So, after being outbid on a well known online auction site for a donor cycle trailer (as it turns out, by a mate’s wife… Damn her!) I have decided to build my own using an old bike, possibly a BMX, tools and manliness and/or ingenuity.

I know how I want to put it together, I know that I need welding gear and an angle grinder and I know that I need to convince my wife I will not burn down the garage using said tools. The only problem I have is using the donor bike in a way that would destroy it’s original form. It’s a bike I know, but at some point a child got given that as a present and rode it, enjoyed using it and finally outgrew it. I’m feeling quite sad about the whole thing, but I’m too cheap to buy something new and use that to avoid the moral complications.

Is this a normal feeling or should I just get busy with the power tools and MTFU?

You could always nip down your local recycling dump centre and rescue a donor bike from certain death, giving it the opportunity to live again, albeit in a new form.

Do you weld bamboo?
http://carryfreedom.com/bamboo.html

aye graham has right. Always lots of bikes in the skips.

Have fun!

I know that I need welding gear and an angle grinder

I think you’ll find that an assorted collection of cutlery, epoxy resin and caron fibre tape is the bodge-kit of choice on here.

You may find some useful inspiration here: http://www.bikehacks.com/bikehacks/

He’s always knocking up homemade trailers and other “hacks”.

If you are making it out of old steel bikes it’ll weigh a ton.

Get yourself some light alu tubing…

Cutlery for backpacking / trail running is lighter….

Light Alu tubing is a fine thing to be aiming for, but you can’t weld it (ok, I can’t weld it) and it would probably cost money. I’ve already spent a lot of my budget buying timber for raised beds on my allotment, so the trailer to take tools and random stuff up there instead of the using the car has to be cheap.

I figured a 10 quid second-hand BMX would give me some decent wheels and steel frame I could use if pushed. If nothing else, I’ll skip-dive for an old sackbarrow or something if it will be lighter.

I’ve seen the bamboo trailer and the design will be pretty much that, but using metal. I mean, have you seen the price of quality bamboo these days?

My Chariot is not welded – it’s bolted up using various steel and brass fittings, which would probably be available or bodgeable. They sell alu tubes in B&Q but probably not big enough. Also bending it would be a bit of a skill.

Why not buy a second hand one and then sell on. It will probably be cheaper.

Have a look at this one (youtube vid). No welding involved, just some old stems and tubing for the chassis. You could put whatever kind of top you wanted on it.

Aha!!! Hello aluminium step ladders! What a nice frame-like shape you have, that is easy to cross-brace and bolt…

I have a plan. It looks good to me, but I have no idea how the wife will respond to it. See if you can guess what it is.

Kiddie trailer?

Molgrips, that was the original plan, the one that failed last night thanks to my mate’s wife.

This new plan though, that’s a winner. My wife will love it because of the lack of power tools.

Hmm.. have you looked carefully at kiddie trailers to see how the pros make them?

The only reason I’d build my own would be to fit a couple of rear shocks for the suspension. Too much to go wrong otherwise.

EDIT Oh you mean you were going to use a kiddie trailer as a donor? Not that you WANT a kiddie trailer yourself… right?

Molgrips. Damn right, although the idea of sitting back and enjoying a G&T while the wife pedals me to the allotment does appeal. It would not appeal to my wife though, so best just concentrate on me transporting tools.

Just keep checking eBay, plenty of cheapys come up, I got this for £35

Or as above get a kids one and butcher it up…

Old pram or pushchair wheels would work ok, always used to on the ‘go-carts’ we built as kids.

try gumtree rather than ebay. less likely to be sold on the latter due to the hassle of posting a large package

Kids ones are much more expensive on the whole.

Gumtree is a bit competitive round these parts (Cambridge). Too many people have [rubbish] bikes and have them stolen.

Also, too many students.

Has to be the local recycling centre then. There must be loads down there.

Fair point. Will have to mosey out to the fens at some point either later this week or next weekend. Or see if I can pick something up when I am down in Plymouth this weekend.

I still want to build something, but I think it will prove more expensive in the long run.