more panniers vs BOB, rider weight an issue???

[vanick]

I'm new to this forum, long-time serious road rider looking at doing a solo trans-America ride, camping mainly plus plastic.  I've not carried gear on a bicycle since the late '60's when I used to ride home from boarding school to the tune of about 300 miles on a Schwinn Varsity.

I'm sorting out what bike to ride, and that leads to the panniers vs BOB (or other? single-wheel trailer) question....  Anybody have any input on handling characteristics of either setup for a rider who weighs in at 150 lbs after a couple of beers?  

Seems like the affects of, say 50 pounds of added weight on the bike, or on a trailer behind, would be different for a 150 pound rider versus a 200 pound rider.  I just don't know what those affects are.  Seems like added weight on the bike itself would be more noticeable from a handling standpoint for a lightweight rider than for a heavyweight.  And that a trailer with a given amount of stuff on it would tend to do its thing more noticably to a lighter-weight rider than someone with more mass.  

Anyone have any thoughts as to which is better for a rider my size?

Nick in Virginia



This message was edited by vanick on 5-11-04 @ 7:56 AM

[valygrl]

I think it does make a difference, but I would be hard-pressed to prove it.  I toured last year, started out with a bob.  I weigh about 115.  The bob was sort of ok with "normal" load - my tour partner was carrying more of our shared stuff than I was - but it tended to wobble at higher speeds, down hill.  I'm talking, like over 15 mph, which is way too slow for a speed limit.  On days that it was heavily loaded, it didn't behave well at all downhill.  I actually crashed it, it had about 15 more pounds in it than usual because of a long day w/no water on the route.  I was going downhill about 25-30mph (too fast) and it tried to overtake me, making me weave in bigger and bigger arcs side to side.  End result - I high-sided.  After that my partner and i traded his racks for the bob, but he didn't like it either - he weighs about 205.  He had a little of the swoopy-wobbly feeling, but was able to control it.  So... end result, bob got evicted from the tour, replaced by front and rear panniers, which I like MUCH better - the bike just feels like a heavy bike, instead of the weird hadling I had with the trailer.

This story doesn't really answer your question, and I don't know what the gross weight was in it, either.  

anna

[vanick]

Thanks Anna, that's useful input.  At this point I'm planning on panniers and no BOB, seems like it would be more in tune with my riding style & psyche.

Regards, Nick

[hoogie]

Hi there ...

I have used a BoBYak quite extensively and also panniers ... both have pros and cons really ...

I have had my BobYak loaded to the hilt and it never missed a beat and it always tracked wherever I went ... I managed to pass 3 cars while riding down a  long hill towing a fully laden trailer, top speed 88.5kmh [about 55mph] with no issues other than tears in my eyes and a big smile. I also bombed down a gravel pass with no issues either ...

I think the trick is to load the heavy stuff as close the bottom of the trailer as you can and also as close to the front too ... plus you really need to finesse when steering the bike and trailer, as any sudden movements will throw you off line, so either look far ahead and plan early, or just plow over stuff!

I think it is really comes down to ones own preference ...

Oh, I am 1.91m, 105kg [6'3", 220lbs?] and tow the trailer behind and aluminium framed MTB.

cheers,
hoogie
timaru/oamaru, new zealand
some pics here on my website

This message was edited by hoogie on 6-2-04 @ 7:38 PM