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[caption id="attachment_10054" align="alignnone" width="497"] Homeless binner's ransacked bike and trailer. Prior to being moved along in the alley.[/caption]

Chris Jensen's disappearance from the Fairview area on Wednesday evening was neither unusual nor necessarily unwelcome. What was unusual and what caused several of South Granville's homeless population to take notice was the fact that he went away without taking his bicycle, attached trailer and most of his worldly possessions.

Well I've just seen him -- darn the luck! Only one day missing; that wasn't much of a break, but by the looks of him he wasn't off having a picnic.

[caption id="attachment_9369" align="alignnone" width="497"] This hot new phone at that price? What a steal![/caption]

That question -- Know anyone who wants to buy a smartphone? -- was being repeated around the Fairview McDonald's I was in yesterday evening.

It was after 9:30 p.m. There weren't many customers, but someone was hitting on each one of them in turn.

When it came to me I turned to the fellow asking me the disingenuous question and answered "no." I didn't add -- not even it was the last phone for sale on Earth and he was only selling it for a dollar -- I didn't say that part out loud. No colour or heat in my voice; just "no," with minimal eye contact. I wasn't giving the fellow anything to hang a spiel on.

The next customer heard the clear question -- everyone could hear it -- he replied: "what?"

That's the question on the lips of the fish as it bites down on the hook.

What follows was predictable in how it went and how it went wrong.

[caption id="attachment_8909" align="alignnone" width="497"] Close but no cigar. In fact I needed something the diameter of a cigar![/caption]

Christmas night at about 9 p.m. I was running my bike and trailer rig through the alleys of Fairview hunting returnable containers. I heard a loud, sharp sound, like a starter's pistol, and something between very fine rain and snow began to fall (Inuit mist?).

Coincidence right? I recognized the sound. I even knew which of three hose clamps on the hitch arm of my bicycle trailer had just snapped under pressure. It wasn't a life or death situation -- for me, but it was a suicide mission for the hose clamps -- that was the sixth clamp to break.

[caption id="attachment_8896" align="alignnone" width="497"] My "sleigh" on Christmas Day.[/caption]

Christmas Eve is a magical time -- it gets sooo quiet.

I imagine you could hear the beat of tiny hoofs and sleigh bells but there were none of those last night. More importantly there were no shopping carts clattering through the alleys -- not just the alley off my parkade -- any alley in the vicinity.

Usually one or two intrepid binners come through in the early morning hours between 2 and 4 a.m. They move rather slowly and haltingly but they still manage to generate their own kind of sonic boom.

This is partly the result of a known physical law: a shopping cart's audibility is inversely proportional to how full it is.

Three wine bottles bouncing around in an otherwise empty steel-wire shopping cart can make a helluva racket. And only some binners take the trouble to put a piece of cardboard in the bottom of their cart basket.

In the dead quiet of the night, with the sound bouncing back and forth off the buildings lining an alley... oh my!

Fully-loaded carts have much quieter, monolithic loads and the weight reduces wheel noise considerably, but they are never quiet.

[caption id="attachment_8739" align="alignnone" width="497"] Maybe I took too long to eat breakfast.[/caption]

The trick is to kick the larger piles of snow until I find it. If one of them turns out to be a hypothermic panhandler, I just hope my childhood St. John Ambulance training kicks in.

I'd say that binning through the back alleys of Fairview was "tough sledding" but frankly a sled would have been perfect. My rig was actually fine on straightaways and downhill; uphill was the only problem.

It's after 4:30 p.m. The temperature is 2° C. The snow has turned to a faint freezing drizzle. The main streets are glistening wet. I don't believe we reached our forecast high of 5° C. If we're too far on the wrong side of our forecast low of 3° C then the morning streets could be icy.

Maybe I'll sleep in. Oh, tomorrow is Saturday? Definitely I'll sleep in. Click the image to enlarge it.

