Why do you need a trailer?
To do interesting travels with a bicycle, the backpack is unbearable and the satchels are too small. The trailer is the right solution.
The disadvantage of a 2
wheels trailer :
The
main disadvantage of a 2 wheels trailer is the instability. In a turn, when
the bicycle bows to turn, the trailer tends to turn but with a different
radius of curvature: the wheels of the trailer skid, rebound and end up
making reverse the trailer at high speed. When the bicycle bows, the
altimetry of the point of fastener of the trailer changes, the trailer does
not follow exactly the trajectory of the bicycle. A means of avoiding this
phenomenon is to have a trailer with a large distance between the 2 wheels
(extra broad), that makes the trailer imposing in circulation. Another
solution is to have a longer distance between the fixing point with the
bicycle and the axis of the wheels.
Why the trailers with 2 wheels agree do with the cars?
When a car
turns, the altimetry of the point of fastener of the trailer does not
change. The trailer always swivels around the same axis.
The disadvantages of the 1 wheel trailer
The only
disadvantage of a 1 wheel trailer is the influence on the behaviour of the
bicycle at low speed (< 5km/h). The fixing point between the trailer and the
bicycle is not a “kneecap”: when the trailer bows at stop under the effect
of its weight, it has influence on the bicycle. Nevertheless this phenomenon
disappear at 5km/h, you will forgot that you have a trailer. The loading of
the trailer is distributed between the bicycle and the wheel of the trailer.
The connection between the bicycle and the trailer must support half of the
loading. The loading is limited by the dimensioning of this connection.
The advantages of a trailer with 1 wheel
|
For safety
:
Real pleasure
of riding |
|
Handling
After some experiments, only a trailer of bicycle with 1 wheel is able
to take a curve at more than 60km/h without any problems. The cinematic of a
trailer with 2 wheels associated with a bicycle is far from the perfection
of operation of a 1 wheel trailer.
Effectiveness
Having only one wheel rather than two decreases frictions with the road.
I designed my trailer when I was student in a famous engineering French school: “Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers”. I had access to the computer software to design the trailer (Computer-aided design).
Architecture
The trailer is
built on an aluminium tubular chassis. Two ball bearings ensure the pivot
connection with the bicycle; the other connection is made by mechanical
pivot. On the chassis, a wooden case takes place, it is ideal to easily
personalise the trailer and to post your sponsors.
A prototype was built and improved after many run tests of more than thousand miles (during weekends, turn of Corsica, travel around Italy...).
