One wheel bike trailer? Recommendations?
 

anyone ever bike toured with a trailer? I am looking at buying a cheap one wheel trailer to attach to my Journeyman so my son and I might be able to do an overnight on the Greenbrier next year. he will be nine and i don't want him to carry too much weight.

Any suggestions as to a good low cost trailer to haul overnight camping supplies?

BoB trailers are popular, touring ..
but for high and weird loads, they don't please me

I had one, But, for Utility, I like 2 wheel trailers better..
for boxes getting rid of old CRT TV's, etc..

I have a Burly , flat bed.. (worker co-op era), w 20" wheels.
built around a common front hub, QR the wheels off, & it folds flat ..




...

I haven't used a single wheel trailer. I've got a Burley cargo (two wheels) which does well with heavy loads. But riding with it is very noticeable. I've also got a Travoy, which mostly feels like it's not there. Depending on how much stuff you need to haul, it might be worth considering. Much easier for small/medium sized grocery runs (bring the Travoy into the store). Obviously, for camping the latter isn't critical ... unless you are stopping at stores just off the trail ;>

The Bob Yak is the only single wheel trailer worth having in my opinion. We are closing in on 12 years with ours. There weren't any knock-off's when we bought our Yak, but there were a couple of European single wheel trailers that cost as much or more than the BOB. The Nashbar knock-off was first but I don't know if it is still made. There is another knock-off that I know of but I can't remember the name. What I know is that the BOB has a stated weight limit of 70lbs. but it is so seriously overbuilt we routinely exceed the limit by more than 30 lbs. I actually think they use the 70lbs. because that may be the highest safe weight for a single bike to pull without being overwhelmed. We pull it with a tandem. The cargo bag that comes with the YAK is not duplicated by any of the knock-off's and it matters. I would rather try to find a Yak used to save money than buy a knock-off. As cyclists the ONLY impediment to our forward progress is air resistance. A Lance Armstrong level cyclist struggles to achieve 30mph on level ground but with something to block the wind (air resistance) that speed would be 186mph. A Burley Travoy knocks a couple of mph off the top speed of an average cyclist. It isn't that noticeable in town but on a tour? Uh, I would think so! Lower two wheel trailers (the majority) still present several square feet of bluff afterbody to the airstream and two wheels where just one would do as well. Sorry, the single wheel trailer wins for aero efficiency and as a cyclist that is all you should care about. That it is also strong and light for its size is a plus.

Extrawheel is another 1 wheel trailer, you use a 2nd front wheel like your bike ,
(1 size spare tube for all)
and put your gear in 2 bags, panniers,, vs 1 biggie..

Tout Terrain DE, offers another one with suspension ..

Mule

thanks for the reply
 

i would not be touring all the time with it. It would be for special trips with my son who is currently 8yo. I would carry all our stuff so he can enjoy the ride. I will check out the extra wheel that might work.

If you buy something other than a major brand like BobYak, Burley or the ExtraWheel, make sure parts are available. I have one of the Nashbar single wheel trailers, part of the hitch broke, parts are NLA. Eventually I will cobble something together to fix it. I also own a couple of Burley trailers, parts, while expensive are readily available for them, even the older ones.

Aaron :)

Long ago Jack Taylor cycles made really nice ones.. Quite collectable ..

I have 2 bob ibex and like them alot. But if cost is a thing I would look for a used one. I have bought 5 trailers over the years one being a bob from Craigs list.

I'm out of touch with trailer prices but I bought a BOB trailer when I was living in a college town, early 90s. I used it for overnight camping, laundry, groceries, basically day to day stuff. As long as I loaded heavy stuff on the bottom and not too high, it didn't feel like I was pulling anything cumbersome. I still use it occasionally and the only thing wrong with it now is it is missing the original yellow flag. STOLEN! The nerve of some creatures.

I used a B.O.B. for one bike tour. It worked great, but I preferred panniers and gave the B.O.B. away. I don't have one bad thing to say about the trailer, just personal preference.

