Bob Yak experience.

[cacique]

I have been pulling one of these behind my MTB since 1995, touring on/off road, groceries shopping, and moving tools and equipment for work.
Now back from a two week tour of Serrania de Cuenca in Spain with my partner using the latest version of the trailer with an MTB and myself using an original version with a Surly Cross Check road bike, I thought it time I should add my comments for consideration.

I think the first thing to understand about the Yak is that it was conceived to pull loads off road and it is therefore very robust and consequently somewhat overbuilt for road touring. Even before you load the trailer you already have 17 lbs of extra weight to pull and transport on a plane or train. This issue could be addressed with the use of more expensive materials and components but would put the trailer in a different and more expensive category. My feeling is the makers stuck with the steel construction and beefy design so they could continue marketing it to do what it does best, giving long service at carrying heavy loads over relatively short distances and off-road touring with remarkable reliability down to a price.

This additional weight then quickly begins to outweigh then benefits of using a trailer as against panniers for the weight conscious road tourer, especially when you consider, as another poster on trailers points out, there is definite tendency to rather overdo your packing simply because you can. The result is a slow ride. On our recent Spanish tour in hot and hilly terrain we were making 50km during a six hour riding day, not spectacular but we were able to carry all we needed for comfort and sustenance for a camping tour where water stops could be as much as 30km apart. We encountered another British couple on this trip our age making 100-120 riding an eight-ten hour day loaded with back panniers and bar bags.

Slowness aside the Yak still makes the bike feel much freer when riding than with panniers and the ability to stand up and peddle is a joy for relieving saddle sore or powering through traffic or assisting on long climbs. Weight and the consequence slowness are not the only issues though. The speed wobble mentioned by others is very real, though I have to say it is easily avoided by the the simple expedient of slowing down a little. The Yak's worst traits however are reserved for manoeuvring when off the bike and these are exacerbated with a drop bar steel road road bike: a loaded trailer has a lot of bargaining power when you need to control it in tight spaces holding your bike by the saddle and or bars and frequently it will win the fight. The point with the road bike is that being more flexible and the bars narrower it is even more like trying to land a marlin with a fly rod. The MTB's stiffer frame and especially, wider bars that give more leverage, are a big help here. I really felt for the Surly in these frequent tussles and began to worry it was getting damaged. There is a way of jack-knifing the bike and trailer for parking purposes which is easy to do but less easy to undo and it is not always practical by the side of the road as it requires a bit of space and reasonably level ground. The poster who said a loaded trailer should never be unhitched i think had not mastered the technique of doing so. With the bike and trailer in line and especially with someone holding your bike for you it is quick and safe and one of the joys of the Yak that you can unburden your bike so easily and get your gear to were you need it even if not your bike.

For light swift touring then the Yak is not I think ideal. Panniers are tried and tested and are probably a better choice. But for expeditions, off road tourers or kitchen sink merchants; good people wanting to avoid using the car for a mid week trip to Sainsburys and perhaps for the tradesman with not too many tools to carry it is really a very well thought out and effective. My original trailer cost 250 pounds is 16 years old and still going strong. My new one one was 320 USD and will probably outlive me.

Despite my misgivings and an occaisional need to swear at it I will continue using my Yak for the uses mentioned above, unless I actually get around to building a nice light aluminium or carbon version with a better bag and wheel...

 

[Crankarm]

Thanks cacique. I have never considered a trailer for the negatives you clearly highlight, but your report is very informative. You have obviously become very adept riding your bike towing a trailer. What is your view on the components used on the Yak eg wheels and hubs as I heard that they weren't the best quality or the lightest which is a bit of a rip off given the high price tag of the Bob Yak new.

I can imagine that Willem will have hit over load with kilo signs spinning in his eyes trying to grasp just how much weight you are prepared to carry when you go touring ...................

 

[MacB]

Interesting write up, goes along with other stuff I've read, quite a few seem to prefer something like the Carry Freedom for road touring.

 

[andym]

Sorry but I can't see the advantages for off-road touring either and all of the same disadvantages apply.

I'd definitely consider a trailer for big shopping trips etc.

