Touring loaded bike or trailer?

[Ken]

I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring late
this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to load
the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already have rack
on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the back is rated
for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could carry another 35 lbs.
that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want to
haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people that load the bike up with
70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems like they are hauling a bit too
much too me.

Ken

--
For my real email address just remove "-dispose-trash"
More of my mind dribbles at my blog: http://mind-dribble.blogspot.com/
My personal website: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/

[H M Leary]

In article >,
"Ken" > wrote:

> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring late
> this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to load
> the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already have rack
> on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the back is rated
> for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could carry another 35 lbs.
> that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want to
> haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people that load the bike up with
> 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems like they are hauling a bit too
> much too me.
>
> Ken

I rode from McMinville ( Portland ), Oregon to Philadelphia, Pa on a
flat bar equipped Moots Psyclo-Cross. I towed a Cycle Tote 2 wheel
trailer.

I was told many times.... "you can't do that!"

I carried about 60lbs which was probably too much, but as I had a Joe
Blow floor pump, I was the most popular rider first thing in the AM.

The hardest part with the trailer was telling friends they could NOT put
"stuff" onboard.

I carried nothing on the bike but me.

YMMV

HAND

[jj]

On Sun, 29 May 2005 17:01:17 GMT, H M Leary > wrote:

>In article >,
> "Ken" > wrote:
>
>> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring late
>> this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to load
>> the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already have rack
>> on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the back is rated
>> for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could carry another 35 lbs.
>> that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want to
>> haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people that load the bike up with
>> 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems like they are hauling a bit too
>> much too me.
>>
>> Ken
>
>I rode from McMinville ( Portland ), Oregon to Philadelphia, Pa on a
>flat bar equipped Moots Psyclo-Cross. I towed a Cycle Tote 2 wheel
>trailer.
>
>I was told many times.... "you can't do that!"

Since I know nothing about towing a trailer, but I'm interested, why would
they tell you that?

What kind of a towing hitch do they use? I'm trying to imagine leaning the
bike from side-to-side a little, standing and climbing. Is it just a ball
and socket or what? Forgive my ignorance. ;-)

>I carried about 60lbs which was probably too much, but as I had a Joe
>Blow floor pump, I was the most popular rider first thing in the AM.
>
>The hardest part with the trailer was telling friends they could NOT put
>"stuff" onboard.

Any other trailer/touring hints?

>I carried nothing on the bike but me.

Did that turn out to be a good thing in comparision to those riding with
you using panniers? Could you keep up with them easily, or vice-versa?

TIA

jj

>YMMV
>
>HAND

[Ken]

"jj" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 29 May 2005 17:01:17 GMT, H M Leary > wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> "Ken" > wrote:
>>
>>> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring
>>> late
>>> this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to
>>> load
>>> the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already have
>>> rack
>>> on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the back is
>>> rated
>>> for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could carry another 35
>>> lbs.
>>> that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want to
>>> haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people that load the bike up
>>> with
>>> 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems like they are hauling a bit
>>> too
>>> much too me.
>>>
>>> Ken
>>
>>I rode from McMinville ( Portland ), Oregon to Philadelphia, Pa on a
>>flat bar equipped Moots Psyclo-Cross. I towed a Cycle Tote 2 wheel
>>trailer.
>>
>>I was told many times.... "you can't do that!"
>
> Since I know nothing about towing a trailer, but I'm interested, why would
> they tell you that?
>
> What kind of a towing hitch do they use? I'm trying to imagine leaning the
> bike from side-to-side a little, standing and climbing. Is it just a ball
> and socket or what? Forgive my ignorance. ;-)

Thats a pretty good question. I hadn't thought about that! Especially if it
were a two wheeled straight axle type trailer.

>
>>I carried about 60lbs which was probably too much, but as I had a Joe
>>Blow floor pump, I was the most popular rider first thing in the AM.
>>
>>The hardest part with the trailer was telling friends they could NOT put
>>"stuff" onboard.
>
> Any other trailer/touring hints?
>
>>I carried nothing on the bike but me.
>
> Did that turn out to be a good thing in comparision to those riding with
> you using panniers? Could you keep up with them easily, or vice-versa?

