urbanknight

We got a Burley trailer at my wife's baby shower (isn't it nice when one of her uncles is a hardcore cyclist?) and I'm ready to hitch it to my bike to do some short errands, and in another couple of months, put my son in it! In anticipation, I assembled the trailer and realized that my K2 Razorback mountain bike (I'd rather use the bike with SPD pedals for walkability instead of my roadie with duck shoes) has recessed dropouts. They're kind of like Breezer dropouts, but not nearly as deep... maybe 1.5-2mm. Anybody know if I can just put a washer in between the dropout and the trailer hitch? I can't use a classic hitch because it's a full suspension bike with pivots in that area. Thanks in advance.

pwdeegan

yeah, you can use a spacer(s). i've seen this done without problems.

you might also consider just switching out the pedals on your road bike for one big reason: mount a rear fender. that rear tire kicks up a lot more junk than you'd imagine, and certainly more than what you'd like to shower on your precious cargo. can't mount a meaningful rear fender on a rear-suspension bike AFAIK.

urbanknight

Thanks! I imagine even a road bike fender wouldn't keep things from being kicked backward. You'd have to make it wrap around almost to the ground for that. But that is something else I've been thinking of, since it gets pretty hot here and I wouldn't want the plastic cover to be like a greenhouse to him. Under that is a fine mesh, but I wonder how much of the crap will still get through. Hmmm, now I'm thinking of rigging up some sort of shield to mount to the tow bar.

masiman

You can get wrap around fenders. Touring types, commuters and folks training in rainy climates use them. There are even some stylish wooden ones, pricey but very nice looking.

Our mesh will stop pretty much everything in our experience and I assume the Burley mesh would also. Our trailer does come with a shield that attaches to the bar. It works quite well but we only use it on wet roads or when their is alot of loose stuff that can get kicked up. Other than that, it is a big wind sail.

urbanknight

I hadn't thought about the wind with the shield idea. If the mesh does a pretty good job, we should be fine living in So Cal. The MUP I'd ride while towing him is closed on rainy days anyway (it's in a flood control basin).