Some text

The 1980s-era Winchester Burley bicycle trailer I've been using for a few months finally packed it in today. A steel tube ripped. This steel tube was welded at a right-angle to both tube segments which held the wheel axles. It ripped just below the welded join with the axle tube for the left wheel. It took a good hour for the tube to rip all the way through. As the rip progressed there was less-and-less to hold the left wheel at a right-angle to the road surface; the loaded trailer box was pushing down, and the unbraced axle couldn't maintain a right-angle, and was hinging upwards, driving the top of the wheel towards the side of the trailer box.

I'm on my third second-hand cargo bike trailer, and my third bicycle, in three years, but still on my first Burley Classic Connector. Axles have broken; aluminum tubes have sheared, steel tubes have ripped; welds have broken; parts have been un-gettable. The twp parts which have outlasted everything else, were the ones supposed to break first -- the Classic Connector with it's Flexible Connector to the trailer arm, from my first Burley trailer, a 1990 Burley Roo. Both parts were original to the 20-year-old trailer when I got it in 2010. For one reason or another, I've used that same 1990 connectors on each subsequent trailer. I expect to soon ditch my current rusty steel Winchester trailer , for a slightly newer, less rusty Winchester -- which doesn't have a hitch connector, so I'll be using the 23-year-old connectors again.

Every evening, before I go to bed, in my cosy parkade, I tuck in my bike and trailer. The trailer gets a bed of newsprint, to catch drips from the, hopefully, massive load of returnable bottles, and cans, neatly bagged, and tied on the trailer -- it's just good manners, it's not my property, after all.

This evening, the last broadsheet, to go in the most important, potentially drippiest, place, turned out to be a double-truck ad from Apple, saying how the "Designed by Apple in Cupertino" statement, branding all their products, is the signature of all the engineers, and artists, and people at the company, and how it means everything (the fact the stuff's made in China means nothing).The ad copy also explains that they design their stuff to enhance "each life it touches" -- it's so true! You don't even need to have an Apple product for the wizards in Cupertino to make your life better! Thanks Apple. Cllick on the images to enlarge them.

"My God — it's full of stars!"

OK, it doesn't really remind us of Bowman's exclamation in 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), so maybe we're full of it, but I liked the the juxtaposition, particularly as I found the cart just exactly as you see it. It wasn't there this morning, so I would guess, by now, if anything, it's full of bottles. Binners who rely on the kindness of strangers for the tools of their trade, moan these days that shopping carts are getting hard to come by.

A shopping cart binner once tried to tell me, quite earnestly, that shopping carts were only rated to hold 40 pounds-or-so, as opposed to the 100 pounds for a standard bicycle trailer, such as mine. I laughed at him -- welded, steel wire shopping carts should be able to carry several hundred pounds, perhaps up to 1000 pounds! I would prefer we called them shopping trolleys, like in most Commonwealth countries, but I also think bike trailers should be bike carts, because I grew up understanding that a cart had two wheels -- current definitions say two or four. Click the images to enlarge them.

Yesterday the 1980s-era Burley trailer got re-tired then the left wheel bearings went. I wrote in a post, I'd switch to the damaged, 1990s-era, Burley trailer; instead, I've tried hard to fix the 1980s Burley. I said tried, not succeeded.

The ancient, rusty, 1980s, Burley brand, steel-tube bicycle trailer I bought from Steve for $20 CAN has been, in the short time I've had it, quite a handful, but it's been worth it as well, more than paying for itself. Previously the hitch arm broke in stages, and finally I mated a double tubed aluminium hitch arm from a 1990 Burley, which has worked like a charm for weeks now. Then I put on "new" old tires, and saw the left tire wear down to thread in under two weeks -- an old school trailer binner saw this as a sure sign the left wheel axle was bent. I stuck a bald old tire on the left wheel, and got three weeks out of it, so I wasn't convinced it was a bent axle.



I wanted to replace both tires at the same time, and the best option I found today was a set of Duro Fantasy tires. meant for a BMX bike. They are very substantial, and I've never seen their tread style before. On they went, and I was thinking, there's one problem solved.

