Bike Trailer

This trailer was inspired by Andrea Arzensek’s trailer,
which I found on Instructables. It was adapted to my own skill level and materials on hand. I made it for occasional trips to the farmers’ market and because I wanted the challenge. It is super light. I constructed it so it could easily be broken down for low profile storage in my garage with limited space.

Step 1: Gather Materials

Oak flooring recovered from an old house, leftover cedar from another project, a donor bike stripped down, bits and pieces of aluminum and steel, lots of nuts and bolts.

Step 2: Strip Down Old Bike

Step 3: Cut Wood to Length

Step 4: Drill Pocket Holes

Step 5: Assemble and Reinforce Frame

Step 6: Make Wheel Connectors

Mill wheel connectors by drilling and cutting. "Channel" for each tire had to be slightly different. One is marked “big.” These are made of aluminum and attached to the frame with bolts.

Step 7: Attach Wheel Connectors and Wheels

Spacing for each “wheel well” had to be different due to the cassette on one tire. Space was done after wheels were attached to wheel connectors and spacing perfectly customized for that “wheel well.” Make sense?

Now it looks like a trailer.

Step 8: Connect the Trailer to the Bike

I followed Andrea’s plans, though I don’t think the sheet metal I selected is thick enough. Also, this part will be re-engineered to include some type of shock absorber and to make the connection to the bike more robust than depending on one screw to connect the whole thing.

Step 9: Finish Frame

Attach plastic box with bungee cords, finish the deck and walls and add a box on the back for bungee cords. I didn’t want to have a box permanently attached because during the winter, I want something low profile for storage.

Step 10: Test Ride and Fine Tune