Korina

Golly, my first post in this esteemed forum.

I want a bike trailer that can convert to a shopping cart, so I can pop it off the bike, flip something around, and take it into the grocery store. I've looked and looked, and nothing like that seems to exist. It doesn't have to be huge, enough for 4-5 bags of groceries.

I've thought about converting one of those three-wheeled baby joggers, just not sure if they can take bicycle speeds; I've even looked at a steel folding cart (just slap on bigger wheels and an attachment thingy). I have minimal space and tools, and zero experience, but I'm willing to give it a try. TIA for any advice or resources.

Nightdiver

Welcome to the forums. Check out Bike Hod, Burley Travoy, Carry Freedom Leaf. All fairly spendy, but maybe there are some knockoffs out there by now. Cool to see a Humboldt member.

corrado33

They have exactly what you're looking for in those 3 wheeled strollers. Many of them are specifically designed to be multi-sport, running, biking, walking, skiing.

This one for example.

Stroller Guide: Thule Chariot Cheetah 2 » Daily Mom (Literally just googled "multi sport baby stroller")

CliffordK

I've got an old Burley. It came with a front wheel which I've taken off, but I left on the jogging handle (makes a good rearward cross support.

I think it was a bit of a pain to put the wheel on and off though. I saw one on Craigslist a while ago that appeared to have a place to mount the extra wheel on the outside of the trailer. Looked like a cool idea, but I don't see the ad anymore, so I don't remember the exact brand.

Korina

Hi Nightdiver! ::waves:: Am I the only Humboldter?

I checked out a bunch of recommendations, and WHOLLY COW THEY'RE $$$!!1!! The Carry Freedom Leaf looks cool, but it's still in development, and judging from their other products, it won't be cheap. Not to mention they're in Europe, so shipping alone would put me into bankruptcy. Still, interesting ideas; I'll pay closer attention to Craigslist. Thanks, you guys!

Nightdiver

I think there are some other people in here from the North Coast, but they are few and far between. Regarding the Carry Freedom Leaf, they have US distribution, so no worries on shipping from Europe. Just need to find a shop that carries it. Pretty sure the Leaf is production ready, but I believe they are still working on accessories. I checked them out at Interbike, and their stuff looks very nice, but you'll have to pay for the quality. I've seen used Burley Travoys on occassion (ebay, craigslist), at relatively decent prices.

robert schlatte

This works well for me. Croozer cargo- $180 with free shipping on Amazon. That was several years ago. Sure they are more expensive now.

fietsbob

Store may have Security Cop follow you , if you load groceries in something other than the shopping Trolley they supply.

But after you pay for everything You can put your stuff in anything you want.


I bought a Carry Freedom City, the Bag is a sling with in the frame .

It folds flat within it's frame once the bag is removed .

though I typically use my Empty Panniers ..

lay it on the check stand belt first and the stuff out of the trolley gets loaded in It . once scanned and charged to bill.

Korina

Robert Schlatte, thanks; I can get one on sale for $300! ::faints dramatically::

Nightdiver, the nearest dealer is at the other end of the state, so shipping would still be a thing.

fietsbob, I saw the City, it's pretty cool. It's also 497 Euros, which translates to $2,576. I think, math isn't my thing.

I sense a theme here; bike trailers are expensive. Looks like a used baby jogger is the way to go; just jigger up an arm thingy with an attachment doohickey and off I go!

Thanks so much for your help, guys, I really appreciate it. Happy riding!

CliffordK

I find used kiddie trailers all the time, usually without the stroller attachment, but some with it. Varying condition from pristine to downright ragged.

Keep your eyes open, and you may snag the trailer of your dreams for $100 to $150... give or take a little.

I'm not sure I'd be comfortable taking a ragged looking trailer into a store, but some could be cleaned up quite nice.

I did make a mistake on one and try to take off the upper section, and realized that a bit of fabric left on the trailer is actually good for protecting wheels, giving the load some support, and helping hold the load in place without lots of straps.

I've heard of trailers being stolen, but don't know the circumstances. So far, nobody has messed with any of my trailers, whether parked outside of a store full or empty. So, I never think about trying to take it into the store.

I have filled up empty reusable shopping bags while wandering around a store, then dumped them out at the checkout line (good way to verify capacity). But, I don't think I'd feel comfortable putting unpaid for items into a half full personal "cart".

fietsbob

Obviously, I got mine from these people https://www.biketrailershop.com/ for less than the Euro Price you stated

even if it were in a 1:1 exchange rate

It's Not , but Euro has fallen, since I got mine, the Euro is still higher priced but only requiring $1.115 to buy 1.0 Euros,
As of this moment.

want a decent ready to use Cargo bike trailer , no longer made in Eugene*, but Burly is good.

https://www.biketrailershop.com/burl...ers-c-194.html a flatbed + a rubbermaid bin
would haul stuff and keep it dry inside .

