digger531

I am looking for some experience with trailers other than a BOB. I understand they make a great trailer but it hasn't changed, ever. I have to think some one has tried something new. I will correct myself the IBEX seems like an interesting upgrade but at four pounds is it worth it not to mention the added maintenance of suspension. I am looking for a all around trailer, groceries, touring, pets maybe.

seeker333

The BOB is intended to be used off-road, on singletrack. However, most people use them on pavement.

The Burley Nomad works better on pavement, especially for non-tour use such as groceries. It won't tip over and smash your toes like a Bob can.

Either one of these trailers can be bought, used for a tour, and then sold on ebay for more than 50% of their new cost, so you can recover some of your expense. You usually can't do this as easily with racks and panniers.

There are several other trailers you can buy, but these two probably account for >50% of all non-kiddie trailers sold.

An even better trailer for groceries is the Burly Flatbed, although it's too big for most people's touring needs. You can put coolers on a flatbed and keep your food clean and cool.

antokelly

is there a way you can stop the bob from tipping over every time you stop.
great looking trailer except for that major design fault.

fietsbob

These things let you carry an extra set of panniers ,I'ts a big wheel.
a 2nd front wheel,
https://www.biketrailershop.com/extra...ers-c-140.html

Or one of these: [note the seat post mount]
https://www.tout-terrain.de/2/product...ule/index.html

You could just get a Big Dummy or an Xtracycle long tail conversion kit
and not need a trailer at all
https://www.biketrailershop.com/xtrac...its-c-145.html

FWIW, Ive seen people fitting their bob trailer with it's own kickstand
in addition to the one that you fit on the bike..

Rowan

I use a TW Bents trailer. It could be said to be a BoB knockoff, but it isn't really. It folds flat, for a start. Anyway, I've found it to be good for the sort of loads I have carried -- shopping, gardening stuff, but no touring items. It came with a large waterproof bag as part of the deal.

As to the tipping over, I've always found this trailer to be a bit of a bear to manoeuvre in tight parking. It's a bit like backing a semi-trailer into a spot. But I can't say I've had major issues with it tipping over. Isn't there supposed to be a way to jack-knife the rig so that the bike and trailer basically remain upright? I've never tried it because I've always found a wall or a couple of posts to lean the bike and trailer against.

The pet issue might be a dealbreaker for something like a BoB or Bents trailer. To me, a dual-wheel trailer with a square or oblong platform would seem a better solution.

Thulsadoom

How the hell does the Bob tip over when it's attached to the bike? If the trailer tips over, your bike tips over. There's this new invention called a "kickstand" that keeps the whole thing from falling over.

drmweaver2

There's a trailer called a Mayacycle out now. It's essentially a Bob Yak knockoff with a few "significant" differences. The cargo "compartment" is reversed from the Bob - higher at the rear than the front - and the "bed" is more open practically necessitating the use of the trailer's bag. It has rotatable "wheelbarrow handles" that double as cargo compartment sides. It does have an integrated kickstand (1 leg on both left and right side). Unlike the Yak, there are no incorporated water bottle cages, nor mounts for them.

The most significant issue, having tried one for a couple weeks, was with the replacement QR skewer/hitch attachment system --- I was unable to consistently tighten the QR skewer properly. By this I mean that the skewer did not maintain its initial tightness and on two specific occasions this resulted in the skewer/chain/chainwheel moving forward in the rear fork dropouts from a dead stop (the maximum torque situation) causing an accident both times. This same trailer/skewer setup was used on someone else's bike - their result was a broken collarbone.

When the QR skewer DID stay in the bike's rear dropouts properly, it handled at least as well as any Bob I've tried, both lightly and heavily loaded. Otoh, like a Bob Yak, it's not readily convertible to a pet-friendly trailer.

It's possible a redesign or someone smarter than both myself and the other rider might be able to redesign or adjust this QR skewer setup properly - but I wouldn't recommend the trailer as it was when I tried it.

Rumor has it that the trailer will be sold in the future without a QR skewer system which should avoid the above problem - but that negates anything approaching a quick/timely side-of-the-road tire or spoke repair.

Finally, though the pics on their website show it on a trail, correspondence with a corporate officer indicates the intended use for the trailer is on-pavement only.

