Often used to haul water for a few months by placing a rubber mat on the bottom to cover the steel grating so that the seven gallon plastic container wouldn't slide around while riding. Nashbar's optional cargo net worked very well to hold the water container in place. I am not recommending that the trailer be regularly pushed beyond the 40lb. weight rating, I'm simply sharing this information for others buying decisions as some reviewers have claimed the welds break.  Well, I haven't had that happen with mine and I have routinely placed 50 to 60 lbs.in it without a problem.

I have had a Nashbar cargo trailer for several years and have been very pleased with its performance.  Using this trailer to serve a variety of cargo carrying needs of bicycle touring and commuting.  For use with food delivery, touring and camping to stacking wood pallets on it.  The latter is not recommended, I had put a small dent on top of the fender from the weight of the pallets and definitely put more than the 40 lbs. capacity the trailer is rated at.

I have been having fun with this little trailer and several years ago made signs to advertise my bike repair business.  Worked well parked at the grocery store and served as a nice conversation piece with many complements from folks.  The first photo shows this trailer filled with organic produce and other items when I used it for making food deliveries for our local organic food co-op. 

This trailer performs best for the original use I had intended it for, which is bike touring and camping.  I have a waterproof roll top velcro bag that fits snug when packed for overnight trips and with the cargo net stretched over the bag it rides very nice.  The trick is to pack the weight in the trailer for the lowest center of gravity and placing the heavier items in the center for wheel tracking.  
 A common issue folks complain about when getting a single wheel trailer is while connecting and disconnecting the trailer to and from the bike.  It's a nuisance to hold the bike upright or laying the bike down while trying to connect a loaded trailer.  If your'e building a touring bike or for bike commuting I recommend the Pletscher two legged kickstand that folds up to one side and is made in Switzerland.  It is a very well made design and has served me well over the years.  Parts and accessories for these types of projects can be found at Jenson USA,( click on banner ad at left to shop their site).  Hope this review helps with your purchasing of a bicycle trailer.
Cheers!

9/3/13  It has been brought to my attention that the two wheeled Croozer Cargo Trailer appears to be replacing the single wheeled nashbar trailer described in this article.  Click on the link provided for information or to purchase.  Is Very well reviewed.

Bubby recently learned better cooperation on his leash while I hop on the bike to exercise him as he needs to run quite a bit.  One night I brought to our local pub riding the Dahon Mariner and while approaching an intersection on a cobble sidewalk he suddenly decided to bolt left just as I was going off the curb with the front wheel and ya, you guessed it, I hit the pavement pretty hard, no stitches needed.  He's fun, makes us laugh, looks out for things, he's just such a good boy, we love him.

This was another one of those projects that was tough to complete. Necessity of delicate torching so as not to bubble the paint at the head tube and once the fork was free heating the steer tube and using vice grips to remove the broken stem.
Proved to be worthwhile effort as the UNO stem used to replace the original stem provides a much more comfortable riding position for bike commuting or touring.
Cheers!

 This is a rare '81 Motobecane Prestige 58cm steel lugged frame with original Sachs Huret front and rear derailleurs, shifters and adjustable rear dropouts.  Found this bike stored at my cabin in Colorado when I went to visit earlier this spring.
Whether someone left it there for me to repair or just donated it is uncertain, though it certainly needed some attention as the cottered cranks were worn to the point that new pins wouldn't correct the crank arm alignment.  Also, the stem was seized inside the fork steer tube due to someone having over tightened the stem bolt so much that the wedge nut inside the steer tube had expanded and split the stem tube!
  I considered blowing off the project until I got to looking at the finer details of the bike's design.
  Original working generator with frame specific mounting bracket and spoke lock, under frame braze ons for the generator wire routing to front and rear lights is such a unique, practical and thoughtful touch on the part of building a commuter bicycle and combined with the chrome fenders and chrome rear rack complementing this commuter friendly 700c ride, I decided to restore the bike.
 The bottle generator is not at all like the after market versions we see today.  An integrated mounting plate is actually a part of the seat stay next to the keyed spoke lock. Lights work at a very low speed with less resistance than today's cheap after market stuff  and is very quiet.
  Schwalbe Marathon 700x32 tires work very well with the generator as the tires side walls are extremely durable.
  Replaced the original cottered crankset and bottom bracket with a chrome steel double chainring crankset with integrated chain guard and used a sealed cartridge bottom bracket.   Built with convenience of bicycle commuting in mind without necessity of stuffing a pant leg into a sock.  Practical note; Modern upgrades provide a more service friendly component group for other shops who may service this bike in the future.  Most of the parts and accessories for these projects can be found at Jenson USA, click on banner ad at right to shop their site.