* the employee owned Co Op went Insolvent, the new owners of the brand went offshore for the Mfg.

Korina

CliffordK and fietsbob, good point about using their shopping carts. Maybe just a trailer, then. I should mention that I'm on near poverty wages, so *everything* is expensive to me.

CliffordK, of course you find trailers all the time; you live in busy Eugene, not tiny Arcata/Eureka. I did find this one, if I don't mind warped wheels. Thanks for the conversion tips.

fietsbob

I moved away from The College towns you and Clifford live in .

the housing exploitation of every freshman class wanting off campus housing made rents worse every year .

CliffordK

What about this Bell.
With the stroller attachment.

Bicycle trailer

I think the Bell trailers may be a rebranded Avenir trailer, using the clamp on hitch. It works well for ordinary bikes, but may need a spacer if you have very tiny chainstays. I suppose they never designed them to be pulled by a Colnago road bike

Bike trailer wheels are a bit odd. I prefer those that have a wrap around bar and 2 bolt attachment as I think they are much stronger, but apparently not as popular with the manufactures. The one sided attachment is quick. But, it means you would need trailer specific wheels. They also tend to have an outward dishing. Probably not a big deal to use dished or not.

Anyway, I'd just fix a wobbly wheel, although everything takes time. Will it even fit in my truing stand? 16" and 20" bike parts are cheap. The trailer you found looks like a quality cargo trailer, which tend to be a bit harder to find at a good price than the kids trailers.

fietsbob

the Older Burly CoOp Trailer used a pretty standard front hub, although they Spoked them to Be Dished, for a wider Track.
better stability . 20" tires [I have one of the last CoOp made Flatbeds.]

The New PI made ones use a single sided 16" wheel

Korina

fietsbob, don't forget the alarming number of houses that have been converted to grow houses; seriously, it helped cause a student housing shortage. Fortunately(ish), the city has taken measures to help root them out.

I contacted both parties about their trailers, though I doubt they're still available after a month. Guess we'll see.

Again, thanks for all your help, guys.

fietsbob

Its not yet Legit in Cal, Like it is in WA & CO. But that hasn't held the Humboldt farmers Back "It's Medicinal !"

PatrickGSR94

I took a cheap kid trailer I bought through Craigslist, attached a piece of plywood, and a huge cargo box that I got for around $15 from Target I think. All in for less than $100. I haul it to the grocery store, shop using the carts at the store, then put my stuff into the box to take home. Works great.

Korina

It's an alarmingly large part of our economy! Wasn't so bad overall, but then the Mexican drug cartels moved in, and it got ugly.

Korina

PatrickGSR94, that's a cool trailer.

Well, the cargo trailer is gone, no surprise; haven't heard back about the kiddie trailer.

PatrickGSR94

Yeah mine can still be used as a kid trailer, it's just folded down flat when I put the plywood and box on it. Once my son truly outgrows the thing I'll be making it much more minimalist and lighter, without the extra fold-up side hoops, fabric, and may even come up with a replacement for the plywood using several aluminum angles or something.

CliffordK

Oh, I see you're on the coast. A little ways from Medford, Redding, Sacramento, SF, etc. How often do you make it to a bigger city?

I could prowl around for a good $50 to $100 trailer around here, and ship it (or perhaps other BF forums could find one). But, it seems to cost $50 to ship just about anything... so then you've just doubled the cost of the trailer, and you rapidly approach the cost of new.

For example, here is this Burley.
BURLEY Bike trailer - like new

It is probably an older model, USA made... well, made right here in Eugene. The "Cadillac" of bike trailers (from a decade ago). Apparently no stroller attachment on that one.

Burley has a unique plastic chainstay/seatstay hitch. I find it is very secure, and relatively easy to attach/detach, and no need to mess with your axles (although I'm now running a right-sided rear QR).

Cheaper ones do show up from time to time, but one can't predict exactly when, or in what condition.

Nightdiver

There is also the DIY route, although it will require some tools and basic mechanical aptitude. Check THIS for inspiration. IF you run a search, you can find some other threads, like the one where someone combined a duffle with a golf caddy they scored at the thrift store.

Korina

Nightdiver, that's really interesting, thanks.

Hmmm...

Korina

CliffordK, I'm 300+ miles from SF, 150 miles from Redding (through the Trinity Alps, no less), and 185 miles from Medford. Yup, there's a reason they call it the Redwood Curtain. Thanks for checking and for the info!