Questions regarding trailer with an e-bike/Wisper 905se

[redeby]

Hi,

I have a Wisper 905se and love it. It has really got me biking and I ended up selling my car as it almost never got used. As I live in a house this has caused some problems when it comes to getting rid of garbage and buying new stuff for the house. Instead of renting a car when needed I hope to solve the majority of these trips by a cargo trailer for my Wisper.

The selection of large cargo trailers here in Sweden are more or less non existent. I found one in U.S. that is getting good reviews, the "bikes at work" 64A trailer

As I don't have any experience with a trailer for an e-bike (or normal bike) I have some questions I'm hoping someone can help me with.

How heavy loads are realistic to tow considering a mostly flat route with some slight hills (nothing steep), an e-bike like Wisper (hub driven / 7 gears) and a rider a bit on the heavy side ?

Is there any risk of damaging the bike by towing heavy loads (with a hitch mounted to the rear frame tubes) ?

The weight of the bikesatwork trailer is 35lbs/16kg, is this an ok weight for a trailer ?

Thanks,
H-B

 

[lectureral]

Hi redeby - I tow a trailer with 2 kids (at least 50 kg fully laden) and it has not been a problem at all. I have a panasonic-powered bike so perhaps somebody with a hub motor can give you more reassurance but I think an e-bike/trailer combo is a good marriage.

 

[Scottyf]

I think at 16 kilo's you'll be fine. Its not exactly a heavy weight. An your towing its not un sprung weight. Just make sure your brakes are in good working order!

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi H-B,

I have BOB Yak single wheel trailer which I use for shopping and trips to the dump, it is very light and easy to tow. When empty I sometimes forget it is there. Yak Trailer from BOB - the original bicycle cargo trailer that set the standard - Trailers from BOB | BOBgear | BOB

Here it is loaded with a large bag of compost
​

The one below was located in Nynashamn, just south of Stockholm
​

 

[flecc]

That's an ok weight H-B, close to the weight of my large trailer. I tow and have towed large loads in a hilly area with both hub motor and crank motor bikes:

Example page

I do use a unique rear hitch, but the frames are generally strong enough for tube attachment
.

 

[redeby]

Thanks all, that is reassuring

The BOB Yak and the "Nynäshamn" trailer (not far from where I live btw) seems nice but my hopes are being able to haul maybe three times that bag size. The Yak seems like a perfect trailer for touring.

Quite some big loads and a very nice trailer you have on your example page Flecc. I like the heightened rail enabling long items to be carried.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Here is an image of the intrepid Guim who is currently trailing 30kg from China to London!

He has had one or two issues with the trailer but he has traveled 20k km so far over some very bad roads!

Note the solar panel for battery charging!



All the best

David

 

[redeby]

Wisper at work

I ended up buying the Bikes at Work trailer. It recently arrived and I have made some trips with it. The combination of a cargo trailer and the Wisper is very nice and really helps me in living without a car and I'm happy with the result

Below is a few pictures of the trailer. The plastic boxes is to help give some flexibility in loading stuff. The last picture is from today's trip putting my Wisper to work in getting rid of some waste and junk. When arriving at the disposal station amongst all the cars with trailers I got the comment "Hero of the day" when they saw me on the bike with the trailer. That felt good

 

[eddieo]

those plastic boxes look very big...where did you get them please? as I need 3 large ones for new camper van.......

 

[redeby]

I bought the boxes at an Ikea store. The Ikea name for them is "Samla". I live in Sweden though so uncertain about if Ikea is present in U.K.

 

[lectureral]

Oh yes - IKEA has a big presence in the UK. Excellent looking combination there, redeby.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I ended up buying the Bikes at Work trailer. It recently arrived and I have made some trips with it. The combination of a cargo trailer and the Wisper is very nice and really helps me in living without a car and I'm happy with the result

Below is a few pictures of the trailer. The plastic boxes is to help give some flexibility in loading stuff. The last picture is from today's trip putting my Wisper to work in getting rid of some waste and junk. When arriving at the disposal station amongst all the cars with trailers I got the comment "Hero of the day" when they saw me on the bike with the trailer. That felt good

Hi Redby, loving the trailer!!!

Please would you send me the files as I would love to out on the Wisper ownesr gallery!

Best regards

David

 

[redeby]

Thanks all.

David: I have e-mailed the files to you. Feel free to use them

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Thanks Redby

I have received them and will be putting them onto my Wisper Blog!

Best regards

David

 

[jasono]

Hi, I've got a Wisper 905 and use it to tow my daughter in a child trailer. It works great, although I had to remove the stand in order for the trailer to be hooked up and clear the rear wheel

Do also bear in mind towing the extra weight will drain the battery abit faster

 

[windycycle]

i have a wisper 905 and i use a carry freedom trailer and find it great never had a problem with it i am thinking of getting a electric cargo bike from cargobike.co.uk its a bit expenesive but it would be a one off purchace has any body come across these makers as paypal said it sounded suspsious i would really appreciate some advice ive been ripped off before so i want to be carefull thanks for any help all the best windycycle scotland

 

[flecc]

Cargobike.co.uk look ok and genuine, but they are obviously a new and very small company. Therefore there will always be a degree of risk as an early adopter regarding the product quality and suitability for purpose, and also a question mark on if they will last in such a small and specialised market. On the other hand, every company has to start from somewhere relying on a degree of consumer trust.

If you want to completely avoid risk, use a well established supplier of these, the Dutchbike Company UK
.

 

[windycycle]

thanks for that i will check out the website i just didnt fancy getting ripped off again all the best windycycle

 

[Cargobike]

As the MD of cargobikes.co.uk I thought I would join this forum to add my comments to this topic.


We have investigated Windcycle’s concern about “suspicious emails”. It turns out that as he requested to pay his deposit via PayPal, the Norton anti-virus checker on his computer flagged our “funds request” email via Paypal as suspicious. I can confirm that we are not Nigerian princes with £20 million inheritance who need £500 to access the money! Rather, we are a small bicycle building company robustly maintaining its reputation in tight financial times.


Our bikes are not “electric bikes” rather they are bikes that can be fitted with electric assist packages either by the customer or ourselves. We do not manufacture any part of the electric assist package, we just source and fit the package that the customer has selected. If there is a problem with any of the kits we go straight to the elec assist manufacturer under their warranty.


Happy amp’d cycling to all

 

[Cargobike]

Here is the electric Bakfiets cargo bike that Windycycle was interested in;

eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace