To get the cart rolling, I used a pair of 20" spoked bicycle wheels. Use only front wheels, as back wheels have gears that will get in the way. You may save a few dollars by purchasing used wheels at a garage sale, but unless you're a better negotiator than I am, you'll probably have to spring for the entire bike. You can also try bicycle repair shops that deal in used parts.
I installed my wheels with L-shaped metal corner brackets. After drilling a hole to fit your axle, bolt the brackets to the wheels with lock nuts, as shown in the plan details. Now, simply screw the brackets to the underside of the carriage frame. Make sure the wheels are parallel, or the cart will wobble as you travel down the road.
Get hitched
The hitch assembly that connects the cart to the bicycle consists of a long wooden strip that's hinged to a mounting plate located on the front of the cart. When locked in the horizontal position, the hitch bar extends over the rear tire of the bike and attaches to the frame, underneath the seat. I simply drilled a hole in the end of the hitch bar and lashed it with a cord to the retainer bolt for the seat post. This connection allows the bar to pivot horizontally and vertically without restriction.
Begin constructing the hitch assembly by cutting out and attaching the folding leg spacer block centred along the top front rail of the cargo box. This spacer compensates for the thickness of the corresponding carriage rail located on the base. I rounded over both ends of the spacer block on one side using the same router set-up used earlier.
Next, cut out the mounting plate and round the top corners. Use screws to fasten it to the spacer block at the top of the cargo box and to the carriage frame at the bottom. Unless you happen to have a piece of cedar that's 1 1/2" thick, you'll need to laminate two 3/4"-thick strips of wood to make the blank for the hitch bar. Cut the hitch bar to size, round the corners on the bicycle end with the bandsaw or jigsaw, then head back to the router table to round-over the edges along the hitch bar sides with a 1/4"-radius bit. Drill a hole in the front end to receive a cord to secure the cart to the bike frame.
Next, attach the hitch bar to the mounting plate using a folding leg bracket. It has a spring-loaded trigger release that locks the bracket in either the open or closed position, so you can store the cart with the hitch bar down.
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