Without a doubt, paddle boarding has undergone a remarkable development.
From a niche existence at the beginning of the 2010s, the still young sport has become the most popular water sport in many countries.
The rising popularity of paddle boarding is particularly evident in the emergence of accessories specifically designed to meet the needs of paddle boarders. Among this paddle boarding gear is the reacha.
The reacha hand trolleys, which can also be used as bike trailers, from the German company good goods tegernsee originate from Bavaria and are very popular in the growing paddle boarding community.
In this article I would like to introduce the bike trailers for water sports enthusiasts in detail to anyone interested and anyone who has not yet heard of the reacha bike trailers. For my reacha test, I looked at the reacha compact 20 with a bike connector and bow, which I was kindly allowed to use on loan.
In my reacha test, I present the different reacha models in detail and go into the advantages and disadvantages. In addition, I address the question of whether the rather high prices of the reacha are justified.
The reacha bike trailers are great for water sports enthusiasts. The bike trailers from reacha are very-well built and come with a cool mount system.You can attach a reacha trailer to all kinds of bicycles and even tow multiple (even inflated) paddleboards at once. Bicycle trailers like the ones from reacha are great to not always have to rely on your car to get to the water. However, they come at a reasonable price tag.
Table of Contents
Reacha: What Is Behind the Idea?
Compared to other water sports, paddle boarding requires comparatively few accessories. All that is needed for the sport is a paddle board, a SUP paddle and a leash. (In most situations, wearing a paddle boarding life jacket is also recommended).
Especially with the invention of inflatable paddle boards (the “inflatables”), the sport of paddle boarding became more popular among the masses. The reason for this was that the inflatables are less expensive and the transport and storage are much less complicated. Nevertheless, inflating the paddle boards is not easy.
Especially for paddle boards with two air chambers, large allrounders and touring paddle boards, pumping takes time and is of course quite exhausting. The power is then missing when paddling.
The industry has reacted to this in that triple-action air pumps are now increasingly offered and there is also progress in the field of electric paddle boarding air pumps.
Who wants to save the annoying pumping up and deflating completely, can instead also deal with a solution such as the reacha. Because on the reacha trailer, from small allrounders for kids to over four-meter-long race boards, boards of all kinds find enough space and can be firmly mounted.
Unlike other immature solutions, the reacha is perfectly designed to meet the demands of water sports enthusiasts.
While many kayak carts with their small wheels are not designed for uneven surfaces and quickly get stuck in the sand, with the reacha you can easily drive your water sports equipment right to the water.
Another key difference from other paddle boarding equipment is that the design and production of the reacha bike trailer is still mostly done in Germany.
Florian from reacha says in an interview with me that he places “a lot of value on sustainability in both the private and professional environment” and for this reason wants to produce regionally.
In this way, one saves “long transport and [is] free from questionable production conditions”. He emphasizes that they would produce the core of the reacha, i.e. the width- and length-adjustable frame, in Rosenheim.
Here are a few ActionShots of the reacha bike trailer:
Reacha Test: The Bike Trailer in Detail
The reacha bike trailer is based on a plug-in system of aluminum tubes with snap locks. For this reason, the reacha trailer is delivered in a single package.
From above it is not so easy to see, but the single parts are also not stacked very high. With the small packing size a reacha trailer can be transported also accordingly easily e.g. in the car trunk:
The assembly of the reacha is probably no witchcraft. I find it practical that you don’t need any tools to assemble and disassemble it. With a little practice, it takes about 5 minutes to assemble the reacha from the individual parts and even less to disassemble it.
Without a doubt, this is also very practical if you take the reacha with you on trips and therefore have to disassemble and reassemble the individual parts more often. The first assembly took me about 45 minutes, but with practice it really goes in a few minutes.
Floko also shows this very impressively in this instructional video on Youtube:
It can be seen that (even with the additional explanations) the assembly of the reacha does not take five minutes if you are well acquainted with the device.
The big advantage of the plug-in system with the aluminum tubes is that the reacha is very light. The low weight is achieved by additionally hollowing out the aluminum tubes.
For such a large bicycle trailer, which can carry a weight of up to 60 kilograms (and thus many paddle boards), a tare weight of less than 10 kilograms (for the compact 20) is really not much.
Those who pay particular attention to weight will also find the right model at reacha. But more about that later 😉
In the middle of the reacha trailer is a fabric loading area, on which the weight of the paddle boards or other water sports equipment rests.
Additionally, it is very convenient that the cargo area has a built-in pocket where flat items can be stored. I stowed the paddle boarding fin in this pocket during transport. This was very useful to prevent the fin from being damaged in a collision
The reacha has a recommended payload of 60 kilograms when used as a hand cart. However, if you want to use the reacha bike trailer, you should limit yourself to a maximum load of 35 kilograms.
