# Offroad singlewheel trailer



## Tjaard (Aug 17, 2007)

Has anyone used or made something like this:








https://www.tout-terrain.de/2/products/trailer---kids-bikes/singletrailer/singletrailer.html


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## supermike (May 27, 2006)

I think there was a thread on this trailer about a year ago either in Gen Discussion or in the Passion forums. Try doing a search.


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## BCool (May 3, 2006)

Did you find out anything? I'd buy something like that in a heart beat if if wasn't 3,000 dollars. Let me know what you find.


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## itsdoable (Jan 6, 2004)

I didn't see this post till it was resurected.

https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=371309

There was some more discussion at https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=435994 starting around post #23.

I didnot find anything else (a year ago) that came close, it's the only trailer that can safely do singletrack. Even looked into a custom trailer using a BOB-like attachment.


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## Prophet bill (Feb 28, 2008)

Anyone found a trailer like this but way cheeper price i would love to have something like this?


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## Tjaard (Aug 17, 2007)

Peter Whyte Cycles dropped the price on the Singletrailer to $2500 because of the exchange rate.
So I finally decided that it was either pay the price or not mtb.

I have had 2 rides on it so far. It has been great, I can ride any normal MTB trail as long as it isn't too technical (I don't do skinnies, jumps or rockgardens with it.) Just with some changes to riding style.
My 20 mo. old daughter seems to like it. She fell asleep in it today and didn't wake up dropping off a curb.
It tracks pretty much where your rear wheel goes except in hairpins where it tracks inside.
My rear tire rubs on the front of the trailer when going over a log pile or similar. My bike is an XL Stumpy FSR 29er.
If you ride between two rocks you are likely going to clip the sides/bottom of the trailer. I might try and make a skidplate for the bottom.

It handles so much nicer than a 2 wheeled .non-suspended trailer! Tops for sidewalk riding as well.

Your braking distance will increase a lot and almost all the braking will come from the front so a big disc and grippy front tire are required on the pulling bike.


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

$2500 eh? I might have to pickup 2 of those


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## rfeather (Aug 22, 2006)

Try www.tonystrailers.com He's got some single wheel trailers although not for passengers. Sounds like he would make you one though, maybe for less than $2500.


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## itsdoable (Jan 6, 2004)

This summer we've had up to 4 trailers on weekend rides (while the spouses go on the fast ride), I posted a thread about it here. Unfortunately they all have Chariots, so we mostly stay on double-track.

Last weekend I was solo, so I got to do Single Track!





On the easier parts of the trail, I was able to take a short video - pretty crappy, but it does show how well the trailer tracks and rolls on single track. The 2-wheeled trailers are not able to run these trails - there are sections that are narrow and/or cambered with no ride-around. Besides, Chariots flip pretty easy on the double-track.

FYI: video was cross posted from the trailer review.


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## ctaggart (Jul 1, 2009)

That is awesome. I can't imagine how much fun that is for your kids. Don't post this in the weight weenie forum...they'll probably pass out just looking at it.


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## cannondalejohn (Jul 4, 2009)

*cool trailer!*



Tjaard said:


> Peter Whyte Cycles dropped the price on the Singletrailer to $2500 because of the exchange rate.
> So I finally decided that it was either pay the price or not mtb.
> 
> I have had 2 rides on it so far. It has been great, I can ride any normal MTB trail as long as it isn't too technical (I don't do skinnies, jumps or rockgardens with it.) Just with some changes to riding style.
> ...


wow..that is 10 times the cost of my trailer..but it really looks uber cool =)


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## yetipop (Jul 27, 2009)

*single track kid hauler??*

I just discovered the "tout-terrain" single track trailer on this thread. I watched several videos of the trailer in action and it appears to work well. I want one so bad I can taste it, but $2500.00 is out of the question. Does anyone know of another company making a fox-shock suspended one-wheel kid trailer that doesn't cost so much?
It seems you could weld up a steel version and canibalize the five point harness, seat, and canvas enclosure from an old Chariot trailer (which I have) for a lot less than even $500.00.
Any thoughts on this idea are welcome, because I miss riding single-track with my wife. After flipping my Chariot twice, once on a mild double-track off-camber and once clipping a curb on the street has soured me on two wheel hauling of my 3yr old. Every time I put my daughter in her trailer she tells me "no upside down daddy"! She never got hurt by the way.


