linberl

I'm thinking of buying the Travoy, even though it is expensive, to carry home giant bags of dog food, etc., on my bike friday so I can use my car even less than I do now. I was wondering if anyone had experience with folding their bike and strapping it on the travoy to get on transit or go into stores, etc.? The BF does not roll when folded so I was thinking I could disconnect the quick seatpost latch, fold the bike and strap it on the travoy, then wheel the travoy onto Bart and into shops. Would make the expense a little more practical if it works. Anyone tried it?

leoho5

I have a Travoy and have carried a Dahon and Brompton on it without difficulty even just using the two included tie down straps. It takes a minute or two to secure the bike to the trailer. The Travoy is expensive but worth every penny. It replaces a car the good majority of the time. The fact that it folds into a small package is icing on the cake.

smallwheeler

what do you think about buying a used burley d'lite child carrier? there are a lot of those floating around on craigslist and in thrift stores. you could modify it slightly to accommodate carrying the bike and or groceries, etc.

also, did you know that alan sholz of bike friday designed the first burley trailer?

linberl

Very cool to know about the burley history, thanks! I've been considering a child carrier used, looking at craigslist, but I like that I can fold the travoy up and store it inside in a tiny space in the bag. The other advantage is that I could roll it into Costco and put the 40 lb bag of dog food on it and not have to lift it again. It seems to keep value very well so I could sell it without much of a loss if, for some reason, I found myself not using it. I would sell my Xootr crossrack since I would not need it anymore. Finally, it attaches to the seatpost, is very light, and would work with a rear mounted Shareroller (coming this fall).

linberl

Sounds like it will work just fine for me, then. Gotta wait til REI has another 20% off members coupon =)

Winfried

The problem with seatpost-connected trailers, is that at this point, none are quick-release, since folding bikes are only a tiny portion of the market. The Burley Travoy is no exception, and takes two allen bolts to secure (although a cordless drill does the trick.) I also checked Germany's Andersen, but they don't even have a hitch to hook up their trailer to the seatpost.

Alternatively, you could consider trailers that hook up to the rear wheel instead such as the CarryFreedom or Radical Design.

linberl

This would be just fine - I don't mind leaving the hitch part on the seatpost and it just takes a nano second to put it on and off...https://www.rei.com/product/100766/b...er-bike-hitch?

badmother

Personally I like the Travoy, especially becouse it works so well without a bike too but I do not like the idea of conecting a trailer (or a bag) to the top of the seatpost of a folder on a regular basis and tow heavy loads fom it. I would look for one that atatches to the rack (Andersen) or the rear axel (Carry Freedom City).

Also there is the Carry Freedom Leaf: https://www.google.no/search?q=Carry...w=1292&bih=657

Couplings and Coupling studs - Andersen Shopper® Manufaktur

leoho5

The Travoy hitch doesn't weigh too much and since I don't have the longest inseam, the hitch sits at the top of my seatpost. This enables me to able put the seatpost nearly all the way down when folding. Not bad.

As for quick release, you may be able to replace the two hitch bolts with 2 separate quick releases which would enable the hitch to quickly be slid off the bottom end of the seatpost provided that your seatpost is able to be pulled out of the seat tube.

linberl

My seatpost isn't up very far either so that doesn't worry me. I've a Crossrack that has carried 40 lbs with no problems. Leoho5, does yours have the hitch that attaches with two bolts but has a little lock lever and quick release over the pin? I don't care if the hitch stays on the seatpost, I just want to be able to remove the trailer without tools to go in and out of stores. It seems like that is how the travoy works (now). And my bike friday does not require me to lower the seat to fold, which I do with the crossrack attachment still on it all the time.

leoho5

Looks like someone has placed a tutorial on instructables about converting the Travoy hitch to quick release.

Convert a Burley Travoy Bike Trailer Hitch to Quick Release From Seatposts

Winfried

On a folding bike, that means it won't fold as small.

