I sold my car in 2015 to become a full time bike commuter in Greenville, South Carolina. I love sharing my experiences to help others discover the joys of carfree living!
The dual use aspect of the Travoy is interesting and somewhat mitigates the cost in my eyes. Golf club dollies cost money, a dolly to carry your luggage or a cooler to some event or in a park costs money and so on...and I like that one can take it into most stores or walk around with it. It's not just about bikes. It's good that they have some specific bags for it if one doesn't have some that work. It really has a niche, let's say you bike to the beach, then lock up your bike but haul your stuff onto the beach with the dolly/Travoy. Just one example.
Love this, Mary!! Amazing work (and video). I'd love to do more advocacy work with our 4-lane roads in Clemson-Central-Pendleton in the Upstate through our Friends of the Green Crescent Trail. Hope we can learn from you and collaborate!
I would say the cargo flatbed would be better because it would be easier to just plop the mower on, strap it down and go! I’ve heard of some people reinforcing the bottom of the flatbed with a piece of cut to fit plywood, although I’ve had no issues with just the Kevlar type material that it’s made with. But that might make it even hardier!
I agree it is simple, but this is the #1 question I get and this video isn’t for me, it’s for people who have a lot of different needs, commute types and comfort levels as they plan their own carfree trips. Have a great day!
@@therebelwithoutacarthe problem is that people end up demotivated. It is like put a poncho or jacket plus pants (or not if is light rain) and go. Anything more complicated and people who are new to commuting by bike (and this is your audience in this video) will not bike to work
Thanks for the feedback, but this is not my day job, I’m just answering some questions I got about my trip. Maybe one day I will find the time to do video editing on multiple platforms, but like I said in the video, you can go to my Instagram if you want to see more visual content. I would rather be riding my bike than spending all my time in front of a computer screen!
I use the same trailer as your new one and you can buy additional bags for the bottom and top. The bottom is a shopping cart type. I works well on my Brompton folding bike.
Great question! Most of Iceland has no trees, I would recommend a tent (or even a bivy) with a high wind rating and a profile that keeps it aerodynamic/ close to the ground. Most campsites are just open fields and it’s hard to get shelter from the wind. The direction you point your tent/bivy also makes a big difference!
I like your older trailer. Much more stable. Can you do a video on caring for your bike? I see much bike videos but most are what to wear or men who have bikes for racing.
Hello! Just found your channel! I too am a rebel without a car. :) I really liked this video on trailers. I personally have gotten a schwinn pet trailer for free (!) from my local buy nothing group. It's great to be able to try it out and consider what I'd do in the future if I invest. I can haul a lot of groceries using it! Entirely fits my large grocery shopping needs so far. I recommend that idea for anyone else who might be just considering ideas, the kid and pet ones are very readily available and cheap used. I think indeed I will keep my eye out for a good deal on a next trailer since, like you, without a car it'd be great to be able to haul larger items like used furniture.
Thank you for this video. I am in the process of changing my life style to ride more drive less. But am really trying to figure out how I am going to haul groceries for a family of four. Looking into both these trailers. So this video video really helped.
Get a set of front-panniers. Better balance and more secure. Quality is very expensive, here, but considering how many bicycles they'll out-last, you're looking a negligible costs, and they'll keep you from blocking your Travoy.
Same problem here, though the streets are in good condition people are in such fear for student safety that the street outside the schools becomes a parking lot and riding around becomes more hazardous as parents speed to get home and then speed to get back to work just making a bad situation worse. No hills at all and it would be so easy for students to easily bike to and from school (the bike stand at the school can only hold 4-5 bikes). But the mindset here apparently is that bicycles are childrens toys. Whereas cars are live video games (with dire consequences and extravagant costs) for adults to play with.
I want to do this ride in August. I am SOOO glad that I found your video! Did you mostly camp at Campgrounds? Were there enough lodges to utilize nightly if I dont want to camp?
So glad to hear it!! We mostly camped, but you could probably plan your mileage ending in towns if you prefer to stay in a hotel etc. I would recommend getting the Adventure Cycling app and/or maps for this route, they list out accommodation options along the entire route!
I would love to go car free, but here in Memphis it is so hot in the summer time that I would arrive to work totally sweaty and needing to clean up. I do security work and have to wear a uniform. That also means more inconvenience for bicycle daily commute.. How do you do it??
I should probably do a video about this! Ebikes help a lot with reducing sweat, if you have access to one. I often try to plan summer appointments in the morning, and getting to work usually isnt too bad in terms of the heat since I work at a school and it starts early - I may get plenty sweaty on my ride home, but then I just shower! One thing I do when I know I’ll arrive sweaty is to wear workout clothes and bring a dress/outfit in a pannier. Before I walk up to the building, I’ll find a spot to discreetly wipe myself up with a bandana, spritz with a travel bottle of lavender spray, and throw on the dress/outfit on top of my workout clothes. I can then change any uncomfortable layers more completely in a restroom with privacy. I also keep a backup outfit at work in case I forget or mess up my clothes (working with kids, this is a good idea for my line of work anyway!) - everyone’s work setup is a little different, so overall I encourage experimentation and some creativity! Hope that helps!
This is my ideal life tbh honest. I live in a shitty car-dependent suburb so being able to take decent public transport and ride a bike would be the dream.
Thank you for this wonderful review. I was particularly interested in the Travoy because of its ability to fold down. I have been using trailers for around 15 years. I bought a cheap one initially as an experiment to see if I could manage without a car. The problem with my first trailer was the hitch, which was a clamp style and frequently came undone. I then changed the hitch to a Burley hitch and problems were solved! My second trailer and one I use today is a flatbed Carry Freedom (a German manufactured trailer) which is great. However I have adapted it because 'flat' is frequently not what I want. I bought a big empty toolbox from B&Q (the UK equivalent to Home Depot) and fixed it to the flatbed using bolts with with hand screws, this gives me the option of quickly removing the box or having the box in place. I quite regularly carry 3 x 20 litre compost bags in the box. For shopping I have two supermarket type shopping basket that fit in the box. The benefit of these of a bag system is that they give added protection from vulnerable foodstuffs being crushed. I did wonder about the drag effect on each of the trailers you showed, I had suspect that the drag on the Travoy was less as it is closer to the bike than the longer flatbed, I suppose this only matters if you have hills. Incidentally I became car free about 10 years ago having seen that I could do my shopping using the trailer. I'm sorry if this is rather a long reply.
My commute to work is 16miles round trip I'm getting ready havent been riding cold and wet 😬🙏🏻 good job be safe I make sure people see me reflective vest stickers and lights front and back
Hi , new subscriber here because I just found your channel. I'm really enjoying your videos and now I am binge watching them to catch up. Thanks for the great content. Looking forward to seeing your next video Mark from Maryland
Congratulations on your success! Restriping the road to make it more usable by humans will have knock-on effects when people see what is possible, and will make others more willing to support improved traffic patterns where they travel. We can make things right in this country one stroad at a time. Thank you.
I like your vids, very good practical advice. Jetboils are great for backpacking where carried weight is the prime consideration and so you eat only dehydrated meals. I think for bike touring, where weight is less a factor and en route resupplying with fresh food is more possible I would prefer something that can actually cook. Have you considered a Trangia or other alcohol stove? Fuel is readily available at gas stations and hardware stores and you can even take a little with you on the plane in your "3-1-1" bag.
