Until now, parents and gear-haulers who regularly use Chariot, B.O.B., or Burley trailers have been limited to doing so on bikes equipped with quick-release wheels. That all changes with the advent of the Robert Axle, which enables all of those – and more – to work on bikes with 142x12mm rear ends. As an added bonus, the Robert Axle will work with stationary trainers too.
The Robert Axle works like most 142x12mm thru-axle skewers – you simply thread it in and tighten it up – but in this case, the ends can also accept different adapters that will let you attach brackets for various trailers. Robert Axle currently lists axle models to fit nearly two dozen different bike brands, including Santa Cruz, Giant, Trek, Cannondale, Specialized and Yeti.
However, given that nearly all thru-axle-equipped bikes use one of just a few common dropout designs, there's a very good chance that the Robert Axle will work on an unlisted brand too.
Robert Axle makes the buying process brutally simple: start by picking your bike brand, and then choose the application that you'd like to adapt. Prices for most models hover around US$52 to 57 and Robert Axle will ship worldwide.
For more information, visit the Robert Axle Project website.