Trailers and panniers. Here we go - last one.
I owned a BOB trailer briefly. I bought it with the intention of using it on a tour and I used it around town, but never toured with it. We have seen/met lots of folks on the road with BOB's and have never heard anything negative about these trailers. Everyone seemed satisfied. I know that BOB's have lots of advantages, such as allowing someone to use a bike that might otherwise be marginal or inappropriate for touring. Why don't we tour with BOB's and why did I sell mine? An important reason is that we prefer the flexibility of combining public transit with biking. Ferries, trains, light rail, buses and the like can be a great asset when one is injured, sick, tired or simply wants to avoid riding through the urban jungle. I cannot imagine using a BOB in some of the situations we've encountered. For example, it's tough enough getting a bike with panniers into an elevator and onto a San Francisco BART rail car. Dealing with the extra length of a trailer would be challenging. With our Ortlieb panniers, we can have the entire load off our bikes in less than a minute and into large duffel bags for a single, compact piece to carry on a train or bus. This means we can wheel our bikes all the way through a crowded station and then pack at the last minute. That said, I'll bet regular BOB users would have good strategies and suggestions for dealing with the BOB on transit. The biggest reason I prefer panniers? OK, I love the look of a touring bike loaded with panniers. Even with my tight, streamlined rig, my loaded bike screams out with a Grapes of Wrath look that says, "I am a half-crazed traveler!" like those Dust Bowl Okie jalopies and the west- bound prairie schooners. Looking at the RBW website, you can probably see why I was attracted to Grant's bikes in the first place. Take care and happy touring, Dave On Apr 11, 7:48 pm, happyriding <happyrid...@yahoo.com> wrote: > Tick, tock... > > What do you think of BOB trailers v. panniers? > > <Did I get in under the wire??> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.