  

This is a '60's Puch Bergmeister I found on its' way to the scrap metal yard.  Covered in rust, rust rigid
chain, bent fork steer tube, bent dropouts, broken stem shifters and corroded copper stem.

Reason for completing  this project is a simple appreciation of the frame's unique design including nicely shaped lugs, pump carrier brazing and the inner top tube cable routing for the rear brake. 

The fork steer tube needed to be straightened and a couple of stripped threads were carefully removed for the bearing cup nut to thread on properly.  During this project I discovered just how difficult it is to find any threaded steerer cable hangers as the original one was very rusted, pitted and I used it on another bike which also needed a cable hanger.  Using a dremel tool with a cutting wheel I was able to shape a cable hanger from another frame to fit.

This model of Puch Bergmeister originally had the copper frame but it was way too rusted and corroded to be salvaged, which led to the brushed and polished steel frame pictured here.  As a clear coat I used the Ever Brite product Protecta Clear and have had fairly good results for the very reasonable price of $19.95.  Anyone who has ever attempted a brushed and polished finish knows how difficult it can be to get good results without a lot of rust.  Here on the Texas Gulf Coast the humidity and salt air contributed a bit more of a challenge in keeping this frame rusting.  I had noticed some mild rust showing after a couple weeks and went over it with a quality car wax and that has worked very well. 

The long wheel base on this bike due in large part to the fork rake certainly doesn't make this the most nimble handling ride, certainly don't see a bike messenger zipping through traffic on this one but it rides straight and true and would make for a nice light touring bike.  I had considered a Brooks saddle and maybe even leather bar tape. I liked the original San Marco Toureur saddle and seat post for its' unique proprietary mounting.  I would have had to replace the seat post with clamp, glad I didn't.  Of course, new bar tape and non aero brake hoods.

Upgraded to 14 speed with 7 speed freewheel as I kept the 27 x 11/4 wheels to preserve authenticity and because I already had a front wheel of that size.  Original wing style nuts are a nice touch and they polished up very nicely.  Frame cable stops were used with 2 x 7 downtube shifters. Left friction and right indexed, which is the reason for the inexpensive SIS shimano derailleur but hey, it indexes nicely for smooth shifting. Most if not all of the parts and accessories for these types of projects can be found at Jenson USA as they regularly have discount sale prices, fast shipping and reliable service. I have provided a banner link for their site.

Replaced cottered crankset as it was severely rusted and pitted with Sunlite alloy double crankset, new kmc chain, freestyle block pedals and fenders to make this a fun commuter bike in style and functionality. The fenders are off of an old Schwinn Collegiate I found headed to the scrap metal yard along with this bike.  The fenders cleaned up very well and painted the fender stays with Rustoleum primer and paint.
I'm very pleased with how the hard work put into this project came to completion and have enjoyed riding it some.  However, this bike is for sale so I don't ride it too often.
Cheers!

Pictured is the copper alloy stem I was able to salvage as it was not bent just corroded with mild pitting and in no way effects ride performance or function.  An attractive part of the bike's style and era with vintage stem bell as a commuter friendly touch.