| In the US the bicycle is still thought by many as a | | | | I personally have a two wheel trailer I purchased in |
| child's toy, however this is increasingly changing. In | | | | 2002 and use quite often; in fact I pulled it in the Lee |
| the late 1800's and early 1900's cycling was a larger | | | | County Christmas Parade in Leesburg Georgia with |
| spectator sport than baseball. There were far more | | | | the people from Chehaw BMX. The type I have is |
| bicycle on the road in the early 1900's than | | | | one that will actually carry 3 small children, two |
| automobiles. Much of the road improvement and map | | | | toddlers or one probably 6 year old in the seat. The |
| improvement of the early 20th century was due to | | | | seat folds down to make a cargo trailer and I have |
| the efforts of cyclists. | | | | used that thing to carry lots and lots of cargo. |
| Up until the time Henry Ford decided to begin a | | | | In 2002 I did a fundraising bicycle ride for the South |
| production line for automobiles and the horseless | | | | Georgia Food Bank in Albany Georgia. On November |
| carriage became a viable option for many people that | | | | 11, 2002 I rode my bicycle pulling that trailer from |
| could not afford one before his revolutionary idea, he | | | | Sylvester Georgia down Highway 82 to Tifton |
| bicycle was pretty much the same in the US as in | | | | Georgia and back. People would stop and put non |
| other western countries like France, England and | | | | perishable food in the trailer or give me cash |
| Holland. | | | | donations. That day I collected two large boxes of |
| With the surge of automobiles on the road and the | | | | food and 287.00 for the food bank. I had placed |
| increasing speeds of cars more and better roads | | | | cardboard signs on the trailer and people would read |
| became needed. Once the automobile was firmly | | | | them as they drove by and when they seen me in a |
| entrenched the bicycle was relegated by most into | | | | parking lot they would stop to give me donations. |
| being a child's toy. After WWII there were lots of | | | | Even the Mayor of Tifton Georgia at the time |
| bicycles but they were for the most part children's | | | | chipped in with 20.00 when I met him at Veteran's |
| bikes. A child would ride his bike until he was old | | | | Park in Tifton. |
| enough to get a Driver's License then the bike would | | | | That trailer has been used to haul my grandkids all |
| be sold or trashed. | | | | over the place, they are too old now to ride in it, but |
| Fuel costs for autos were low, and oil seemed | | | | it still gets plenty of use. My wife uses it to go |
| plentiful early in the 20th century. Oil fields were | | | | shopping. I use it to help me get faster on my bike. I |
| found in Ohio in the late 1800's and in Texas, | | | | will load it down with about 50lbs of weight then ride |
| Oklahoma, and many other western states including | | | | it as fast as I can up and down the bike trail, usually |
| Alaska in the 20th Century. Things looked pretty | | | | about 15 to 20 miles at somewhere near 15 to 20 |
| good for Auto Manufacturers and not so hot for | | | | MPH. Then when I get on the road bike with no load |
| cyclists. | | | | I can hit 20 to 22 MPH with actually what feels like |
| Today however we are seeing a strong comeback | | | | less effort than riding the mountain bike with the |
| by cyclists. Bikes are cheap, oil is expensive. At 2.60 | | | | trailer. |
| for a gallon of gas than will get you 20 miles or less | | | | The trailer I have does have a cover so if it would |
| in most cars and a bicycle that will get you the same | | | | rain the groceries or what is in the trailer won't get |
| distance and in big cities often quicker for almost no | | | | soaked and with the extra room in the trailer you |
| cost you can see why the bicycle is making a | | | | can carry some rain gear so the rider doesn't get |
| comeback. | | | | soaked too bad either. |
| There are numerous advantages of the bicycle over | | | | There are however numerous styles of bicycle |
| the car. Most obvious is probably fuel cost, and | | | | trailers now available. There are ones that are strictly |
| others include lower repair costs, lower replacement | | | | for cargo. They have a flat bed and sides and can |
| costs, and improved health and fitness for the rider. | | | | handle loads up to 150 lbs. |
| With the cost of fuel way up and the cost of autos | | | | I was just looking at one recently that was made to |
| in general being fairly high, cycling is getting more and | | | | pull handicapped adults around in. Since my youngest |
| more popular. | | | | son is handicapped and can only walk short distances |
| There are some unfortunate disadvantages to using | | | | we are considering at some point getting one for |
| the bicycle as transportation. If you go to the | | | | him, so he can enjoy a ride with my wife and I. |
| grocery and you drive your car, you can buy a load | | | | I was in Orlando a short time back at Michael Pen |
| of groceries but if you are on a bicycle you are | | | | land's Internet Marketing Conference. And there was |
| limited to what you can carry. You can expand your | | | | a young lady riding her bicycle down the street pulling |
| cargo space by use of a basket, panniers, or my | | | | a trailer that looked as if it would hold two adults. |
| favorite the bicycle trailer. | | | | There was no one in that trailer, but it appeared to |
| The bicycle trailer comes in several models some | | | | be a sort of bicycle taxi. |
| have one wheel that trails right behind the back | | | | I read a couple years back where UPS was actually |
| wheel of the bike. The single wheel type is often | | | | hiring cyclist to deliver packages in some of the |
| used by people doing bicycle tours and cross country | | | | western states to save on fuel and make their |
| riding. These tend to be smaller trailers and are usually | | | | deliveries quicker, they were using hybrid bikes with |
| used to carry clothing, small tents and such. They are | | | | cargo trailers. |
| not my choice for getting a load of groceries or | | | | You can definitely expand the usability of your bicycle |
| running errands. | | | | by adding a bicycle trailer. |