Thulsadoom - my experience with single-wheel trailers is that single-legged, bike-mounted kickstands tend to be "over-whelmed" by the load of both bike and a fully-loaded trailer and fall-overs are not uncommon. Kickstands mounted near/on the rear wheel dropout have fewer falls - again in my experience. Dual-legged, bottom-braket located kickstands fall somewhere in between those two --- with some variance depending on the width of the two legs, the ground surface itself, and the actual load of the trailer. In all cases, the area of the kickstand footprint on the ground itself is a major consideration - the larger it is, the less likely the tip over.

jabantik00

you turn your bar all the way and jackknife your bike so that the trailer rests on its plastic skidplate. no need for a kickstand or anything to lean your bike on

antokelly

brilliant photo.but tell me is there any way that trailer could twist the frame or is it 100% safe fool proof .
i cant fine a photo of how this bob is attached to the bike better still is there a video on the whole set up .

Thulsadoom

In my experience, the problem with most bicycle kickstands is that they provide a pivot point for the whole rig to revolve on when the bike is loaded, and most especially when a trailer is hooked up. The front wheel needs to be locked in place when the stand is down, and then everything stays in place.

There's several ways to keep the front wheel from moving and flopping from one side to the other. I made up a little bracket and locking device that I use whenever I park my 520 and trailer. It holds the front end very stable. Some people use a bungee or whatever to hold the wheel onto the frame.

And I certainly agree with your point about the kickstand length. It needs to be correct for the particular bike in order to provide the most stable lean angle.

KDC1956

Not sure why you say it will tip over I have use mine a lot and it never has tip over.if you want a pic of it loaded up ask me and I will post a pic of it or look for one of my other post I have a few pics of my loaded LHT.

antokelly

kdc i always like to look at photos so yeah stick up a few thanks.

KDC1956

Here is my LHT with the BoB it rides nice too.

big_rider

Gotta say I love the BOB trailer. It is super versatile, and reliable. The IBEX isn't necessary unless you ride really rough trails or rocky dirt roads. If you are touring on pavement, the original is just fine. Parking is not a problem, you can always lay the whole thing down on its side, but trees, walls, curbs, reflector posts, anything like that will work, you just lean the trailer against it, and it will hold your bike up.

antokelly

well i bit the bullet and went and bought a single wheel trailer that looks exactly like the bob .
has some great reviews on it so hopefully it will live up to its name .
cass gilbert reviewed it and he give it the thumbs up, only thing is the bag that comes with it is not 100% waterproof the seems need to be sealed .
anyone got any ideas how i could do this.
oh yeah i bought it off ebay £74 what a bargain.

truman

You do it with seam sealer made for waterproofing tents. It's available at stores that carry better camping equipment. Just follow the instructions included with the product.

antokelly

thanks truman i found a place here in Ireland that sells it.

Pedaleur

What did you get?

antokelly

i bought the trailer that Edinburgh co op sells .I'm still waiting for delivery .
can anyone advise on the best way to load it up photos would be great.
you know i should look a sight here in my town ,i have never seen a trailer been pulled .not alone in my town but on my travels around Ireland.i will have to sneek out at the dead of night to test it out just in case i fall off look like a right pratt .

tanslacks

You won't fall over. I just got a BOB and rode it down to our market. Feeling very excited I bought 25 kilos of groceries! I was a bit shocked at the weight, but after only several pedal strokes I found my balance. When the trailer is empty, you will not even know it is there. I am not a vey experienced cyclist, 52 years old and still I get psyched to go to the market with my trailer. Leaving in an hour or so... ride safe and enjoy

antokelly

cheers tanslacks yeah i'm really looking forward to getting it ,guess we are all still big kids at heart.
tell me is there anything underneath the frame of the bob to stop it getting scraped .did you load your bob up willie nillie ,i'm interested in spreading the weight evenly or does it matter .

tanslacks

On the BOB I bought there are two small white hard plastic pads at the two rounded front corners. These pads touch the ground when the trailer is jack-knifed. You can see the contact point in this picture pretty well.



