TheSergeant

Hey Guys, I just bought a Bob Yak 28 Plus for my Salsa Fargo and upon assembly noticed that the spacer that runs through the "fork" protrudes a decent amount on the top. The old one I used to have sat flush with the plastic spacers.

I'm considering filing the protrusion down to sit flush with the plastic and increase the contact point's surface area to eliminate as much movement as possible (to reduce twisting/torquing of the basket)

Anyone have a bob and can advise? I emailed BOB directly but was hoping to start using this thing asap!

Thanks !

TOP (Protruding)


BOTTOM (Flush):

fietsbob

Having only one wheel is why it torques

seeker333

@OP - My Yak looks exactly like yours. I don't think filing will make much difference one way or the other.

@fietsbob - It torques around the pivot point, so that the bike+BOB can maneuver around sharp bends in singletrack trail, which is what it was designed for (as opposed to running down huge hills at >30mph on pavement). If the BOB had a rigid hitch arm and pivoted instead at the mount adjacent to rear wheel hub (like Burley), then there would be no oscillation. One or two wheel isn't the cause.

I think Burley trailers are better suited for pavement-only duty for this reason. The Nomad is ~5 lbs lighter than a BOB with more volume (and weight) capacity (BOB conceals the fact that the Yak Sak weighs another 5lbs over the stated trailer weight of 13, for 18lbs total). The Nomad also makes a better off-tour trailer for grocery runs.

fietsbob

I had a Bob, any load not packed low and tight, and the trailer torqued..
the wheel a fulcrum , twisting sideways
plus the quality of it's one hub and rim were crap,
looked like what comes on a really cheap bike.
(with a lot more parts selling for half the price)

i now have a Carry Freedom City and a Burly CoOp made Flatbed.
both have an elastomer between the bike and trailer to absorb differences
in the bike leaning and the trailer not.

TheSergeant

So you have a small gap between the plastic spacers and the tab? It seems like concentrating all the pressure on that one little protrusion wouldn't be ideal.

Here's a photo to clarify a little further.

Nycycle

I just got bob this year,, same thing , I can't remember why but its for a reason. Call BOB,,,,208-375-5171 They are good people.

seeker333

Yes, I understand. Mine is exactly like yours, right down to the 10 year anniversary decal.

I assume the metal core sticks up a bit so that they can assemble the 2 plastic end pieces and the steel pieces together easily. I think you want all the load on the metal piece. The plastic pieces are just caps that keep the metal piece in place.

Maybe its higher to keep water out, so the steering pin won't rust/bind up.

Again, I doubt it makes much difference in the stability of the trailer if you choose to file it down.