Anyone use a trailer for grocery shopping?? Recommend one?

Our nearest supermarket is about 1.5 miles away.
If I need to get a few bits I am more than happy to cycle with my fairly large Vaude rucksack and get the essentials.

But on Sunday I knew that I had to get more than I could fit in my rucksack, so ended up driving. Which is a bit stupid for 1.5 miles each way.

It got me thinking that I should perhaps get a little trailer that I could attach to the bike quickly and take that with me to do a decent load of shopping and save on driving there.
Does anyone do this? Is it gonna be more hassle than it’s worth? How easy are the trailers to attach and remove; I can’t see me doing it if it’s a massive faff to attach the trailer.

I couldn’t decide what sort of trailer would be more suitable; from a riding point of view, I am erring towards the single wheel BOB style trailers. But, from a practicality point of view the two wheeled ‘box’ trailers look like a better bet.

This kind of thing:

http://www.qeridoo.de/index.php/en/products/cargo-trailer/qeridoo-qx-english

or this:

For shopping I’d go down the route of a two wheeler, that mounts low.

I’ve an avenir mule and that’s perfect for our needs. Mine was about £75ish..

Now I’ve got a cargo bike I use it less, but a low mounting trailer really is great for heavy weekly shops!

DrP

Yep, we use a BOB every week for the shopping, and dump runs and other things like that, I had a cheapo copy for a while first which was good enough to prove the concept to me, so I bought a proper BOB and gave the other one away to someone on here.

If you leave the QR in place on the bike the cheapo trailers fit in seconds with spring clamps, the BOB takes about 10-20 seconds as you have the slide in the retaining pins but it’s honestly a non-issue.

Personally I prefer the tracking and handling of a single wheeler to a 2 wheeler, you just have to be more careful about leaning up against things or fit a kick stand.

Don’t underestimate how much you can fit into a couple of decent size rear panniers and strap on a rack though!

I’ve been having th same thoughts as the OP.

I currently use a couple of panniers on my tourer but they don’t really have the capacity/strangth for larger/heavier items.

BOB copy trailers are available on Evilbay for around the £50 mark, It’s just storage space that’s the issue for me.

Like your setup Amedias

Cheers for the replies.

DrP, the Avenir Mule looks like a decent enough design – I like the hi-viz yellow cover and it looks to be just the right sort of size for fitting most stuff in.
How does it attach to the bike? Just clamp around the chainstay? I’d be using my Inbred; I assume the attachment design would work with a rear disc?

Amedias – yeah, instinctively I’ve been erring towards the single wheel design. My main concern is keeping it stable while loading it with stuff. I don’t really want to attach a stand to my bike If I can help it, hence why I am not over keen on a rack & panniers. I think I found a unicycle trailer yesterday that had a kickstand built in, but it was quite expensive; the Qeridoo one is on ebay for about £70.

It did look to me from the Qeridoo design that you can just leave the QR in place and the trailer clamps in it pretty quickly.

BOB!

It did look to me from the Qeridoo design that you can just leave the QR in place and the trailer clamps in it pretty quickly.

I think that’s the case with all of them of that type, it’s one of the things I like about them.

Also, at £70 it’s similar price to a set of decent capacity/quality panniers but appears more versatile

This has been on my mind too, but from the supermarket I have a 200m climb back home! 😯 some bits a good 7%….

Hmm, this is interesting. I currently have a Kona MinUte that I like a lot but sometimes you need a little more space than the panniers have. One option was to trade it in for a full size cargo bike but a trainer could be just the ticket.

The other option is of course to go full dutch style like this

I had a cheap one; put a decent load in and the pivot between the bracket and the trailer bent.

BOBs are better.

I actually meant fitting a kick stand to the bottom of the trailer, I’ve not done it to mine yet as I normally just lean it against a wall or rack and that seems to work for me (it’s only fallen over once!), but I’ve seen people fit MC style two-legged folding stands under the BOB so that you can prop the whole shebang up with it, trailer and bike together.

I had a cheap one; put a decent load in and the pivot between the bracket and the trailer bent.

BOBs are better.

I never bent my cheap one (even with > 20Kg in it), but the BOB is waaaaay better built, sturdier, less flexy, less rattly and handles better because of it, I bought mine 2nd hand for £75 so not much in it, TBH, if I had to replace it I’d happily pay the full RRP for one now I know how good they are and how much use I get from it.

Low gears required to heavy loads and big climbs but it’s surprising what you can manage, my commuter and towing bike (pictured above) has a single 32T front ring and an 11-34 on the back, haven’t had to push yet hauling loads up to 30Kg (truck batteries are heavy!) around Exeter which has some small hills, if you have a granny and can sit and spin you’d manage fine anywhere.

