# Burley Attached to Adams Trail a Bike Safe?



## mappable (Aug 29, 2004)

I'm interested in attaching our Burley D'Lite 2 seat trailer to a Adams Trail-A-Bike so my wife won't have to pull anything on family rides.

The Trail-A-bike has a safety label about the rider weight is not to exceed 85lbs. A loaded Burley and Trail-A-Bike is going to exceed this limit.

Has anyone ever experience any type of hitch failure on the Adams when doing this?


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## Maida7 (Apr 29, 2005)

It may work but it's probably not a great idea. What kind of surface would you be riding on?


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## mappable (Aug 29, 2004)

we'll be on mostly paved surfaces and occasionally flat crushed granite trails that go around Town Lake here in Austin.


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## CupOfJava (Dec 1, 2008)

I wouldn't do it.


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## whistlerrider (Nov 5, 2004)

*I have seen quite few people doing this*

I don't know about weight limits, but we run a Chariot trail-a-bike with a Chariot trailer behind it, known as the "kiddie train"; the kids love it (now 5 & 3). 
We got the idea from other poeple in town doing the same thing; as you stated, mostly on paved and 'smooth' gravel trails. 
As far as safety, I would look at the connectors; if they are thick metal, they could probably take much more than rated, if rubber or something else - then who knows. 
It more of a workout than you would imagine; that extra thing behind you needs quite a bit of effort.


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## mappable (Aug 29, 2004)

so i found the Adams Customer Service phone number and called them Friday and the support rep said absolutely do not attached the burley onto the trail-a-bike.


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## dagenhay (Mar 10, 2008)

*Burley with bike trailing it*

These picts are what I put together over three years ago. One daughter in the trailer, one daughter on her bike attached to the trailer. As the younger daughter got old enough to not want to ride in the trailer, I modified the system again so both girls trailed behind the burley and the dog rode in the burley.


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

Heh- lawyers would probably have a fit with that rig, but it would probably work just fine for tamer stuff.


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## CupOfJava (Dec 1, 2008)

dagenhay said:


> These picts are what I put together over three years ago. One daughter in the trailer, one daughter on her bike attached to the trailer. As the younger daughter got old enough to not want to ride in the trailer, I modified the system again so both girls trailed behind the burley and the dog rode in the burley.


Those pictures look like they could be candidates for the Darwin awards. Stay safe.


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## Maida7 (Apr 29, 2005)

verslowrdr said:


> Heh- lawyers would probably have a fit with that rig, but it would probably work just fine for tamer stuff.


The problem I see is that the bike in the way back is putting weight on the trailer that would cause the trailer to flip backward. I doubt the hitch is designed for this type force. Most hitch connections assume that there is positive weight on the trailers tongue. Like when you load a trailer they always warn you to keep more weight toward the front. That way gravity helps keep it all hitched up.


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## dagenhay (Mar 10, 2008)

I have about 300 miles on that rig with no problems. There no reason for lawyers to have a fit. Nothing has happened for them to be involved. As far as the trailer flipping backwards, the front is attached to my fat butt keeping it flat.

We'll have to skip this year's Darwin awards, we have had no problems.


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## fixbikeguy (Aug 28, 2008)

Wow, I like my kids. Why would you want to do this? No way is that safe. I don't take chances with children and their safety.


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## Hack (Jan 10, 2004)

Maybe you should pull your wife too


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## mappable (Aug 29, 2004)

do you use a tow line for your wife to get around?



Hack said:


> Maybe you should pull your wife too


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## verslowrdr (Mar 22, 2004)

mappable said:


> do you use a tow line for your wife to get around?


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## pahearn (Feb 17, 2006)

It worked for Joe:

http://www.amazon.com/Momentum-Your-Friend-Pint-Sized-America/dp/1891369652


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

pahearn said:


> It worked for Joe:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Momentum-Your-Friend-Pint-Sized-America/dp/1891369652


wow, I need to read that...


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## Thinkly (Apr 9, 2007)

dagenhay said:


> These picts are what I put together over three years ago. One daughter in the trailer, one daughter on her bike attached to the trailer. As the younger daughter got old enough to not want to ride in the trailer, I modified the system again so both girls trailed behind the burley and the dog rode in the burley.


I'm all for ingenuity but not at the potential expense of my kids health. (any potential risk:nono: )

Unless the one going on the back is a red headed step kid i wouldn't do it.


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## cjohnson (Jul 14, 2004)

*go for it*

I've pulled a chariot behind a trail-a-bike and behind a tandem trail-a-bike quite often. Kids love it, you have freedom to ride, it sure appears sturdy. We rode smooth paths and roads.


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## nynx (Mar 1, 2007)

I've done this quite often with a Adams Trail-A-Bike and the Chariot Cougar 1 behind it.We ride bike paths and the kids love it. It is sturdy and handles perfectly. My biggest concern has always been the seatpost though. With a nice stout model. I'm using an Easton EA30 I can't imagine there being a problem. Incidentally we pretty much ride this rig around Tempe Beach park and the Scottsdale bike path. Everyone stops and stares and comments positively. You wouldn't get as many looks if you landed in a spaceship drinking Mai Tais with Elvis.

On to Thinkly's solution; strikes me as horribly unsafe. But apparently I don't have much regard for my own kid's safety since i do the tandem trailer thing. The Adam's folks would have to state that it's a "no-go" to tandem the trailers. I would think our litigious society dictates that. It still seems far safer than any of the high mounted bike seats that folks seem ok with off roading with.


