Dane Buson said:It was sort of amusing, especially since what seemed like a bad
encounter was actually someone who just really *really* wanted to talk
about bikes. I would have to say that I've had so much more interest
from people in the Xtracycle this year than last. I think people in my
area are really starting to think about how they can work bikes into
their lifestyle.
A couple of years ago I built a 10.5' skiff. My wife & I have been car
topping it to get to the river (Charles, Boston). A couple of weeks ago
I built a bike trailer for it, not really sure about how it would all
work out. After a half-dozen excursions now, I'd say it works great. We
can be in the water in literally 10 minutes, without any boat wrestling.
We've been getting lots of reactions, ranging from slack-jawed stares to
"wow, that's so cool". I've had lots of experience pulling a trailer
bike with similar loads (~100 lb), so the handling isn't difficult. So
far I haven't pulled it more than a mile or so, but as I gain
confidence, I think I'll start going further afield. It's pretty easy to
pull on the flats, hills are tougher, but I'm using an MTB to tow, so
have low enough gears to maintain wobble-free speed up pretty steep
climbs. My hitch is to the seat post via a piece of PVC slipped over
(bungied to the tongue with inner tube wraps), so it releases easily by
popping the seat post QR so I can then walk the trailer right into the
water.
My next challenge is to bring along an electric trolling motor &
battery. I'm reluctant to add the weight to the trailer, but I have a
BOB trailer that I may use to let my wife pull the battery. As I was
thinking about that, I wondered about the possibility of putting a hub
motor on the BOB wheel and making a self-contained "pusher" unit.
Anyway, all this is kind of an example of the "lifestyle" aspect. It
felt pretty weird at first to be pulling a boat behind a bike and I was
a little self-conscious. Now that I've done it awhile, it seems a lot
less strange. I have been really surprised by the amount of positive
comments from passers-by (and the degree of enthusiasm). The big benefit
though, as for so much utility biking, is the convenience factor. Rather
than the big production of car-topping (or car trailering), we just go
rowing on a last minute whim and can launch at many places impractical
to reach by car. Although I have pulled various trailers -- trailer-bike
& BOB, and done some unusual stuff by bike, carrying a large load has
(successfully) opened up my mind to other possibilities. I guess that's
just the way it goes...