My favorite feature on the tail rider is the expansion capacity.  It can expand it’s width to almost a foot across.  The top has cinching straps that you can adjust depending on your load.  This allows you to tighten your items while riding, and makes it comfortable to carry while off the bike so no matter what size your load, it still totes nicely, briefcase style.  A shoulder strap is also available separately if you like carrying things sling style.

The expansion feature is convenient for taking a full size lunch container to-go, carrying books, and even bringing a 10.5″ laptop  plus carrying case.  Taking a small, unexpected jaunt to the grocery store can be quite rewarding as well with the ‘how much can I fit in the bag’ game.  I have yet to lose, sometimes even picking up enough groceries to last 3 days or more.

The Tail Rider also offers lots of organizational space.  On each inner side of the bag, there are 3 sectioned mesh pockets.  I carry all of my necessity items in here like my patch kit, tool kit, utility knife, spoon and fork, ankle cuffs and other bike-related-just-in-case things.  My pump and U-lock fit nicely in the large main compartment.  It also has 2 outer side pockets (one on each side) for easy to get items like keys, wallet, and chap stick.  The front of the bag secretly holds a bright-yellow rain cover which you can quickly throw on the bag while it’s still on the bike.  This rain cover has a reflective stripe on it, and a loop for clipping on a light if it’s really ugly out.  It also includes a removable central divider, but since I’m always filling this thing pretty full, I don’t really utilize this feature.

Some other features that are helpful, but not so obvious are the large, waterproof style zippers and the 4 tough Velcro straps which attach the Tail Rider to your rack.  You can zip over large bulges with ease, and your bag is secured tightly to your rack.  The bag opens up the center with 2 heavy duty zippers, and has a Velcro flap that secures the end.  This lets you easily load from the top and close it up quickly. The handle is also squishy and comfortable to carry (say, if you had any recovering broken appendages to deal with).

All in all, I think the Arkel Tail Rider is a great bag, and fun to carry around on errands, or keeping it light on long rides.

Our Plans:
1: Fly into London for a day
2: Take a train to Northern England
3: Take our tandem tour from there to Glasgow
4: Ship the bike back to Northern England
5: Fly back from Glasgow to London for a few days
6: Fly back home

For our flight from Las Vegas to London, we packed the City trailer inside of an Ortlieb Big Zip. We first packed in the contents of the City bag (sleeping bags, pads and tent) as well as the City bag itself as padding around the bottom and sides of the bag. Then I folded the trailer up, handle in and wheels in, and slid it inside the bag. We were carrying the remainder of our gear, clothes, maps, toiletries, etc. in an Ortlieb RackPack XL. Additionally, we had a handlebar bag for valuables, tools, snacks and the like.

Once in London, we unpacked and put the City trailer together. The Ortlieb RackPack got strapped on top of the City utilizing the 2 cinching straps on either end. It was my job to push the City trailer around through the airport and the underground while Melanie toted the carry-ons. The City proved to be quite the agile hand cart for getting all of our gear through London. The only problem was when we hit the dreaded stairs and I had to carry the whole load. I was able to easily maneuver the City off and on escalators and ramp it over large lips off and on the trains. It performed like a rolling suitcase but actually much improved with its large pneumatic wheels.

After a night in London, we were off on the train to Leeds then Ilkley the home of JD Cycles. JD Cycles is the largest tandem shop in the UK with a wide selection from Santana, Ventana, Santos, Dawes and more. They also have their own “house” brand Orbit. Ruth and John at JD Cycles were kind enough to lend us one of their demo fleet, an Orbit Routier Tour, for our trip.

This 26″ wheeled tandem was setup very nicely for the rigors of touring along the National Cycle Network in the UK. The Tandem was outfitted with sturdy 42 spoke 26″ wheels. The upright handlebar positioning was well suited for the occasional rough roads and paths that we were on.

Getting set to go was simple as all we had to do was hook up the City Trailer and attach our Ortlieb Handlebar Bag to the front. Our route took us along the UK’s National Cycle Network. The NCN offers 10,000 miles of recommended cycle routes throughout the UK. The route consisted mainly of low-traffic paved roads but also utilized bicycling and walking specific paths. Most of the paths we’re paved though there were a few dirt and gravel section and even one section the first day that was a bit grassy and muddy.