Haven’t used the car for any local trips really since getting it, even manage to take decent loads to the dump and stuff like that, I am going to need to use the car the get the old dishwasher down there though, i think that’s a little too big :-s

I’m currently using a carry freedom y frame.
The flat bed means you can strap a box, or pretty much anything else to it quick smart. Takes seconds to fit, even if the attachment isn’t in place its only a minute or so. Handles the weight fine, I’ve has a sack of coal, another of kindling and some groceries in it. Its well made and comes apart for storage easily.
Downsides are it is expensive, and no use on narrow uneven trails.

I have a double trailer for the kids, could fit a fair amount of stuff in that from the supermarket. Two wheeled trainers are very stable. Maybe less so at pace on a rough road though, usually do paved paths with it

I’ve taken to doing supermarket runs on my bike using two panniers and a Topeak Trolley Tote bag on top of the rack, can fit in a surprising amount of stuff. Take a folding rucksack for emergency extras too. Nappies, cereal and bread take up a lot of room!

Does make it a bit top heavy, and out-of-saddle riding is not fun! But seated riding is a piece of cake

amedias – Member

I actually meant fitting a kick stand to the bottom of the trailer, I’ve not done it to mine yet as I normally just lean it against a wall or rack and that seems to work for me (it’s only fallen over once!), but I’ve seen people fit MC style two-legged folding stands under the BOB so that you can prop the whole shebang up with it, trailer and bike together.

Ah, I see.
As I mentioned above, I found one yesterday that has a built in kickstand….it’s made my Maya Cycle:

Maya Cycle – The Best Bike Trailer!

£190 including the bag, but dunno how much shipping to the UK would be.
Looks well made with 30kg capacity.

I’d wanna try a cheapy one out first I think to see how I get on with it. Can always stick on ebay or give to friends if I decide to get a ‘posh’ one. The Qeridoo that I posted at the top, has 30kg capacity too, so that’ll be more than I think my shopping will get up to!

grenosteve – Member

This has been on my mind too, but from the supermarket I have a 200m climb back home! some bits a good 7%….

It’s a bit spendy, but I have found the answer to your problem; an e-trailer….

http://aevon.com/bike-trailer/electric-trailer/

I was behind a chap in Waitrose using a trailer and a their self scan system. No bags needed, he wheeled it round putting items straight in the trailer. Paid up at the till and was back on the bike straight out the door.

cap doffed.

Stumpy, that’s exactly how I started out, cheapy to prove the concept, then get a proper one, if I still had my old one I’d have happily given it to you but I passed it on via here last year, someone else might be in a similar position so worth sticking a WTD up, you might get one for cheap/free.

I looked at the Maya as well, they seem jsut as well huilt and as good as a BOB, the only reason I went BOB was the fact they are easier to get hold of, especially 2nd hand, but I do like the wheel-barrow convertible nature of the Maya!

Trailer

£40 delivered, might be worth a punt….or not?

I’ve had an EBC for ages – one of the copies. It’s good, flexible, hard wearing and sturdy – have used it off road, in anger, clattered off rocks and branches – no problem. Used to collect scrap wood in it, load up, no problem with weight either. bit wobbly and descents were interesting.

Single wheel.

Hadn’t thought of self scanner. TBH it carries enough for a one person shop for a bit but for a family, it’s maybe a non starter or you’d have to make visits every other day..

pictonroad – Member

I was behind a chap in Waitrose using a trailer and a their self scan system. No bags needed, he wheeled it round putting items straight in the trailer. Paid up at the till and was back on the bike straight out the door.

cap doffed.

Apparently Waitrose trialled a free bike trailer service, so you signed up and they’d give you a trailer to take your shopping home in if you travelled by bike. Dunno if it was a success, but haven’t see it at out local Waitrose (not that I am a regular).

Perhaps it was one of these trailers:

http://www.bikehod.com/bike-hod/index.html

looks more like a old-skool shopping trolley than a trailer.

Good website here, with a list of trailers people might be interested in:

http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/bicycle-touring-trailers/

amedias – didn’t consider second hand to be honest, but I wouldn’t be averse to getting a used one. Will have a dig around! Thanks.

wombat – Member

Trailer

£40 delivered, might be worth a punt….or not?

Yeah, I saw that one wombat. Just starts getting to the price where the cynic in me says – how can it be so cheap compared to the others….but outwardly it looks fine. I think for me it’s either that one or the Qeridoo at the moment, unless I can find a second hand one.

Birthday is coming up, so perhaps this’ll go to the top of the list! It’ll make a change from socks and t-shirts!

Just starts getting to the price where the cynic in me says – how can it be so cheap compared to the others….but outwardly it looks fine

My thoughs exactly, was hoping someone would pop up and say they were excellent (or awful) to help the decision making process but there’s still time… 😀

They have those and some slightly higher priced Skiidii trailors on Amazon with reviews. May be worth having a read of those, they seem reasonably positive from what I can see.

