Hello all,

I was thinking of investing in a B.O.B. Yak bicycle trailer (www.bobtrailers.com) for my commuting/bikepacking needs and was wondering if anyone has any comments about it's usage vs. traditional bike racks and panners?

Any tips or other recommendations would also be greatly appreciated...

Hello all,

I was thinking of investing in a B.O.B. Yak bicycle trailer (www.bobtrailers.com) for my commuting/bikepacking needs and was wondering if anyone has any comments about it's usage vs. traditional bike racks and panners?

Any tips or other recommendations would also be greatly appreciated...

We have one that we used for an 800ish mile trip along the West Coast and for shopping in town. We have met a lot of other BOB owners too. For the most part everyone seems fairly satisfied with their BOB.

The nice thing about the BOB (or most other) trailer is that is doesn't mess up the ride of your bike.You only have to pull the load, not carry it. For around town it is not quite as easy to use as a messenger bag but it holds a lot more. I would highly recommend the BOB for anyone who wants to tour or shop by bike and hasn't already invested in racks and panniers.

...as the center of gravity is lower. I've taken a B.O.B. off-road (fire roads, nothing radical) and it worked very well--tracking and vertical compliance were excellent. I won't tell you that the trailer solves all your touring woes--weight is weight, and you'll always know the trailer's there--but I've never found myself cursing the thing and wishing I could instantly switch to panniers. The one issue I have is that it works so well, I find myself bringing way too much stuff.

Nashbar has the similar Yakima Naked Big Tow Bike trailer on sale for $170 and with the 10# off code W192 (From the cover of the catalog good till 7/19) it's only $153 Quite a deal!

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=5189&sku=10765&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=