Bob Bike Trailer

Pros: - Large useful volume, lets you pack without overthinking, like when resupplying for several days. - Follows the bike’s path and isn’t any wider, nothing like the handling of a two-wheel child trailer, for example. Cons: - Adds weight compared to a pannier setup. - So much space you might be tempted to bring too much stuff... You’ve got to organize the inside with bags so it’s not all jumbled. - More noticeable on climbs (you feel the weight pulling backward). - Not practical if you need to take a train, for instance—can be a hassle in tight spots like chicanes.

Having tried both, the Bob only makes sense if you really need the extra space. In my case, traveling with family, the Bob was hitched behind a tandem. Solo, I much prefer panniers, splitting the load front and rear.

Was the reinforced wheel an off-the-shelf one or a custom build? To give you an idea, no wheel issues in 10,000 km of tandem riding (adult + child) with a Bob trailer *and* 2x20L panniers on the back. So a properly adapted wheel should handle the job just fine...

hi there

thanks for your reply! to answer your question about the wheel, it was a bike shop that did the setup for us! we trusted them. our concern now is that after riding 250 km with a weakened wheel, the spoke breakage might happen again... we’ve decided to go for a spring trip of a few days with a rented Bob trailer—no impulsive purchases for now! best regards

This is pretty odd. It’s the first time I’ve heard of a wheel breaking on a large wheel like this.

A good rear wheel: - Double-wall rim with eyelets. - 36 stainless steel spokes, 2 mm in diameter, crossed three times.

A tire can absorb shocks. My usual touring tire is 42 mm wide, which ensures great comfort.

I’ve never had any issues, even though I’ve carried loads from 30 to 45 kg.

Good evening! Thanks for your reply and your interest! I do have a reinforced wheel, 36 spokes, and a slightly larger tire (38)! All of that was set up by my bike mechanic. During my last breakdown with this reinforced wheel, I got the impression he didn’t take me seriously, which is why I’ve decided to try a Bob trailer! I’ll rent one this spring before possibly buying one. Best regards,

I'm surprised by a broken spoke on a nearly new wheel. Uneven spoke tension???

Otherwise, to answer your questions, a single-wheel trailer is easy to handle. It's a bit heavier than the rack + panniers solution, but the weight is lower, so it doesn’t unbalance the bike if you need to ride out of the saddle for a stretch. Depending on your load, you can opt for a lighter trailer than the Bob. I have a Beez (sold by Beecyclo), and I’m happy with it. It can carry a large bag with the same volume as the Bob.

Or if you're traveling light, the Zap Outdoor trailer for a 40-liter bag is great too. Oh no, I just saw that this small artisanal company has stopped production.

Hi Meg, It’s been a while since I last checked the site, so I hadn’t seen your message! Thanks for the super helpful info and for your interest! It’s really baffling why this keeps happening! The first wheel was fine, but even after switching to a reinforced wheel, using a slightly larger tire than the front, being careful with inflation, and watching our load, it happened again this summer—and not even on rough roads! The cyclist weighs 78 kg, and the fully loaded panniers are about 28 kg, so roughly 100 kg total!!!! That’s why I’m looking into single-wheel trailers now. Just a small note: the new wheel was installed by a bike shop, so it *should* be good... Best regards,

Totally surprising... at 105 kg plus 23/25 kg of gear, no problems at all with a stock wheel... but, it's true, it was a 26" MTB wheel, and I’m an ex-tandem rider who used to deal with frequent spoke breakage. The issue was solved the day I switched to very stiff, deep-section rims—back then, Rigida DP 18. Another weak point: hub braking (rather than rim braking) puts a lot of stress on the spokes with every stop... so check if your bike or new wheel might have these same issues. Otherwise, a trailer is both extra weight (especially on climbs) and a source of added friction. Single-wheel trailers are often recommended as the best option for us—good luck!

hi there! we really don’t understand this breakage! wheel with reinforced spokes installed by our bike shop, standard rider weight, reasonable load! 30 kg! roads taken were clean! the only upside with reinforced spokes is that we could ride 200 km with one missing spoke without the wheel going out of true!!!! but that’s not the point! I also think that riding with this issue means next time there’ll be another breakage, even after obviously taking the wheel back to the bike shop. You know as well as I do that gear failure can ruin a trip, especially if you’re a bit far from civilization—that’s why we’re going to try the **Bob Yak**, renting one for a week to test it out! Best regards

One setting wasn't changed: the mount.

