Bike trailer on the cheap? Bin there, done that

We love cargo bikes, but they can be expensive to buy and tricky to store if you’re short on space so we set about creating a high-capacity bike trailer that would be easy to store in urban areas.

With a budget of £50 we bought a new 240-litre wheelie bin for £37, a length of 22 mm copper pipe for £11, a pipe fitting and a handful of nuts and bolts. The only tools we used were a hacksaw and a cordless drill. Eat your heart out, Scrapheap Challenge.

Watch our short film to see how we did it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaaE-yqgtDY&feature=youtu.be

The best thing about our creation apart from the cost, is when you're back home after shopping or the school run, you can simply park the wheelie bin trailer next to your real bins.

Cycle insurance for your bicycle and trailer

We believe a combination of bicycles and cargo bikes/trailers has the potential to radically transform our towns and cities for the better. Whatever type of bike you ride, if you need cycle insurance, give our friendly team a call or get an instant cycling insurance quote below.

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Our wheelie bin design is by no means the most unusual bicycle trailer idea of recent years. RCA graduate Daniel Durnin built an amphibious bike trailer as way of taking a sustainable micro break without venturing too far afield. “an escape from the stresses of city life, the Water Bed encourages users to find temporary respite in and reconnect with the city’s existing waterways and wildlife.”

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Win a cargo e-bike

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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