A BMX bicycle isn’t made to haul a trailer, but Jonathan Harr has fixed that.
A bicycle mechanic and automotive tire technician at Chad Jensen’s The Bicycle Shop on Main Avenue, his odd contraption — a BMX with a trailer — continues to draw a lot of attention during the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. This year, RAGBRAI will make its way across Iowa the last week of July, ending in Clinton on July 31.
“When people see a BMX with a trailer behind it, they take a second look,” Harr said of riding a bicycle that is shorter than others that ride alongside him. “It’s just what I’m comfortable on. I’m set in my ways.”
Harr, an Illinois native now living in Clinton, has ridden bicycle motocross since before he was a teenager, he said. “I did racing for a short time,” said Harr, but he didn’t have time to commit to it.
Harr likes long-distance rides, something most people use a road bike for, and is no stranger to long bike rides. He’s participated in a couple in Chicago and often rides to the Quad-Cities, a round trip of about 90 miles.