[caption id="attachment_2719" align="alignright" width="213"] Close but no cigar! This soft white plastic olive oil bottle pour spout had good fit characteristics, but not the necessary rigidity, or strength.[/caption]

Ten blocks later, and bits in the hub of the left wheel which fill the gap between the axle and the wheel, were noticeable by their sudden absence -- I backtracked the ten blocks, but no "bits" to be seen. Filling the gap in the hub could be a stop-gap measure, if one could lock those bits in place -- this would keep the wheel from trying to slide part-ways off the axle. Closest I came to that was with a snap-in pour-end from an olive oil bottle. If it had been made a bit thicker, it may have worked. As it was, it popped out after three blocks. A locking washer could possibly work. I have to say that I much prefer Burley's 1990s trailer designs. Thirty years may be too long to expect a steel tube trailer to maintain it's structural integrity, what with rust and metal fatigue.

I was able to hang on to the damaged, aluminium-tubed trailer, this steel trailer was meant to replace. I'll likely try to squeeze a bit more work out of it while I see if I can get a replacement wheel for the steel trailer. I need tires for the aluminium trailer wheels, but, of course, I have those now. Click the images to enlarge.

The new-old trailer's younger brother, and those great DURO-ble tires

August 3, 2013 update --  I'm now fairly sure this 1980s-era trailer was made by a company called Winchester, rather than Burley, because I just hauled a trailer frame out of a dumpster, with an identical bed construction, and paint job, but with drop-outs for the wheels, and a double-tubed hitch arm -- it looks like an "evolved" version of the trailer I have, and it's labelled: "Winchester Touring Designs." Haven't found much info on them, but their steel trailers had a reputation for being heavy, being able to carry a big load, and rusting like crap -- sounds about right. The Duro Fantasy 20-inch BMX tires are great! The bike shop I frequent gave me a 15 per cent discount on them, so they cost about $46 CAN, and they were definitely worth it. "Duro" suggests durable, and they are that. Not a sign of wear after one month, which is saying something for tires on a cargo trailer.

[caption id="attachment_2542" align="alignnone" width="497"] The bike racks outside MEC on West Broadway, today. Click the image to enlarge it.[/caption]

I earn money by binning. I use a bicycle, with a bike trailer, to collect beverage containers to recover the deposit -- keeping my ride is a matter of being able to support myself,  so naturally I take bike security seriously.

Some basic suggestions:

• Make your bike less attractive to steal than someone else’s.


• Choose a security routine you can follow like a second nature.


• Lock both wheels -- Use a long, 11-inch U-lock and a chain, or two short U-locks. Whatever.


• Ask at a decent bike store about locking bike skewers, which can make it that much harder for thieves to take your wheels.


• If you lock your bike up outside overnight, get six feet of transport chain and a mini U-lock, which always stays locked to the railing or pole where you lock the bike.


• Don't leave easily removable do-dads on your bike, like lights, unless you are in a gift-giving mood.

On my way to bed, after an entertaining evening of binning, meeting the locals, talking with them, rooting through their garbage, I felt a disturbance in the ether. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw the trailer's hitch arm had ripped quite a bit where the original weld break had left a big oval hole. At that spot the arm was bending, rather, folding sideways -- hard to describe, but an untenable situation, to be sure. One hour later, using, a handful of hose clamps, and one re-purposed pair of steel salad tongs, out of a nearby dumpster, I'd effected a patch which got the trailer to my sleeping spot, and then to the bottle depot today. I was lucky about the salad tongs -- cheap, stamped out stainless steel -- I flattened one half into a thinner, more rigid strip; I was aiming to use it to both splint the tube, and transfer force from the tube to the frame.

I made it to the depot. A binner, noticing the desperate fix, paid me a compliment, "Way to MacGyver it!" The patch job failed just as I made the two additional blocks to my storage locker. Whew! I dug out of my locker, the double tubed, aluminium hitch arm I had kept from my first trailer. I'd already worked the installation through in my head last night. I need to add some larger diameter hose clamps in the front. This is, to my mind, a superior hitch arm design. The double tubing forms a right angle connection to the trailer frame,  meaning greater strength, rigidity, and better transfer of force from the arm to the frame.