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## highwingpilot (Jul 6, 2009)

I've been pulling an old (vintage 1990's) Burley trailer behind a single-speed Adam's Trail-a-bike attached to a road bike. Only using it on smooth pavement. Seems to work okay. But the hills sure seem a lot steeper. Sideview mirrors are a good idea to make sure the "caboose" clears the side of the road in turns. It's like a tractor trailer... this rig makes wide[er] turns.

Thinking of adding a safety cable/strap as backup to the trail-a-bike hitch (like the burley has). After all, trail-a-bikes have had a recall on older hitches failing due to screws being too short. If the hitch should fail, the safety cable could keep it together in time for an safe stop.


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## jalopy jockey (Jun 7, 2007)

I have been towing my kids around with a trailer behind a tag along for 2 years. The baby is 3. 

Only issues are it's heavy uphill, slow to stop when I have my usual tugger with cantis. and wide turns. 

This is mostly MUPs and some road.


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## crazyseany (Sep 8, 2008)

I don't think he was planning any single tracks.....

I think you would be fine...we actually gave up riding for 2 years because my wife couldn't pull the trailer and our daughter refused to ride with mommy.

we now have 2 trail a bikes... I saved the trailer so maybe we could do a long ride/camping combo but both quick release wheels disapeared! so I threw it away.

anyways I saw at least 4 setups like you want to do on a 30 mile bike path ride this weekend....

to bad you don't live in Ohio we could stick the wives on a tandem so they could keep up!


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## racerdave (May 12, 2007)

Yep, definitely doable. Tandem with Trek trail-a-bike and Burley behind. The hitch attachment on the Trek is very sturdy and the chainstays on it are as beefy as any other bike I've put it on... heavy steel. They don't build those things for weight weenies. 

It would work well on a MTB where the beefier construction and more relaxed geometry work in your favor. I keep ours to rail trails and roads.

As long as you're confident about the strength of all the mounting points for the trail-a-bike and trailer, you'll be fine.


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## bobvanjr (Jul 14, 2009)

crazyseany said:


> I don't think he was planning any single tracks.....
> 
> I think you would be fine...we actually gave up riding for 2 years because my wife couldn't pull the trailer and our daughter refused to ride with mommy.
> 
> ...


I'm not trying to dog your wife but pulling a trailer isn't that hard. My wife pulls one of our 80 lb kids in a Burley with no problem. Heck, my 9 yr old has even pulled my 5 yr old around in it.

Sometimes you barely even notice it's back there. I think the easiest and safest solution would be to get her to the point where she can pull a trailer herself.


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## mikkelz (Apr 21, 2009)

:madman:


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I once saw a tandem bike (trying to) pull a tandem trail-a-bike on the bike path. They were going nowhere fast. Since the kids weren't skilled enough for their own two-wheelers, they were too unstable. Make that x2, and then add in the weight of the tandem puller, and you have a recipe for disaster. I agree...with two kids, make your wife suck it up and tow the smaller of the two.

In college I rigged a trailer that housed a dilapidated old couch for the homecoming parade. I could pull 3 friends plus the weight of that monstrosity (probably over 100lbs) and STILL found a way to do wheelies to show off to the crowds. The parade finished after an ugly uphill to the stadium entrance. I was able to handle all that just perfectly fine. I wasn't going fast, but my effort was low, too. No reason a wife couldn't pull a Burley.


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## DSFA (Oct 22, 2007)

I've done the "bike train" for at least five years. It goes like this: whatever adult bike is getting put into "engine" mode, older Adams Trail a Bike that attaches to seatpost then an older Burley D'lite.
Aside from the commonsense issues of this thing needs more room to turn (although with practice you'd be surprised how tight a circle it'll do) and that braking and accelerating are going to take longer...No problems and TONS of fun!

And to really annoy the safety nazis...I've taken the whole shebang on a dirt/riverrock singletrack that runs off one of our bike paths and was very surprised myself at how well it did. If only I had a BOB trailer to rig a child seat into so it'd actually fit on the trail, hmmmm.:smilewinkgrin:


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## BrenEv (Apr 6, 2012)

So you think that it would be ok pull a burley d-lite with a Piccolo?


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## mikebike357 (Apr 8, 2010)

I've considered doing this but haven't put it all together yet as my wife typically hauls the trailer. There have been a few instances where I wanted to take the kids (2 & 4yrs old) but the 4yr old is unhappy stuffed in the trailer next to her brother and yet doesn't want to ride her own bike.

This would be my setup:

On-One Scandal 29er <-- Adams Folding TAB <-- Chariot Cougar 2

Only issue I can see with this is that our local rail trail has fat 12x12 posts to keep numbskulls from trying to drive down the path. Getting between the posts can be tough as there's only a couple inches on either side of the trailer wheels. Could be hard to line up with it behind the TAB.


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## lucibota (May 7, 2010)

*Trek mountain train and Chariot Cougar 2*

I'm doing this and it works good. The Trek is far more stable than the Adams (I owned a single and a tandem). I put the flags on both to stay safe and stay on roads/bike paths.


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## northernblades (Jul 22, 2011)

I Just had to reply to this.... I hope it is posed.








the 2nd one is my rig


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

I should have mentioned this does work fine...here's my setup back in 2010


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## northernblades (Jul 22, 2011)

is that bike as small on you as it looks from here? looks a little cramped.


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## CharacterZero (May 19, 2004)

northernblades said:


> is that bike as small on you as it looks from here? looks a little cramped.


Totally. DJ and pumptrack duty, small and playful was the way to go. Thomson 410mm seatpost for when I needed it, but it could still slam 95% of the way for fun.


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