BOB cargo trailers discontinued

[aggie]

I've had two people tell me BOB no longer makes the Yak or Ibex cargo trailers.  Is this accurate?  I haven't been able to find anything online to confirm this information.

[driftlessregion]

The Yak did disappear from their website for a time but has reappeared.

[Ghspalding]

I have a Yak for sale never used it. Decided. To go with bags. Live in Atlanta.  $250 and we can discuss shipping $.   Thks, Geo


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[aggie]

I just received confirmation from a retail seller that BOB cargo trailers (ibex, yak) are no longer being manufactured.  They recommended Burley Coho as a replacement.  No explanation. 

[staehpj1]

The base BoB page seems to be all about strollers now with no mention of bike trailers.  If you search you can still find active pages for the trailers though.  Not sure what that means, but it does sound likely that they are no longer being made.  Strange that there seems to be no announcement or explanation.
https://www.bobgear.com/yak-bike-trailer
https://www.bobgear.com/ibex-bike-trailer

[aggie]

If you go to the BOB parts pages for any of the trailer parts it refers you "select" retailers like Amazon.  When you go to amazon there is only 1 trailer listed for sale by a company other than Amazon and it says they only have 1 left.  Most of the other listings when you do a search are for Burley trailers.  BOB must be making most if its money on strollers and since the bike trailer market was a niche market at best they must have decided to exit the market.  Too bad.  They made some very durable and reliable trailers and are classic.

[Arizona Gal]

I had wanted a BOB for some time, then read it had been discontinued, alas!  So, now I have two of them!  Bought the Yak for $200, with drybag, and the Ibex for $100, also with bag.  I have a family member who might use one of them, so I decided to go for it when I saw the local ads.  My bike is set up with panniers, but I've done a couple of short tours with a BOB knockoff in the past, and I think it would be fun to use in some places.  The parts are still available.  I am thinking of buying a few extra parts, in case those also disappear. 

[staehpj1]

I am a little suprised there aren't more one wheeled clones of the BoB in the void created by it's absense.  It is a nice design.

As far as parts most things aren't too likely to fail or could be fabricated or otherwise improvised.  The skewer is something that could be an issue, but it is likely that in the future you might want something different like a setup for a thru axle given the influx of disc brakes into the market.  Such a thing does exist though (https://robertaxleproject.com/bob-trailers/).

I think if I owned a BoB and wanted to be sure it would be serviceable long term I might buy a spare skewer and rely on buying a thru axle setup later if needed.  Attachment pins can be fabricated or replaced with other hardware like a standard hitch pin clip.  Not sure there is anything else I'd preemtively buy.

For me personally it is a moot point since the BoB doesn't suit my touring style and for around town errands my el cheapo two wheeled trailer is quicker and easier to attach to the variety of bikes that I owning and swapping different skewers between bikes.  I like how the BoB tows, but for the minimal short distance utility use my trailer sees it doesn't matter much.

[HikeBikeCook]

I have a BoB Ibex which we used one or two trips before switching back to panniers. I got it to tow behind mountain bikes for the C&O and GAP. I was concerned about the skewer as well and bought 3 spares. Skewer was never an issue but the extra weight in the rear resulted in several broken spokes. Luckily I had brought spares and the tools to replace them. The wheel continued to be an issue until a total rebuilt with new spokes. BTW, my bike(s) have disc brakes and that was not an issue. The new wave of solid axles would be an issue since it attaches via a proprietary skewer. I did lose one of the special clips but had spares.

It is a nice concept, weight is low and no need to fit racks over a bike with disc brakes and no mounting eyelets. Weight is about 18 pounds empty (Ibex with shock) so when you compare it to front and rear racks with 4 Ortliebs the weight is a wash.

Handling can be a issue at speeds and slowing on gravel as you are being pushed from behind by the momentum of a loaded trailer. I clipped my handlebar on a gate on the C&O and would have been fine with panniers however, the momentum of the loaded trailer turned that little twist of the wheel into a yard sale.

The other drawback is organization. The big drybag is easy to fill (actually overfill) and you start out all nice and organized. If you are trail riding or on rough roads the bounce of the trailer turns the drybag into a big mixing bowl and nothing is where you put it at the end of the day.

[Arizona Gal]

Thanks for the responses!  There is a BOB knockoff, very inexpensive, which I owned and gave to a family member.  It is the Apex, sold by Discount Ramps. I took it on two easy overnight trips, a couple of years ago, riding a full-suspension mountain bike, and really enjoyed it.  Actually, that mtn bike is the reason I may occasionally use a trailer, if I want to ride that bike due to a route with a lot of dirt roads. 

I also have a Salsa Journeyman gravel bike, but I find I like it better on pavement and very easy dirt roads.  It is set up for panniers.  I'm basically a newb, trying out different things.  Did a couple overnight trips this summer, with panniers.  (I am not a newb to backpacking, and have the ultralight gear already.) 

The trailer might be nice in Florida, where I'll be spending fall and early winter.  Lots of rail trails, etc., and it's pretty flat there!  But I will not use the trailer on a planned loop of SoCal in the spring. 

Thanks again!

[dkoloko]

Bicycle Revolution trailer is also discontinued. I have one.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesniffer/3402008602/in/photostream/

[staehpj1]

Speaking of discontinued models, I had a Yakima Big Tow long ago and long discontinued.  It was a BoB clone.

[dkoloko]

Speaking of discontinued models, I had a Yakima Big Tow long ago and long discontinued.  It was a BoB clone.

What is the cause of this? You can say because they didn't sell, but why did they sell and then not? I use mine, not for touring, but for shopping, hauling firewood out of the woods, etc.

[staehpj1]

Speaking of discontinued models, I had a Yakima Big Tow long ago and long discontinued.  It was a BoB clone.

What is the cause of this? You can say because they didn't sell, but why did they sell and then not? I use mine, not for touring, but for shopping, hauling firewood out of the woods, etc.

The Big Tow was paying royalties to the BoB and not competeing well with them.  Why BoB stopped I am unsure.  They seemed pretty popular, but even a big chuck of what is a niche market is still only a niche market.  I guess since the bike trailer market in general is a limited market and they decided to concentrate on their baby stroller and baby jogger market which is probably much larger.

[TCS]

The similar Weber Monoporter also seems to be gone.  The Extrawheel trailer, which is almost but not quite completely different, still seems to be on the market.

Speaking of discontinued models...

...I had an original cargo-version Cannondale Bugger!  (Fun fact:  It was sold in the UK under the same product name.)