing upwards) - I had to do this on one of my bikes. Looks like this could free enough space. A bit more of a change (but with success guarantee) would be to get rid of the external shiftbox completely and to switch the Rohloff to internal shifting.
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Old 09-24-17, 02:24 PM
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Originally Posted by berlinonaut
You can mount the Rohloff shiftbox the other way round (cables facing upwards) - I had to do this on one of my bikes. Looks like this could free enough space. A bit more of a change (but with success guarantee) would be to get rid of the external shiftbox completely and to switch the Rohloff to internal shifting.
I use to have internal shifting, one year ago I changed all my bikes to external much better and easy to fit on the road
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Old 09-24-17, 02:55 PM
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Or maybe I tried to adapt this hitch
https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Trail...+trailer+hitch
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Old 09-24-17, 05:03 PM
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SO? replace the 2 shift cables so the external shift box faces up* it will take a little more cable to reach the new location..

* Its Been Done.. read the Manual . its on page 32 'cable routing, external gear mech'..





....

Last edited by fietsbob; 09-24-17 at 05:07 PM.
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Old 09-24-17, 08:25 PM
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What about Burley Hitch Adapter? Then you could stay with the BF hitch. Its disadvantage is an increase in the transverse size, but principally for BF there is so much dismantling anyway that you can take off the adapter for packing.
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Old 09-25-17, 10:10 AM
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its a nut with an extension He shows a QR Skewer, not the threaded TS axle..
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Old 09-25-17, 10:49 AM
  #14  
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Originally Posted by gdlerner
My bike didn´t come with the hitch adapter on the frame like other BF they forgot it and for this small peace 39 pluss shipping to Germany.... I will find somebody to build something will be much cheaper
This sounds like the best bet to me.
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Old 09-25-17, 10:54 AM
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The fitting is just an industrial air hose quick disconnect..

Brazed onto the frame is a tubular threaded ring, that should be easy for a metalworking fabricator to make..
the QR can be used to hold it down ...





....

Last edited by fietsbob; 09-25-17 at 10:59 AM.
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Old 09-25-17, 11:30 AM
  #16  
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If I understand correctly, Pic number two shows the hitch mount, and you took the picture to show the conflicts.

Why don't you just put the hitch plate in a vise and put a bend in it so that the hose connector is farther away from the shift box, while keeping the plate flat around the axle QR area.

Alternatively, could the trailer tongue be reversed on the trailer so as it connects to the drive side of the bike , and therefore mount the hitch plate on that side?
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Old 09-25-17, 11:26 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
its a nut with an extension He shows a QR Skewer, not the threaded TS axle..
The adapter comes in different versions, including QR skewer, though a longer skewer might be needed.
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Old 09-25-17, 11:53 PM
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Originally Posted by zebede
Why don't you just put the hitch plate in a vise and put a bend in it so that the hose connector is farther away from the shift box, while keeping the plate flat around the axle QR area.
If it is steel, you should be able to come up to a full 90°, and still have a little room, although perhaps it doesn't need to be bent that much.

You could probably bend it either hot or cold.
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Old 09-26-17, 12:27 PM
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I just contacted BF and the are always so helpful they make a special hitch for people with external Rohloff so I ordered one.

Thanks for all the suggestions
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Old 05-01-20, 06:56 AM
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Hi guy

can some one please tell me where do I need to measure the hitch to upgrade to weber coupling (they have different size )the small tube 1 or the big part 2with the nuts




Thanks
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Old 05-01-20, 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by gdlerner
Hi guy

can some one please tell me where do I need to measure the hitch to upgrade to weber coupling (they have different size )the small tube 1 or the big part 2with the nuts
The photo is really tiny/low resolution. Are you sure that part 2 is original? To me it looks like some extension that someone made to keep the trailer a bit farther away from the bike, presumably one that is full size. I do not have such a short tube addition and it is not there in any BF trailer images that I can see on the web. For the folder I do not think that you need the short tube at all. I.e. you can take it off and measure at 1.

Once you get some experience with the Weber coupling, can you please describe it? While I have used Radical Design coupling with the BF trailer, I thought about going the Weber route as it looks very versatile.
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Old 05-01-20, 08:51 AM
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I have no idea if this part is original I bought my trailer on ebay some years ago was sold as a reconditionar heavy duty.
Wich hicht are you using? Do you have a link? I wa thinking buying this parts
https://www.weber-products.de/de/sho...product-id=414
https://www.weber-products.de/de/sho...product-id=317
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Old 05-01-20, 10:46 AM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by gdlerner
I have no idea if this part is original I bought my trailer on ebay some years ago was sold as a reconditionar heavy duty.
Wich hicht are you using? Do you have a link?
https://www.radicaldesign.com/hitch-ball
https://www.radicaldesign.com/hitch-trailer-side

I also needed a piece of a steel reinforced pneumatic hose + hose clamp and bolts to finish this off. Mounting the Weber coupling could be more straightforward from the trailer side.

These are exactly the parts that I wanted to try out for the start. One longer term issue is of the pressure on mounting on the axle - my current best kickstand on the folder is there too and there is not enough axle length to mount both without serious risks.
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Old 05-01-20, 12:32 PM
  #24  
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Originally Posted by 2_i
https://www.radicaldesign.com/hitch-ball
https://www.radicaldesign.com/hitch-trailer-side

I also needed a piece of a steel reinforced pneumatic hose + hose clamp and bolts to finish this off. Mounting the Weber coupling could be more straightforward from the trailer side.
I have a Brompton with a Rohloff with external gear box and I can use the standard Radical Design hitch ball with my Cyclone IV Chubby trailer without any problem,

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Old 05-01-20, 01:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Jipe
I have a Brompton with a Rohloff with external gear box and I can use the standard Radical Design hitch ball with my Cyclone IV Chubby trailer without any problem,
The one below is the standard for Brompton, when nothing interferes. The arm grabs the chainstay and prevents rotation. By putting the ball backwards you can reduce lateral size.


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