Our tour took us first through the very hilly York Shire Dales in Northern England. Things flattened out for a few very pleasant days as we approached Scotland.  The skies opened up for us on our first few days in Southern Scotland as we passed through Carlisle and Dumphries.  The most remote part of our ride took us over several tough climbs before we arrived in Ayr and some very pleasant coastal riding.  Things dried out on our final days as we wove our way towards Glasgow.

The City trailer was a great way to transport both of our gear behind the tandem. Knowing that we likely would be riding through quite a bit of rain, I treated the City’s bag with a polyurethane brush on coating. It worked great, keeping out the rain on quite a few wet days. For our bodies, we outfitted ourselves with Showers Pass rain wear from head to foot. The Elite 2.0 Jackets and Pants as well as hoods and booties kept us comfortable and dry despite quite a few wet days. The Showers Pass utilizes the eVent fabric which I really is both breathable and water repellent. The rain wear is designed and made by cyclists in Oregon who design the outerwear based on their own frequent wet weather riding.

Pulling the City behind our Orbit tandem turned us into quite the spectacle everywhere we went. School kids would always make the most noise as we came around the corner and we had many pleasant conversations with interested locals and cyclists along our route.  Our favorite moment was when the Scottish owner of a candy store we stopped in referred to our wee trailer.

While the City performed remarkably well as far as pulling smoothly behind our tandem while carrying a large load and for our off the bike travel, we did have some issues with it flipping over. We would often navigate along sidewalks to avoid the busy roads and our route took us off and on quit a few cycle paths. With this, we often found ourselves going up or down curbs thereby discovering the City’s propensity to flip over. This was undoubtedly due in large part to our top heavy load configuration. The comparatively narrower profile of the City also had a part to play in this as did the angle and speed we were going over the corners at. I soon learned to temper my approach quite a bit and this largely solved the problem.

We upgraded the tires to the Schwalbe 12″ Big Apples and despite this, we still ended up getting 2 flats over the course of our 340 mile ride. This was a bit of a hassle as the City’s wheels use a nutted axle making the tube switch take a bit longer.

An additional unexpected challenge came up that would have been posed with any tandem/trailer combination. The excellent cycle paths that we riding on about 30% of the time had either gates or barriers mainly for keeping cars off the paths but also for herding passages and trains. While we were able to weave by the majority of the barriers, there were quite a few were we either had to drag the trailer around behind the bike or remove the trailer and sometimes even hoist the bike . The gates were generally easy enough to get through but their propensity in certain areas had a definite effect on our momentum.

It turned out to be a great bike tour followed up with 4 days of sight seeing in Glasgow and then London.  For the varied tasks of traveling by plane, train, bus and tandem the Carry Freedom City offered a great balance of strengths, overall not too shabby for a wee trailer.

I learned early on in my touring career that not all racks are built alike. After bluffing my way into a job leading two- and three-week bike trips, with no touring experience, the first thing I noticed was just how quickly aluminum racks disintegrate. The racks we were buying for our rental fleet weren’t the cheapest available, but they were close, and forty-pound loads made short work of them. Usually, a brand new aluminum rack would last about three to four weeks. And, at the time I didn’t realize how difficult it was to find someone who can weld an aluminum rack back together. My solution: carry lots of hose clamps in the trip kit. You’d be surprised at the mileage you can get out of a broken rack with a strategically placed hose clamp.

The other thing I noticed about cheap racks was the seemingly universal extension adapter/seatstay connector you had to bend in multiple directions in order to attach it to the bike. For whatever reason, I was never entirely comfortable with these engineering marvels. Extras always went in said trip kit.

So how is the Tubus Cargo different? Let’s start with its strength. Instead of solid aluminum, Tubus uses tubular steel, so not only are their racks strong, they’re light. The 40kg (88lb) capacity of the Cargo is more than most tourists need, and definitely a reassuring number.

The other big advantage to a steel rack is that in every city, town, and village around the world, there is a guy with a welder and the ability to use it to put a steel rack back together. Should that rack fail, that is. And I have little suspicion that mine is going to fail anytime soon. Not only that, but Tubus puts a 10 year guarantee on all of its racks, and if yours breaks in the first three years, they’ll air mail you a new one, anywhere in the world.