This rust-bucket trailer is apparently a very old kind of Burley trailer. My previous two aluminium tubed trailers were Burley also. The first, I found out, was a 1990 "Roo;" with a neat, never-repeated, wheel quick-release system. That was the best, and strongest of the three, but I couldn't source new wheels. The double-tubed hitch arm, and the Burley "classic" connector, on the end of the arm, are from that 1990 trailer. New Burley trailers do not impress me. This is something, I think, you should only buy second-hand.

[caption id="attachment_1695" align="alignnone" width="497"] "Who's this goober taking my picture?" wonders a visibly sceptical Zoey.[/caption]



What are the chances? While I beavered away over a McCoffee, writing the post about Mad Dog's bicycle side-car trailer, I look up to see another bicycle side-car trailer. I've previously only ever seen Mad Dog's custom-built side-car trailer. The idea has fascinated me for years, but I've never seen, or heard, or Googled, of a commercial product -- until now.

Zoey's father -- whose name escapes me but I remember it ends with an "O" -- told me he's been fascinated by the idea also. The one he has is made by Chariot; he bought it online. He's had it for under a year, I think, and likes it a lot. Zoey indicated that she likes it fine also. The operative, engineering ingredient is the way it attaches to the bottom bracket of the bike. Dad says it's easy to connect and disconnect. I noted that Zoey is remarkably close to the road, and must have an interesting view. Click the images to enlarge them.

The trailer is branded on the tube closest to the viewer with a sticker saying "SC Sidecarrier." Chariot made it, but they do not appear to sell it any more. So, I guess "dad" bought it online from Amazon, or ebay.

I'm tearing East on 7th Avenue, almost to the bottle depot. I pay attention to my surroundings, I'm a good cyclist -- there's a few cars behind me, some oncoming traffic. On the sidewalk, pacing me, there's a dog in a side-car, armed with a machine gun. ... Okay, I'm armed with a camera.

Gary is out for a ride with his dog Yoda, who has the look of a dog accustomed to travelling in style. Gary is better known a Mad Dog, a multimedia artist, with deep roots in the Vancouver arts and music scene going back to the late 1970s local Punk scene.

Mad Dog built this one-of-a-kind side-car, for his not-mad dog Yoda,  from an old tin baby buggy. You can see an earlier incarnation of it on his Facebook page. He makes this sort of stuff for both his living, and his art. The fit and finish of the work is impressive, and displays all kinds of serious know-how. It's so, uncompromisingly great, on so many levels: concept, engineering, workmanship, steampunk, badass-attitude, sense-of-humour, and don't the ladies just love it! Click the images to enlarge them.

An interview with Mad Dog from vice.com ►

Another side-car-style bicycle trailer ►

[caption id="attachment_1537" align="alignnone" width="497"] A flexi-hosed, screw-on-the-stem, metal mini-pump; fat plastic tire levers; glueless patches, with no felt marker in sight. Click image to enlarge.[/caption]

What causes bicycle tire flats? Riding your bicycle does! The more your ride, the more flats you'll get, so get the kind of gear that makes repairing flat tires as trivial as possible. Most everyone knows the basics: little rubber patches, sandpaper, contact cement, fifteen minutes, and an air-pump, and away you go. There's more than one right way to do the job, so I'm not going to tell anyone what to do. I going to explain some of what I do.

1. Mini-pump with metal body, flexible hose, and screw-on connector

Cheaply-priced, cheaply-made, plastic mini-pumps, with snap levers that friction-fit onto the valve stem, are false economy. They don't last; the friction-fit is finicky, awkward in the dark, and progressively more impossible as your tire size drops below 26-inches, like with kid's bike, or a trailer -- 20-inch tires, depending on the rim style may still offer enough clearance for the lever, but 16-inch tires likely won't.

By contrast, I use a mini-pump style modelled on the traditional floor pump: The connector, on the end of a flexible hose, screws onto the valve stem, and the whole thing is made of metal. They are not that expensive and have real advantages:

• Screw-on connector is fool-proof. You can do it with your eyes closed.


• The flexible hose allows you to easily make a connection on smaller tires, and keeps the cylinder out of the spokes altogether, for easy pumping.


