BOB Yak 16 Trailer Review

BOB Yak 16 Trailer

A lot of people ask me about my BOB Trailer.  BOB trailers are a frequent topic in the various bicycle touring forums on the Internet.  I used my BOB for my Nova Scotia tour and two weekend tours in New England.  This review is based on my experiences to date.

The BOB Yak 16 is a single wheel trailer.   It attaches to a bicycle's rear wheel with a special quick release skewer.   Two cotter pins secure the trailer to the skewer.  The trailer has a rated capacity of 70 pounds.  It is sold with or without a nylon bag.  I used a dry bag with my trailer. You can't beat it for keeping your stuff dry.

On my Nova Scotia trip, I did not let my speed get over 35 MPH. Over 35 MPH the rig felt somewhat unstable with my mountain bike. I believe the instability was caused by the suspension fork.  I've descended mountain roads with the loaded trailer on my road bike at speeds over 45 MPH.  I noticed no instability what so ever with the road bike. 

Off bike handling can be awkward in tight spaces. The bike and trailer combination is long and doesn't back up easily. The combined rig will stand up by its self if you lean the trailer over and turn the bike in the opposite direction.

On level terrain, the trailer tows effortlessly.  The trailer is much more aerodynamically efficient than front and rear panniers.  Climbing out of the saddle is much easier than with panniers due to the lower center of gravity. The extra length of the trailer and the flapping flag make drafting difficult.  Also, one needs to mindful of the extra length during group rides.

I did not encounter any problems with the pivot or the bolts that hold the pivot together as others have reported. However, I had some problems with the dropouts that attach the trailer to the quick release skewers. (If you are unfamiliar with this arrangement please see BOB Website ). In my opinion, the cotter pins are a very weak link. If you loose a pin (which happened to me) the trailer will detach from one side of the quick release. Because the trailer is single wheel the weight will shift to one side causing the tongue to act as a big lever. This force easily damages the dropouts. When this happens, re-attaching the trailer to the dropouts and inserting the cotter pins becomes a major problem.

I called BOB Trailers 800 number.  They are sent me some spare pins at no charge. Also, the guy who answered the phone, suggested tying a shoe lace around the pins with the other end tied to the trailer frame. He said that they will fix this problem in future production.

The trailer is a viable alternative to panniers. I like the trailer. I will continue using it.  However, I've learned some important lessons:

1. Always unload the trailer before attaching or detaching it from the bike. Never attach or detach a loaded trailer to the bike.

2. Take two strings. Tie one end of each string to each of the retaining pins. Tie the other end to the trailer fork. This advice came from several T@CO list members and the customer service guy at BOB.

3. Carry more than one spare retaining pin. The one spare pin that comes with the trailer is not enough. Replace the pins the instant they become worn. The manual that comes with the trailer tells you what to look for.

4. If you accidentally damage one of the trailer fork dropouts, you can carefully bend it back into shape using a large crescent wrench.  

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