New BOB trailer owner observations

[moonie]

Hi everyone, As you can tell I am new and wanted to share my experience with my new BOB trailer. Chances are if I read through every thread I would probably find this topic discussed ad nauseum......so excuse me if this has been discussed previously.

I am going on my first unsupported tour next week on the GAP trail from Pittsburgh to Cumberland Md.  I am taking my 10 year old grandson. We rode the PALM in Michigan last year and went coast to coast in 6 days, but it was sagged and supported fully.

So with that in mind I decided to repurpose a child hauler into a cargo trailer, with mixed results. Mainly, the trailer wanted to tug on the bike with every pedal stroke.

2 of the people accompanying us use BOB trailers and suggested I buy one. Honestly I was trying to avoid the expense, but I gave in last week and made the purchase.

WOW, what a difference in the way it travels.  I took it on a fully loaded trip around my hometown (25 miles of concrete and curbs) and hardly knew it was back there.  But since im hauling for 2 people, I needed to really load it up.

I decided to use an old Trek Interchange rack and secure it over the rear wheel. I had to use some (trailer park) tech, to make it work, but as you can see in the photos it worked out quite well as I was able to load my trek panniers and trunk securely without any noticeable difference to the way it hauls.

The other issue I noticed was that when I tried to park my bike, the trailer wanted to pull my bike over, even when I added my dual kickstand from my tandem. (I read an online article that said this would help).

Eventually I attached a kickstand directly to the trailer after cutting it down and adding a golf ball for stability and now the trailer holds up the bike effectively without any wobble or unsteadiness.

I just have to wonder why either of these options aren't part of the trailer from the factory? has anyone else had experience with setting the trailer up like this?  Is there a website dedicated to BOB trailer discussions?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I would love to hear from the  members.

[paddleboy17]

That is one heavily loaded Bob trailer...

I have a Bob, but I prefer panniers for on road and a trailer for off road.  But I was never hauling for two.

I did not invest in a kickstand.  I did look for things like benches or building that I could lean the bike an trailer up against, and that worked well enough for me.  I did sometimes detach the trailer when I camped for the night as that did make things less complicated.

[moonie]

it  looks way heavier than it is , my grandson is able to lift it up from the rear rack and move it around, probably less than 40lbs. The kickstand was so simple to install, I didn't even need to drill any holes! I just had to cut it to fit the height.

[staehpj1]

probably less than 40lbs.

Have you weighed it all?.  Less than 40 pounds seems pretty unlikely.  I can see what looks like 27 pounds of trailer, rack, bags, and chair and the panniers and dry bags look chock full. 

BoB 13.5 pounds
BoB Dry Sak 3.2 pounds
Panniers maybe 4 pounds?
Trunk bag maybe 2 pounds?
Chair maybe 2 pounds?
Rack maybe 1.5 pounds?
dry bag on top maybe 0.5 pounds?
bungees ?
Jacket?

[moonie]

yeah, you may be right......I do have my Sherpa (grandson) carrying the wet weather gear and food on his bike and panniers, and im carrying the bike tools and spare tubes and sunscreen on my bike panniers, so I'm still gonna guess less than 50 pounds.

But it still pulls easily and feels quite light and responsive.

I like it.

[staehpj1]

Have a great trip.   Very cool taking your grandson.

[moonie]

Thanks! This is our 2nd trip together in the last 2 years. He really is into it, and for a 10 year old that means a lot to me. I really feel blessed that I'm able to teach him something he can do for the rest of his life.

I'll post some pics from our trip when we get back!

 

[DwarvenChef]

We got our BoB a few years ago and have used it more for shopping than touring :p I've had 100 lbs in it and that's the reason I no longer have an aluminum frame bike YIKES!!! I got my Disc Trucker and have not been disappointed ever with the trailer.

Thanks for the idea of the kick stand on the trailer, I was working on a couple drop bars to stabilize the front of the trailer. I'll see about chopping up an old kicker and see what happens.

[moonie]

here are a couple of pics of the kickstand and the Trek Interchange rack mount. By putting the kickstand in the place I have it, it can literally hold up the entire bike!

Its kind of freaky actually

[moonie]

Here is a shot of it holding up the entire bike with just the BOB kickstand. I tilted the bike just slightly off center to compensate for balance in the opposite direction.  It turns out it really wasn't necessary.

[freightbike]

Hey moonie! Awesome tip! I just put this on my BoB with a kickstand I got off a trek 300 that I use as a beater. I think I need a smaller tennis ball or some other type of soft ground foot. Didn't have to drill any holes but did use some shims to keep the clamp surfaces parallel. I start on a trip to the east coast tomorrow and I've always had tipping issues with the rig. I was using a kickstand that attaches to the chain and seat stays. I clamped it on the fork of the bob.

[moonie]

A golf ball works very well, whether sand or grass.  A friend first used it on his touring bike to help with panniers, so I didn't invent the idea, but maybe for a BOB trailer I figured it should help. Just finished a 4 day fully loaded trip in PA and it worked beautifully!

[giantjim]

  Hello all. This is way cool! I have recently begun to ride every day with a plan to ride the Atlantic Tier, Pensacola, Florida  to Maine next year. I just purchased a complete set of paniers and racks. My wife plans to accompany me so I was plannning on carring the bulk of the weight, maybe I'll look into a BOB. I ride a alumunim frame Giant. Do you think this will haul the BOB. Don't really want the expense of another bike.

 

[moonie]

Hello all. This is way cool! I have recently begun to ride every day with a plan to ride the Atlantic Tier, Pensacola, Florida  to Maine next year. I just purchased a complete set of pannier's and racks. My wife plans to accompany me so I was planning on carrying the bulk of the weight, maybe I'll look into a BOB. I ride a aluminum frame Giant. Do you think this will haul the BOB. Don't really want the expense of another bike.

Do I have great news for you! The bike in the photo started out life as a brand new Giant Sedona LX about 10 years ago. I have since had it powder coated and added a whole bunch of XT and XTR stuff with Mavic wheels and a carbon fiber fork, but its a Giant Aluminum frame!

So don't delay, go get that BOB! 

[giantjim]

 8)Aesome! , I'll start looking

Jim