You're a lot faster than I am. It takes me longer to tighten/loosen two bolts on a hitch.

linberl

I have a bike friday so the seatpost does not need to go down to fold it; the seat mast is hinged and folds without me messing with the length. From what I have seen, the hitch attaches with two bolts to the seatpost and remains attached. Then the trailer part pops on and off in a couple seconds with a quick release mechanism that holds it to the hitch. If you have a bike where you must lower the seat to fold (like a brompton, for example) this won't work very well, but it is not an issue at all with my bike friday. My Xootr crossrack "hitch" is quite a bit larger than the Travoy one and I leave it on my bike all the time and just connect/disconnect the rack when needed. No problem.
I like the Travoy because it becomes a rolling shopping cart which I don't have to lock up when I lock my bike to shop; I can take it with me. The various axle mounted units are not as convenient.

smallwheeler

ok... you're doing a good job selling these. now i want one too.

linberl

Ha ha, I'm just trying to convince myself it is worth it to spend that much money ;-)
It's a chunk of change and I can't seem to find any used ones. I suppose that means
people are keeping them.

fietsbob

You have a BiFri Tikit? or what? You dont say. Tikit will roll on it's front wheel when folded.
the bar mast fits in a clip on the frame tube to hold it straight. (Pack-it Under development Wont)

I bought a Carry Freedom City Trailer , A folded up Brompton can Lay across the top of their bag
That is slung across the trailer frame.



Once the bag is removed the wheels swing inward and the trailer folds flat.


I suppose where you go you dare not leave your Bike Outside..

your Travoy will be full of Bike while in the shop , Right? .

I suppose the stuff is in the shopping cart and at the grocery check out you un pack the bike and pack up the stuff you Bought..

I have a Pack to Travel Bike Friday Pocket Llama I wont try to fold it up much at all .
its more a Go in the suitcase at beginning and end of trip, Rig.

The fold of the Tikit (and the new Packit) are better at that.. 349 wheel like Brompton.

fietsbob

Factually wrong, Winfried,

The hitch for the Travoy stays on the seat post , but the Trailer does easily disconnect from it..

linberl

Basically my bf is an NWT, earlier model. Does not roll. For shopping, I would lock the bike up and just roll in the travoy. I currently lock my bike to shop now, but I do not purchase more than one shopping bag worth at a time because of carry limitations. I can't buy dog food or bbq charcoal on my bike; I have to use the car. The times I would strap the bike to the travoy would be when I use Bart and don't want to carry the bike. I am able to carry it (it is around 25 lbs with accessories) but I would much rather be able to roll it and take it on escalators. If folded and strapped to the travoy, I can go on the escalators instead of schlepping up stairs or counting on a working elevator. I can quick fold it very fast, less than 30 seconds, to pop it on and off a trailer.
My favorite movie theater will not let me bring in the folded bike, but I'm going to ask them if I can bring it in covered on the travoy....it's just like a stroller at that point. Hopefully, it is a yes and another reason to get one!
I think they are okay with stuff you can ROLL out of the way.

fietsbob

I go shopping by bringing in, my 2 backroller panniers

They will fit on the Folding to Travel Bike Friday Rear Rack, without needing the trailer ..

their lift the handle top hook release makes it easy to pull them off , then the checker fills them with food, etc.

I put them back on my rear rack, unlock the Bike from the store's Bike rack & ride Home.

linberl

that sounds like a nice solution. Because I need/want minimum weight when I use Bart (lifting bike) I use a Xootr cross rack which allows one pannier but the entire rack can be removed when I'm not shopping. I have a Timbuk2 Hunchback bag on my Nitto front rack; the combo gets me around 2 grocery bags worth. But neither allows the carrying of a 40lb bag of dog food or 4' long bag of charcoal or costco-sized packs of TP. I'd like to get to the point where I don't use my car at all except when I have passengers; I'm nearly there but not quite...

linberl

Different strokes for different folks...I do not want to use my car. My seat post is not up far at all, I'm short, so there is minimal stress. The dog food I buy only comes in 40lb bags. I could give up my bike entirely and drive everywhere but that's not the point.

leoho5

I completely agree. The Travoy will be perfect to lug around 40 lb bags of dog food. I use my folder and Travoy for almost everything. I rarely need to use a car and I don't want to unless it's absolutely necessary. I think that was your point and it's an excellent one.

I thought about the seatpost torque question in the past and came to the conclusion that a seatpost experiences much more torque/stress from a rider sitting on it than pulling a trailer. I wouldn't worry about the seatpost unless you have a carbon one.

I don't think you will regret purchasing the Travoy. It's not perfect but it's pretty darn good.

fietsbob

I don't have a Car, period. I have fast food places surrounding me ( think they are closing in)

bikebikebike

Bought one and pretty dissapointed
Build quality of a walmart bike. Sloppy tolerances, flexy hinges, poor mounting to bike, from afar it looked good
$100 trailer for 250
Sent it back
make your own or consider the WIKE

seat_boy

I have a Travoy that I've occasionally attached to my Dahon. I attached it to the rear rack. It rode low, but worked fine.



I used a Burley child trailer when my kids were smaller, but I much prefer the Travoy for cargo. It seems to roll easier and it affects handling much less.