Well it seems to me that it might be easier to pull a trailer. With a
"loaded" bike you need to reduce your tire pressure somewhat, but with a
trailer I bet you could keep them closer to the MAX pressure, and have less
rolling resistance.

>
> TIA
>
> jj
>
>>YMMV
>>
>>HAND
>

[Will]

I bought a BOB quick release trailer a while back. Use it mostly for
grocery shopping and toting equipment these days. But it would be
excellent for touring. It's stable, tracks well, and is rated for 70
pounds. My heaviest weight has been 50 pounds but it worked well at
that weight. Much better than panniers in my estimation, especially in
wind. You will need good brakes on the bike. When you're training, load
it with a bag of salt...

[Rich]

jj wrote:

> What kind of a towing hitch do they use? I'm trying to imagine leaning the
> bike from side-to-side a little, standing and climbing. Is it just a ball
> and socket or what? Forgive my ignorance. ;-)

We have a burley trailer and it's connected with what appears to be a a
few inches of solid rubber hose. The bike can lean 90 degrees either
way the trailer stays upright. It works very well.

And a few years ago (pre-trailer) I road a moutain bike for a few days
with a fair amount of weight on it (on the Michelson trail in South
Dakota). It worked, but now having towed a trailer I think the trailer
is a better idea.

Rich

[botfood]

i'd go for a single-wheel trailer... more aero, less problems with
cross wind, less likely to beat up your bike/wheels.

I use a two-wheel 'double wide' burley almost every day for kids,
groceries etc. and while the payload is fantastic, having a 34" wide
track with three wheel tracks to think about when approaching debris is
a bit problematic.

d

[K AMP D DEMAIR]

"Ken" > wrote in message
...
>
> "jj" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>... snip...
>
> Well it seems to me that it might be easier to pull a trailer. With a
> "loaded" bike you need to reduce your tire pressure somewhat, but with a
> trailer I bet you could keep them closer to the MAX pressure, and have
> less rolling resistance.
>

You wouldn't lower the tire presssure for a heavier load. In fact, you
would raise it. Tire pressure is based on the tires rating and the weight
it will carry. If you take a look at the recommended tire pressure for most
passenger vehicles, you will see that there are different recommendations
depending on the vehicle's weight + cargo.

I can't tell you how much to raise it, but the idea is to maintain the same
contact patch even as the weight increases. The PSI increase won't be very
much. I have female friends who are 70 pounds less than me and they only
run about 10 PSI less.

It may not be very noticeable, but a loaded bike will roll easier than an
unloaded bike + trailer. The bikes rolling resistance is pretty much
unchanged either way, but you would have the added rolling resistance of the
trailer. Generally, you will not really notice the extra weight when riding
on flat terrain. The additional work comes into play when climbing. Here
again the loaded bike has the advantage because you don't have the addtional
weight of the trailer itself.

-Don

[H M Leary]

In article >,
> wrote:

snip
> >
> >I rode from McMinville ( Portland ), Oregon to Philadelphia, Pa on a
> >flat bar equipped Moots Psyclo-Cross. I towed a Cycle Tote 2 wheel
> >trailer.
> >
> >I was told many times.... "you can't do that!"
>
> Since I know nothing about towing a trailer, but I'm interested, why would
> they tell you that?

Not aero enough and not enough hand positions. Bogus because with "bar
ends" I had no problem.

> What kind of a towing hitch do they use? I'm trying to imagine leaning the
> bike from side-to-side a little, standing and climbing. Is it just a ball
> and socket or what? Forgive my ignorance. ;-)

Take a look at http:/www.cycletote.com for abetter explanation than I
can give.

> >I carried about 60lbs which was probably too much, but as I had a Joe
> >Blow floor pump, I was the most popular rider first thing in the AM.
> >
> >The hardest part with the trailer was telling friends they could NOT put
> >"stuff" onboard.
>
> Any other trailer/touring hints?