For paddle boarders, however, even that should be enough. After all, (inflatable) paddle boards only weigh between six and 14 kilograms.
Another great feature of the reacha are the interchangeable wheels. The wheels are the main difference between the various models currently offered in the reacha online store. But more on that in a moment. Even on the model I looked at in this reacha review, the tires turn out quite wide.
Even the tires of the reacha compact 20 offer a good grip on soft surfaces and are therefore top suitable for transporting the paddle board.
Other models, such as the reacha bike 24 have even much wider tires and therefore even better traction on sandy ground. Also for other reasons, the reacha bike model is more suitable for paddle boarders. More about this in a moment.
First, I want to get to by far the best feature of the reacha, which in a way is the hallmark of this trailer. Namely, the reacha can be flexibly adjusted in length as well as in width and therefore optimally adapted to the respective purpose.
The adjustment of the width as well as the length is very simple. Only the snap locks (four for the width; 2 for the length) have to be loosened and fixed again in the desired setting. This only takes around 10 seconds per snap lock:
(Keep in mind, however, that you can only adjust the length of the trailer if the width of the reacha is set approximately in the middle).
To adjust the width, the aluminum tubes each have seven holes on both sides into which the snap lock can be sunk. At the front of the tiller, the three holes on both sides can be used to choose between three length settings accordingly.
For water sports enthusiasts, the material is of course also of great importance. However, there are no problems here with the reacha. After all, this trailer is made for water sports. Accordingly, the material is completely rustproof as well as weather-resistant and can also cope with sand and salt water without any problems.
So far, I have gone into more detail about the trailer itself. To the reacha, however, accessories also belong to it. In the introduction I already mentioned that my model also came with a bike connector and a bow. What this means exactly and which accessories you really need for which application, you will learn in the following.
The reacha bike trailers are great for water sports enthusiasts. The bike trailers from reacha are very-well built and come with a cool mount system.You can attach a reacha trailer to all kinds of bicycles and even tow multiple (even inflated) paddleboards at once. Bicycle trailers like the ones from reacha are great to not always have to rely on your car to get to the water. However, they come at a reasonable price tag.
Reacha Accessories in Detail
In their online store reacha currently offers two different accessories. On the one hand there is the bike connector and on the other hand the bow:
Bike Connector
The reacha bike connector is what the name suggests. With the bike connector the reacha trailer becomes a reacha bike trailer. The actual connection between the reacha and the bike consists of a very tight-fitting Velcro fastener that holds even when riding at higher speeds and on uneven surfaces.
The connection by Velcro has two major advantages at once.
First, the reacha can be attached to the seat post within seconds. This can be seen impressively in this gif:
The reacha can be removed in just as few seconds:
For another, the bike connector can attach the reacha to both bikes with and without racks. And even on high-quality road bikes, the reacha trailer can be easily attached thanks to the Velcro fastener.
Bow
The bow is essentially a side bar for the reacha. Since the cart has two sides, up to two bows can also be attached. The side bows increase the load capacity of the reacha because more gear can be transported on the cart.
If you want to transport paddle boards with the reacha bike trailer, you should have at least one bow attached to the trailer. Otherwise, it’s hard to secure the paddle board on the trailer without it touching the wheels.
The bow is also mounted to the reacha cart with simple snap locks. The side bars can therefore be removed and reattached in no time at all.
Bicycle Reflectors
The reacha bike trailer also comes with two sets of reflectors. These sets consist of one red and one white reflector each. The bicycle reflectors are simply strapped around the aluminum bars.
The reflectors can be attached to the normal aluminum frame as well as to the bow.
Reacha Comparison: The Different Reacha Models
I had already mentioned that I write in this test mainly about the reacha compact 20. In fact, reacha offers many different reacha models for all possible applications in their online store at reacha.de.
| Model | Details |
| reacha DIY | Do-It-Yourself approach only the frame is included, but no wheels allows up-cycling of old bicycle tires no bow included cheapest available in 3 variants: reacha DIY city with short drawbar, reacha DIY sport with long drawbar, reacha DIY XXL with extra long drawbar |
| reacha city | with wide fatbike tires perfect for offroad tours (e.g. at the beach) no bow included with short drawbar available in 3 versions: reacha city compact as smallest model, reacha city beach for unstable surfaces, reacha city street for asphalt surfaces |
| reacha sport | maneuverable and compact ideal for paddle boarders one bow included with long drawbar available in 3 versions: reacha sport compact as the smallest model, reacha sport beach for unstable surfaces, reacha sport street for asphalt surfaces |
| reacha pro | with sturdy fatbike tires offers extra stability with the two aluminum sidewalls (included) perfect for hotels, SUP stations and all who want to transport a lot of water sports/outdoor equipment walls can also be printed with your own logo with 2 bows |
In the following section, I go into more detail about the advantages and disadvantages of the reacha. I will focus on the things that I liked about the reacha and things that I think could be done better.
