I had a queen-size mattress I didn’t need anymore, but it still had a few good years of life left in it. I asked around, “anyone want this before I get Bridging to come pick it up?”
Ian Buck said yes! And, in a move that sparked joy in my heart, he said, “I’ll borrow the big trailer I rode in at Open Streets and move it on that!”
Another friend connected the owner of the big trailer and Ian. The owner warned, it doesn’t connect if you have disc brakes… But the owner’s spouse is also a tall guy, so Ian borrowed a bike and trailer for the evening!
Then Ian got there and discovered the loaner bike was a single speed… and he was going to cross the river to Saint Paul, climbing the Marshall hill!! Fortunately for us all, he’s an absolute beast of a cyclist, and stepped up to the challenge.
Ian came up, helped me roll out the mattress to the trailer, and got advice from another person at the bike racks that our first and second ideas were going to catch wind like a sail.
So, we turned it flat, and used about 10 bungee cords to secure it to the trailer and a protective blanket to the top.
We thought a couple of dry thoughts for its journey to its new home to avoid getting rain on it, and off he went!
He took a corner a bit too fast and did an emergency dismount, taking a little breather to document.
Then, I’m given to understand, the rest of the trip went completely normally, and he and mattress are at their new home, only a little bit dusty for the ride.
We’re now both pretty convinced that there’s no piece of furniture he couldn’t haul on a bike.
Give me a bike trailer long enough and a bike on which to place it, and I shall move the world.