Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on September 21, 2014 at 12:50pm

I'd get a trailer. Season's nearly over so you'll find good deals on Craigslist, particularly out in da' burbs.

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Permalink Reply by KayCee on September 21, 2014 at 3:53pm

We have a Yuba Mundo, and it can tow a bike on the side loader- or, for a small wheel, dropped into a side bag.  (Kind of like the sling you mention...  but it depends on that wheel circumference!)

I'm attaching a photo.  I don't know that there's a way to do a cargo bike style tow without a cargo bike, just throwing that out here.

I've also seen a few setups where you use a quick release mount welded on the back of a rack to attach a bike, and I've heard it can be done fairly cheaply if you know who to ask.  I tried to find an image of this, and got one on Google.But- I'm also wondering if something like the Trailgator tow bar might work for this.

Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Lee Diamond on September 21, 2014 at 4:21pm

Burley Travoy Trailer

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Permalink Reply by Mike Schwab on September 22, 2014 at 3:34am

If you have a rack on the towing bicycle, just bungee cord the front tire to the side of the rack.

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Permalink Reply by Chris on September 22, 2014 at 5:00am

I have to agree with kayCee, you really can't beat a cargo bike. We haul kids, groceries, kid's bikes, adult bikes, anything really. We're fairly new to cargo biking but our family jumped all in, we have two (an Xtracycle EdgeRunner and a Surly Big Dummy). Cargo bikes really have changed our lives. We now use our bikes to run errands, take the kids to school, go to the library, the park. I even started to commute to and from work. We're loosing weight, getting in shape, spending less on gas all while spending some quality time with the kids. When talking to other cargo bike riders they all agree, these bikes help turn boring ordinary errands into adventures.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on September 22, 2014 at 5:29am

+1 on the rack idea.

We also have a cargo bike that is wonderful for all the reasons set forth above.  But it is also heavy, and if you don't already own one, I don't know that I would purchase a cargo bike just to tow the BMX bike.

In situations like you've described, I have had great luck in just using a bungee cord to connect the front wheel of my son's BMX style bike to the rear rack of my bike.  I'd practice with the placement, to ensure that you don't get heal strike when you pedal, and to ensure that you don't mess up your turning radius (sometimes the bike will flop to one side when riding depending upon how I've attached it.)

Mike Schwab said:

If you have a rack on the towing bicycle, just bungee cord the front tire to the side of the rack.

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Permalink Reply by prof.gfr on September 22, 2014 at 5:38am

I have a Yuba Mundo with the same bike attachment system as KayCee (see the posting above).  I would imagine that without having to invest in a cargo bike or a trailer you could do something similar with a rack attached to the rear of a regular bike. The key with the Yuba system is that the fork and front tire of the trailing bike is what is attached to your frame, thus allowing the trailing bike to pivot at the headset so that when you turn corners it can swing sideways (a little bit like the way the segmented buses operate on CTA).  I imagine you could bungie or strap the front tire and/or fork of the BMX to a rack attached to your bike and achieve a similar effect fairly easily. Just be careful that no parts of the trailing bike interfere with your spokes or drivetrain (hence the mounting of the trailing bike on the non-drive side of the bike).  Good luck with it -- riding to school with the kids is awesome.

And kudos to the Yuba riders who commute downtown on them. I can't imagine that on my 60lb Yuba beast (love it, but it is *heavy*). I sometimes use it like an aircraft carrier and trail my touring bike, then I lock the Yuba up by there kids' school and take off on the touring bike for the day, returning to the Yuba and the kids in the evening. 

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