 

[willem]

I have a two wheel trailer, and I rather like it for what it does. It is a predecessor to the Dutch Radical Cyclone trailer. It weighs 6 kg, and can be loaded with at least 40 kg, if not more (done it). We used it on our family camping trips, towed behind a Thorn Childback tandem. There was no other way we could have taken all the luggage we needed for a family with two young children. The beauty of a two wheeler is that it keeps itself upright, and thus does not impose as much stress on the bike's frame as a one wheeler. That matters a lot for an already hard working tandem frame, or for a light audax bike. Also, a two wheeler can be loaded more heavily than a Bob. The down side is of course that you are wider, and that the trailer does not follow you as nicely as a one wheeler like the Bob. 55 km descents with the tandem towing the trailer were no problem, however. On balance, the trailer was one of the great purchases we made in our quest to go camping by bike with young children. Pictures are here: http://www.tandemclub.nl/Kinderen_verhalen.html Climbing in the Ardennes was quite heroic.
When we sold the tandem because the children had outgrown it, we did not sell the trailer. I kept it because it is also a nice way to transport camping gear on a lighter audax bike: you ride to some nice place, put up your tent etc, and make unloaded tours from there. In practice, I have not used it much, since I find myself taking my loaded tourer instead. With lighter loads the weight advantage of just rear panniers is large, and I also prefer the more direct feel of the bike.
Willem

 

[cacique]

Thanks cacique. I have never considered a trailer for the negatives you clearly highlight, but your report is very informative. You have obviously become very adept riding your bike towing a trailer. What is your view on the components used on the Yak eg wheels and hubs as I heard that they weren't the best quality or the lightest which is a bit of a rip off given the high price tag of the Bob Yak new.

I can imagine that Willem will have hit over load with kilo signs spinning in his eyes trying to grasp just how much weight you are prepared to carry when you go touring ...................

I paid $450 for my Surly Crosscheck frameset and $320 for a new Bobyak with bag. Both are built in Taiwan and neither I suspect are making anybody in their manufacture or marketing very rich. There is probably almost as much work building a Yak as a steel framest and sales volume for the Yak is probably pretty low given how few I have seen out and about on both sides of the pond. So for me, these trailers are not eccessively expensive particularly given how long they last and their general usefullness.

It is true that the Bob Yak skewer and wheel are disapointing to look at. We are so used to CNC'd aluminium bicycle components designed to be captivating as well as functional that the Yak's untrick parts seem plain and cheap. In their defense though both work fine and last well and the new wheel is much better than the original one.

 

[e-rider]

Sorry but I can't see the advantages for off-road touring either and all of the same disadvantages apply.

I'd definitely consider a trailer for big shopping trips etc.

You clearly haven't tried going off-road with heavy panniers!

 

[willem]

Off road with fairly lightly loaded panniers is just fine. I would not try heavy panniers, but I would avoid those on tarmac as well.
Willem

 

[betty swollocks]

Took a bob over the Pyrenees 10 years ago towed by my Kingcycle.
I found the handling characteristics very agreeable.
As you can see, I did not make the mistake of overfilling the bag.

 

[RedBike]

I wouldn't recommend taking a bob trailer off-road.

I found there were a number of problems.

The main one here in the UK is that you can't go very far without coming across some sort of style / gate. Getting the bike complete with a trailer through a gate is a two man job and getting it through a style without unhitching it can be nearly impossible.

When you come to a 'hike a bike' section that additional weight makes pushing the bike an absolute nightmare. Any section where you have to lift the bike up a step or two is a two man job.

The trailer seems to follow the wheels of the bike very well and remains supprisingly stable, even over rough ground. The trouble is when the ground gets very rough the trailer seem to suddenly stop or ground. The forces involved in suddenly stopping are often enough to bend the quick releases.

 

[Crankarm]

A couple of years ago I met another truly loaded touring cyclist who was riding from Ipswich to Manchester. He had 4 panniers (Otliebs), bar bag and Bob yak trailer. Quite impressive really. It must have been a b£$%+! to ride in a strong cross or into a head wind. Mind even worse going down a steep hill trying not to fry the brake blocks or even going up, but fortunately few hills in Cambridgeshire to worry him. He was about 60 years old and really fit as well. Totally mad though.