To tote our gear around we are using panniers (pronounced pan-ears or pan-ays, both ways are acceptable) which are basically saddlebags. A rack is attached to the front and/or back wheel of the bike and the panniers hang from the sides of those. These are the most popular choice for touring cyclists.
The other option we could have chosen was to use a BOB trailer. BOB stands for Beast of Burden which is the company that invented it according to the following link (http://www.bobgear.com/about). The BOB is unique because it only has one wheel instead of the usual trailer with two. We have seen bikers using both kinds of trailers. The one struggle we’ve heard of the BOB is that it is very hard to stand up to bike because you can’t lean as much with each stroke. BOBs are nice but Josh liked the panniers better because it can be more compact on the bike and allow for more control of the bike. Also the trailer would mean more spare tires and more parts to fix.
We wouldn’t recommend using a two wheel trailer on a touring trip. Today on Kansas route 156 there was barely enough room for our bikes on the shoulder with rumble strip right next to us. We’ve seen three trailers with the two wheel set up and they have all been carrying dogs. I absolutely love dogs so by all means get the extra wheel and a few more bumps but bring Fido.
The pannier weight distribution is supposed to be about 60% on the front wheels and 40% on the back. This gives the rider better balance and stability. On Josh’s bike the front bags carry our tools, toiletries, and food, while his back ones carry the cooking supplies and miscellaneous items like flip flops. We learned a lot from our test ride back in August last year and because of that my bike is carrying just the clothes on the back rack and we were able to nix my front rack. My bike doesn’t follow the 60-40 rule but when I’m rolling I don’t notice. Laying my bike down and picking it up is the only time I really notice the balance issue. No front bags saves me about 5 pounds in just the rack and bags, plus all the potential items we might have thought we needed.
As Josh mentioned before when we weighed our bikes in Missoula at the ACA Josh’s was at 78 pounds and mine was 58.
Jake Report Day 47: Larned, KS
Miles: 68.8, time on bike: 5h 51m, average: 11.8, total miles: 2366, weather: hot and sunny with a cross wind
The other option we could have chosen was to use a BOB trailer. BOB stands for Beast of Burden which is the company that invented it according to the following link (http://www.bobgear.com/about). The BOB is unique because it only has one wheel instead of the usual trailer with two. We have seen bikers using both kinds of trailers. The one struggle we’ve heard of the BOB is that it is very hard to stand up to bike because you can’t lean as much with each stroke. BOBs are nice but Josh liked the panniers better because it can be more compact on the bike and allow for more control of the bike. Also the trailer would mean more spare tires and more parts to fix.
We wouldn’t recommend using a two wheel trailer on a touring trip. Today on Kansas route 156 there was barely enough room for our bikes on the shoulder with rumble strip right next to us. We’ve seen three trailers with the two wheel set up and they have all been carrying dogs. I absolutely love dogs so by all means get the extra wheel and a few more bumps but bring Fido.
The pannier weight distribution is supposed to be about 60% on the front wheels and 40% on the back. This gives the rider better balance and stability. On Josh’s bike the front bags carry our tools, toiletries, and food, while his back ones carry the cooking supplies and miscellaneous items like flip flops. We learned a lot from our test ride back in August last year and because of that my bike is carrying just the clothes on the back rack and we were able to nix my front rack. My bike doesn’t follow the 60-40 rule but when I’m rolling I don’t notice. Laying my bike down and picking it up is the only time I really notice the balance issue. No front bags saves me about 5 pounds in just the rack and bags, plus all the potential items we might have thought we needed.
As Josh mentioned before when we weighed our bikes in Missoula at the ACA Josh’s was at 78 pounds and mine was 58.
Jake Report Day 47: Larned, KS
Miles: 68.8, time on bike: 5h 51m, average: 11.8, total miles: 2366, weather: hot and sunny with a cross wind