Touring - trailers, which kind?

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View Full Version : trailers, which kind?


benajah
05-26-09, 10:07 PM
I'm looking to buy a trailer for general stuff hauling, but I want to use it for a wide range of purposes, from groceries, to short peices of lumber, odd sized stuff probably, over varying terrain. Between the major ones on the market, the Burley cargo hauler, the Burley flat bed, and the BOB trailers, does anyone have experience with these as far as what they like, dislike about them?
Thanks


aenlaasu
05-26-09, 11:33 PM
I have the Burley cargo trailer with the cargo rack. The few times I've ridden with it so far, I've found I barely notice it's back there. Everything handles the same though I have to be a bit more aware when I turn that I don't cut a corner too close and snag the trailer on anything. Balancing a load side to side is less of an issue than I think it would be on a 1 wheeled trailer.

I would have to say though, that given the bottom is not of a hard substance, I'd be a bit cautious about carrying something like lumber that is longer than the length of the trailer since that would mean propping it so that there's a hard edge and/or corner poking into the canvas-like material at an angle.

It's easy to connect or remove once you put the proper parts on the right kind of bike axel. Easy to assemble and very light. I can carry it down into the basement with one hand with no strain. Can carry around 100 pounds.

The Figment
05-27-09, 12:31 AM
I have a BoB Yak. Other than this trailer's tendency to get the "Wiggles" at high speeds (Think fast downhills) this thing is a tank! I have used and abused mine for the last 5 years and other than some paint scuffs and a wheel truing (Constant Heavy Loads of 70+Lbs over crappy roads,) it has been Bombproof!
The only change I might make is a better Rim/Spokes/Hub...but again I ask the BoB to do more than the stock wheel is really up to,under most anybody else I don't think this would be any problem.
To avoid the Dreaded "Tail Wagging the Dog/Wiggles" BoB's are known for,load your weight towards the front.


Boondock
05-27-09, 12:54 AM
Here's a good video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND0SERkAAtw) demo of the BOB trailer on rough terrain.

raybo
05-27-09, 07:59 AM
Here are some links you might find useful:

The bike trailer blog: http://biketrailerblog.com/

A thread on this site about bad trailer experiences: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=384973

A website discussing the Bob Ibex Trailer: http://stuffucanuse.com/go-cycle-touring/go-cycle-touring-bob-trailer.html

The Extrawheel trailer: http://extrawheel.com/index_en.php

Ray