Comments on: Panniers versus trailers, the battle royale

By: Alec

Alec — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:14:21 +0000

I had a Bob with small panniers on a MTB with slicks and ‘bar end’ grips. This was trip was faster (total km per day) than a previous ride, with panniers only.

By: Robert Keith

Robert Keith — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:48:18 +0000

After riding 3300 miles this fall with the bob trailor, I say never again…It was totaly painful, impossible to park.. It had to be kept under 20 miles an hour, bruised my legs many times looking for campsites, hated the extra weight, I just wanted to throw the untested garbage over a cliff…. I am going back to a rack…nuff said

By: JohnC

JohnC — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:52:42 +0000

I will be riding across Australia (5000kms)unsupported/camping later this year and have decided to take my touring bike & BoB Ibex. Having suspension definitely helps the trailer track better when loaded heavy. I regularly do S24O with a mate who has a hybrid with panniers and although he climbs hills quicker his gear always appears as though it is going to fall off the bike. Trailers are tidy/neat in their own unique way. As a side note, the so called extra drag of the trailer’s extra wheel is nothing when compared to the aerodynamics of panniers hanging out in the wind like a parachute. My touring frame has long chain stays and a tall set back head angle so maybe the slower geometry assists in better handling with the trailer.
Safe cycling & see you on the road, JohnC.

By: David Shuey

David Shuey — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:21:10 +0000

I’m now planning to ride across America starting June 5th in Seattle and finishing in Cape May, NJ on August 9th. I’ve decided on lowrider racks on the front and standard on the back…using lightweight Tubus racks and the small, waterproof Trans-it bags. I used the bags on the back for a ride in Oregon last summer and they performed well in an all-day rain. I plan to carry 25 lbs of net weight (including my small laptop) so I consider this a “minimalism” trip.

By: Quinn

Quinn — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:44:14 +0000

I agree with dave.m, I have used both types of trailors, and there needs to be a division, I like the single wheel, because it is in line with your bike, aka no width issues, on the other hand the through axel connection was a pain!!
another issue, the small wheel, not many shops carry 16″ tubes.
I am now using a 2 wheel trailer, almost every day, I don’t own a car, Love it, a (Bell) Co Pilot 2 kid carrier, Stable, 100 lb wait limit, not the typical 50, 20″ wheels, and no goofy thru axel mount, just have to give the clamp a good crank, I spent 2 days hauling stuff all over town (40 miles) Never had an issue,

As for the Bigger issue, I am currently rebuilding my Kona Jake to handle Pannier f&r, for s24o/bike packing, and I did that, 1 history, ever since I knew of touring, I always pictured bikes with loaded racks/ not pulling a trailer. Secondly there is a “principle” a “pride” of, being self sufficient with the stuff you can fit On your bike, I say get Heavy Duty racks, and if you can’t fit it, or the racks can’t handle it, its too much.

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By: dave.m

dave.m — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 10:29:41 +0000

the debate can be further refined, perhaps for the sake of spreading even more disharmony.

single wheeled trailers or double?

i’ve ridden with the BOB yak, & also solely with panniers but now travel with the Carry Freedom Y-frame.
for me the yak doesn’t really alleviate the real problem i have with heavily loaded panniers, with panniers one has to balance the overall weight which can be tiring all the yak does is tranfer this weight backwards but because of the single wheel design the moentum still shifts from side to side when cycling out of the saddle for example.
the Y-frame simply doesn’t have this issue, therefore the handling of the bike is improved(increasing safety) and also larger loads can be carried, it’s shorter too, but it is a bit wider.

By: David Shuey

David Shuey — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 02:27:46 +0000

The first time I ever used a BOB trailer was on a trip from West Yellowstone, Montana to Jackson, Wyoming. I rented a hybrid bike and trailer from an outfitter and carried all of my gear, about 40 pounds. This ride include some fairly steep climbs and desents (cross the Continental Divide twice) and I had no problems with control. I was shocked at how quickly I became used to the trailer and for most of the ride, I didn’t even think about pulling that extra length or weight.

I came home and bought one and used it the following year for a ride the length of the C&O canal. Now here’s the problem…I wasn’t three miles into the ride when the fender vibrated off and swung beneath the wheel causing me to come to a rather quick stop. The C&O canal trail surface isn’t smooth so I was constantly having to tighten screws and bolts to keep my trailer from falling apart.

I am riding across America next year and will only be using panniers (four total…2 low riders in the front and 2 standard on the back) on my Tubus racks. I bought waterproof Transit brand bags which were reasonably priced and tested once in Oregon this year where it rained for an entire day…all my stuff was dry at the end of the day. I am trying to keep my net additional weight for the cross country ride to 25 pounds…a minimalist load…we’ll see.

By: Bill Heinrich

Bill Heinrich — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 03:14:42 +0000

Well the closest I have ever came to using a pannier was a using a back pack while hiking the AP trail in 1976. That aside I recently finished a bike trip around Lake Ontario with a friend. We were both driving Tour Easy’s and both had BOB trailers. Overall experience was very good. A few improvements could be made to the BOB Dry sac, a couple of mesh
side pouches would have been nice. Possibly a couple of compartments on the inside would also be nice. Digging through the sac is a bit of a hassel when looking for stuff. Even if I was sure that I had put something like a guide book on top in front I would usually find it on the bottom and in the back. Pre- alzheimers I’m sure. I had my bike and trailer topple over a few times which is quite annoying as it does take two people to get it up again. Now I see that there is a kickstand available for the trailer , I sure wish that would have been a basic part of the package when it was purchased. My vote is overall for the BOB!