bob trailer or panniers?

[roadvader]

im thinking bob trailer because it would be a good all rounder,and i can attach it to my road bike and my touring bike,also for the shopping run (not using the car as much anymore,any excuse for a ride!! ),anyone use a bob/yak,pro's cons?
new to this forum but not new to cycling,hello all!!!

[Brucey]

how much weight will you carry, how far, how often? Also, would the bike itself be Ok with panniers or would this create a raft of problems of its own?

if the load is hefty enough only a trailer will do, but they don't suit everyone.

cheers

[snibgo]

Welcome to the forum.

My tourer is happy with 20kg in back panniers, and maybe another 10kg (I haven't weighed it) in front panniers. That's plenty for my shopping. My trailer is for unusual loads, and would be overkill for my regular shopping. It's rated to 100kg, which I reckon would feed a family of 4 for 2 weeks.

Sportier bikes aren't so happy with panniers, and prefer trailers.

Mine isn't a Bob Yak, but someone here will have one.

[Aushiker]

I am a prior owner of a BOB Ibex which I used for touring, mainly off-road but not quite in these guys league.





I sold it recently to allow me to purchase an Extrawheel Voyager



If it wasn't for my fourth coming Dreaming Tour I would have probably kept the BOB as it does provide some flexibility in terms of local transport duties. That said for local food shopping I just tend to take my Surly Long Haul Trucker and panniers. The trailer really only sees duty when touring.

One disadvantage with the BOB is that it is not flight friendly (a disadvantage for me) and maybe not so train friendly (?) but if that is not an issue I would suggest that it is a good choice if you need the extra carrying capabilities.

Regards
Andrew

[thirdcrank]

I used to have a BOB which I used for for fairly local shopping, for which I found it to be excellent. Having seen MickF's set-up, I'd suggest that was about as good as it gets for on-road touring, many of the advantages being when you are not riding eg using a train or getting your luggage into the digs. There are some pretty detailed threads on here, which would be worth reading.

[Mick F]

Same trailer.
Orange Suitacase, Wooden Box or Alu Box.
Even a concrete block!
You can bolt whatevery you want onto a Carry Freedom Trailer.

[Deckie]

I have an Extra Wheel that we used on our JoGLE. It carries LOADS and rolls very smoothly - we really didn't notice that we were carrying as much as we had (about 50kg). Compared to panniers it is worlds apart in terms of balance.

I tried a two wheel trailer & didn't get on with it, the extra wheel tracks the back wheel so misses all the pot holes you do, and being a "full size" wheel (26" or 700c) doesn't crash in them. It attaches to both ends of a special QR skewer so no bracket on the frame and is designed to self detach without damage should there be an accident (it has NEVER self detached hitting kerbs or pot holes).

The only down side I have with it is that you have to attach it to the bike before you pack it or it can be a bit awkward to balance.

[LollyKat]

I got a BOB Yak for shopping with a 531 touring bike, but I didn't get on with it. The problem for me was that being light myself, I suffered from a "tail-wags-the-dog" effect when the trailer was loaded up with the supermarket load. It was distinctly unnerving and I believe unsafe - I was really relieved when it was stolen from the shed (and the insurance paid up).

However I'm sure it would have been fine with a lighter load / if I had been heavier / if used with a stiffer bike or perhaps front panniers. For shopping I moved on to a Bike Hod which was brilliant for the purpose but wouldn't do for touring - but then I prefer to use panniers for that.

[Brucey]

there appears to be a common theme re. trailers emerging here which is that the one-wheel variety are a very different proposition to the two-wheel sort....

I've not used either for any distance. One thing I have often wondered is if the two-wheeled sort tow off-line at all, which in theory they should, bearing in mind that the tow hitch is offset to one side.

cheers

[Mick F]

No, they stay centrally behind the bike.
The tow arm is curved and fits into the Y frame.

[thirdcrank]

In my post above I tried to explain the convenience of MickF's set up when not towing IMO this is a big aspect of trailers that's easily overlooked. He was on his Grand Tour and one of his targets was Rosedale Chimney. I should have hated him to have got there and not managed the hill just because of the luggage. I met him at the bottom and took his trailer to the top. It just slipped off the bike, quickly folded down and lifted in. The reverse at the top was just as slick.

The Yak BoB is simply not in the same league for this type of thing - it's much more cumbersome. I used to store mine hanging by the wheel from a celing hook.

I was pleased with my trailer for carting huge amounts of shopping. I cannot imagine ever using one for touring.

PS I've never really understood why Mick started using that huge ally box but that's a separate matter.

[Brucey]

I have a long-standing DIY trailer project underway in fact. I have QD wheels, various frame ideas, steel tube to make said frame. The concept is to make a trailer which will carry up to ~100kg (firewood, groceries, camping load(!) etc) without and additional box but will fold flat (2" thickness or less) in a few seconds, so that it can be hung on the wall. I view versatility and storage as major issues with most extant trailer designs. The target unladen weight is about 15lbs.

My current thoughts concern suspension; I can make this part of the design quite easily but I don't know if it is really desirable or not. It'll add about 1- 1.5 lbs to the weight of the whole affair. If I can't make my mind up I'll make it so that the suspension can be deleted fairly easily.

I think the lollypop hitch is a really neat solution to this part of the machine; is it best to get one from carry-all or are there dealers who carry stock?

cheers

[Aushiker]

The only down side I have with it is that you have to attach it to the bike before you pack it or it can be a bit awkward to balance.

Noticed that issue too. I just hook up the Extrawheel Voyager to the bike and then fit the loaded panniers if I have taken them off.

Andrew

[roadvader]

hi everyone,some interesting replies,i was thinking about load and the way the trailer could behave,would be a scary thing going downhill at speed and the have it start speed wobbling,if thats at all possible? as said maybe front panniers and some weight distribution would sort that issue!?

also found another take on the bob/yak its the 'topeak journey' comes up in search,very similar to the bob.

i do hope to have panniers and a trailer at some point but still 50/50 on what to get first...

will be doing small tours round uk at first,then europe and plans for acroos usa,west to east and back over the northern tier.

ohhh another bonus i have found with the bob is when your camping you can run a long kryptonite cable under the tent locking up the trailer on one side and the bike on the other,any movement in the night will surely be obvious and awake you!!

[Mick F]

I've been at over 40mph with my Carry Freedom behind!

TC:
The orange suitcase was great, but had a very serious shortcoming. It wasn't weatherproof.
The zip let the rain in and my stuff would get wet. Eventually the zip bust, so the suitcase went in the bin. Sad, because we'd had some good travels together.

The alu box is surprisingly light and is completely watertight. It is also lockable.
I would have got one slightly smaller - or at least less tall - but as UK Shelving had good prices for the boxes, I snapped one up.
http://www.ukshelving.co.uk/product.php?xProd=309

I'd looked at all sorts of plastic boxes, but none of them were up to the job. My alu box is solid, watertight, secure, and will hold a great deal!