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## BCool (May 3, 2006)

I think there is a market for this, if only i was smart enough to fab something up. I say use a bob like trailer (maybe even with a larger diameter tire) and mount a roll cage and a kids car seat. Then you could cover the top with some sunscreen material. you've got a single wheel kid trailer.


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## Prophet bill (Feb 28, 2008)

yetipop said:


> I just discovered the "tout-terrain" single track trailer on this thread. I watched several videos of the trailer in action and it appears to work well. I want one so bad I can taste it, but $2500.00 is out of the question. Does anyone know of another company making a fox-shock suspended one-wheel kid trailer that doesn't cost so much?
> It seems you could weld up a steel version and canibalize the five point harness, seat, and canvas enclosure from an old Chariot trailer (which I have) for a lot less than even $500.00.
> Any thoughts on this idea are welcome, because I miss riding single-track with my wife. After flipping my Chariot twice, once on a mild double-track off-camber and once clipping a curb on the street has soured me on two wheel hauling of my 3yr old. Every time I put my daughter in her trailer she tells me "no upside down daddy"! She never got hurt by the way.


Dont feel bad i flipped my son last week hitting a curb he was a little scared but got over it quickly.I have a welder at work and i was thinhing about making a trailer i have a rear shock i could use but trying to think of a good way to attach the trailer it to my seatpost.


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## itsdoable (Jan 6, 2004)

It's not talked a lot, but Chariots are pretty easy to flip. One wheel just has to hit a curb, or a rock. Or a sign post. Single wheeled trailers don't flip when you hit a curb. Unless you go down....

You don't need a fancy shock, just one with a large volume and damping adjustment that goes really light. Even with >3:1 leverage ratio, the shock started out with ~12lb air, you are not suspending much weight. No pedal bob/feedback, no platform, just pure plush suspension needed. I have not bottomed the shock yet.



Prophet bill said:


> ... but trying to think of a good way to attach the trailer it to my seatpost.


A trail-a-bike hitch, like an Adams, comes to mind.

I looked into making / getting one made. Buy the time we worked out the design, welding, sewing, buying existing parts (Bob hitch or Adam's trail-a-bike arm) and everything, the $ was getting up there. If I had time and a torch, I probably would have gone that way. But it's nice using something that is not version 0.9 and has been tested thoroughly.

There are performance advantages with having a trailer attach at the seat post rather than at the rear axle.

PS: There's a picture floating around of a car seat bolted to a BOB.


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## Shadill (Aug 5, 2009)

If I could get a hold of some good pics of just the trailers frame, I could build one, I could also powder coat it, the material enclosure and padding would be the only thing I couldn't make. If some one could send me detailed pics that would be great, I'm very intrested in having one of these trailers also, but $2500 is just plain crazy


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## Dr.Preroll (Jun 2, 2009)

Wow that trailer is DEADLY!!!!!!!!! We've got a chariot CX-1 that we've used LOTS fot our first kid. I did flip it a couple of times, the first time I hit James O'Sullivan, or at least his 6 inch high headstone in a graveyard in Victoria....I was trying to cut around a huge puddle. She didn't wake up at all. She's graduated to the trailabike for our singletrack adventures, but we've got our 2nd due in January, so something like this will be needed by next summer/fall ( we're pretty european with our parenting ) I'm going to forward, the video to a friend who work for a Canadian bike company, and maybe he can do a bit of R&D ( rip-off and duplicate) and get a similar system made in Asia...What a cool trailer though!!!


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## yetipop (Jul 27, 2009)

*Tout terrian website has a large picture*

At the top of this thread is a link to the Tout Terrain product website.

Click on the picture and a large version pops up which you can scroll around to see how the thing is made. There are also videos that show just how fantastic it handles on single track. What I found so cool was that the trailer tilts at the same angle that the pulling bike is tilted at during a turn...you bank the trailer banks also.

The more I look at the product the more I realize how much design went into trailer. For instance, the single trailing arm allows the rear wheel to be shoved up real close to the back of the trailer while the Fox shock sits at the right angle without interfering with the rear wheel. The whole trailer "cams" off the rear seatpost attachment and the Fox Shock on the trailing arm of the trailer.
I have a full suspension mountain bike and can just imagine how plush the trailer ride would be with my seat post absorbing terrain at the front top part of the trailer while the Fox Shock at the rear wheel is absorbing the rest.

