Carry Freedom bike trailer review

Our latest purchase in our quest for sustainability and resilience to oil price spikes is a Carry Freedom Y-Frame Large bicycle trailer. As the manufacturer says:

"Our bicycle trailers make it easier to carry by bike. This makes bikes more useful more often, encouraging more cycling and makes society healthier. "

So, having bought one, I thought it would be good to write a review including video and photos. So let's start right away with the videos, and the photos will follow with more details. First, a review of how the trailer assembles and is used:

And here's a short video showing it in use bringing 50kg of logs back from the wood, towed by me on one of our electric bikes:

Right, onto the detail... Here's all the parts that come in the package:

There you can see:

• The load bed, already mounted on the frame.
• Two 20" wheels.
• The metal bar that connects the frame to the bike, and a pin to connect it to the frame.
• Two quick release axles, of the type used in wheelchairs.
• The hitch mechanism, which uses a flexible piece of red plastic.
• Velcro straps for securing loads.
• Rubber feet to put on boxes to be carried.
• Instructions.
  

It's really simple to put together, as you'll have seen in the video above. The only thing you need to check is that you have enough spare thread on a solid rear axle, or a long enough skewer for a quick-release axle. You're also advised to limit the load to 50kg, rather than 90kg, if you have quick-release as it's not as strong - you can still pull 90kg, but you might need to replace the QR skewer a bit more frequently.

Here's a shot of the underside of the load bed, and you can see where the Y-Frame name comes from.

This design allows the bar connecting to the bike to go on either side, which can be useful in some circumstances. It connects by slotting in here, then the retaining pin is used to hold it there:

These are the axles, pressing the button on the right makes the bit that looks like a ball bearing at the other end withdraw, so it can slide through the wheel bearing and into the frame. If you're worried about the idea of an axle only supported on one side, don't be! These are the same kind of axles that are used in wheelchairs, so they are well suited to the purpose. About two thirds of the length of the axle actually sits snugly inside the frame, so it is well supported.

This is the hitch mechanism:

The bracket on the left goes over the bike axle, while the red plastic slides into the bar that connects to the trailer and is secured with the screw you can see. Don't worry about it being plastic - it's very strong, yet flexible enough to allow normal movement while you're riding.

Here's the finished product:

One thing that's particularly cool is that it takes about 30 seconds to undo the hitch, take the trailer off and replace the securing pin, and literally 10 seconds to pop the wheels off the trailer so you can store it easily!

When it comes to using it, there are a few things to note, such as keeping the centre of gravity of the load as low as possible, and also slightly forward of the axle. You also need to tie the load down securely. I used two ratchet straps, but found there was still some movement on bumpy roads, and had to tighten them up. A strap going sideways would be a useful addition next time.

When towing the trailer empty or lightly loaded, you don't even know it's there - so you have to be careful to remember not to get too near the kerb! Once I had 50kg of wood on the back, I certainly noticed it, even on the electric bike! Braking obviously takes longer, so you limit your speed where appropriate. But it doesn't feel unsafe at all, there's just some odd movements from time to time, though I think this might be more to do with how it interacts with an electric bike. I'll be trying it with my mountain bike as well soon, once the spare bike brackets arrive from the manufacturer (it comes with one, but you can order more), and I expect that'll be a lot harder going up the hills! But maybe that'll be my training for the next time I do the London to Brighton ride...

Mike

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Electric bike update

Yesterday Tracy cycled to a place she usually drives to once a week for work. It was 15.5 miles each way, and the other end is 140 metres higher than our house! She did it in about 1hr10m, with a short break, and one battery has sufficient capacity to do the round trip, although she's able to charge up at the other end. A good result we think, and well done to Tracy (who had a slightly sore bum after 31 miles in the saddle)!

Also, an ecology expert (Patrick Roper) that Tracy knows through work tolds us that the plant we thought was Common Calamint is in fact Lesser Skullcap, which is somewhat rare. Here's the picture again:
Mike

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Electric bikes to the wood!

Our electric bikes arrived yesterday! We both had to work, but that was OK, as the batteries needed a long initial charge... Today started with rain, but then dried up in the afternoon, so we set off to the wood on the bikes to see how they compared to our normal bikes. Well, they got us there a bit quicker, about 25mins compared to my normal 30min going flat out - though Tracy probably would prefer a slower speed on the normal bikes! This time should come down a bit as we get used to them.

The important thing though was that we arrived there without being tired, so it should be realistic to cycle there this winter, work for a day coppicing and then still be able to cycle home afterwards. The biggest difference is on the hills, of which there are several between Rye and our wood. Hills that on my normal bike I can just about maintain 4 mph can be done on the electric bike at 8+ mph, and you're not out of breath at the top!

Anyway, I'll write more about the bikes in future...

One of the main things we wanted to get to the wood for was to see how things had coped with the rain this week. The answer was "pretty well". The only thing slightly amiss was some water collected on top of firewood drier, which was easily dealt with by putting a bit more tension on the plastic sheet.
Autumn has definitely arrived, though with the weather in August you might think it's been here for a while! Up in the treetops the leaves are turning:
Though this dragonfly still managed to find a sunny spot to rest in for a while:
Over in Sweep Wood we found some hazelnuts on the ground. We didn't see any last year, but we probably didn't look this early, and perhaps the pesky squirrels had got to them first anyway.
There's a few unripe chestnuts down with the recent wind, and they are clearly providing a feast for the squirrels:
I really ought to get an air rifle soon, then after the squirrels have eaten our chestnuts then we can eat the squirrels! ;-)

The boar have been causing havoc at our pond, and recently as well, judging by the cloudiness of the water. The neat channel Tracy usually keeps clear for the spring to flow to the pond had been replaced by two mud baths!
Still, nice to see they're enjoying the facilities! :-) I think some time with a spade will be required soon, as the dam has got a bit trampled again as well.

That's all for now, not sure if we're going to the wood again tomorrow, it will depend on the weather. Next weekend is the Wood Fair at Bentley, which is a big event for us, and my parents are coming to visit the following week, along with my brother and his family. I hope we get some sunshine...

Mike

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