The Bicycle Cargo Trailer was a personal project I developed to help me move heavy or bulky objects (and occasionally passengers) around with my bicycle. I was inspired to build it when I was hauling a salvaged printer on the back of my bike and dropped it at a busy intersection.
The attachment had to be sturdy, not impede the motion of the bicycle, and carry a large payload.
The trailer carrying a passenger
The first iteration was made from ½” electrical conduit supporting a rubbermaid storage bin and was attached to the back of the bicycle with paracord which could be clipped to an existing rear wheel rack on my bicycle. However, this design was heavy and bulky. Also, flex in the paracord caused the payload to oscillate significantly when the bike experienced large accelerations.
V1
The following year, I designed a second iteration which made use of the collapsing mechanism from a walker. It included a larger bin and lightweight aluminum frame as well as direct attachment to the rear wheel of the bike. The frame also folded, allowing me to store it above the wardrobe in my dorm room.
The collapsed trailer (TL), an aluminum structural component (TR), and the trailer (Bottom)
