Bike trailers

The bob's are pretty good, avoid the carry-freedoms if you want to fold it, they really don't fold well at all.

The guy I went to the Western Isles with never wants to use his trailer again.

Ok fair enough we don't know if it was all the trailers resistance that was his problem, but we did a quick bike swap and he said he was much mroe comfortable riding my bike which must have been about 50kg with front and back panniers than towing the trailer. TBH I didn't notice the trailer but it was a short distance.

He would just dissappear on the hills and after a few days once I got to a point where stopping wasn't a great idea unless I actually wanted/needed to he just got left between junctions.

Hi
I have used a BOB style trailer for about 5 years, using it for everyday trips including shopping instead of owning a car. I use the Revolution Cargo Load Trailer from Edinburgh bicycle co-operative, it's about half the price of a bob (about £125) made of steel so very tough, weighs 8.5 kilos and comes with an enormous waterproof bag, My girlfriend and I have just been on a trip to the most westerly point of the Algarve (not really a long trip as we live in the middle of the algarve!) about 217K we both took a trailer with our camping equipment weighing 22kilos each. As long as you distribute the weight evenly you don't notice the extra weight. If you carry a case of beer back from the supermarket you have to position it in the middle or you will find your steering is all over the place, even before drinking the beer!. No idea what it is like in the rain but it is scary on loose stoney tracks as you have virtually no weight on the front wheel. Need to allow a big turning circle or it will jacknife. They come with an extra long replacement QR skewer so once swapped over the trailer simply clicks on or off. Probably cheeper than a set of panniers. Hope this helps, buy one and sell the car and spend all the money on more bike stuff.

team47b wrote:

Hi
I have used a BOB style trailer for about 5 years, using it for everyday trips including shopping instead of owning a car. I use the Revolution Cargo Load Trailer from Edinburgh bicycle co-operative, it's about half the price of a bob (about £125) made of steel so very tough, weighs 8.5 kilos and comes with an enormous waterproof bag, My girlfriend and I have just been on a trip to the most westerly point of the Algarve (not really a long trip as we live in the middle of the algarve!) about 217K we both took a trailer with our camping equipment weighing 22kilos each. As long as you distribute the weight evenly you don't notice the extra weight...

Trailers are great if you have a lot of stuff to carry - eg a big monthly shop, or lots of camping gear.

I think most people would notice 8.5 kilos of extra weight behind them - at least going up hill.

I used a Bob Yak for a recent 5 day excursion to Brittany during Le Tour carrying tent etc and found it to be great. Had no problems with bike handling including 40 mph descent down the Mur de Bretagne and climbing was fine up the same hill a day or two later. Just accept the fact that you will be slower than usual and take in the scenery. Probably the one area where I was at a disadvantage to my companion who was using panniers was getting on and off trains. This was particularly apparent on one journey when the platform was jammed and there was a bit of a scramble onto the train for seats etc.

All in all, more pros than cons I would say.

Hi,
I hope it is not too late to throw in my 5 pence worth! I will try and keep it short. (but I know I won't succeed)

The best advice given so far is to keep the weight you are carrying as low as possible. I recently met a guy at the tail-end of a a long hike. He had been on the trail for 26 days and his pack weight was 8kg. Be very critical of everything you take. Do you need it? what would happen if you did not have it? Can you take something else which weighs less?

In terms of trailers I have used the Bob Yak and it is good as the single wheel tracks the bike better than any two-wheeled trailer. It attaches securely to the rear axel which is better (for handling) than anything attaching higher up such as the seatpost. The sack which you get with the Yak is great as it is as tough as old boots, waterproof and the rollover seal keeps it waterproof. The wheel is 16" in diameter and almost indestructable - but make sure you have a decent tyre and a spare tube with you.

There are downsides to the Yak many of which apply to other alternatives. Firstly the Yak is a single container. It is a good idea to have something separate to stow things you may need in a hurry (e.g. waterproofs). Having all or most of your gear in one big bag requires orgainising. Best to organise in internal stuff bags - e.g. one for cooking, one for clean clothes etc. Do not put anything wet into the sack. If your tent is stowed wet then pack it away in its bag and lash on top. If you stow a wet tent (or similar you will probably find everything horribly damp when you stop for the night.)

The main downside to the Yak and the sack is that their capacity is too great for most requirements. You can fill them with everything from your toothbrush to the kitchen sink and then find you can't lift the bag and/or that you cannot cycle up any hill! Pushing that kind of load is also not easy!

The final thing I would say is that you need practice to haul touring loads. Local rides to get used to the handling and then longer rides to get some strength and stamina. At the very least you need to get a bit of a taste for the real thing. Finally, try to do as many 'shakedown' trips as you can. Overnight and/or weekend trips to a campsite will give you the experience to you need with your kit.

Now if I had followed all my own good advice before my recent trip I would not have needed to stop after a couple of days of herculean effort. At that point I a) threw some excess kit away (expensive) and b) posted heavier/more valuable stuff back home (also expensive). Once I had gotten rid of a lot of the weight I had a great time!

Whichever option you go for and however you tour - just make sure you have a great time.

One small but important point regarding tyre/tube for the trailer. Make sure you get the correct size. Sounds obvious but I made that mistake when I ordered a 16" tyre for the Yak - without realising there are two wildly different sizes of 16" wheel. When I came to fit it I found the diameter was too big - by several inches! When I figured out what had happened I felt like a complete numpty but fortunately SJSC were very understanding and sorted it out for me. :oops: :oops:

I am now playing with Google Earth to figure out where I want to go next.


Best of luck with the trip - I am sure you will have a great time.

Dos Bobs! ¡Dios mío!
or
Bi Bobs! Nire Jainkoa!
:shock: