Is $50 for a bike trailer a good price?
 

Another thread reminded me of this, so I did a search:

BABY TRAILER INSTEP
http://images.craigslist.org/00y0y_8...Ja_600x450.jpg

Let's see, gas is $3.45, and let's say that I get 40 MPG city, although the grocery store is two miles away.

$50 / $3.45 = 14.49 gallons * 40 MPG = 579.7 miles.
So, not counting the 26.2 miles each way to the person selling the trailer, I will break even once I get groceries 145 times! :D

If I use it once weekly, that would only require two years, nine months, 13.5 days!

However, that also saves wear-and-tear on my car, and since I do my own maintenance, that takes forever!

Offer $40. I think I would pay $50 for that if I needed one.

If you can bide your time, I see them free on Craigslist somewhat regularly.

Don't forget to factor in the health benefits.

Though the exercise may make you hungrier, which will require you to spend more on groceries...

Do an ABA test!

I wouldn't pay 50 for that like frank said you can get them free all the time or find a bike in the garbage and make your own. Not that hard to do but that's just me and I like tinkering with stuff.

I actually saw somebody towing a bike trailer like that with a Mazda Miata today on the interstate as I crossed into Iowa last night! It was bouncing all over the place and the plastic or mesh covering was deforming badly. I imagine the trailer did not survive the rest of the trip, but the driver exited onto I29 North while I frantically tried to get as many lanes away from them as possible.

Anywhoo...back on topic a bit. I wouldn't pay $50 for one unless I desperately needed on RIGHT NOW. I see them pretty regularly on yard/rummage sales for less than half what he is asking. I also imagine you could build a better/stronger (possibly lighter) unit for $50 that would be the exact dimensions that you needed. Plus you could make it waterproof, something that is handy because it always seems to rain when I get my bike out.

From what I have learned from this site, I would rather have a longer and narrower trailer.

Here are a few DIY trailers if you're interested. I don't know what tools or equipment you have but these are some I found

Simple No-Weld Bike Trailer

Park and Beach Bicycle Trailer

Biga, the bike trailer

Honestly, I like the no-weld trailer, but if I did manage to make it for less than the trailer that I posted, the time and energy involved would end up being much more. I set up RSS alerts through Opera, so hopefully, I will see anything that pops up.

I keep thinking that if I could find a cheap hand truck with busted wheels it would make a great base. The height with hand truck wheels would be ideal, especially for hauling our three five-gallon water jugs, but bike tires seem like they would work much better.

Then there is the entire issue of whether I could pull it faster and with less effort if I aero-modded it! :D

Back to de-powering my steering. Hopefully sleep does not interfere further.

Something to consider is whether or not you'll actually use it. If you don't use it because its hotter than hell out, then its not a worthwhile investment. If I didn't have an ebike, there's no way I'd be biking to work when its 90F or higher.