• Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
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    9 months ago

    fixed gear bike last year and a trailer to pull my kids around

    Please explain! I’ve been looking at single speed bikes, but I keep hearing “it’s too hard” and “you’ll never be able to carry weight with it!”.

    I’ll admit that I ride with a cargo trailer (groceries), and I do have to use gears or it would be impossible to climb some of the hills we get.

    • cubism_pitta@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Where I live is mostly flat and am running 46x16. Hills really wouldn’t scare me too much (I still have brakes)

      The biggest limiting factor I have found in towing is that there is a point where the trailer will unload my front wheel and then my steering becomes more of a suggestion (about 100+ lbs… I am routinely exceeding the suggested limits)

      Here is an article about ratios. It’s really about finding the least worst setup for your needs; easier hill climbs means more spinning when going down hills and lower top speed.

      https://fixedgear.life/best-gear-ratio-for-commuting-single-speed/#:~:text=Common gear ratios for commuting,higher ratio like 46%3A16.

      • Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
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        9 months ago

        The biggest limiting factor I have found in towing is that there is a point where the trailer will unload my front wheel and then my steering becomes more of a suggestion (about 100+ lbs… I am routinely exceeding the suggested limits)

        I read somewhere that the safe cargo limit for a bike trailer is approx. half the weight of the rider + bike.

        So, if you weigh 160lbs, and your bike is 30lbs, the max recommended weight of the trailer and cargo should not exceed 95lbs.

        I’ve hauled over 115lbs with my bike (loaded panniers + trailer), but never exceed 65lbs in the trailer due to size/volume limits of the trailer itself.

        But I do find that heavy weight causes the trailer to “push” the bike in ways that feel unsettling. 100+ lbs would make me uneasy! It’s amazing that you’re doing it! Kudos!

        • cubism_pitta@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Thanks for that! I didn’t know the math to work that out!

          The pushing is not as scary because I don’t exceed 10mph when that heavy of a trailer and because I can resist that pushing quite a bit with the pedals… which is a great feeling.