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racks or trailer

Old 03-04-09, 12:59 AM
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racks or trailer

I am thinking about a tour alongthe Oregon Coast, It will be a long leisurely trip.
Anyone with any ideas on a trailer vs panniers. I do see most people use racks and panniers.
Is the shorter bike length better than putting all the wieght i the rear. This will be a first tour. I have an old chrome steel Mongoose with a seven speed rear hub with mountain gears. I will be using it for the tour.
Cpst looks to be about the same. any ideas welcome, thanks
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Old 03-04-09, 08:42 AM
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I use racks and bags, but I invested a bit into them. I think that if you buy high quality stuff, this is the best system, but it also benefits from a certain type of bike. Many old MTB's had great platforms for building loaded tourers, and if your frame has the capacity to securely attach decent racks, and it has long(ish) chainstays you would probably be pretty happy with this route. Its nice to have a bike that handles normally (if a bit slower).

On the other hand, trailers can turn any bike into a tourer, and the extrawheel trailers that use a second front wheel look pretty great. I would maybe look into those if i was considering the trailer route. I hear good thinigs anyway...
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Old 03-04-09, 12:29 PM
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https://www.oldmanmountain.com/

i've done a ton of this stuff.

so this is the deal.

i.e. a BOB trailer is about 17lbs, and obviously another wheel.

look at those OMM racks, both racks combined are around 1200gm
1200gm/454gm = approx 2.6lbs
panniers maybe about 5lbs, if that.

a bike with panniers is much easier to get on and off a bus/train compared to pulling a trailer.

a BOB trailer is obviously really easy to use, simply change the skewer on your bike, attach trailer, and its done.
but its 17lbs (empty).

what it often times comes down to, is what exactly do you have to carry. maybe the size of what you are going to haul would not fit into panniers.
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Old 03-04-09, 03:23 PM
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I will be camping and I am a well equipped Backpacker, Tho my gear is 15 years old it is light and functions well. I can fit everything on the bike with panniers or toss it all in a trailer, Hauling it does mean working both the bike and trailer into a rental car as the plan is to park my car in Crescent City, Rent a car to Astoria, or Portland if Astoria Does not work, Drop the car off and then pike mine up when I hit Crescent City again. No rentals in Brookings which is the last town of any consequence at the southern end of Oregon.
I'm just looking for options, always striving for clues, and information. Info is what it's all about. I hate to make mistakes that have already been made.
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Old 03-04-09, 05:55 PM
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My opinion:

My opinion: I'v used both configurations.

Panniers and racks are good when:

1. You use a touring bike or a relatively old MTB with eyelets for rack installation
2. You travelling relatively light, with no camping gear.
3. You ride on good quality roads. Off road riding can be very hard on panniers and racks.

Trailers have some additional advantages:

1. They fit every bike, even modern full-suspension bikes.
2. They are more robust, so you don't have to worry about tiny bits breaking off on harsh terrain.
3. They can let you use your backpack, so you have more options on your trip (and you don't have to buy 2 new pairs of panniers)

I've used this Scottland made trailer: https://www.carryfreedom.com/Y-Frame.html.

It's a two-wheel trailer, unlike the popular BOB Yak. This is a disadvantage on harsh terrain, because it can flip over, but on good quality gravel roads or paved roads, it's awsome. It's foldable, so you can easily store it and haul it by car or bus, and the construction is very high quality.

Oren
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Old 03-04-09, 07:08 PM
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trailer - look at the extrawheel trailer out of poland - I used this recently going over engineers pass in colorado, and have made the switch because i do a lot of dirt and off road touring.

the extrawheel uses a one bicycle front wheel, 26" or 700c - no need to carry smaller spare tire or tubes. much of the load is below the trailer axel, so pedaling standing up is VERY stable, unlike with panniers. the extrawheel voyager can be disassembled and packed in an airline legal box - not true for the extrawheel classic. I have brought one here to China, and on these STEEP cobblestone rutted country roads here in Yunnan provence, i believe its the way to go. The voyager has mounts for panniers, so if the trailer fails, just move the panniers to your rear rack. If your front wheel fails, move the panniers and trailer wheel to the bike and hide or store the trailer, go off to get another wheel. you never even know the thing is behind you until you feel it pushing somewhat while going down hills. I have ridden on pavement at 45 MPH with this trailer - something I never was totally comfortable doing on my trek 520 with panniers on it.

my new tour bike is optimized for trailer travel. the great thing about that is without the trailer, I have a bike that does not have traditional touring geometry so is VERY fun to ride.

the comment about train/bus travel is true, but not such a big deal. take off the yoke that connects it to the bike and bungie to the trailer, and the trailer is really quite easily loaded. weights on the order of 8 pounds without panniers.
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Old 03-05-09, 09:14 AM
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I've toured with both - front and rear panniers, and a Bob trailer. I prefer the panniers. The trailer felt like it weighed me down far more. Handling wasn't an issue - I usually had to double check after a stop to make sure I hadn't left the trailer, because I couldn't feel it back there. However, climbing a pass was different - I could definitely feel it. (I started thinking of it as "the anchor".)

A Bob is a great option for touring on bikes which aren't set up properly for panniers. You can carry everything in the trailer. I think I'd also use it if I was touring on dirt roads or trails on my mountain bike. But for riding on roads with my touring bike, give me panniers.
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Old 03-05-09, 09:52 PM
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What about if you're a bigger (heavier) guy already? Wouldn't the trailer be easier on your bike and wheelset? I'm hard enough on rear wheels even without touring gear.
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Old 03-06-09, 02:57 AM
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Yes

Originally Posted by Butterthebean
What about if you're a bigger (heavier) guy already? Wouldn't the trailer be easier on your bike and wheelset? I'm hard enough on rear wheels even without touring gear.
Yes, a trailer defenetly takes some of the load. Double wheel trailers are better at this point, but beware: on loose surfaces, oyu also lose some of your braking ability, because some of the weight is now on breakless wheels. It's not that bad as it sounds, you're not going to race with this configuration anyway.

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Old 03-07-09, 06:09 AM
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Originally Posted by BigBlueToe
I've toured with both - front and rear panniers, and a Bob trailer. I prefer the panniers. The trailer felt like it weighed me down far more. Handling wasn't an issue - I usually had to double check after a stop to make sure I hadn't left the trailer, because I couldn't feel it back there. However, climbing a pass was different - I could definitely feel it. (I started thinking of it as "the anchor".)

A Bob is a great option for touring on bikes which aren't set up properly for panniers. You can carry everything in the trailer. I think I'd also use it if I was touring on dirt roads or trails on my mountain bike. But for riding on roads with my touring bike, give me panniers.
i agree, when talking about a bob. there is lots less anchor effect with the extrawheel due to the lessened rolling resistance of its larger, and single, wheel.
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