one-day course

how to build a bike trailer


venue: Gorgie City Farm, Edinburgh

In this course you will learn to build a bicycle trailer from green wood, that is strong enough to carry a person. The green wood trailer is the greenest option, but you can also make them from bamboo or from sawn timber.

The trailer you create is a combination of traditional woodcraft combined with contemporary engineering principles. The skills you develop will give you the knowledge to build a bicycle trailer from any material.

The course includes:

  • introduction to the humble bicycle trailer
  • introduction to the Bamboo Trailer plans (on which the course trailer is based)
  • fabrication of metal components, wheel brackets and towing hitch
  • fabrication of main chassis of the trailer
  • tensioning and aligning the trailer
  • fitting the trailer onto a bike, and testing it

The course tutor is Nick Lobnitz - a mechanical engineer, farmer and silversmith. He founded Carry Freedom and Paper Bicycle - companies that manufacture bicycles and trailers for bicycles.

Bamboo Trailer: Nick developed the Bamboo Trailer plans to allow anyone to build a usable bicycle trailer from cheap local materials. Since 2005 about 4,000 trailers have been built.

dates: see 'book online' below

more on cycling


how to book:
 

if you can't open the booking form, you need Acrobat Reader - it's free

arrive:
 
for a 10am prompt start
depart:
 
after the course finishes at 5pm
directions:
 
click here for a map and directions to Gorgie City Farm
what to bring:
 
work clothes; pen and notebook; packed lunch (if you're not using the cafe)
let us know:
 
if you have any special needs
price:
 
£60 / £45 concessions
Refundable up to two weeks prior to course (minus £30 admin fee)
No refunds for cancellations within two weeks of course
lunch:
 
bring a packed lunch or you can get lunch at the cafe
car sharing:
 
visit our car sharing forum to offer or request a lift
 

 

 

 


wheeeee!

 

 

 

 


one of Nick's designs in use in South Africa


 


 

 


a group of schoolkids building the bamboo trailer