Pulling a BOB Trailer with Carbon Bike

[kstarmac]

Next summer I plan on riding the Sierra Cascade route north to south. Im thinking of using my carbon road bike and pull a BOB trailer. Ive read articles both positive and negative about using a carbon bike to pull BOB but was hoping to get feedback from actual people that have used this combo.

[staehpj1]

Next summer I plan on riding the Sierra Cascade route north to south. Im thinking of using my carbon road bike and pull a BOB trailer. Ive read articles both positive and negative about using a carbon bike to pull BOB but was hoping to get feedback from actual people that have used this combo.

I have not toured with a BoB, but I have ridden the southern part of the Sierra Cascades Route.  Based on that experience I will suggest that you be sure to have very low gearing available and keep the load light.  There are some serious climbs on the route.

I don't see any reason that a BoB on a carbon road bike wouldn't work OK if you do as I mentioned wrt gearing and weight carried.  Fairly sturdy wheels (especially the rear one) might also be a good idea.

[RussSeaton]

Next summer I plan on riding the Sierra Cascade route north to south. Im thinking of using my carbon road bike and pull a BOB trailer. Ive read articles both positive and negative about using a carbon bike to pull BOB but was hoping to get feedback from actual people that have used this combo.

This summer a friend's kid used a TREK 5500 carbon bike to pull a BOB out to the start of RAGBRAI.  About 200 miles for the trip.  Worked fine.  He used the Bontrager "race" wheels without issue.

[aggie]

I used a Bob with my Trek 5200 and it worked.  I did find that if I stood up and pedaled it felt a little "squishy" (technical term).  I may have been carrying more stuff than I really needed so that may have added to the feeling.  I highly recommend that you use the biggest tires you can use on the bike.  I found I was blowing out the sidewall on my rear tire way too often.  Either that or carry a spare or two.  Once I blew the tire at the AZ-NM border.  It was a long way to the nearest bike shop.  The bike should be fine.  I hope you have a triple you'll need it to pull the extra weight up the hills.  Wheels will give you more issues than the bike.

[CyclesafeSr]

I did the Southern Tier on a Trek 5200 triple pulling a BOB.  I had a 12-25 cassette and never needed to walk.  No damage to the bike either.

However, the Sierra Cascades route may have the steepest sustained grades of any ACA route, so you might want to consider a MTB rear derailleur and MTB cassette.  $200 well spent. 

[johnsondasw]

I've pulled a Burley Nomad with a CF Specialized Roubaix several times.  I've even used it for grocery trips and pulled 60 pounds.  No problem.  I never change the tires to bigger ones--just stick with 700x23c. 

[kstarmac]

Thanks for the feedback.
For the trip I planned on throwing a triple on my Tarmac Pro and some Continental 23C GP4000 tires. The Gp's are a lot beafier than the Michilin Pro race3's that I run currently. I did have thoughts of using my Scott Scale 20 MTB for the trip cuz the gearing is already there, but right now I am leaning towards the road bike. The plan is rent a car and drive to Reno/Tahoe area where I have family and ride home from there to Orange County.  KS

[whittierider]

For the trip I planned on throwing a triple on my Tarmac Pro and some Continental 23C GP4000 tires. The Gp's are a lot beafier than the Michilin Pro race3's that I run currently.

Those GP4000's are not only tough against flats and very long-lasting, but are also some of the hottest-performing race tires, a combination of characteristics that was unheard of until recently.  See the article from Tour magazine here.  Conti really has a winner in this model.  I've been averaging about 2,000 miles between flats with mine, using the 49-gram super thin Performance LunarLite tubes.  Last year I even pulled a box staple out of the rear tire and it did not penetrate the vectran breaker layer, so I did not have to fix a flat.  I would still recommend 25mm tires though instead of 23's.  25's will give you a better ride, and, contrary to urban legend, lower rolling resistance.

[johnsondasw]

One more vote for Conti 4000s.  That's all I use.