That’s the same – down to flag, red bag (not sealed seams or zip..) that I have – have to say it’s very robust TBH. needs a bit of attention to assemble, and space to store – but good.

£40 posted – £19.99 P&P for me if I click 🙁 EDIT – down to postcode I see.

It says free standard delivery in the advert, I didn’t click through to buy though.

Have been looking at the Skiddi ones too, they look very similar.

It appears that the Qeridoo ones can be had for under £80 on the bay..

Edit, just saw your edit

Or even – £20 – and £20 postage…
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Cycle-Bicycle-Cargo-Luggage-Trailer-With-A-Single-Wheel/271849693692?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3D7afc3acdd6bd4e059f5ce9e78904e75d%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D201037012352&rt=nc

Or you can collect for free if you’re local?

i’ve got one of those Qeridoo ones – works ok. I would suggest attaching a side stand (or 2) to the trailer, as when loaded it will want to pull the bike over when static – ie when loading. It also makes attaching it to bike a bit easier.

The foxhunter is exactly the one I bough as my cheap experiment (although it was a bit more at the time), it’s OK, the main basin is quite sturdy but if you used it a lot the main pivot is where I’d expect the issues, the cheapness shows in the build quality, rattles, alignment etc, it’s perfectly strong enough and will do the job but a proper quality trailer like the BOB is a world apart and I think as a long term prospect or regular heavy loads they are worth the extra for difference in handling alone.

Apologies for a bit of a hijack but I have a brand new skiddi trailer, never used due to injuries keeping me off the bike, starting building work shortly so it’d be better sold to someone who could use it rather than ending up damaged and in the way. Based in central Scotland.
Cheers
Steven

I’m also using a Carry Freedom trailer. As described above, it’s a very simple design, which means you can strap just about anything to it (I’ve seen a picture of someone towing a washing machine) and is rated up to 90kg on a solid axle (50kg on a QR).

I have used it for a family shop with a 130 litre IKEA plastic storage box (78x56x43cm) and it handled that fully loaded without any problems on a canal towpath. I’ve also used it to haul a 130 litre duffle bag with a tent, sleeping bags, mats, food and cooking gear for 4 people on the Kielder Lakeside trail.

It’s not the cheapest, but it is very solidly constructed. The flexible hitch works well and is dead easy to attach, and you can flat pack the trailer and hang it on the wall in about 30 seconds.

stumpy01 – Member

grenosteve – Member

This has been on my mind too, but from the supermarket I have a 200m climb back home! some bits a good 7%….

It’s a bit spendy, but I have found the answer to your problem; an e-trailer….

http://aevon.com/bike-trailer/electric-trailer/
[/quote]

And get labelled a cheater by the STW masses, never! 😛

grenosteve – Member

And get labelled a cheater by the STW masses, never!

But imagine the amusement to be had overtaking roadies on a mtb hardtail towing a trailer loaded with a weeks worth of Tesco carrier bags!!

STRAAAAVVVAAAAAA!!

bobgarrod – Member

i’ve got one of those Qeridoo ones – works ok. I would suggest attaching a side stand (or 2) to the trailer, as when loaded it will want to pull the bike over when static – ie when loading. It also makes attaching it to bike a bit easier.

Missed this earlier. That looks just the ticket wit the sidestand fitted.
Hmmm! Looking more and more like a go-er; just need to decide on how much I want to spend….

Those with a min-ute and the large pannier bags (pictonroad…) can also feel flash and righteous by simply filling those via the scan/steal-as-you-shop method, then simply clip on and ride away!!

DrP

It’s never occurred to me to put my dry bag in a trolley and try that!

Normally I just sling some bag-for-life’s in and take them round the n move to the trailer afterwards but I could save valuable seconds on the weekly shop!

I use a top peak trailer it is great because you can jacknife it to the bike and it parks. Before we used the EBC trailer. Both great and both can hold a great deal. You just need to remember you have to carry the weight so no 25kg sacks of potatoes! You need special lugs to attach them the the bikes.
The only issue is you load it from the trolley to the bike so you look like you are nicking a trolley load of stuff and then carrying it from bike to kitchen for example in small handfuls. You can’t load the trailer bag at the checkout as the bag sort of deforms as you fill it then lift it. I guess it depends on what you are getting.

Look on ebay for a used kiddie trailer, they don’t hold their value like the cargo ones do.
That will give you all the bits you need, although a little DIY may be needed to convert to cargo use.
I got something like this:

Halford website

For £23, it has a metal box around 200mm high left after you remove the canvas seats and frame. It’s perfect for shopping and lugging my tools and workstand.

APF