mike

Has anybody experienced riding with both Bob Trailers and a typical child trailer?

I notice that the Bob trailers have a max load of about 75 lbs and the child trailers can carry about 100 lbs.

Any comments? Is one much easier to pull than the other, etc?

lksfirecapt

Mike,

I can't comment on the two wheeled trailer, but currently I'm towning a BOB around town behind a Giant FCR-3. We use it for about every trip to the market without problems. The biggest thing about the BOB is to make certain that the heavy items are on the bottom to keep the CG low. If you get top heavy it can make your turns interesting.

JosephPaul86

I have a Burley child carrier converted to a utility trailer. I have carried over 150lbs of cargo for over 8 miles with no issue. I don't have hills though.

Cyclaholic

I've used several different trailers of each type. The two wheelers are more stable and more practical. the difference becomes greater as the mass of your load increases.

The single biggest thing to remember about bob trailers, or any single wheel type trailer is that its towing characteristics when loaded are most heavily influenced by the position of center of gravity of the load/trailer combination. The ideal location of the CG is along an imaginary line linking the point where the hitch arms pivot on the bike frame/rear axle, and the tire contact patch. You also want the CG as far forward as possible.

CG below the hitch-to-contact patch line is OK, but it's difficult to achieve. Typically the CG goes above the line, and the heavier the load the more detrimental to its handling. The most I've carried on a single wheel trailer was about 160lb and that was an absolute nightmare! never againg. For small loads up to maybe 30lb the single wheel trailer is more efficient due to superior aerodynamics and lower rolling resistance.

The single wheelers come into their own when you have to get into rough terrain and even offroad on singletrack, but the requirement to keep the load low and light then becomes even more imperative.

mike

Thanks for the good info, Cyclaholic.

Which would you pick (single wheel Bob trailer or two-wheel child trailer) for everyday utility - shopping, etc. and occassional touring? It is mostly flat here and I always ride on paved roads.

Cyclaholic

Having used both, I choose the two-wheel child trailer for the applications you described.

slowjoe66

Here's the best trailer out there for utility cycling-groceries and errands:

https://www.bikerev.com/pg3.cfm

It's waterproof, lockable and tows great. I've personally put over 60 pounds in mine; I am sure it can handle 80-100 lbs.

I got mine for touring; and am not doing self contained touring anymore.

PM me if you want more info.

Joe

jgedwa

For hauling stuff around town, a two-wheeled trailer is hard to beat. Relatively cheap, and relatively easy to load without thinking too much about how to place it in the trailer.

For touring, I would guess that they would be a real pain.

You really want one trailer to do both? These are very different activities.

jim

Sixty Fiver

I was towing a BOB the other day and know that I had exceeded the maximum load capacity... the trip was short and all in all went well but was wishing I had my own two wheeled trailer (in the process of being refitted) as there is no comparison in the ease at which it can be towed or in how stable it is.

bicyclridr4life

I've only used a two wheel "kiddie" trailer (Duo Cruiser) with a rated capacity of 100 pounds behind my mountain bikes and beach cruisers. I do not know the exact amount I've over loaded it (on one trip, just the anchor alone I was taking from the boat to storage weighed 150 pounds, plus the other items I took on that load) I've had no problems.

Stability with the two wheel trailer is great, and you don't have to worry about the bike and trailer falling over when loading/ unloading. Mine also has the foldable front "stroller" wheel, so I can unhook from the bike, take it into the store and load directly from the shelf at Home Depot type stores onto the trailer.

The kiddie trailer I have tracks perfect, (even after being over loaded many times) I use it mainly on the road and bike paths, and have not had any problems with the width and auto barrier poles the Florida Keys are SOOOOooooo fond of on their bike path and pedestrian bridges.

