pacificcyclist

Wow, what kind of 45F down mummy bag is that huge? That's like 7c (7 degrees Celsius) and I have one here in a compression sack for transport that's like half the size of a loaf of bread.

I believe the OP is accepting a compromise here with a Travoy. Portability and security in exchange for less space. The Travoy works fine for a single cycle camper. I understand his concerns in regards to his trailer security, though in gyms people break into lockers too. Balancing which is more likely, a trailer locked outside is more prone to theft as it is seen out in the open so he needs to carry a tougher lock or a trailer that can fold and be hidden out of sight?

linus

Funny how people never owned the trailer have all the negative opinions about it.

EDIT: To OP, how durable are the wheels?

np2fast

Since my last post in this thread I suppose I can make an informed post about the Travoy.

I have now biked somewhere in the range of 10,000 miles with the trailer in tow(Pacific coast, Southern Tier, Atlantic Coast).

The good:
Trailer is compact and light weight.
Keeps the weight off the bike(less flats).
Bike rides normally.
Lots of looks and questions from tourers and non-tourers.
Folds up and easy to lock to the bike frame.
Built rather sturdily.
Takes a beating. I ride my products hard. After 1 year of constant use it has done really well!
You can transport 3 cases(12 packs) of beer in one run. Oh the envious looks you get.

The bad:
I have tipped mine over on bumps a hand full of times. This can be dangerous if you panic easily and can't control the bike as it could take you down. But it is easy to slow down and readjust the trailer. Just have to remain composed and move to the side of the road.
The plastic arms are not the best. I broke both of them but can still open and close it manually(pushing in the knobs with my thumbs).
High speed concern. I have hit 48mph as my max speed going down a hill. Its a bit scary but there again you don't have to go that fast.
Up hills are some what of a drag but not a biggie. I still haul past most tourers going up hills.
Replacement tubes are harder to pump as the valves don't face outwards.

Other than that I am pretty happy with the travoy. I wouldn't have stuck with it for so long if I did not like it.

np2fast

And my blog if someone wants to look. There are pics of my setup back there somewhere.

www.wtfnishant.com

Bekologist

so, it's tippy and the plastic bits are broken.

sounds about the assessment we gave the travois at the bike shop - not the most stable, and prone to breaking in the plastic handle hinges.

pacificcyclist

Do you have any experience with punctures on the travoy wheel that you need to carry a spare tube. Btw, I thought Burley sells their own tube with an angled stem (like the original) for $10 that you can get from them? Are they only selling straight stems from now on?

Thanks!

pacificcyclist

Thank you for sharing your opinion on the product! I'll keep an eye on the plastic part, but so far mine are working good use with no damage -- fingers crossed. I find that you might want to lower the hinge placement so the eye is pointing down slightly rather than level. I noticed that during breaking, the hinge post has a tendency to climb up hitting the plastic lock tab as it goes forward due to the change in momentum. When it's angled down, then the durometer helps cushion the force and the eyelet when pushed thus hitting the metal side of the seatpost hinge rather than the plastic part.

rifraf

Great link,
Thanks Tracey.
I've had a Carry Freedom Trailer for about a year now:
https://carryfreedom.com/Y-Frame.html
I hauled it across Australia and think for on road use its a great trailer.
Looking at the Travoy, I think it could have made an equally good alternative although perhaps not quite so versatile.
The Carry Freedom Y-frame can haul 90kgs if you needed it to. Just like the Travoy, not so good for off road.
Gotta remember to pack your heavy stuff down low (water) to stop swaying forces manifesting.
The OP may have found the Carry Freedom just as easy to put in his locker as the wheels pop off with the press of a button. A negative of trailer hauling is wind resistance and the drag of two extra wheels/tyres so be prepared to travel much slower than without a trailer as well as utilising lower gears than you would without the trailer.

pedaltilyoudrop

i have a very important question for me for owners of a travoy, since i cannot get a hold of one here in Mexico, what is the mechanism of the travoy to achieve tilting? does the last portion of the arm has a swing feature before the hitch hook? Please help

heartbend

Hi. I am a long-standing Travoy user and find it to be much more than a bike trailer -- for those who value versatility -- and much ruggeder than you might guess or it might look. Around the neighborhood, I have found it completely eliminates the need for car, taxi, or bike trailer (and sometimes bike) for shopping for groceries, yard goods, picnics in the park, etc. What you may not appreciate entirely from the reviews and videos is that this trailer makes an excellent walking trailer. I have used it to haul heavy rocks, sandbags and landscaping material. Why did I say it can replace the need for a bike and car? I find that over time I have come to use it regularly to walk to the stores in the neighborhood and it is truly excellent for that. It goes over gravel, potholes, curbs, etc. without any strain and is very durable. In stores, it replaces shopping carts and bags. I get exercise without any hassles about parking or worries about stolen equipment.


I like that it is so light and foldable that within 20 seconds I have it folded down to the size of an airplane carry on and it is light enough just to toss in the boot of a car or bring with me on a plane. I like the assortment of bags and how easily they attach and detach. Added to that is the fact that Burley has designed most of the bags to go on and off easily and to be used separately from the trailer as well. The trailer itself (without bags) makes a very effective and handy trolley for strapping on large, bulky items. I have carried 23-kilo sandbags, construction material and large boxes with little problem


Regarding replacement parts: In three years of very heavy and daily use, I have had to replace one set of bearings and had one flat tire. I have had to have two bags sewn up in places and am replacing one bag. And perhaps that is my only complaint so far: Burley could really improve the line by focusing on the connecting points and stitching and make these far more robust. The bags themselves -- while not of the strongest material -- balance weight with durability okay.


