Faltos trailer with elevated frame: Smart bike transport solution Part 1

After eight years with the VW Transporter, the electric-car future has arrived for me with the Skoda Elroq - and with it a few logistical challenges. As if by a twist of fate, a press release from the company Faltos landed in my inbox at the same time, announcing that the Faltos trailer is now also available with a high tarpaulin. Suddenly I had lots of ideas about how to improve the logistics of our bike transport and our photoshoots - and how the Faltos opens up many more possibilities without having to rent a huge garage or your own parking space where a large trailer would then stand unused 95% of the time.

Why a trailer is the ideal solution for us is quickly explained: In the VW Transporter with the double cab the bikes were safely stowed, but with more than one bike you had to remove the front wheels. That did provide space for up to 6 e-MTBs, however this procedure came with several major drawbacks: first, the frequent loading and unloading during shoots becomes really tedious (especially with bikes over 25 kg); second, in everyday life you often end up alone in a fairly large vehicle, which even when driven frugally still consumes about 8 liters of diesel per 100 km.

A car, whether electric or not, offers significantly more everyday practicality and comfort. After an extensive comparison with the Renault Kangoo and the Mercedes T‑Class, we decided on the Skoda Elroq, because despite its larger volume the Kangoo remains too much of a compromise for me.

In the short time with the new car it has already become clear that for frequent trips with one or two bikes the rear rack is unbeatable in terms of handling. For longer distances, with more than two bikes, for photo shoots or transporting larger loads, the Faltos is the ideal solution for our purposes. Before we turn to the technical data and practical experience with the Faltos, we’ll briefly compare the different transport systems.

Bicycle transport comparison

• Minimalists: roof- or rear-mounted carrier
• Practical users: trailer (especially foldable)
• Frequent users / travel: van
• Occasional solution: toss the bike into the car

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The concept became known through its inventor Ulrich Müller, who had already recognized the problems many trailer owners face, and through a TV show in 2018. As practical a trailer is—especially for small cars—its storage is often a problem, particularly when it sits unused most of the time. Since then the Faltos idea has been continuously developed. Today Faltos is not just a foldable trailer, but rather a modular and smart transport system.

The new raised frame is conceived as a system extension, with the basic folding mechanism remaining the central concept. With it, Faltos aims to achieve exactly the balancing act that fails with many trailers: more volume and weather protection without making the trailer permanently bulky. The combination of a folding trailer and a foldable raised frame as a technical solution is also patent-pending.

All around the new elevated rack, Faltos offers plenty of additional clever accessories: various tarpaulins, nets and cargo-securing solutions, or a safety box for the coupling. In addition, support legs for loading while stationary or universal carriers, if you want to secure the bikes to the trailer like on a classic roof-mounted bike rack. As a next step, a sidewall extension was also announced, which is to be mounted on the existing side walls.

With a maximum permissible total weight of 750 kg, the Faltos is, in the eyes of the law, a "light trailer" and can therefore always be towed with a Class B driving licence, regardless of the weight of the towing vehicle. The only requirement is that the vehicle's trailer load rating is sufficient and that the maximum permissible total weight of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes. In addition, the total mass of an unbraked trailer (including cargo) may be at most half the unladen mass of the towing vehicle plus 75 kg (2:1 rule).

The Faltos is an ingenious and, above all, smart transport vehicle for bicycles, motorcycles and much more. Folding works in no time even in stormy conditions like during our photo shoot - even when you have to move the trailer on your own. The loading area not only provides space for the Bikestow 4 and the corresponding high-end bikes from our review, but is also large enough to serve as inspiration for many other transport solutions. Thanks to the raised frame with tarpaulin cover, the bikes are protected from wind, weather and prying eyes.

For the long-term review I will still order the support legs that make loading and unloading the trailer easier when it is not attached to a vehicle. I'm also looking for a smart security solution (camera, alarm system, AirTag, reversing camera, etc.) in case the trailer is left unattended for a short time - tips are always welcome! In the next episodes I will also introduce the Bikestow in detail as well as the Thule Epos carrier, and in the autumn there will be another update on how the Faltos has performed.