Leroica Support bike

Testing my entry for l’Eroica 2015.

A New “Heroic” Project

Although it is fair to say that I haven’t completed this project, I’ve certainly lost my way. Or, rather, having a full-time job has occupied a great deal of my time. But, I have become inspired, through information I’ve discovered while operating a Facebook page on Brooks Saddles, to start a new project. In this case, I won’t be building anything so useful as a trailer. What I will be building is a my endurance and determination to ride L’Eroica.

This blog will shift somewhat to the various training and preparation work for the ride along with blogging the actual trip and the days that are part of that epic ride. Along the way will be the trials of “re-building” my Moseman road bike, a 1980’s vintage handmade frame using the Campagnolo Super Record Gruppo.

Stay tuned!

Bamboo Bicycle Trailer Project only as strong as the weakest link

The Bamboo Bicycle Trailer Project has been one of considerable design adaptations, material acquisition problems, construction alternatives and enjoyable evenings in the workshop. When I began, I figured the biggest challenges would be frame alignment and cutting dados, two things I had never done.

All of this has passed and I am faced with the simplest of problems: flat tires. After exchanging tubes with schrader valves for ones with presta valves, I thought I had solved a simple problem of a bad tube.

The wheels when purchased, puncture problem unknown

Furthermore, I had, with just one move, created a more efficient system by having a single type of tube to repair or replace on the road. Carry one spare and everything would be covered and no need for pump adapters.

As I always do changing tubes, I make a cursory examination of the tire and rim to be sure there is nothing in place that might be causing flats. For example, there are no thorns or glass embedded in the tire tread or sharp metal bits from the rim. I think that my examination needs to be more than cursory. The tire is flat, again, which means something is causing a slight puncture and a slow leak.

This means that after the many interesting brain teasers and pseudo-engineering feats, it has come down to a simple flat tire as the last hurdle to taking the trailer to the grocery store.

I suppose this is a lesson learned about more than this bicycle trailer project. It is the fundamentals that count. Get the basic problems or situations fixed and the rest of the work will seem effortless.

Alternative fixed towing brackets for the Bamboo Bicycle Trailer Project

As I noted in yesterday’s post about the test flight on the trailer, the towing hitch was a bit of a problem. I knew this from earlier tests installing the fixed, or dropout side of the towing bracket. To function properly as a universal joint, the fixed side bracket needs to be vertical with the “wings” parallel to the ground. I’ve considered several options for fixing this problem or rather adapting to a dropout that already has several fixed bits–rack mount, fender mount–in place. This sort of problem would be pretty common here in Portland as many of us already use rear racks and fenders throughout the year. Such is the case with the bikes that will pull this trailer.

Three possible alternatives for the fixed bracket

With the help of CS4 Illustrator, whose vector alignment improvements allow even a ham-fisted guy like me create decent graphics, I’ve sketched three possible solutions. I’ll leave it to commenters to tell me what they think works best. I’m no engineer, so I have no opinion or knowledge of which of these alternatives might be the most stable and strongest.

To get the full view of the illustration, click on it. It will open in a larger scale.

The Bamboo Bicycle Trailer Project takes flight

In my previous post today, I questioned whether it takes a week to fix a flat, a sort of excuse for not testing the trailer. It was one way in which I gave myself a bit of external motivation to actually fix the flat tire and put this thing on the road. Just about every part had been tested and found working. The hitch was the one area that I have questioned since finishing the metal fabrication months ago. I still have some questions.

The questionable towing bracket "hitch" in place

The primary problem is the position of the fixed bracket on the dropouts. It should be vertical, but as installed is 90 degrees off due to the presence of rack and fender mounts. For this test today, it works sufficiently, but it’s clear that some further “engineering” will be required to make this piece really function.

For those looking closely, it should be obvious that the trailer bracket forward wing should be positioned in front of the fixed bracket forward wing.

No matter. The real story today is that trailer was attached to the bicycle and it made more than a few passes in front of the video camera for your amusement. More importantly, it showed that it is working as designed, mostly. Further, it was clear during the test rides that whatever the weight of the trailer itself, the rider feels no pull or unwelcome pressure from the trailer.

A quick trip around the block is fun and it proves that the bicycle trailer can work. The next test, after the bracket problems are resolved, is to actually use it to pick up something. Or, at a minimum, to haul something up and down, around and about. I’m thinking that a beer run to some local breweries might be just the right test . . .