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Review on Schwinn Day Tripper and Porter Cargo Bike Trailer: Tow Behind with Multiple Colors - No Kids or Animals Allowed by Gary Lucas

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Great cargo trailer, cheap wheels

I was looking for a sales trailer and settled on the Schwinn DayTripper. The value for money is simply unbeatable and I've been looking for a long time. Delivery was quick with no excessive packaging. Assembled in a few minutes and fully understood without even taking a look at the manual (which, after studying it, describes everything very well). That pretty much speaks for itself. All in all, this is a great trailer. Well built and strong, the folding frame snaps into place and the struts snap right into their openings. The rubberized cover with plastic buckles stays in place and keeps things dry in light rain and road dust and debris from your load, but it won't hold up in a real downpour, especially with heavy road spray if the cover falls off through holes on the sides. . The plastic bottom is definitely strong enough for heavier loads, the hitch feels very solid. All in all, this thing seems to be able to carry more weight than I can handle. So far the heaviest thing I've loaded has been a 4 drawer metal filing cabinet (here's my guarantee). I'm not kidding, attached photo. It folds up quickly into something fairly flat that can be stowed away in even a small apartment, in seconds. After another half minute, the wheels are removed and they become even flatter. Which brings me to the only downside: the wheels. Obviously cheap fakes, they had several problems. The tires are directional and one was mounted incorrectly. Not that it mattered much, but I decided to get anal and change that. It turned out that the rim rubber that is supposed to protect the tube from the spoke nuts was misaligned and frankly not big enough, it didn't cover all the rivets. Quick fix with good tape but if I hadn't changed the tire I probably would have had a flat tire pretty soon. Of course, I also checked the other tire and found the same problem. But more importantly, the rims were heavily flexed, which made the ride pretty shaky. Not just a slight deformation, mind you, they were seriously deformed. I had to use a crowbar and wheel straightener to straighten them. Once this was fixed, the trailer was surprisingly stable, especially when lightly loaded. Stays on the road, doesn't bounce too hard, doesn't give up, doesn't pull. I liked that the wheel mount locking pins are attached to the frame so you can't lose them, but the tow hitch is not, so I made a cable out of a piece of rope. The orange safety flag fell off on the first ride, just hang it on the pole. I replaced it with something fun and secured it with a zip tie. Like I said, overall I really like this trailer and I'm using it like hell. The wheels are probably why we get such good quality for such a low price. But if Schwinn is listening: Really great trailer, but please do something about those wheels.

Pros
  • Few competitors
Cons
  • Not as bulky as other options