About loading... I think I did everything wrong. I should have planned the heavier stuff down low, but I had bought one of those huge packages of toilet paper.. like 40 rolls. I put that on the bottom and the heavier stuff ended up piled kind of high. I would definitely pay more attention next time, but I made it home.

dengidog

There's a trailer called a Mayacycle out now. It's essentially a Bob Yak knockoff with a few "significant" differences. The cargo "compartment" is reversed from the Bob - higher at the rear than the front - and the "bed" is more open practically necessitating the use of the trailer's bag. It has rotatable "wheelbarrow handles" that double as cargo compartment sides. It does have an integrated kickstand (1 leg on both left and right side). Unlike the Yak, there are no incorporated water bottle cages, nor mounts for them.\

I also have a Mayacycle trailer. I hadn't posted much about it until now because I wanted to give it several test runs. I don't know if this is a knockoff or not, but I do like this trailer. The differences are extras that don't cost extra like with other trailers (double legged kickstand, a very roomy, waterproof bag and a couple of bungee cords). There aren't any water bottle cages, but I don't want any on my trailer. The bed isn't "open", the arms (which convert to make it a wheelbarrow) keep items sufficiently secure.

The most significant issue, having tried one for a couple weeks, was with the replacement QR skewer/hitch attachment system --- I was unable to consistently tighten the QR skewer properly. By this I mean that the skewer did not maintain its initial tightness and on two specific occasions this resulted in the skewer/chain/chainwheel moving forward in the rear fork dropouts from a dead stop (the maximum torque situation) causing an accident both times. This same trailer/skewer setup was used on someone else's bike - their result was a broken collarbone.

Either you didn't secure it properly or maybe I have a slightly different skewer attachment system than you. It did take me several tries to figure out what I was doing because I'm not too good with anything technical/manual. Assembling the trailer was a breeze, but the skewer had me scratching my head for a while. I did have to add a washer on each side to ensure a tight fit, but that was more because of my bike. In fairness, I think you should also have a wrench handy to tighten up the bolts--it's not quite as easy as just unscrewing the wingnuts. Still, it takes a few minutes and beats carrying bags (to me).

I've taken the Mayacycle out on several fast runs up and down my street. The road is made of uneven cobblestones with plenty of dips and bumps. Everything remained in place. After reading your posting, I was hesitant to try anything more risky, but today I took it out on a true run. I went up and down the local hills/mountains, around debris, over speed bumps, through potholes and just over some of the worst road conditions I could find. The trailer was a champ.

When the QR skewer DID stay in the bike's rear dropouts properly, it handled at least as well as any Bob I've tried, both lightly and heavily loaded. Otoh, like a Bob Yak, it's not readily convertible to a pet-friendly trailer.

It handles very well. I'm sure all of the single wheeled trailers are the same, but the weight on a Mayacycle is only 13 pounds. Honestly, I barely knew it was behind me. I didn't feel any "push" when I applied the brakes...even when racing down Mt. Sunnuvabich. Having just one wheel also meant that I didn't have to worry about any real extra width. I wouldn't dream of converting it to a pet trailer because my pets would give me filthy looks if I tried to interrupt their naps for a ride. On a more serious note, couldn't you just put in a pet bed or something for the pet to ride in (on any of the trailers)?

It's possible a redesign or someone smarter than both myself and the other rider might be able to redesign or adjust this QR skewer setup properly - but I wouldn't recommend the trailer as it was when I tried it.

While I didn't have a negative experience like you did, you MUST ensure the trailer is properly placed in the skewer. I DO recommend this trailer. It's good value for the money.

Rumor has it that the trailer will be sold in the future without a QR skewer system which should avoid the above problem - but that negates anything approaching a quick/timely side-of-the-road tire or spoke repair.

I hope not. The skewer system works, but you just have to ensure it's properly attached. Again, I'm not saying you didn't have a legitimate problem, just basing it on my personal experience.

Finally, though the pics on their website show it on a trail, correspondence with a corporate officer indicates the intended use for the trailer is on-pavement only.

I don't think any trailer is actually meant to be used behind a moutain bike out on the trails. It did stand up very well, though, to the very rough road conditions I ran it over, so biking cross-country on US roads should be 1001x better.

(I apologize for not using the proper system to quote Drmweaver2, but for some reason I couldn't post this unless I deleted the "quote" command. I really am a technodino!)

antokelly

well i got my look alike bob trailer delivered today.out of the box it looked great but putting it together was a nightmare.as above the quick release for the hitch is crap as is the one for the wheel, as a matter of fact the wheel doesn't fit, three hours later and i'm still struggling with the back wheel.
the trailer itself is sturdy enough but until i get these problems sorted as in a better quick release for the hitch and a new back wheel it aint going anywhere.

antokelly

quick question are the parts that come with the bob trailer good quality ,
like the quick release for the hitch and what about the drop out for the wheel.
thanks.