Bicycles

Expeditions ebike trailer lowers the floor instead of raising the roof

View 5 Images
The Swiss-made Expeditions Trailer with its legroom-extending, weight-bearing floor box deployed
Gentleman Style and World
The Expedition Trailers' seating/sleeping area
Gentleman Style and World
The extendable floor box also includes a storage compartment
Gentleman Style and World
The Swiss-made Expeditions Trailer with its legroom-extending, weight-bearing floor box deployed
Gentleman Style and World
The Expeditions Trailer rolls on 26-inch rims clad in fatbike tires
Gentleman Style and World
The rear fold-out kitchen
Gentleman Style and World
View gallery - 5 images

If you've gone and bought yourself a high-end ebike, you won't want to tow just any ol' bicycle-camping trailer behind it. With its lowerable floor, sharp lines and composite construction, the Expeditions Trailer may be just what you're looking for.

Each Expeditions Trailer is built to order by Swiss designer Gerhard Weber. Depending on individual clients' specifications, build materials may consist of carbon fiber, aramid fiber or plywood foam core paneling.

Unless otherwise stipulated, the full trailer measures 2,240 mm long by 1,150 mm tall by 900 to 1,200 mm wide (88 by 45 by 35 to 47 inches). And while a 38-kg (84-lb) model has been built, most examples tip the scales at around 55 kg (121 lb).

One of the Expedition's distinctive features is its hydraulic upward-opening side door – it's like a car's hatchback, but on the side. Plexiglass windows on both sides let the daylight in.

The Expedition Trailers' seating/sleeping area
Gentleman Style and World

Inside, an adjustable-angle padded seating area can be converted between sitting and sleeping configurations. In order to provide the necessary legroom for sitting, the trailer's floor can be lowered down to ground level.

The floor remains enclosed on the sides when lowered, so passers-by won't see the user's feet protruding from the bottom of the trailer, nor will cool breezes get in. Additionally, this arrangement allows much of the trailer's and user's weight to be transferred to the ground through the floor, so the wheel axle doesn't have to take all the strain.

The extendable floor box also includes a storage compartment
Gentleman Style and World

Other features include front and rear shelves, a rooftop air vent, a fold-out exterior kitchen in the rear, plus a battery-powered ceiling light and fan. Weber tells us that should clients wish, the Expeditions can also be equipped with a commode, heater, pull-out mini refrigerator and water tank – but of course, all that stuff will really increase the weight.

Needless to say, these trailers don't come cheap. A mid-range model will put you back about 8,000 Swiss francs (US$8,909), plus it will take anywhere from two to five months to build and ship. An off-road model is reportedly also in the works.

The build process for one of the trailers is outlined in the following video.

Source: Gentleman Style and World

View gallery - 5 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
6 comments
Brian M
Henry Ford would not be impressed by the production method although Heath Robinson might!
PAV
Considering the craftsmanship that goes into this that price is not so bad. I'm sure that somebody could come up with a more automated efficient way to make something similar and bring that cost down. It seems like something like this if you're going to be using it with an electric bike should also have its own electric motor and Battery system. The bike shouldn't necessarily have to pull the great big huge trailer but rather just guide it as it's self-propelled behind the bike. In fact I don't know if this would work very well because of the pushing but you could maybe just have the trailer have all the weight and just use a road bike, but I imagine just having a whole another motor and battery on the bike would be advantageous. Having all that battery power would be nice for lighting and other stuff in a solar panel on the roof would be helpful to top off the battery while you're parked. I tried watching that video and then that music was so bad that I just stopped watching I know I could have muted it but at that point I was like whatever.
1stClassOPP
Sorry, looks like a coffin to me. Not cool.
jerryd
Very nice! I've advocated doing just this dropping the floor in larger trailers to get standing headroom instead of popping the roof up causing all kinds of problems
Nelson
These guy's brains are going to be mush, fiberglassing without a resperator, that is beyond stupid.
Aross
As PAV said adding a motor and battery could be useful in the very least helping the bike on the uphills while recovering energy on the down hills. I'm not sure what useful purpose the rear spoiler provides.