If the rim doesn’t warp with one (or several?) broken spokes, it means the wheel wasn’t built properly... which doesn’t necessarily mean your wheel builder is at fault. The breakage could be due to the quality (or type, brand) of the spokes... or nuts that are too "soft" or too loose, which come undone quickly (in the old days, they’d use thread locker or even super glue on them). Worth looking into that... Otherwise, even if you ditch the 25 kg of luggage for a trailer, you might still have breakage issues just from your own weight. In any case, spokes breaking with (only) around 100 kg of load isn’t normal—better to find the root cause (spokes stressed by sudden braking with disc brakes, wheels with a wobble—sometimes caused by a bent hub axle, etc.). As a first step, I’d check if the spoke tension stays stable and even with use. Anyway, good luck! !

hi Thanks for the extra info! I really hope that by leaving our bike with a pro, they’ve checked everything thoroughly... We explained it to them clearly, but I don’t feel like they’re very receptive. Maybe we should look elsewhere! We’ve never broken spokes without the pannier load. FYI, the last break was with a brand-new wheel!!!!

Hello, Thanks for the additional info! I really hope that by entrusting our bike to a pro, they’ve covered all the bases... We explained everything clearly, but I don’t feel like they were very receptive! Maybe we should look elsewhere. We’ve never had broken spokes without the weight of panniers. FYI, the wheel was brand new when it last broke!!!!

Hi Nicolas, It’d be great to get a few more details about this setup that didn’t work out: brand and type of rim, disc brakes or rim brakes? Hub, and especially the tire—what pressure were you running? Like Lethieu, I’m leaning toward an assembly issue since the weight you described isn’t excessive. Do you have panniers on the front, or is everything on the back? I think it’s worth digging a little deeper into the question. Best regards,

hi there!

I checked the invoice again for that famous wheel with the reinforced hub, but there’s no info about the brand... not even on the hub itself! As for the panniers: 2 up front, 2 in the back, 5.5 kg when inflated! Disc brakes too! Best regards,

Good evening!

I checked the invoice for that famous wheel with reinforced rim, but there’s no brand info... not even on the rim itself! As for the panniers: 2 at the front, 2 at the back, inflation at 5.5 kg! Disc brakes! Best regards

Well, after reading all the details you’ve shared, the one common factor in all your issues seems to be the bike shop—especially if they’re the ones assembling the wheels!!! I’m also skeptical about a rim with no brand or reference... Final piece of advice from an old-timer: learn how to true your wheels. A simple fork is all you need, and the technique is super straightforward. With a little practice, you can even do it on the road (including replacing a spoke). Given the poor quality of today’s pros—who know Chinese parts catalogs and profit margins better than the basics of technical craftsmanship—it’s better for travelers like us to be self-sufficient in this area...

Hi there,

I use a folding bike with 20" wheels for hiking. Over about ten years, I’ve had three or four broken spokes on the rear wheel. I managed to find a craftsman [1] who could re-spoke a wheel. When he re-spoked my rear wheel, I watched him do it. He showed me how he did it and told me something important for spoke strength: make sure that where the spokes cross for the third time, they properly support each other. That’s because the spokes reinforce each other to handle stress [2]. Two spokes at a time, using a bar, he applied a strong twisting motion as if he wanted to wrap them around each other.

[1] This craftsman made the spokes himself from long spokes (Sapim stainless steel 2 mm), cutting them to the right length and threading the ends. That’s when I realized I was dealing with an expert—because everyone I’d worked with before would only repair or re-spoke a wheel if they had the right-length spokes in stock or if I provided them.

[2] In the past, at the third crossing point, you’d sometimes find a tie that held the two spokes together.

The holy grail is learning how to true your wheels... it's actually simple, but we take an hour where a pro takes 20 minutes. It's more cost-effective to re-true your wheels, even new ones or after a hundred kilometers. Re-true all the spokes to ensure even, high tension, fix wobbles, and especially the hop. If spokes or some are loose, don’t hesitate to glue them. To answer your question, yes, I’ve often used a bit of copper wire at the spoke crossings... I even used to true wheels with four hands at times! But with modern rims, you shouldn’t need to do that anymore.

stick them with thread locker (low/medium strength)

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frein_filet

hi there!! Hub braking—that’s the case since they’re disc brakes, right? In the end, disc brakes are more efficient, but good old brake pads do the job just fine, especially if you’ve got a spare pair tucked away in your panniers! So easy to set up in the middle of nowhere! That said, we’ll try renting a Bob trailer to get an idea—it’ll be an experience, and I’ll share feedback on it! Best regards,

The issue with disc brakes is that they allow for sudden braking, which puts a lot of stress on the hub/rim connection—meaning my spokes...

48 spokes properly tensioned in 3 crosses—little chance it’ll break.