"Pinky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:Having toured with four panniers - and hated every head wind ( "gegen
wind" in Germany) which seemed to double the size of my front panniers --
and also having the good fortune to "swap" loads with a German guy who I
travelled with for a few days on my trip down and up the Danube -- I have
taken delivery today of my BOB Yak trailer and shall take it out for its
first run on Saturday.
I have looked at these trailers for some time and when Gerhard suggested
that I might like to try towing his trailer for a day I was happy to do
it -- even though it was a heavier load than mine ( he had a wife with
him!).
His fahrad was fitted with front and rear racks as was mine and so there
was no problem of a change over.
I was a fairly instant convert and all of my reservations largely
disappeared during that day. Having ridden my velo for quite a while under
full load and on this years trip was on about day 7 -- the change in the
handling of my velo was fantastic. Of course, going up hill was still hard
work but my velo (a much modified Dawes discovery 501 -- a hybrid) felt so
much more manageable -- as it does normally on my daily home runs. It was
also much easier ( and less dangerous) to mount and especially dismount
after a long day.
All in all I was very impressed.
Until my trip from the source of the Rhein down to Rotterdam, in May/June
next year, I shall tow it most days on my training and shopping runs. I
also suspect ( and hope) that I shall be just that bit more visible to the
blind/deaf /SMIDSY British motorist ( Sorry Mate I Didn't See You) --
being a bit of an unusual sight -- I haven't seen one in UK yet!
Anyway I can't wait to get it out for its first long run on Saturday.
--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
Remove PSANTISPAM to reply
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
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Dear Trevor ,,, I enjoy your posts. As a cycle tourist with a few years
under my belt, I am not quite at the 70 mark but its been awhile since I was
40. Anyway,,, love you adventure attitude. In this day when kids spend
hours playing games on a tv screen, and the average adult thinks Club Med is
like hiking the Ande's .. well, you are an inspiration.
I tour every summer. This past summer was the first in years that I didn't
get away for a long tour. A couple of long weekends was it. Life, work,
money, a new roof, .... %$%^&433$%%$# as you can see; I would rather be
touring.
A couple of summers ago I used a BOB trailer for a tour from southern New
Hampshire to Nova Scotia and back. New Hampshite, Maine are mountainous.
Those long climbs killed me. It was the pulling. It felt like someone was
behind me tugging at my fender. The BOB worked fine, it tracks excellent.
I never got a flat, it carries lots of gear. But, I WOULD NEVER GO ON A
LONG TOUR WITH THE BOB AGAIN!
The BOB is perfect for a long weekend tour to the beach or a lake. But, on
a long tour the weight and the pulling become a real drawback. A BOB weighs
12.3 lbs .. ( 5.59 kilos for you civilized Europeans -- British ?? Who
knows ... four stones, three rocks, and a king ) . Anyway, that 12.3 lbs
can get tiresome. The pulling, when you are riding on a flat service it is
no problem, but when you are going up hills or mountains it can be a big
time waste of energy.
Also, because you must carry tools ( spare tube, etc for the trailer ) that
can add up. Then there is the bag that your clothes go into. The bag is
big ( I used a duffle I bought at a camping store ) and it weighs about what
a couple of panniers weigh, maybe a tad less.
I love the BOB. I use it for goofing, going on day rides to a lake or
beach, or when I am riding on Cape Cod or something.
When I did my tour this summer, only a few days but better than no tour, I
used two panniers and brought hardly any clothes. Just right, is what I
though later. In fact, this summer I am planning a long tour and I am
already thinking what I can leave behind. I want to see if I can cut the
weight down on the panniers, and bring very little clothes. I don't cook
much when I tour. I eat on the run. Mostly uncooked food. If I bring a
cooking set, it will be a very meager set.
The heaviest item I carry besides tools is a book. But, that book is my
best friend when I am in my tent relaxing after a day of touring.
There are other trailers. I have seen a few when out touring. Never tried
them though.
I was touring through Vermont about 5 years ago and I came upon a fellow
cycle tourist. He was around the 60 mark. He had started his tour in LA,
went south and across the USA through Nevada, and all over. He was on his
way to Boston. I think he was from Norway. He had almost nothing with him.
A couple of light panniers, an old thin wheel bicycle. Yet, he had cycled
from Los Angeles and across the USA and visited more cities, places, seen
more sites,,, I keep him in mind as a pack when I tour now.
Amazing what we don't need.
Keep providing us with inspiration.
And pack light.
Maybe we will bump into each other on the road.
TomCAt
