Now available: Our new overrun braking system
For some applications, an overrun brake on a bicycle trailer is a real safety bonus. The third generation of the 3.0 overrun brake turns the conventional design of bicycle trailers on its head and improves everything.
The overrun braking system from Hinterher
Starting now, you can order any Hinterher bike trailer with a coaster brake system upon request. This is especially useful for the larger models, which can carry very heavy loads. Our Overrun Brake System 3.0 consists of a specially developed drawbar and two wheels equipped with the XL-SD 90 drum brake from Sturmey Archer. If you slow down sufficiently on your bike, an integrated overrun brake mechanism is triggered, bringing the trailer to a smooth stop—regardless of the performance of your bike’s brakes.
Technical data
drawbar integrated brake mechanism for automatic braking of the bicycle trailer (removable)
Heavy-duty wheels with powerful XL-SD 90 drum brake from Sturmey Archer (removable)
Integrated parking function
Integrated brake booster
Cargo tires Pick Up by Schwalbe
Designed for a total weight of +100 kg
Price
From approx. €1,425 incl. VAT as a DIY kit.
The DIY kit contains all chassis parts, including the overrun brake mechanism. When ordering together with a trailer, the corresponding components included in the basic equipment of the respective trailer are deducted and all parts are assembled by us.
Order
The overrun brake can be configured for some models in our shop, but in theory, it could also be installed on almost all of our other models. If you're interested, feel free to contact us directly. For DIY builders, the overrun brake is also available separately.
details
Turned upside down
When developing our overrun brake, we focused on fundamental physical difficulties: the drawbar of a bicycle trailer forms a considerable lever arm due to its length and curved shape. The resulting forces do not act centrally on the trailer, but asymmetrically on one side. Standard overrun brakes are located under the trailer, where the drawbar is mounted. However, this is precisely where the strongest forces act, inhibiting the mobility of the mechanism and significantly impairing its function, especially with heavy or unevenly distributed loads.
After careful analysis, we have reversed this principle – both literally and in terms of design. The moving part of our overrun brake is now located directly at the tip of the drawbar, where it attaches to the bicycle. At this point, there are hardly any disruptive lever forces, which means that the mobility of the brake mechanism is maintained in every riding situation – even with a heavy load.
Special sliding sleeves
One of the secrets of our overrun brake is the specially manufactured sliding sleeves inside the system. After testing numerous products available on the market, we (unfortunately) had no choice but to have a special sliding sleeve with defined material properties manufactured to ensure that our overrun brake works reliably.
industrial design
Our new overrun braking system was largely influenced by our industrial designer Samuel Simoni in collaboration with Hinterher Peter Hornung. For us, good industrial design is a key component in the development of new components. It improves functionality and also simplifies manufacturing. Last but not least, good design makes a component easier to understand and more accessible, both during assembly and later use.
parking brake
The overrun brake has a parking function. The safety pin, which normally connects the drawbar the coupling, can be inserted into the hole provided when uncoupling from the bicycle, thereby activating the integrated stop function. And the trailer no longer rolls away.
Robust & removable
The advantages of drum brakes come into their own with braked bike trailers. The wheel is significantly less sensitive than with disc brakes and can be removed from the bike trailer with just one click. A sensitive brake disc can quickly bend in the rough everyday use of a trailer. We install the largest available drum brakes, the XL-SD 90 from Sturmey Archer, which offer maximum cooling and braking surface. In addition, we use PickUp tires from Schwalbe, robust hollow chamber rims, and reinforced stainless steel spokes.
FAQ on the topic of overrun brakes
Do I need a overrun brake on my bike trailer? It depends. We recommend our overrun brake for commercial use when riding with very heavy loads and powerful e-bikes on a regular basis. Of course, there are other scenarios where an overrun brake system makes sense, such as in areas with specific topographical features or when required by law for certain weights, which we have thankfully been able to prevent in Germany.
We have continuously refined our overrun braking system over many years. It is now in its third and completely revised generation. It stands out for its high functionality, compact design, and very easy maintenance.
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An overrun brake is a technical device on the trailer that automatically brakes it without any action from the rider, when the towing bicycle decelerates strongly enough. The bicycle stops, but the trailer still wants to move forward, and it's precisely this 'forward movement' that allows the trailer to essentially apply its own brake. This is a great feature, especially since heavy trailers can push quite a bit from behind when braking. An overrun brake is therefore a significant safety advantage for certain uses. However, it's important to know that an overrun brake does not automatically reduce the load on the bicycle's brakes. The overrun brake only detects that it should also brake when the bicycle brakes strongly enough. If the overrun brake mechanism were set too softly, the brake would activate in unwanted situations, as there are constant speed differences between the bicycle and the bike trailer during riding.
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This question isn't so easy to answer, because the total weight of the bike trailer and its load is just one factor to consider. Other factors include your speed, the terrain, your own weight, how often you use the trailer, and your general willingness to adapt your riding style to the conditions. As a general rule, however, you can safely ride a trailer that is rarely loaded with heavy weights (i.e., 80–100 kg) as long as it has good bicycle brakes and you ride carefully.