Tubus has also managed to do away with that cheesy extension adapter/seatstay connector/strut thing. Instead, they use two (or just one) struts that connect to the rack via a nearly infinitely adjustable mount that allows the struts to be moved side to side, forward and backward, and up and down, all with no bending.

Oh, the Cargo comes in two sizes, as well: 700c and 26″, to fit your particular bike.

Are there things I don’t like about the Cargo? Well, let’s just say that I have a thing for lowriders, like the Tara, and sometimes wish the Cargo had a lower mounting point. Never fear, Tubus has an solution for this in the Logo.

For much more information about racks and fitting them to your bike, check this page out.

The Cargo, and Tubus in general, restored my faith in bike racks. Is there a rack that did the same for you?

I’m both the proud  father of a 13 month old boy, and a new member to the Bike Trailer Shop company. Since fatherhood arrived along with the inevitable rise in the cost of fuel, bicycle trailers have become an essential tool for everyday day living. Since I’ve started working here, I’ve also had the opportunity to learn quite a bit about trailers, and more specifically, child trailers.

I’ve been using a Burley Encore Child Trailer almost everyday for the last 6 months to take the boy with me on errands around town and for the almost daily trip up to the baby sitter (three miles away). I’ve been learning for sure, and what I’ve found is that what I once I considered a chore in a car, I now find to be a great experience on the bike, with Nathan in tow. The Encore is Burley’s mid-level, one to two child trailer and comes with finer amenities such as quick-release alloy wheels, tinted UV protected windows and a two-in-one all weather cover among other things. It retails for $449. As well, it is compatible with the Stroller, Jogger and “We Ski” kits to provide extensibility in all seasons.

The trailer is high quality and that’s apparent from the construction of the fabric & plastic capsule to the frame tubing & welds. The compartment is supported by a wide wheel base on top of 20 inch wheels that make for an incredibly stable platform. Couple that with a 5 point harness system and the Encore is indeed extremely safe. The surprising thing that happened the first time we took the boy out in the trailer, was how he was instantly comfortable. From the hammock mesh seat, to the security of the harness system & sound of wind and the hum of the tires on pavement, he was into it. If he wasn’t gazing out the window, he’d be out cold, napping the ride away.

The towing of a trailer is the towing of a trailer, for the most part…

Yes, you can feel the additional weight of the trailer and its rider, but with two 20 inch wheels, the trailer gets up to speed fast and maintaining said speed, is not impossible, but it is a trailer. Over rougher terrain, the trailer jerks at the hitch a bit, but it’s not too bothersome.  Essentially, the trailer is just letting you know it’s back there as I understand is par for the course with two wheeled trailers. My previous experience to date was with a single wheeled BOB Ibex Trailer.  The recommended speed range Burley suggests is between 5 & 15 mph for the child trailers and those are pretty realistic speeds. This means that when the baby is on board, slowing down over really rough terrain is a good idea, even with the hammock seating, it’s worth it to take it easy on the bumps. But, without the boy riding, I’ve cruised in top gear back down the hill from the babysitters at around 21mph and it handles predictably and is very stable. lowering the tire pressure on the trailer adds a bit of cushion for the rider too.

The Likes:

• Ease of entrance: Putting the boy in, and taking him out of the trailer is no problem with the wide, ample opening.
• The hitch: Burley’s stong presence in the trailer world wouldn’t be possible without a very well designed, simple hitch system that takes little effort to take on and off.
• Ventilation: on warm days, roll the plastic front window up and let the breeze flow through the secondary mesh netting. On the cold days, with the plastic window rolled down, the inside of the trailer stays surprisingly cozy.
• Cargo Storage: There’s plenty of storage in addtion to the two seat area of the trailer which makes grocery runs a great option.
• Trailer Storage: Burley has developed a super-easy collapsing design into the trailer that’s a snap to use. The whole trailer compresses within seconds.

The Dislikes:

• There’s not much to dislike about the Burley Encore.  However, the one thing that does come to mind is the width. Although the width of the trailer is part of a sound & safe design, it’s a bit too wide for some situation like narrow pathway entrances or congested store-fronts. Of course, I’m a one-child parent. If I had two kids, I don’t even think I’d mention anything about the width since it is an aspect of design necessity. Burley offers the “Solo” in relation to this consideration.