As another poster pointed out, the kid trailers are also much less expensive than a BOB or YACK, and you can also (sometimes) find one super cheap at garage/yard sales or second hand stores. I've seen kid trailers on sale at Target/WalMart/K-Mart for as little as $99.00, to $129.00 regular price. I just bought a second kiddie trailer at a yard sale for $15.00, but need to find a replacement "stroller" wheel for it. (Worse case, I get a 10 or 12 inch kids bike at the second hand store for $7.00 and use one of the wheels off it)
I would suggest the two wheel trailer, if for no other reason, they have a larger cargo area for you to fill, a nylon roof and vinyl windscreen to help keep things dry when its raining, and most can be folded to fit in your trunk or to take less room in the garage when not in use.

Cosmoline

I much prefer my BOB to the two-wheel converted kid trailer I had before. The Bob handles better and doesn't produce half as much drag. It balances with the bike. It will carry 50 lbs, but can go up to 75 or even 100 for short hauls. That's a lot of groceries. I put a standard rubbermade tote on mine and it works great in all weather.

I come out the other way on that question, and I've also used both. The two wheeler is better for hauling furniture and odd-shaped, top-heavy loads. For groceries and routine hauling it's overkill and a royal PINA on hills and through tight spots on the road or trail. Mine would routinely catch on barriers, so unless you have a wide open trail with no pinch points and dismount spots it's not the best idea. With the BOB I can scramble out of trouble almost as fast as with no trailer.

Plus I'm very, very, very hard on my equipment and the BOB has lasted me since last summer through the Alaska winter, hauling multiple loads per week. The two wheel converted job was mostly destroyed during my last move. It's just not made for the task, though there are some two wheel trailers out there made to much better standards. You get what you pay for, and if you're truly going car free it's worthwhile to pay for quality rather than opt for a half-a'd solution.

The troubles of being out of balance have been overstated. The only time it came up for me was hauling a huge 125 lb. steel knack box on top of my empty tote, thus putting COG about two feet over the axle. Even then I was able to get home at a sedate pace with no crashes. If you keep it in your tote you don't have to do any fancy load manipulation and you don't fall over.

Here's a sample of some of the winter conditions I rode through with the BOB in tow. This time it had about 100 lbs of groceries on it. There is NO WAY I could have plowed through that crud with a two wheel kid trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkR3pMUSaVg

Michel Gagnon

How far? How much? How heavy?

The BOB is a single wheel trailer, therefore tracks better in difficult terrain like snow, mud, offroad, etc. On the other hand, as others have said, balancing heavy stuff might sometimes be tricky. Not that much a problem for touring, when you typically a bulky cargo, but it could be a problem for groceries and the like. I often ride home with 40-50 kg in panniers and the trailer, including liquids that dance around.

A 2-wheel trailer is great in that you pack it almost any way you want and it will be stable. The added tracks aren't a problem when riding on road, but they are offroad, in deep snow, etc. Used child trailers are great in that they are sometimes found cheap on the used market. There are a few potential problems:
- Some very good child trailers have a frame that goes all around the top. You can fill them with good, but cannot use them to store high objects. A child trailer with an open top is great when you want to stuff high objects or heavy ones.
- Many child trailers have a large frontal area. Riding with my 2-children Chariot carrier in a headwind is a real workout, even when the trailer is empty.
All in all, I find child trailers great for local errands, but not for long distances.

Another option is a 2-wheel cargo trailer. I currently have a Burley Nomad trailer, which is 25" wide rather than 32.5" wide, so its total width is not larger than my body+pannier width. It is also lower, so it offers much less wind resistance. I have toured with it (2000 km; cargo for self-contained tour for my two children and myself) and had no issue with it. If I were touring by myself, I would do it with a lighter load and only with panniers, but if I tour with the children again, I will continue to use the 2-wheel trailer for that purpose. And of course, I also do some shopping trips with it.

JR97

I took weekend mini-tour pulling a cheapo x-mart kiddie trailer loaded with camping gear behind my x-mart full suspension mtb. About 60 miles each way with quite a few hills.

The thing tracked well and the only noticeable difference was more weight to pull up the hills. Going downhill, things were stable although stopping took more effort.

I'll be making the same trip later this year and will probably pull the trailer behind a road bike this time.

I've never pulled a Bob style trailer but I have researched them heavily. If I were to buy a cargo specific trailer I'd go with the Burley Nomad over a Bob.