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Le Tour de Dave, an eight week coastal cycle tour from Geelong to Mooloolaba, is my friend Dave's dream ride which has captured many others including myself. I tagged along for the 640km from Sale to Quaama in NSW. As this was my first unsupported camping trip in a decade or three, it required some thoughts on equipment. Others used front and rear panniers, some used rear panniers alone, and a couple used trailers. Having seen Dave and others towing their BOB Yak trailers, I decided to try one as well - a new experience. Besides, I didn't have panniers and racks ready to go.
A well-trained, well-travelled BOB Yak was provided by Peter Moore from Abbotsford Cycles. I took it out for a weekend's experimentation in advance of the trip. I tried it out empty, and then loaded with 20kg of bricks behind both my Moulton and my Baron recumbent. All seemed pretty sensible and while there were some new sensations to adjust to, there was little to fear for the trip. I got a bit of a laugh from my partner when she saw the Baron and trailer combination which is around 3 metres long!! I took the Moulton on this trip as it was better suited to the 100km of railtrail and more convenient to transport on the train to Sale, and in a car or train home. Got the trailer packing off pat after a couple of days on the road: vacuum bagged clothes on the bottom; sleeping mat and bag, food and other kit above; cookset and fuel at the rear and tent outside on top. Around 20kg I think. It was fine, and each day's riding extended my confidence. After 100km of railtrail I was impressed with the ease of handling and manoeuvrability. I practised by riding through the railtrail chicanes - that was good to get used to where the trailer tracks and how much room you need to allow when doing tight manoeuvres. It does handle better if you pay attention to your packing. Weight low, forward and centred. I got the hang of the 90 degree jackknife park, but be careful of the load on the rear fork when standing the rig up to ride away. The Moulton's sprung rear fork seemed particularly vulnerable so I always lifted the trailer from this parked position to avoid the twisting load on the rear fork. The other very convenient parking technique is parallel to the kerb. Just let the trailer base overlap the kerb and lean it over until it rests. Brilliant! Perhaps this was aided by the lower trailer height due to the 20" Moulton rear wheel. I'm a sit and spin climber using winch gears - standing for climbs and whatever (with loaded trailer) would require another technique altogether I reckon. Rocking the bike side to side does not feel safe, sound or helpful to the rear fork. I moved myself, kept the bike straight, and did very little of it. There is a sensible recommended maximum speed of 45kph dictated by BOB. As an inexperienced user I was conscious of the extra push and potential shimmy at speed. Even so, I did let it go out to 50 or more from time to time, and clocked 60 on one descent. All stable but doesn't feel like it would tolerate any rapid steering inputs - I stuck to the recommended maximum most of the time and think that is probably wise. I used the BOB as a camp table regularly. Works well although needs a little care as it rests on its mudguard. Great to get your food and cooker off the deck. As other experienced users have pointed out, one of the great benefits of a trailer like the BOB is that it can convert your favourite bike into a touring bike without any modification. One friend uses his behind his Audax bike without touching any of its Audax setup. Once at your stopover, disconnecting the trailer leaves you with that favourite bike for your day trips. Fit a BOB Nutz skewer or BOB Nutz to any of your bikes and the trailer will tag along faithfully behind any one of them. I'm a convert. I'll be buying my own for the next trip. If you are interested, you can read more about BOB Yak and Ibex trailers at http://www.bobgear.com/trailers/trailers.php Another trailer that I believe would be a great load carrier and practical trailer around town is the Bike Hod. Been around a long time. Use like a shopping trolley off the bike, compact length and manoeuvrable behind any of your bikes, lightweight and carries one of the heaviest payloads. I'd like to try one. Still reckon the BOB would be a better touring trailer though. Read more about the Bike Hod at http://www.bikehod.com/bike-hod/index.html One rider on Le Tour de Dave was using a BOB clone, the TW-Bents Convenience-1 trailer. Didn't get to try it so take these comments with a lot of salt. Its folding frame seemed less rigid (probably isn't) but its upright rear frame made fitting and removing the loaded bag more difficult. Not a problem if you load and unload the bag in the trailer. However, the rear frame of the BOB has a shallow angle which assists when fitting and removing the loaded bag. Read more about the Convenience-1 at http://www.twbents.com.tw/HTM/convenience-i.htm Another BOB clone trailer I came across is the Koga-Miyata Chela. This has to be the camping trailer extraordinaire: suspension, fitted bags including a daypack with integrated solar charger for your electronic gadgets, caster wheels to roll it through the airport as a piece of luggage, a full stand and last but not least, an integrated table and chair!! Have a look at http://www.koga.com/uk/bike.asp?collectionid=9&segmentid=76&id=8625301 and some better photos at http://www.koga.com/uk/newsitem.asp?id=7197841 I came across a French blog/review site looking at some of these trailers and a couple of others. Good photos of all the trailers and some French words at http://www.expemag.com/materiel-voyage-nature/remorque-velo.html There are masses of other bike trailers of all varieties out there from the Carry Freedom City folding trailer http://www.carryfreedom.com/city.html) to the extraordinary Bushtrekka tandem-wheeled camper trailer (http://www.midgetcampers.com.au/Products.htm ). Like me, you might be pleasantly surprised after trying one. If you want a little more info about Le Tour de Dave, see the itinerary at http://preview.tinyurl.com/3xxoem and some photos of some of the riders and a few mates at the Queenscliff ferry on the morning of their departure at http://preview.tinyurl.com/22a4lo |
