benashley

So I among many other people own a Surly Cross Check, Its great. I build it up pretty much however I like and it responds with a good ride.
But I'm looking to build it up as a long distance tourer across Europe later this year and looking into the advantages/disadvantages of travelling with panniers vs. a bob trailer.

Theres a couple of things that make the decision difficult..

- Price of 2 racks + panniers Vs price of bob trailer.
- More stress on bike/wheels = more flats/broken spokes? (feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken)
- Less weight on bike makes the bike handle less like a 'truck'
- Easy to detach the trailer and ride the bike 'naked' in larger cities/days off.


I understand that its quite easy to take the panniers off and ride the bike with just the racks. Also that with a trailer you're adding an extra wheel into the mix for things to go wrong with.

What's your thoughts? do you own a cross check that you've loaded up with front and back panniers for a 2000+ km ride and loved it?

Or did you attach a trailer and absolutely hate the thing? Or did you love the combo!

robow

I just finished up a tour with a friend who rides a Crosscheck. He's used both panniers and pulled a trailer. No problems running either for him but he prefers the pannies most of the time.

benashley

Do you know if he found any problem with heel strike with the cross check? I like the convenience of panniers for travelling on trains/planes etc, but I do like the (what I see as) advantages of a not overly weighted bob trailer..

If you're smart with you're airlines/packing it seems like it could be a cheap(er) alternative to buying racks + panniers

robow

No mention of heel strike and he's 6 ft, not sure of his shoe size. There are now several rear racks that allow you to get your panniers moved slightly further rearward without going crazy and affecting the bike balance. I'll have to ask but I thought he was using an Axiom Journey rear rack this time.

dellwilson

On a mini-tour last year, I had a bad experience with a B.O.B. Yak (documented here). Reading back through that now, I really understated how much some of those decents frightened me.

I did see the good side of the B.O.B. It is so convenient to pack all your stuff into that one dry bag. I liked that aspect of the trailer, but I will probably never go back to try a trailer.

With the Cross Check frame, Tubus racks, and Ortlieb panniers, I have no issues with heel strike. There is a great deal of adjustment on how the Ortliebs mount. FWIW, I'm 5'10", 180lbs., and carry about 25lbs between seat bag (tools), handlebar bag, front and rear panniers.

benashley

That has been playing on my mind having 50 pounds of trailer/luggage racing behind me down some of the descents.. but a lot of people seem to think it isn't much of an issue and if you weight it right you wont notice much at all. Other than the descents how did you find the overall daily riding with the bob? A lot of your touring seemed to be on graveled surfaces. I think the terrain i'm looking at is a lot more roads/cycle paths.. Do you think the descents would be as bad you mention?

It's great to hear from a CC owner who's toured with a bob as well as panniers!! I'd be looking at getting the ortlieb back roller plus front & rear panniers with possibly surly or tubus racks. I'm 6''3 but dont think heel strike will be an issue. Panniers work out to be a bit more expensive than the bob trailer but a lot easily to fly on planes/travel on trains...

dellwilson

The graveled decents were terrifying to me, but that was affected by my wheels feeling so loose. We had a long steep downhill the next day (with the broken derailleur). I estimate about 40 mph. I could definitely feel the trailer pushing me, but as long as my tires were stuck to pavement, it wasn't too bad. On level ground, it all felt fine; I hardly noticed the trailer.