Touring - Bob Yak And Carbon Chain Stays?

Hi, I'm looking to go on a long distance bike tour on my marin argenta road bike. it is definitly not a touring bike and had no pannier attachments, so my only option is a trailer since i dont want to invest in a new touring specific bike. My biggest fear is that the bob yak will torque the frame and destroy it since it has carbon seat stays. has anyone use a bob with carbon stays? I also like the concept of the trailor since it leaves my bike clean and i can take the trailor off to ride my bike from to campground into town. As for not having any cargo capacity when riding without the trailor, my solution is to use a OR summit sleeping bag compression sack, this compression bag converts into a 36L daypack. anyway, if my frame is not going to work i guess ill have to bite the bullet and get something without any carbon. what do you guys think??

thanks,

Mike

I did the Southern Tier on a Trek 5200 pulling a BOB and my bike survived with no negative effects. Since then, I switched to a touring bike and panniers because I prefer wider tires, disk brakes, more robust wheels, S&S couplers, a more relaxed geometry, less rolling friction, and a more compact ride.

However, if I did not have the means to buy more specialized gear, I would have been happy with the carbon bike / BOB setup, I just would have had to avoid gravel roads and ship the bike home after trips. With panniers, I have given up aerodynamics and the flexibility to detach my gear for easier sidetrips.

anyone else have an opiniopn? I dont want to trash my frame with a yak...

Maybe email BoB and see what they have to say.

Much will depend, I think, on the stiffness of the rear triangle; you would have to be confident of that first. This rear triangle flex issue is something that BoB highlights on its website (you will have to drill down a bit on the forums, I think to find this information).

BoB also says there is a top speed limit of 25mph when towing one of their trailers. I know many have probably gone well over that speed, but BoB do warn against it for a reason, and I suspect frame flex and speed wobbling resulting from towing the trailer, as well as the possibility of jack-knifing under hard braking are among the reasons.

Maybe also check www.crazyguyonabike.com if you haven't already to see if anyone has experience with towing a BoB either with carbon on the frame, or with an equivalent lightweight frame made from other materials. Pay particular attention to the frame flex issues.

Personally, I wouldn't consider doing it, and among the serious issue is the type of bonding used for the chainstays into the mainframe and its durability. There is a thread in the Bicycle Mechanics forum about cracking on a new frame where the bonding is not good. Similarly, there is a comment in another thread here in Touring about the feasibility/inadvisability of using bonded CF frames from the 80s/90s. Maybe check the manufacturer of the frame to see if there is a maximum rider weight specification -- if you are close or exceed it, then the idea might not be a good one.

If you do think you are safe to continue with the CF rear triangle, think also about upgrading your brake pad materials, checking your rims for any brake-surface wear (or even replacing them with beefier higher-spoke-count ones if they are lightweight) and going up another width in tyres if your chainstays will allow it.

Thanks for the input, I'm now interested in a nashbar cargo trailer is its is almost half the price of a bob. does anyone know if the nashbar trailer works with 700 wheels? thanks!

I am not sure about the 700C wheels, but ensure you know what you are getting... I think the weight limit on it is half that of the BoB. Are you sure that is enough for what you want to carry?