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We’ve conducted extensive in-house braking tests with our bike trailers. In doing so, we’ve found that weight distribution is the most important factor in safely braking a bike trailer. If your bike weighs at least as much as the entire bike trailer, you can safely brake the trailer using good bike brakes. We tested speeds of 15 km/h and 25 km/h. Of course, when riding on public roads, you must always take into account the prevailing conditions, such as road surface, weather, and traffic.
It becomes a problem when the bike trailer is significantly heavier than you and your bike combined. In that case, it will push you sharply to the side when you brake. Still, almost all bike trailers in Germany are used without a overrun brake. Furthermore, bike trailers haven’t appeared in accident statistics for decades. If you use your common sense, you can get a lot done with a bike trailer while staying safe on the road.
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The total weight of the bike trailer plays a role in determining whether a trailer brake is absolutely necessary. However, we believe that this question is not the most important factor. What is more decisive in everyday use is how often very heavy loads are transported and how fast. Private users of bike trailers are usually less pressed for time than people who use trailers for commercial purposes. They can sometimes ride their bike trailer slowly and carefully with 80 or 100 kg without a overrun brake, e.g. when moving house or transporting heavy items to the bulky waste collection. It goes without saying that you have to ride more carefully in these situations. Commercial users should also adjust their driving style, not least because all components are subjected to excessive strain when driving at full speed over sidewalks or potholes. But those who are constantly on the road with heavy loads and powerful e-bikes for work cannot and do not want to drive slowly all the time. For this target group in particular, a overrun brake is a safety bonus and an investment that is proportionate to the intensity of use.
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In January 2024, we learned that the federal government is planning to tighten the STVZO regulations regarding bicycle trailers. According to these plans, bicycle trailers with a total weight of 50 kg or more would be required to have a overrun braking system. We fought back against this completely nonsensical and unnecessary tightening of regulations with a high-profile campaign in industry associations and cycling forums. And it worked. Dedicated cyclists supported us with a petition drive, the press reported on our efforts, and the Ministry of Transportation backed down. You can download our comprehensive statement from that time here :
You can read press coverage here:And here you can read the discussions in the forum community:
How the overrun brake came about
Design, planning, prototype construction, testing—many steps were necessary before our new overrun brake took its final form.
Favorable conditions
Over the years, we had continuously optimized and adapted our old overrun brake system. But it was only with the development of the new heavy-duty stainless steel Hinterher in 2023 that completely new possibilities suddenly opened up for the overrun brake. The performance of this coupling system and the matching drawbars form the basis for a heavy-duty overrun brake system. This made it possible to move the overrun brake mechanism from its unfavorable position under the trailer closer to the bicycle. This may sound like a minor detail, but it is of great technical significance: the lever forces, bending moments, and frictional resistance that occur are significantly reduced—and the entire system becomes more compact and efficient.
prototype construction
The photo above shows some of the development steps in prototype construction that led to the current result. Prototype development and construction, testing, graphic implementation in conjunction with product design, photography, and design are all carried out entirely in-house with the involvement of many competent team members.
The photo above shows some of the development steps. Compared to the final version of the overrun brake, the integration of the various functions into just a few components and the resulting reduction in the external shape are particularly striking. However, the biggest challenge was the inner workings of the overrun brake. Here, several components move into each other in a complex interaction that requires a great deal of care and precise coordination of a wide variety of manufacturing tolerances, both in design and in production and assembly.
A team effort
The interaction of all components is extremely complex, even though it may seem simple in the end. Geometry, mechanics, knowledge of materials, state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, and the consideration of numerous manufacturing tolerances can really make your brain smoke. Last but not least, the spatial visualization of which of the milled grooves of the two interlocking tubes and internal parts are in which displacement state and in which position relative to each other is quite a mental challenge.
It wasn't just us who were racking our brains, but our suppliers too. The overrun brake mechanism, which looks so harmless and inconspicuous from the outside, requires parts manufactured specifically for it by no fewer than ten different companies. Despite high-precision manufacturing methods and coordinated tolerances, it still requires a final manual fine-tuning. Only then do all the components fit together perfectly.
On prices and values
When we develop new components, we do not do so with the goal of designing solutions that are particularly expensive or particularly cheap. A supposedly marketable retail price calculated in advance may be the primary guideline elsewhere, from which calculations are worked backward. We, on the other hand, take a different approach: We ask what is needed to advance bicycle transport and what will prove itself in practice—in the hand, in use, in everyday life. In a sense, this is ultimately, of course, also a form of product strategy that has, regrettably, become increasingly rare in our economy.
Our solutions and ideas are, of course, based on certain concepts and values. With our roots in craftsmanship, we view our bike racks and their components first and foremost as high-quality tools. Tools that are designed to be optimally suited to their purpose and simplified for the function they are meant to fulfill. It may seem paradoxical that this very approach requires a particularly complex development and manufacturing process—but it isn’t. Because simplicity only emerges when you go through many painful (and expensive) extra steps during the development process.
Of course, we, too, must be cost-conscious. But when it comes to the core values of our work—functionality, material quality, durability, honest advice, and reliable service—we make no compromises.
We manufacture in small batches, almost exclusively in Germany, with partners who share our commitment to quality. For all of you who are passionate about high-quality tools and have had enough of superficial quality promises: Welcome to the circle of like-minded people.