The Conclusion:

There are a lot of options out there these days as far as child-trailers go and one of the more obvious choices is a Burley. In fact, I don’t have any legitimate complaints about this trailer and find it perfect for much of our utilitarian needs. If there was a choice to be made, it would be based on comparing the feature packed Burley, to the savings that can be found with other trailers such as the Croozer 535 or 737. The Croozer Trailer is similar in design and saftey fearures, with out quite the same flair as a Burley.

Beyond how well the Burley Encore simply works, I’m constantly impressed how it allows for freedom on the bike and opportunity for exercise all while accommodating much of what life is about these days, making owning one a easy choice. For the cost of a few tanks of gas, you may be amazed at the improvements for daily living a bike child trailer will provide.

Myth number one: The Hitch

Two-wheeled trailers carry their load squarely on, well, their own two wheels, and only a small portion of the load is transferred to the hitch. Conversely, BOB trailers shift a good portion of their load-carrying capability forward, to the hitch. Not only that, the hitch must also resist the additional torsional force inherent in single-wheeled designs.

So how does the BOB hitch fare? By all accounts, very well. The BOB’s front fork/quick release connection is remarkably solid, resisting all torsional forces and shouldering it’s share of the trailer’s load. The connection between trailer and bike relies on two pins to hold the quick release in the trailer fork’s drop outs, and as long as the pins are in place, it means happy riding. Older BOB trailers (pre-2000) used essentially a cotter pin for this job, and, unfortunately, people lost them. Often. Newer models, however, introduced a new pin design that snapped tightly into place against a rivet on the fork dropouts, ensuring that it wouldn’t snap off. Later improvements include a rubber lanyard, to keep you from losing them while the trailer is disconnected from the bike.

The fork/quick release connection can be somewhat problematic when trying to attach a trailer that is already loaded. I’ve found it’s easier to attach the trailer before filling it up. Parking also requires some effort with this design. If you have enough room, the jackknife technique works relatively well, and adding a Greenfield kickstand to the trailer fork or an ESGE double kickstand to your bike will help in all situations. For more information, check out this article about kickstands on BOB trailers.

All things considered, the BOB quick release hitch is both strong and reliable and it’s simple design makes it very easy to use. Oh, it’s also important to note that BOB hitches are available for nutted axles, as well.

Myth number two: Handling

Another myth I held about BOBs, and other single-wheeled trailers, was that when loaded, they had a tendency to pull the bike around. I was happy to find this wasn’t as much of an issue as I feared. The trailer wheel tracks faithfully behind the bike, carving perfect arcs around corners and in evasive maneuvers. Trailers with two wheels have a steering lag and tend to stick out on one or both sides of the bike, requiring you to be constantly aware of the trailer, meaning that you have to ride differently. The BOB requires no such awareness, allowing you to ride almost completely normally. Because of this, the BOB shines on single-track and in city cycling, where handling is critical.

It is important to note, however, that overloading a BOB could be dangerous and will adversely affect the bike’s handling. The rated capacity of both the Yak and Ibex is 70 pounds.

Construction

BOBs are well built. Made of tubular 4130 chromoly steel, their truss design is very strong. The fact that it is made of steel also makes it easier to find someone who can weld it back together in out of the way places, should something bad happen. Its cargo rails do a good job of keeping Dry Saks or other bags in place and allow multiple points of attachment for bungee cords, cargo nets, or other tie-downs, and its expanded metal floor allows unobstructed drainage. The space between the frame members does allow smaller items to slip through, but this is easily remedied with liners and cargo nets, in lieu of a bag. BOBs are also relatively light, as compared to other bike trailers, weighing in at only 13.5 and 17 pounds for the Yak and Ibex, respectively. The BOB trailer’s iconic design is also stylish enough to ensure that you won’t be confused with a homeless person, which is, sadly enough, a common occurrence when riding with a trailer.

Conclusion

In this review, I haven’t really drawn a distinction between BOB Yak and BOB Ibex models. I am instead reviewing them for their common design characteristics, because compared to most other trailers, they are much more alike than different. Overall, I found BOBs to be very reliable, lightweight touring trailers for less-than ideal riding conditions. If you just have to ride your bike there, the BOB will dutifully, and capably, follow.