I want one, I want one!


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## cattledog04 (Sep 24, 2008)

How about the Weehoo IGo Trailer?


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## tonyhoar (Feb 7, 2010)

*Suspension Single wheeler DIY*

Hi, 
Heres a link to my single-wheeler page and if you scroll down you come to a suspension model that I put together from proprietory items, all nicely pre-assembled, in a couple of hours,
It's not hard to install a seat, instead of a kennel. 
I wasn't intending on marketing this model as the parts may not always be available, but if you are intersted I can maybe help you find the parts,or at least tell you what to look for.
Cheers,
Tony, http://www.tonystrailers.com/singlewheelers/


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## Birdman (Dec 31, 2003)

BCool said:


> I think there is a market for this, if only i was smart enough to fab something up. I say use a bob like trailer (maybe even with a larger diameter tire) and mount a roll cage and a kids car seat. Then you could cover the top with some sunscreen material. you've got a single wheel kid trailer.


A saw some pictures of something like this a long time ago on MTBR - a BOB trailer with a child's car seat mounted. It didn't have a roll cage, but it did have a sturdy windshield mounted in front to keep dust/stones off the passenger.

Mounted to an IBEX suspension BOB trailer, it could be interesting. Maybe a kit to add mounting features to the BOB with a roll cage and windshield/enclosure?

I used to haul a BOB YAK trailer when doing trail maintenance (back before I had kids) and it was very stable provided you keep the load low... I don't know what kind of view that your passenger will have though.

JMJ


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## ridemtn (Aug 25, 2009)

When any of you get ready to sell your used Singletrailer, PM me!


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## Continental (Oct 29, 2006)

Elsewhere in this forum folks talk about using a trail-a-bike on single track without any mishap- is it feasible to use the Adams plus their child seat thing on tame trails (but rougher than fire roads)? I love the "idea" of the Tout, but the price...


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## Tjaard (Aug 17, 2007)

I am not sure what that set-up works/looks like.

The Singletrailer offers two big advantages:
A full rollcage
Suspension

Suspension starts to really matter when you are riding a seated vehicle. For experiment try riding with your feat off the pedals(on a rigid bike) down the trails you are thinking of. Then imagine the much smaller wheel on a Trail-a-bike. My neighbor rode a pretty tame trail with us the other day with her trail a bike and her daughter(4.5) was complaining about the bumps. This is a trail were the only bumps are some roots. etc. And she was pedaling, not sitting in a seat.


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## Continental (Oct 29, 2006)

Tjaard said:


> I am not sure what that set-up works/looks like.
> 
> The Singletrailer offers two big advantages:
> A full rollcage
> ...


Well, yeah- I do understand suspension but a softride stem and an underinflated tire can go a long way to soften the ride, particularly on rolling, non technical fast track. There is also a discontinued FS Adams TAB out there that can be had on Craigslist/ebay now and again. As for the rollcage, I'm not too worried, check out the link in the previous post, the seat extends over the head, around the legs and beyond the shoulders. (although I might augment it with some strategically placed minicell foam)

Don't get me wrong, the Tout looks fantastic and around here (DC) the price equals only 40 4-hour babysitting sessions... still...


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## EBasil (Jan 30, 2004)

If they weren't huge money, they'd be a fine idea, but two-wheeled trailers work great off-road, too. Ours hauled our son many miles, including singletrack and more than a few rocky descents where the trailer both taxed my brakes and kept me from looping over the bars. 

Once the child is ready to sit on a bike seat and enjoy pedaling, bumps and outdoor fun, the "trail-a-bike" is outstanding. We used a singlespeed version, aired-down to hit it all. If my son had complained about bumps, dust or the pesky scent of pine in the air, we'd have ordered him a few Happy Meals and let him play video games the rest of his life with the other over-protected kids. Didn't happen.


