Touring - Best bike for use with trailer

I am new to touring and am planning a solo-unsupported tour around Lake Superior this summer. I will be using a B.O.B. trailer to haul my gear, and am wondering what the best bike to use for the trip. I have researched touring specific bikes, but since I won’t be using panniers these bikes may be over-kill for me. I have considered modifying a mountain bike, or cyclocross bike, but am unsure if this is the best route. Does anyone have input on what considerations should be made for bikes used with trailers. Steel or aluminum? Disc brakes? Straight handle bars or dropped (can mountain bikes be fixed with dropped handle bars?) These are all questions that I’ve been perusing. Any info is appreciated.

Your MTB will be fine.

I am new to touring and am planning a solo-unsupported tour around Lake Superior this summer. I will be using a B.O.B. trailer to haul my gear, and am wondering what the best bike to use for the trip. I have researched touring specific bikes, but since I won’t be using panniers these bikes may be over-kill for me. I have considered modifying a mountain bike, or cyclocross bike, but am unsure if this is the best route. Does anyone have input on what considerations should be made for bikes used with trailers. Steel or aluminum? Disc brakes? Straight handle bars or dropped (can mountain bikes be fixed with dropped handle bars?) These are all questions that I’ve been perusing. Any info is appreciated.
Steel is best for touring, in my opinion.:D

Disc or rim, either is fine

An older mid 90's Mountain bike frame makes a great fat tire touring bike

Drop bars can be slapped on a mountain bike, but the brake hardware has to be changed over as well.

Suggestion, look at the Surly Long Haul Trucker, excellent touring bike.

I'll be up on the UP with my wife in 2 weeks, by the way.:D

I bought a BOB 10 years ago to do a 4 week ride from Boston to Nova Scotia. I pulled the bob behind my 1991 cannondale aluminum mtn. bike. It worked great. I use the BOB everyweek still behind the 1991 cannondale for groceries and laundry and stuff. It still works great.
On my tour though, after several hundred miles, I suffered from neck, shoulder, wrist, elbow pain and numbness in my tender male unit. I have since replaced my saddle, stem and handlebars several times so that now I don't get numb, and I am sitting in much, much more upright position so that now, very little weight is on my wrists and elbows, and I don't have to strain my neck to look up.
When riding trails on a mtn. bike, even on long rides, you are constantly up out of your saddle and your body, weight and balance is moving all around. When you do your first long tour, you quickly realize that your body is in one position for hours and hours and hours.
Make sure that your bike is set up so that you will be comfortable for many hours and many days in a row. You will be so much happier.
I now have a long stem that sticks almost straight up, I have drop bars connected to it, and the drop bars are flipped up so that ends are pointed straight ahead. Now my hands are about 6 inches higher than they were 10 years ago. Hope that helps.

Also, I now wish I had bought a trailer with 2 wheels instead of one wheel. One wheel is probably a little better for touring, but 2 wheels is so much nicer when stopped, walking the bike, loading unloading, etc.
Finally, you might really like throwing one of those rubbermaid plastic bins in the trailer instead of using a duffle or whatever. The rubbermaid is totally waterproof.

If you get the universal hitch, you can use it on any bike with a trailer. Even recumbents. As long as the bike doesn't have an internal rear hub. The universal hitch, actually replaces your rear wheel axle.

One wheel is probably a little better for touring, but 2 wheels is so much nicer when stopped, walking the bike, loading unloading, etc.

Those two-footed stands by ESGE are great, especially when you've got a BOB connected to your bike.

The best type of bike for a BOB is one with hefty seat and chain stays.

This will hopefully stop the tail (BOB) wagging the dog (Bike):eek:

I've heard others caution to keep BOBs away from really light, carbon fiber bikes. I'd be worried about an ultra light aluminum frame too. I'd guess a mountain bike would have plenty strong seat- and chainstays, and should be fine. I'm going to be pulling a BOB on my tour this summer - the first time I've used it on a long tour. I'm sure I'll have some opinions after I finish.

Check out James and Rebecca's Pacific Coast Bike Trip (http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~rebeccaw/PacificCoastBike.html)to see the difference between a light bike and a cyclocross surley.

You may want to keep the weight down and go with a touring or cyclo cross bike. You can get pretty good size tires without having the MTB weigh you down on the hills. I ride a Marinoni Tourismo (http://www.marinoni.qc.ca/) (10 speed - 3 x 10) and find it worked fine with the bob trailer, even over the Monashee pass. The longest trip was a week through the Arrow Lakes (http://www.aye1.com/adv/loaded.html) region of BC.