I don't do that much self supported touring, but with experience you
will find out what you need and what you don't. the trick is to carry as
little as possible.

> >I carried nothing on the bike but me.

Not entirely true. I did wear a Camelbak Rocket. 72oz of water and a
rain jacket/ wind breaker.

> Did that turn out to be a good thing in comparision to those riding with
> you using panniers? Could you keep up with them easily, or vice-versa?

Yes, no problems there. Make sure the bikes breaks are good especially
on steep descents. This was the only time I felt weight behind me.

> TIA
>
> jj
>
> >YMMV
> >
> >HAND

[pam_in_sc]

Ken wrote:

> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring late
> this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to load
> the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already have rack
> on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the back is rated
> for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could carry another 35 lbs.
> that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want to
> haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people that load the bike up with
> 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems like they are hauling a bit too
> much too me.
>
> Ken

I did self-supported tourning 25 years ago with rear panniers (and the
sleeping bag and tent on top of the rear rack) and a front handlebar
bag. Camping gear has improved very much since then. What does a
backpacker carry? Many keep to less than 30 pounds. Do you really need
more?

Pam

[[email protected]]

Ken wrote:
> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring late
> this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to load
> the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already have rack
> on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the back is rated
> for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could carry another 35 lbs.
> that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want to
> haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people that load the bike up with
> 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems like they are hauling a bit too
> much too me.

If you're touring solo, you should have nowhere near 70 pounds of gear!


My longest tour ever was a coast to coast with my wife and daughter.
Since I'm way stronger, I loaded my bike much more, carrying part of
their stuff, and still had only about 55 pounds of stuff on my bike.
That included the big tent and all the cooking gear.

We had front & rear panniers, no trailer. I considered a trailer, but
rejected it. Here are some reasons why:

You move more weight if you use a trailer. In Florida this won't
matter much, but we had mountain ranges to cross, and you can't avoid
the fact that the trailer is extra weight.

Transporting your rig at either end of a tour is tougher if you need to
pack a trailer too.

Wind resistance is likely to be worse, especially in crosswinds.
(Compact and smooth front panniers can actually reduce wind resistance
a bit.)

Parking a bike/trailer combination can be tougher. To lean it at the
front of a restaurant, etc, you need lots more clear space.

We had a few times we had to load our bikes into pickup trucks, haul
them upstairs, etc. We had many, many times we took them into motel
rooms. This would be much more difficult with a trailer.

You have a third tire that can go flat or get irreparably cut. It
needs a different size spare tube, and a different (odd) sized
replacement tire.

I think trailers are best suited for off-road touring, especially with
suspended mountain bikes. In 4000 miles, there was _never_ a time I
wished I had a trailer. And BTW, that's just one tour of many, about
which I have the same feelings.

- Frank Krygowski

[jj]

On 30 May 2005 16:26:36 -0700, wrote:

>
>
>Ken wrote:
>> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring late
>> this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to load
>> the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already have rack
>> on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the back is rated
>> for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could carry another 35 lbs.
>> that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want to
>> haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people that load the bike up with
>> 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems like they are hauling a bit too
>> much too me.
>
>If you're touring solo, you should have nowhere near 70 pounds of gear!
>
>
>My longest tour ever was a coast to coast with my wife and daughter.
>Since I'm way stronger, I loaded my bike much more, carrying part of
>their stuff, and still had only about 55 pounds of stuff on my bike.
>That included the big tent and all the cooking gear.

Hey Frank, that's pretty cool. How old was your daughter? Did she ride her
own bike? Is this tour written up anywhere - I'd love to read about it.

jj

[[email protected]]

jj wrote:
> On 30 May 2005 16:26:36 -0700, wrote:
>
> >
> >My longest tour ever was a coast to coast with my wife and daughter.
> >Since I'm way stronger, I loaded my bike much more, carrying part of
> >their stuff, and still had only about 55 pounds of stuff on my bike.
> >That included the big tent and all the cooking gear.
>
> Hey Frank, that's pretty cool. How old was your daughter? Did she ride her
> own bike? Is this tour written up anywhere - I'd love to read about it.
>

She was 24, just graduated from college. Yep, she rode the bike we
gave her as a graduation present. In fact, she was the one who
proposed the tour, although I'd been dreaming about it for decades.

