[mcmoonter]

Toying with the idea of a Bob trailer for some adventure touring / camping.

Anyone any experiences with Yak v Ibex Bob trailers?. Yak is 'hardtail' - Ibex 'full sus'.

Keen to hear thoughts

Checked out reviews on the site but value your input.

MC

 

[Rockfish Dave]

I have a Yakima Trailer (similar to the B.O.B. Yak). I have only used it on my hardtail steel framed mtb. I am unsure if a FS mtb can handle the torque of a fully loaded trailer.

I would make a call to the Turner shop to get their take on if these types of trailers would be compatable w/the bikes.

Just my .02

Please post what you find out so I'll know one way or the other.

 

[tscheezy]

I have both. The Ibex adds some weight and rides higher due to the suspension. For pure pavement touring it would not make sense. If you are going to tour offroad and there are significant obstacles to deal with, the Ibex is great however. The Yak tends to bounce a LOT when running over stuff, and it gets badly hung up on even modest square edges. The damping on the Ibex is piss poor (it feels like a naked spring), but it does roll over stuff far more smoothly and gets up on square edges well. I've always meant to find a shock for the Ibex that doesn't suck so bad, but the size is weird. Maybe I just need to modify it to take one of my old DHX coils.

Anyway, bottom line is that for anything other than smooooooooth trails and road touring, the Ibex is actually a nice performer if you can schlep the extra weight.

BTW- I pull my Ibex with my Turner and it felt stiffer than the hardtail I used to pull the Yak with.

 

[cactuscorn]

yep. that about says it all. ill just add that the diff in feel between pullin a yak and a ibex is huge. ya really feel it with all the extra weight welded so far to the back end. never got my ibex off road before i sold it and kept the yak but i did have both out for long multi day road tours on roads that coulda passed as off road.

ive spent some considerable time around the yakima version. not that its all bad but the quality is no match for a bob. be sure to order a extra skewer and pins when ya get yer bob. a maxxis hookworm makes a excelent road tire by the way but for off road id think about a hookworm to replace the poopy sidewall thing that comes on it.

oh, and packin these things is key. watch yer weight and where ya put it.

 

[Coldass]

This is better than both....

http://www.extrawheel.com/

 

[cactuscorn]

for off road? not sure ya can convince me of that.

 

[tscheezy]

This is better than both....

That definitely looks interesting. I thought it looked familiar too. That's what that dude used when he rode the Canning Stock route across Australia. That seems quite offroad-worthy.

 

[cactuscorn]

my bad. i was under the impression those were only made with a 700c (x 25) max compatability and it seems i was wrong. didnt find anything on the site to say yes or no but those pics seem to tell the tale. id be down for tryin 1 of these or readin a shootout.

 

[Coldass]

Sorry CC the picture did show a wimpy 700C wheel.

You can use a BIG wheel with your choice and of rubber/tread. You pick the size - 26, 29, 700c. It also takes the weight off the bike.

Go to the Extrawheel web site. They have offroad video's that no BOB could do. Try this...

There is plenty of epic off-road use of the Extrawheel. Only downside is no flat platform like the BOB. I think you could even upgrade the wheel to any 100mm axle wheel - so could use that spare 'bling' front wheel laying around. And think. Same tube spares to boot.

Oh, and its cheap.

 

[tscheezy]

They have offroad video's that no BOB could do.

I totally disagree. I have taken both my Bobs on trails like that, AND they were fully loaded (~20 kg) which that guy's trailer in the video obviously is not. With that tiny tire he he is running, he would have pinch flatted about a dozen times going over those rock gardens with a load. You could obviously mount a bigger tire which would fix that, and there is no doubt the EW would get up and over square edges more easily which is a real issue with the Bob trailers. You can also see the trailer shimmy and swim just like a Bob so I don't see how the handling is much different. I know from experience that the trailer does encounter a lot of rock contact or gets caught on downed trees or branches if you are on difficult trails, and with the Bob your dry bag is nicely protected inside a metal roll cage. That Extrawheel would have it's mesh gear slings ripped and the bag torn easily by trailside snags it seems.

 

[Rockfish Dave]

Clarification...

ive spent some considerable time around the yakima version. not that its all bad but the quality is no match for a bob.

