Trailer vs Panniers

[TheWind]

I am planning a trans-USA ride.  I will be taking a generally light load, including light weight camping tent and gear.  My rough guess is that the weight of my load (not counting trailer or panniers) will be 30 - 40 pounds.  I am still deciding on whether to use a BOB trailer or panniers.  I can see advantages of each.  I am interested in opinions on Pro's and Con's and experiences of those who have used both or either.  Thank you.   Text

[FredHiltz]

Hi TheWind,

It has been discussed to death. You are not likely to evoke any opinions or experiences signifigantly different from what you can find quickly by searching this forum and the Gear forum for the two terms.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/features/bigdebate.cfm is an excellent place to start by reading a summary of pros and cons.

Fred

[tailwind]

i have put a few thousand km on both, and the bob trailer is far better. so much so that in my opinion panniers only use would be commuting to work, or a credit card tour but then you just wouldnt need a bob.
with a BOB you get the aero dynamics, the stabillity, you dont have to worry about weight distribution and it puts far less stress on your spokes

but with a bob you cant slip as easy or should i say whoever is riding with you cant

your going loaded, so bring a bob
have fun

[cyclesafe]

The only real reasons to choose one definitely over the other is if the bike you plan to use can't accommodate fork / rear triangle mounted racks and/or has wheels that won't stand up to the weight of rider and panniers.  For example, a BOB works fine with a carbon road bike with less than 32-spoke wheels.  If your bike has eyelets for racks, you will then have to choose.

Fred is right, scour this forum and others for the information that will help you decide.  IMHO, it doesn't matter.  

[TheDaltonBoys]

What cyclesafe said...(BoB user/owner since '93, drop down rear pannier user since '03)...enjoy the voyage...Mark of the Dalton Boys

[litespeed]

Every one I have met in my travels with a bicycle trailer has the same complaint: "I'm just carrying too much stuff". BOB trailers make it too easy to throw in extraneous gear. I use Ortleib panniers and very sturdy wheels (Ultegra hubs, 36 spokes, Rhynolite rims, 37mm Continental Top Touring tires). My panniers are usually about 2/3 full (Although I'll admit my bike fully loaded is heavy - about 80 pounds). In over 20,000 miles of loaded touring around the country I have never had a breakdown - just the occasional flat. And on my last trip out west I went almost 5,000 miles without a flat. BOB trailers seem to do all right on straight pavement but when the surface gets rough they seem to come undone - lose pins, break joints, etc. Also they use Wal-Mart size tires and seem to suffer a lot of flats.

This message was edited by litespeed on 10-21-06 @ 2:58 PM

[BrianCM]

I have both racks and BOB.  I can't make a generalization one way or the other as to which is better on a trip.  I actually don't put much in the BOB, as I use it for hauling water when I'm camping in the desert.  The BOB is also great for trips to the store, when I buy stuff that won't fit in my Ortlieb panniers.  I plan on using my BOB more with my new recumbent, because I don't have racks for the front forks (20" front wheel).

The one thing that was important on my BOB was using a Schwalbe Marathon for its tire.  The tire that was used by manufacturer was pure garbage - it actually crumbled!

[kkoerth]

Where did you buy a 16 in Schwalbe Marathon tire?

[cyclesafe]

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=5213&sku=11628&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Brand%3A%20Schwalbe

Make sure to buy two, so you can loan me your spare again!  

This message was edited by cyclesafe on 10-26-06 @ 6:40 AM

[Badger]

I bought one from nashbar a few weeks ago.

[BrianCM]

kkoerth, I honestly don't remember.  I may have bought it directly from Schwalbe, but a Google search on "Schwalbe 40-305" returns thorusa.com and easystreetrecumbents.com.

[kkoerth]

Thanks everybody. No worries Steve I always have a Bob spare.

Kurt