There are also the little things that Burley has thought out and you won't hear much about unless you talk with a daily, multi-purpose user. For example, in many of their bags, they have sewn inside convenient multi-use pockets. They have a very functional and useful rain shell you can leave attached and which pulls down to cover all the bags -- while stowing back easily when not in use. They have very nice reflectors installed on the bottom which only show when being towed -- as well as reflectors on the bags. The bags are all very, very functional without any superfluous features and wasted space or weight. Where they use zippers, the zippers have proven very rugged and openings all open very wide for ease of loading. Burley keeps in stock replacement parts for most parts of the trailer and periodically makes improvements. For example, there has been a problem that because of the design, bulkier items in the lower bags could rub against the wheels and wear out in spots. Burley designed easily installed side protectors that could be retrofitted to all Travoys.


Did I mention something nice for those who have bad backs? With the travoy, unlike others, the two-wheel function make is small enough and mobile enough just to roll right into your room at a hotel or onto a train. No disconnecting bags; no backpacks; not unloading trailers, etc. In fact, for bike and train travel it really excels.


I cannot tell you how much distance I have put on the Travoy -- counting walking and biking -- but it is a lot and it has been on a daily basis, year-round in four seasons -- rain, sun, snow, ice, and mud. The loads have been very heavy and varied -- not just gear for bike touring. So far, it has met the test and held up well in urban and semi-rural settings and on the open road. One caveat: I am not an off-roader and cannot comment on that.


Hope these experiences and observations help.

bikebikebike

I found mine very tippy on a 20" foldy and pretty stable on a 27" steel diamond frame
Bouncy joints and tire pressure needed to be minded.
the 27" had a 7.5" distance from from hitch post to rear contact patch's vertical projection,
which when reduced seemed to be the variable that made the trailer unstable.
I am not sure how the rack mount would perform as it also lowers the hitch height
But lowering the height on the seat post did not appear to change the low stability on my 20" bike

staehpj1

Have others observed this same thing? I would have guessed that having the hitch on top of a tall unsupported and flexy seat post mast might be a problem. The hitch being closer to being over the contact patch I would have guessed to be a neutral or maybe even a good thing. Of course my guesses have been wrong before

Btw, I am not ready to run out and buy a Travoy today, but I have to confess that I am getting old enough that I am starting to hate lugging bike boxes/bags and it would serve as a nice cart. Also there are a few mixed mode trips where it would be pretty cool to have my 30 or 45 liter backpack (depending on whether I need my bear canister) strapped on it and be able to ride to a trail head lock up my bike and trailer at the closest safe place and head out. That may require either using a beater bike or walking from somewhere that the bike would be more safe. Obviously there are places this would work well and places where it wouldn't.

reppans

I use one with a Brompton folder for utility - I don’t notice it being tippy - I’m actually surprised how transparent it feels, sort of feels like I need to look back occasionally to make sure it’s still there.

The one annoying part is pulling a heavy load (eg, 50lb bag of lawn fertilizer) up a steep grade. When the pedal power stroke starts to mash/pulsate more, the high seat post hitch is in the perfect spot to compress the Brompton’s suspension, plus of course some give/elasticity through the Travoy’s multiple hinges - altogether, they add up to a bit of a herky/jerky inertia ‘inch-worming’ feel. No problem on flats, downhills, and milder uphills that I can spin smoothly through... then again, perhaps part of the problem is my lowest gear is too high @ ~26”.

I’m all about being multi-modal with public transport - one really neat thing with this rig, is that you can use a full size backpack (eg, 60-100L) strapped to the trailer with the backpack harness facing backward. Then with the Brompton/Travoy set-up, you can literally go from riding, to walking into a train wearing the pack (trailer still attached) and carrying the bike like a suitcase..... in ~30 sec.

mev

My travoy overall is pretty stable. Two wheels and single access point. The center of gravity on the trailer is still lower.

I have three trailers, that I used for different purposes:
-- My preference for cycle touring is an Extrawheel. I like it for this purpose since it tracks almost the same as my rear wheel, takes normal panniers and is reasonably light. In addition, I use the same size tubes and tires as others I have.
-- My preference for carrying larger stuff around the neighborhood is a Bob. As long as I load it correctly, it is pretty stable. It doesn't track quite as close as the Extrawheel, but is still close to the same tire tracks.
-- My preference for grocery shopping is a a Travoy. Easy to detach from the bike and then also wheel around by hand. Large folding bags to hold groceries. I've occasionally wheeled it into the store with me. Reasonably stable with two wheels.

bikebikebike

Great series of discussions on the suitability/limitations of the trailer styles.
I found more on the relation of trailer fishtailing as it relates to connection points and the rear axle and loading/balance.
This is a big concern for the Travoy
I think anyone considering higher speeds and rough pavement /trails would do well to take a "gopro" and video their set up before putting it into anything beyond low speed, flat road cruising. It has been pretty illuminating , and serves as a real world feedback to the anecdotal stories of downhill racers and high speed stories.
Trailers are pretty specific tools optimized along narrow utilizations , that are frequently pushed out of their envelopes . (RV's have the same issue)
Like travel trailers, and trailers in general, you are pointed in the other direction for most of the ride and need to have the physics nailed down in advance
less mayhem ensue.
As a note, Brompton says not to use the trailer. Personally, I don't see how it would add to frame stress, but the Brompton seat posts are flexier than my 20"ers, have the connection point farther to the rear, and unless you have an extended seatpost, interfere with folding. Just adds more variables to affect performance.
Ed after a year: Travoy is tippy as h*ll on my 20" to the point of dangerous. Very pleasant on my 27", though will flip on the rough stuff, potholes , curbs and such. Not sure how th $40 new model hitch will serve. I like the new foot, as the second version crutch tip was a PITA, but usable. For rough or heavy stuff I use my BOB yak