• Metal construction makes them so much more durable.

More than one company makes this style of pump, but a Lezyne hand pump is as good as it gets, for about $80 CDN. I had a Lezyne for many years, similar to the HP Pressure Drive model. My current pump, pictured above, is an older style of Topeak's RaceRocket Mini Pump. I've had it for about two years and it's maybe as good as the Lezyne was, and it was two-thirds the cost.

2. Fat plastic tire levers -- can you say Pedro's?

Some nylon tires have such a thick rim bead that real force is required to pop  them off the rim. Metal tire levers (which are making a weird comeback) really can rip a tube, and plastic levers will just fold, like taffy, unless they are big, and thick -- so get big, thick, plastic tire levers. I love Pedro's tire levers. They work so well; they're easy to see in low light, and they snap together.

3. Glueless patches

Imagine a future where you can fix a flat in well under five minutes -- two minutes, if all goes well; no messing with contact cement, waiting ten or twenty minutes for it to cure (tick... tick... tick...). I live in that future. I use glueless patches. There are many, many, brands, and they all work the same: Insure the puncture area is clean; roughen with included sandpaper/scraper; apply patch, and press-and-hold for 60 seconds; done.

I'm using Felzer Zippy glueless patches (12 patches for $5 CDN at Mountain Equipment Co-op). I've been using glueless exclusively, for over two years, with fewer problems than the traditional method. Still, it's controversial. MEC's own customer review page for the  Felzer glueless patches they sell, gives the product a negative rating.

"X" marks the hole

Normally I also carry a red or green permanent ink marker, for the sole purpose of marking the puncture, which I find by pumping up the tube, and rotating it slowly, very close to my cheek, so I can feel the escaping air -- looks damn silly, but it works. The marker sounds trivial, but I missed it last night, when I was fixing a trailer tire flat. You can skip a lot of this falderal, if you have the capacity to carry a spare tube, in addition to your tire patching gear.

I hope this fix can hold the damaged trailer hitch arm for a while -- the real solution involves a new hitch arm, and some welding, or a different trailer. The short, T-joint tube seems indispensable to this design, so I've made two small, perpendicular hacksaw cuts in the tube, top and bottom, just wide enough to thread a hose clamp though; the hose clamp then, well, clamps the T-tube to the hitch arm. The pictures are better than words. Click the images to enlarge them.

The hitch arm fails completely! ►

I was warned about the new-old trailer -- Toad told me that the hitch arm would probably break before anything else. So it was, but perhaps not how either he or I expected. The break occurred where a short piece of tube, is welded perpendicular to the hitch arm. This forms a T-bar, which fits into a frame tube, so as to keep the hitch arm from being able to pitch or yaw. It was the weld that broke. A "field" repair using six hose clamps should, I hope, hold well enough until I can make a long-term fix. This tells me that all the welds on this rusty old trailer are potentially suspect. Click on the animated image above to see a larger still.

Update on fixing the hitch arm ►

[caption id="attachment_1271" align="alignnone" width="497"] At first glance it looks the same, because the box is the dominant feature. Oh, BTW, that's how to lock up a bike and trailer![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1272" align="alignright" width="251"] Little donuts of rust![/caption]

The soap opera of the broken bicycle trailer may be nearing an end. Here is the box from the old trailer on top of the "new" frame. I've done the bare minimum -- cut off four vertical corner struts, so the box would lie flat on the frame. The wheels should easily come off the frame with the release of a cotter pin; that's not happening -- they're probably rusted in. Hopefully lubricant and a hammer will fix that. Then I'll change the tires. I want to replace the wheels, but that will have to wait. I need the working trailer to earn money so I can work on the trailer.  Click the images to enlarge.

[caption id="attachment_1200" align="alignleft" width="150"] Bit rusty, but a good deal. Click image to enlarge.[/caption]

I've bought this off Steve. It's a different style of construction from the current trailer.

✓ Steel tubing -- better than the aluminum!
✓ wheels on full axle, not drop-outs -- looks strong
✗ Spring hitch connector -- have to change that
✗ Single-tubed hitch arm -- makes me nervous