Crashing with trailer

[KnackeredBike]

Myself and mini-KB like to tour the countryside, mini-KB ensconced in a Halfords trailer.

The trailer attaches through the QR skewer with a backup trap through the rear forks.

The council, in their bid to eliminate the hundreds of people who want to drive down overgrown muddy cycle paths rather than the parallel wide, clear roads liberally scatter the paths with bollards and gates which are a PITA without a trailer and just terrible with a trailer.

There are however a few spaced where if you judge it right you don't need to slow to a crawl.

I have always wondered, if you do misjudge it and crash the trailer at speed, what sort of damage does it cause? I am assuming some sort of catastrophic damage to the QR skewer, rear forks and/or wheel bearings. However, I haven't yet indulged and it would be good to evaluate whether it is worth welding a sacrificial hook onto the frame to attach the trailer.

Thanks for all speculation.

 

[Drago]

The instructions to my Spokey Joe forbade the user from attaching it to QR skewers. Something about explosions and certain death.

I should think a sudden onset high energy bollard/trailer spacial incompatibility event is liable to end in a visit to Hossy.

 

[Globalti]

Get one of those single-wheel trailers?

 

[MichaelW2]

I have caught my Yframe flatbed on bollards but the mounting is bombproof elastomer lolipop on a metal post attached to a soldid axle. I couldn't see a regular QR skewer surviving well, esp a no name cheap one.

 

[mjr]

My trailer has a fairly thin spring-clipped metal pin at one end of the connecting arm and a plastic bit at the other end and I think both are intended to be sacrificed in a crash and detach the trailer rather than bend either trailer or bike. I have not yet tested this belief!

If you post pictures of the ends of the connecting arms, someone more familiar with trailers might be able to tell us whether yours would detach or destroy things.

 

[AndyRM]

Why risk going through at speed? Potentially ending up with a knackered bike and injuries to yourself and the nipper isn't worth it.

 

[mjr]

Why risk going through at speed? Potentially ending up with a knackered bike and injuries to yourself and the nipper isn't worth it.

How dare any cyclist want to get anywhere promptly, eh?

 

[AndyRM]

How dare any cyclist want to get anywhere promptly, eh?

Well, that's one interpretation of what I wrote...

 

[mjr]

Well, that's one interpretation of what I wrote...

Almost as daft as interpreting the OP's "what happens if [KB misjudges it]" as some sort of intent to deliberately ride into a barrier at speed.

 

[Bimble]

How dare any cyclist want to get anywhere promptly, eh?

If you want to take a risk with your own kids, fair enough - but I'd expect most of us wouldn't want to approach a potential hazard at speed when we have kids in the trailer.

OP's choice, of course, and if he judges the risk to be low, then all's good.

 

[AndyRM]

Almost as daft as interpreting the OP's "what happens if [KB misjudges it]" as some sort of intent to deliberately ride into a barrier at speed.

@Bimble has it right.