Just to clarify, the Yakima Big Tow has not been in production for several years (over three I believe). It provides better splash protection with a front fairing and wide fender. The frame is fully triangulated, and the welds are solid.

The B.O.B. trailers (both) take the edge in the skewers and pins. The Yakima has an older version of sliding pins that are easily damaged. I believe that the Yakima can be upgraded to the B.O.B. version although I have not bothered to do so on mine.

Why do I bother metioning this? Both trailers are viable substitutes for each other. You might be able to find the Yakima used at a substantial savings over the B.O.B. since most people are unfamiliar with them and do not realize how robustly they are built.

I still suggest that you contact the nice folks at Turner. I had used my trailer for a year solid for errands and commuting to work. I can feel the torque that it places on the extreem end of the rear triangle of my hard tail and never felt safe attaching it to my Turners for fear of placing stresses on the bike that it was not designed for. The folks at Turner would know better than I if the bikes can handle the loads that are created by the trailer.

Another option is the Nashbar version of the single wheel trailer. From the reviews that I have read it is not as torsionally ridged as the others but it is very inexpensive.

Best of luck.
Dave

 

[kidwoo]

Go to the Extrawheel web site. They have offroad video's that no BOB could do. Try this...

There is plenty of epic off-road use of the Extrawheel. Only downside is no flat platform like the BOB. I think you could even upgrade the wheel to any 100mm axle wheel - so could use that spare 'bling' front wheel laying around. And think. Same tube spares to boot.

Oh, and its cheap.

Yeah, like tscheezy I've definitely ridden with a bob trailer on trails that rough. Like you say though, with no platform, I don't see those nets lasting very long. At least when things hit the bottom of a bob trailer, they're hitting steel.

 

[mcmoonter]

Thanks for that guys.

I've emailed the folks at Turner and asked for their view on rear triangle durability.

It'll be interesting to hear their views.

 

[cactuscorn]

please pass that info on. seems ya have our attention.

 

[Coldass]

I totally disagree.

I understand your experience. I have also taken my BOB Yak on similar and it works for sure. And I trust it 100% - it is durable. It also isn't so sensitive to how you load it. But more often than not it becomes a sled that gets dragged and the weight of the trailer is 50% on the rear wheel of my bike. It also sucks to transit a BOB - and this is a must for a trailer IMO (read bike box and BOB box/bag = baggage charges).

Also the BOB sucks when you have to portage in any way.

The extrawheel can be setup tubeless, which makes pinch flats a non-issue, and is being rated as it takes the weight off the rear/bike and on the extrawheel. It is obvious it gives more clearance. Really can't be dragged. And it is being used in some big expeditions. Portage is much easyer with the EW.

I agree that they both waggle.

Yes the Extrawheel mesh can rip - downside, but will not stop it being useful as you can mount the dry bags without the mesh. Also the Extrawheel is so much lighter from the get-go.

I am not convinced the Extrawheel has a great axle mount? Then again this has been a BOB weakness - lost bobbin bits, bent BOB dropouts, crapped out bushings etc..

I think BOB's are great - I have one and have ridden it 1000's of KM's in harsh outback conditions (I am in Australia) - but the Extrawheel is a worthy consideration and I have heard that people find it better off-road and that it better distributes weight putting less stress on FS's and bikes.

Oh,if you like the BOB design the Monoporter takes this one step further - much easyer to travel with and a more modern take on the BOB design.

 

[mcmoonter]

Official word from DT himself is posted below. They sure know how to generate customer loyalty at the house of Turner.

Hi

We know of one mega mileage rider that tows a trailer with chainsaw and trail building tools and has never had a problem. He is the only person we know that uses a trailer with a Turner Bike. I don’t think it will be a problem at all with the TNT rears. With the HL bikes it may cause more wear, but rebuilds are easy so that is not a reason to worry either.

Have fun.

David Turner

 

[AK Chris]

I'm really intrigued by the extrawheel, but until I ride one I won't pull the trigger just yet. I found out about it from reading the Canning Stock guy's trip report. I looks like a great option, wish I could rent one to check it out.

I've ridden with the Bob and I agree with what others have said. It did feel like I was dragging it a lot over roots, rocks and sharp bumps and it does bounce a lot - but as long as I had momentum I really didn't notice it much. The one I had was borrowed and the fastening pins were long gone, but it was a simple fix with a coat hanger and some wire.