BTW...when I toured with my little sister many years ago, we used panniers. I just packed her up with the light, fluffy gear and I carried the heavy stuff. We biked from New Orleans, LA to just past Memphis, TN. As she got stronger I added a little weight to her load.

thanks I guess i would really need to see what we are going to bring on the trip and then see how or what would be the best way to pack it. I am trying to ride with my 9yo son on some rail trails. i just don't think that his 20" bike will be able to cut it

20" wheels are incredibly strong. Put the sleeping bags/clothing and other light stuff on his bike, he will be fine. You can always do test runs around town. Then, if it doesn't work to load him with light gear, you can get yourself a trailer.

IDK specifics of His, but 20" wheels are stronger , because they are smaller.. Bike Friday built thousands of 20" wheels
and those bikes are use for touring & cargo hauling * globally..

* https://i0.wp.com/www.bikefriday.com...100%2C67&ssl=1

@fietsbob i would love to have a haul a day but my CFO doesn't see that as a priority haha (at this point)

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...33ccbd8990.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cc7446ad5a.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7e62a46ce9.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c0d50171e1.jpg
Some mods I made to make my bob do more. Bent some half inch emt tubing that resembles a roll bar but I used it mount a 1x3 then attached a Yakima rack fork clamp. The 1x clears the back wheel when in place. It also ended up being a great hand hold to control when loaded. Later added a 1x on the front emt piece and mounted another to a small piece of plywood to make a flat area for larger items. Can't imagine the trailer now without those mods. The pic with the plywood on the trailer is 3' x 5'.

Like This?https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped..._biking_95.gif Göran Kropp leaving Stockholm in October 1995, en route for Mount Everest.

Ride, Summit , come down, ride home again..


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6ran_Kropp

The load limit on the yak depends on your bicycle geometry. I hauled some groceries with my road bike one day and handling was difficult. Several times the load on the tandem was no problem. These were not long rides. If I was to tour with a one wheeled cart on a single bicycle I would use the
tout Terran or the Extrawheel.

Not sure what kind of groceries you hauled and not sure the geometry of the tow bike has much to do with the load limit of a third party trailer. Bob trailers are attached to the tow bike at the axle. All weight transfers at that point. It can be a very unique feeling the first few times pulling and testing the trailer to the limits and seeing what it has and what it takes to use and how it responds. Low weights in trailer are no big deal. Larger weights very much so. Higher weight loads can push the tow bikes axle right out of the dropouts which took me a few times to really get that. I always describe it that as heavy the trailer heavy cargo weight it will start telling you where it wants to go. The trailer is very good for smaller loads, single track, or riding on roads as to it's narrow width design allowing for much less competing for road space with vehicles. Off the top of my head I would say it's almost half the width of many 2 wheel trailers. I've had a burley flatbed over 20 years that I set up for my dog and it's hitch design allows for all kinds of different angles it can move all with out really effecting the handling of the tow bike aside from just pulling dead weight.

All trailers have their strengths and weaknesses. Single wheel trailers are just not good with heavy cargo loads.
That's my .02

To be more specific the bob balances the weight between the rear axle and the bob wheel. This is a sling between two axles and it effects the balance of the bicycle more than a two wheeled cart or the ToutTerran or the extrawheel. On a tandem bicycle the effect is barley noticeable. On a short wheel based bicycle it is very noticeable. The extrawheel cart balances the weight more on its wheel than the bob does. The ToutTerran puts the tung weight forward of the rear axle of the bicycle. Ride the bob with 50 plus lbs over a hundred miles in one day on a tour then try the ToutTerran or the extrawheel for the same. There will be a difference in comfort. Now for practicability the bob is good for the kind of grocery shopping I used it for. I purchased groceries at the grocery store and hauled them home. I have an 8000 cubic inch load bag and a cargo net.

I am very glad that I found this thread.
My wife and I have 2 tandems. For bikepacking on our mountain tandem, we have frame, handlebar and other bags so a trailer is unnecessary.
For our road tandem; though, I've looked into getting a trailer so that we could go to the store while out on our Sunday morning rides or throw some gear onto it if we want to do a long weekend getaway to a BnB or something. I would prefer a single wheel although some 2 wheel models are very affordable.

Thanks for all of the insights!

Well.... I had some money built up in my Amazon account so I picked up a BOB Yak this morning.
Yes, no impulse control.