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## mrcircle (Mar 16, 2010)

We just got a weehoo i-go
It rocks, not full suspension like the one shown but it still kicks [email protected]#!
check it out www.weehoogear.com


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## Continental (Oct 29, 2006)

*Homegrown singlewheel trailer- BOB Ibex*

After 9 months of contemplating and flailing with about 10 different designs I finally have the off-road trailer I dreamed of- fully enclosed, fully suspended and NOT a $2500 Tout Terrain! (still not cheap...) AND I can use it after the little one has grown into a real bike. See attached .pdf for pics.

I'm honestly really pleased- I fitted (and stitched) a Cordura floor and front skin, 5pt harness on a semi-suspended seat and (real) roll cage. The canopy is kinda OK- I'm thinking about making a fitted version from the same black Cordura, especially since the sewing machine and I are now grooving (after much ungroovy-ness). It's heavy- a 7# premium over the already hefty Bob (25# total, or [gulp] 50#+ with the little guy)- but solid and doesn't rattle. The bottom has 1/4" raised aluminum skids shielding the bolts as well as several plates to spread the seat weight over the whole base.

The base is a BOB Ibex RS trailer
The roll cage and canopy stolen then customized from a old Burly DeLite
The seat from a Bell child carrier (fully customized)
Skin and floor are Cordura tailored to fit

Total cost:
Bob =$350 shipped from Jenson
Burly = $20 at a garage sale
Seat = $25 shipped from Wal-Mart
Fabric, hardware, velcro, webbing = $50
Total = $445

Time... well, lots. But it's been a long winter.

Annnd the little dude LOVES it- I may not be dropping off 18" logs anytime soon (but I could...) but for VA singletrack its perfect. His mom too one look at it, looked at me, smiled and said: "There will be rules..."


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## pastajet (May 26, 2006)

WeeHoo rules! http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/weehoo-i-go-child-trailer-review/


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## Broccoli (Jun 11, 2008)

Continental said:


> Elsewhere in this forum folks talk about using a trail-a-bike on single track without any mishap- is it feasible to use the Adams plus their child seat thing on tame trails (but rougher than fire roads)? I love the "idea" of the Tout, but the price...


I ride with an iBert seat on trails that my wife often prefers not to ride. Not fast though, but pretty much anything I can clear on a single speed - and that does not have a long fall potential. Boy is 20 months now, should be good for another half a year or more. He now steers with me - and tries to brake. We have done hour long singletrack rides with plenty of climbing. Big-hit plush fork helps. For some reason dude starts laughing everytime I hit brakes hard enough to skid rear wheel. He is obviously nuts. I wonder why. 

Do not see a point in a such a trailer from OP for that amount of money. Much more fun for kid in the front.

I have tried riding trails with my daughter on a trail-a-bike, and it sucked. Unwieldy. Now that she got a 20" geared bike, time for her to ride herself. With a child seat - I would not even try it.


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## itsdoable (Jan 6, 2004)

Curmy said:


> Do not see a point in a such a trailer from OP for that amount of money. Much more fun for kid in the front.


Being one of the longer time Tout Terrain Trailer users, I also have a front child seat (OK-Baby Orion - not available in North America), and to a certain degree, I have to agree with curmy. You certainly get a lot more interaction with a front seat, and it definitely seems like more fun. However, longer rides are problematic, as it is difficult to fall asleep in a front seat, and they cannot play with books, drinks or toys as easily.

It really depends on the child's personality, if you have one that likes to play and fall asleep in a trailer, then you can easily do 2+ hour rides with a trailer - not so with a bike seat. If your kid hates sitting in a trailer because it's boring, then the seat is way better.

One of the guys we ride with regularly does 2+ hour training rides during their son's nap time. My daughter rarely falls asleep in the trailer, but can last 1.5 hours in the front seat.

I have no issues running both the seat and the trailer. I have not progressed to a trail-a-bike yet.


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## Broccoli (Jun 11, 2008)

itsdoable said:


> It really depends on the child's personality


True. My daughter at least could spend some time in the trailer, little dude has to have his hands on the steering wheel and point me to ride through each puddle and bump. I dread chasing him in a couple years.

As far as getting workout, I did set it on a single speed - with platform pedals. Helps me get tired faster. I guess that would be true with any baby carrying contraption.

Ok Baby Orion looks like less off-road worthy - iBert is much more out of the way. Not sure it is approved, but it did not fail yet. I guess not to the level of Tout Terrain, of course.


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