Reacha: Advantages and Disadvantages
What I Like About the Reacha
- Perfect for water sports: The reacha was designed to meet the demands of water sports enthusiasts and is therefore ideal for transporting water sports equipment. In a way, the reacha is also completely without alternative. Many people transport their paddle boards on a canoe cart. The problem with these small carts is that they are simply not suitable as bike trailers with their tiny and unstable tires.
- High-quality workmanship: The workmanship of the reacha bike trailer makes a very good impression. The vehicle looks very robust and also has a low weight thanks to the aluminum construction. The material can also withstand salt water and sand.
- Good driving characteristics: Already the reacha compact 20 tested by me had a good performance on the road as well as on somewhat uneven surfaces (lawn or meadow and dirt roads). When driving, the trailer is hardly noticeable. And the reacha’s turning circle also turns out smaller than expected!
- Low weight: With its low weight, the trailer can be towed behind quite easily and hardly noticeably. If you want, you can also pull the trailer by hand.
- Many variants: The reacha trailer is available in many variants, so there is the right variant for every paddler – whether city dweller, off-road enthusiast or professional paddle board provider.
- Flexibly adjustable: An huge advantage of the reacha is that the trailer can be adjusted in length and especially in width. In this way, the reacha can always be flexibly adapted to the respective application. No tools are required to adjust the reacha and it still doesn’t take a whole minute.
What Could Be Improved on the Reacha
In addition to the many positive things, I noticed two aspects that could be improved on the reacha:
- No tie-down straps included: to transport the paddle boards or other water sports equipment with the reacha, you have to tie them down in some way. Of course, makeshift solutions with ropes are also possible, but I would have liked to see 1-2 tension straps included with the reacha. Especially since tension straps don’t cost much on Amazon.
- Comparatively high price: At first glance, the price of the reacha trailer seems quite high, but when I think about it a little longer, I still find the price tag fair. The reacha pendants are mostly Made in Germany and are made to a very high standard. It can be assumed that the trailers accordingly also have a long life. In addition, the system of the reacha is very innovative (especially with the possibility to adjust the length and width). And ultimately, the reacha is something for advanced users who really enjoy water sports. Those who only ride a Lidl paddle board probably won’t want to invest that much, but real enthusiasts simply want to have the best equipment and that’s what the reacha offers.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to assemble and disassemble the reacha trailer?
Setting up and taking down the reacha is really easy. Once the procedure is in place, you can do it in about 5 minutes. You don’t even need tools to do it. Learn more about the reacha trailer.
What is the maximum payload of the reacha trailer?
As a maximum payload for the bike trailer, reacha recommends up to 35 kg. This is definitely enough for several paddle boards and other equipment. Learn more about the reacha trailer.
What can I transport on the reacha trailer?
With a maximum load of 35 kg, you can transport a lot on the reacha trailer. Even inflated iSUPs or hardboards including equipment can be transported with it without any problems. Learn more about the reacha trailer.
Which reacha variant suits me best?
Stand up paddle boarders who want to transport their boards with the reacha need a bow. With the reacha sport, one of these side bows is already included. If you like, you can of course also add a bow to the other models.
The reacha sport beach is particularly well suited for off-road tours and offers top performance even on uneven surfaces. In contrast, the reacha sport street with its narrow tires performs best on flat roads, making it the choice for city dwellers.
Of course, those who prefer a smaller trailer can also go for the reacha sport compact. For stand up paddle boarders on a budget or old bike tires, the reacha DIY sport is best. For professional use for hotels, paddle boarding stations and anyone who wants to transport a lot of water sports/outdoor equipment, the reacha pro is the best choice as it is very stable and even the outer walls can be printed with a logo.
Learn more about the reacha trailer.
Conclusion
I think that the reacha is a great thing. Even when compared to other paddle boarding bike trailers, the reacha stands out. The reacha bike trailer is wonderful for water sports enthusiasts to not always have to rely on the car. In the context of the CO₂ problem, this has a nice side effect right away. In addition, paddle boarders have the advantage that the iSUP does not have to be re-inflated before each trip.
The system is very flexible and can be quickly adapted to different purposes. In terms of price, the reacha models are of course a house number, but for the reasons listed, I feel the price is reasonable. For paddle boarders, the reacha sport is best suited.
Feel free to let me know in comments what you think of the reacha. I am very interested in it. If you have any questions about the reacha, feel free to post a comment! We will answer as soon as possible.
The reacha bike trailers are great for water sports enthusiasts. The bike trailers from reacha are very-well built and come with a cool mount system.You can attach a reacha trailer to all kinds of bicycles and even tow multiple (even inflated) paddleboards at once. Bicycle trailers like the ones from reacha are great to not always have to rely on your car to get to the water. However, they come at a reasonable price tag.
