Hinterher Hmini Trailer Review :: Road Tests

Continuing on from his visit to Hinterher’s HQ, Berlin Muse puts the Hinterher Hmini trailer to the test with some unexpected carry challenges…

We didn’t know it then, but our new trailer was poised to become an unexpected saviour. For reasons too maddening and futile to describe here, we were given just ten days to move out of our apartment upon return to Berlin. We managed to sort fast refuge in a new place nearby – no mean feat in the busy Berlin summer – and rather that sweating over last-minute van hire, looked to the Hmini for all our moving needs.

Well, we moved our entire apartment using this little trailer – every crate, box and suitcase. Moving sucks at the best of times, but the convenience of this carry gem lessened the stress and held all our weight without complaint. Full marks from the outset.

As far as practicalities were concerned, attaching the hitch to our bikes was an effortless sitch (the only real downside was that our budget cycles looked immediately second-class compared to what was behind it).

“Well, we moved our entire apartment using this little trailer – every crate, box and suitcase.“

To contain our loads, a wooden Hinterher collapsible board was the perfect accessory, folding out neatly box-style in the tray. With some loads, we also stacked our gear in clusters sans wood, keeping everything intact with two tensioning belts, and a grooved rubber mat to prevent things sliding around underneath. Needless to say, we loaded this thing up to the hilt. Hinterher recommends no more than 45kg by bike (though the absolute upper load can reach more than 120kg).

“To contain our loads, a wooden Hinterher collapsible board was the perfect accessory, folding out neatly box-style in the tray.“

One of the trailer’s most alluring selling points is that it functions in three different carry configurations: as a flatbed bicycle trailer, a handcart and as a trolley. That, my friends, is a neat trick. Tilt it on its side, retract the collapsible shovel and stainless steel bow handle, and you’ve got a sack truck to lug your gear up and down a staircase. Click the towbar into the central triangular slit and wheel all your goods around by hand. Most impressively, the trailer packs down into a tight, space-saving unit, wheels clicking in to bed down neatly inside the tray, the rod retractable, the wooden box flat-packable. Impressed in Munich, this practical, and vital, real world experience in Berlin couldn’t help but boost early impressions tenfold.

“One of the trailer’s most alluring selling points is that it functions in three different carry configurations: as a flatbed bicycle trailer, a handcart and as a trolley.“

We weren’t alone, it seemed. In our many trips wheeling the trailer around town, we failed to keep up with the amount of glances the Hmini seemed to receive from passersby. This thing turned heads everywhere we went.

“Most impressively, the trailer packs down into a tight, space-saving unit, wheels clicking in to bed down neatly inside the tray, the rod retractable, the wooden box flat-packable.“

Summer in Berlin, as I’ve mentioned in other road tests, is one of the finest places on earth to dwell, made even more fabulous by being able to get around free and easy on two wheels. With four wheels, you’re well and truly cruising. Nights are long in a Berlin summer: cue lackadaisical twilights canalside with friends, listening to beats, sipping cold brews, bringing down the sun. With recreation spaces and parks en masse, coasting from space to space on your ride is paramount – so too, getting all your summertime kit around.

Though we let the summer get away from us this year, on one final day of legitimate Berlin sunshine, HK and I did what all smart Berliners do on a lazy weekend: grill up some cheap bratwursts on a budget supermarket-bought grill, and relax in the lush confines of a park by one of the few remaining Berlin Wall sentry towers. The Hmini effortlessly acquiesced to all our grill-party needs, including vintage wicker picnic basket, blanket, grill, and sundry amusements.

The following day, we headed down early to Kreuzberg’s Maybachufer Turkish market to stock up on our week’s worth of fresh produce. The market runs every Tuesday and Friday, and is one of the places to go in Berlin for good, cheap food, entertainment and people watching. As with the house move, and the grill party, the Hinterher weaved stealthily and steadily through the marketplace, accepting our obst und gemüse with effortless handcart-mode aplomb.

“The Hmini effortlessly acquiesced to all our grill-party needs, including vintage wicker picnic basket, blanket, grill, and sundry amusements.“

How we’d lived previous summers without this thing, we weren’t sure. It was coming in incredibly handy. And what of the impending winter? Our minds raced with the possibilities: snowsled chaperone, makeshift toboggan, an outdoor tray table for rugged-up grill parties.

Yes, we were smitten by this thing when it moved our apartment for us. Yes, we were swayed after meeting Peter deepened our knowledge of Hinterher’s design ingenuity. Fact is: these are solid products, built by professional designers for real carry solutions, and built to last. You can’t ask for much more than that.

“Fact is: these are solid products, built by professional designers for real carry solutions, and built to last.“

In the interests of balance, a couple of qualms are probably worth mentioning here: the collapsible timber accessory was a little cumbersome to keep flush in the tray, and ideally, it would be better if the small tensioning fasteners weren’t necessary to keep it in place. Additionally, when using the trailer in hand cart mode, the front kickstand sometimes loosened rather than clicking steadfastly in place. But in the words of Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel, that’s really nitpicking, innit?

“…when using the trailer in hand cart mode, the front kickstand sometimes loosened rather than clicking steadfastly in place.”

In the end, the clincher is the price tag. At around €500 all up for the Hmini (€100 extra for the collapsible board, and more for additional accessories), some may view the Hinterher as being on the pricier end. Ultimately, quality – and longevity – costs money, and for all it offers, that price tag is beyond worth it. These units aren’t being pumped out of a huge factory in China – they’re designed and constructed by the hands of German professionals, and built sustainably to last the hard yards. Their design is beyond compare, and their vision is as pure as you can get. As far as we can see, there is nothing else like it on the market.

“At around €500 all up for the Hmini (€100 extra for the collapsible board, and more for additional accessories), some may view the Hinterher as being on the pricier end. Ultimately, quality – and longevity – costs money, and for all it offers, that price tag is beyond worth it.“

In short, this little trailer that could is a gift that keeps on giving. It continues to make our life easier. It’ll probably do the same for yours.

The Good

• Pinnacle fusion of design and aesthetics
• Sleek, and very easy on the eye
• Functionality beyond compare
• Versatile, and uniquely so
• Ready to ride
• Damn cool

Not So Good

• On the pricier end (though worth it)
• Will show up your bike if it’s a dumpy ride