Specifically, a Burley kid trailer (with kid) behind a Cervelo P2C and/or R3?
About 70lbs. total weight.
Can mount to quick release, or with one of those doo hickies that connect to the frame at the seat stay/chain stay junction.
Why risk it?
Get a steel frame.
FWIW, we had a customer from our shop pull a Burley trailer holding all of his gear with a full carbon Trek Madone. Pulled it from CA to NC with no problems.
It’s pretty hard to pull a trailer (anything close to normal pace) on any terrain that is hilly or rolling. I would suggest a road bike over a TT bike and road bike with easier gears- especially if there are any hills. I have a trailer (chariot) and a 25 pound son. Have fun and be safe!
Thanks. I’ve been pulling the trailer for years with a cruiser and a fixie. Just wanting to go places that will need gears. Not worried about the difficulty of doing it. Just worried about those tiny seat stays on the R3.
Why would a carbon, aluminum, or titanium frame fail?
No reason. Carbon just makes my uneducated mind nervous.
If it attaches to the QR only, don’t sweat it. The carbon parts will not see any unusual stress.
The thing you need to be careful with carbon is any type of clamping load. Carbon fiber composites are very sensitive to stress risers from scratches made by the sharp edges of a wrap-around type clamp. So you don’t want to mess with that.
I’ve done it with a carbon frame road bike (Giant TCR1) and a Wike Special Needs Trailer and haven’t had any problems. My biggest concern is braking leverage and tire traction when going down hill or if a quick stop is required but the total weight that I’m pulling is probably around 120 lbs.
Dan
Oh, o.k…
If it attaches to the QR only, don’t sweat it. The carbon parts will not see any unusual stress.
The thing you need to be careful with carbon is any type of clamping load. Carbon fiber composites are very sensitive to stress risers from scratches made by the sharp edges of a wrap-around type clamp. So you don’t want to mess with that.
x2,after having a similar discussion here a while ago I did some research among my cycle-touring buddies and the general feel is that axle mounted trailers are the way to go with carbon bikes.Dragging the kids around the neighbourhood shoudn’t be a worry but I still wouldn’t want to take a carbon frame on a grand tour in 2nd and 3rd world countries.
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Specifically, a Burley kid trailer (with kid) behind a Cervelo P2C and/or R3?
About 70lbs. total weight.
Can mount to quick release, or with one of those doo hickies that connect to the frame at the seat stay/chain stay junction.
here’s the deal: it’s not a problem with any modern trailer.
i purchased a trailer last year (decided to get a $99 jobber instead of spending $500+ on a burley or chariot as i don’t plan to hand this down to future generations). i was a little concerned about it so i phoned specialized – just wanted the reassurance of a direct answer from the manufacturer.
key question: what would happen if you took a spill or if your bike fell over? if the trailer allows your bike to fall without interference, you’re golden! this is how basically all modern trailers work – they’re connected via the QR skewer, and they have freedom to move in nearly any direction.
if for some reason your trailer did not allow the bike to fall over freely, that would put extra stress on the bike’s stays in a way other than intended.
your carbon bike is designed to handle serious loads in certain directions, but twisting is not one of them.
based on the info you’ve posted and what i learned in my research, you have nothing to worry about. good luck!