You can read a bit about it at
http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Recreation/ALittleSummerRide.htm

Despite pretty bad weather, we all feel it was one of the most
wonderful things we've ever done!

- Frank Krygowski

[Zoot Katz]

Tue, 31 May 2005 21:33:58 -0400,
>,
Don Wiss > wrote:

>>Dude! You haven't lived until you've learned to cut down the handles on
>>your toothbrushes (and similar thing) to save weight, lol.
>
>I haven't done that. But when my toothpaste gets near the end I save it to
>use when traveling. And I buy the sample size of shaving cream.

Shaving cream when you're counting grams?
As long as you've got hot water and soap you don't need shaving cream.
Toughen up. You can shave with cold water but blades won't last long.
--
zk

[Ken]

"pam_in_sc" > wrote in message
...
> Ken wrote:
>
>> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring
>> late this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to
>> load the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already
>> have rack on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the
>> back is rated for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could
>> carry another 35 lbs. that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the
>> most I would want to haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people
>> that load the bike up with 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems
>> like they are hauling a bit too much too me.
>>
>> Ken
>
> I did self-supported tourning 25 years ago with rear panniers (and the
> sleeping bag and tent on top of the rear rack) and a front handlebar bag.
> Camping gear has improved very much since then. What does a backpacker
> carry? Many keep to less than 30 pounds. Do you really need more?
>
> Pam
>
Well I guess that I am going way overboard on the weight estimate! But I
have been reading about people who have gone on tour and been carrying close
to 70 LBS of gear with them.

Ken

[Ken]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
>
> Ken wrote:
>> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring
>> late
>> this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to load
>> the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already have
>> rack
>> on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the back is
>> rated
>> for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could carry another 35
>> lbs.
>> that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want to
>> haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people that load the bike up
>> with
>> 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems like they are hauling a bit
>> too
>> much too me.
>
> If you're touring solo, you should have nowhere near 70 pounds of gear!
>
>
> My longest tour ever was a coast to coast with my wife and daughter.
> Since I'm way stronger, I loaded my bike much more, carrying part of
> their stuff, and still had only about 55 pounds of stuff on my bike.
> That included the big tent and all the cooking gear.
>
> We had front & rear panniers, no trailer. I considered a trailer, but
> rejected it. Here are some reasons why:
>
> You move more weight if you use a trailer. In Florida this won't
> matter much, but we had mountain ranges to cross, and you can't avoid
> the fact that the trailer is extra weight.
>
> Transporting your rig at either end of a tour is tougher if you need to
> pack a trailer too.
>
> Wind resistance is likely to be worse, especially in crosswinds.
> (Compact and smooth front panniers can actually reduce wind resistance
> a bit.)
>
> Parking a bike/trailer combination can be tougher. To lean it at the
> front of a restaurant, etc, you need lots more clear space.
>
> We had a few times we had to load our bikes into pickup trucks, haul
> them upstairs, etc. We had many, many times we took them into motel
> rooms. This would be much more difficult with a trailer.
>
> You have a third tire that can go flat or get irreparably cut. It
> needs a different size spare tube, and a different (odd) sized
> replacement tire.
>
> I think trailers are best suited for off-road touring, especially with
> suspended mountain bikes. In 4000 miles, there was _never_ a time I
> wished I had a trailer. And BTW, that's just one tour of many, about
> which I have the same feelings.
>
> - Frank Krygowski

You have some good points. I guess I was going over kill on the weight.

Ken

>

[jj]

On Tue, 31 May 2005 06:52:38 -0400, "Ken"
> wrote:

>> I think trailers are best suited for off-road touring, especially with
>> suspended mountain bikes. In 4000 miles, there was _never_ a time I
>> wished I had a trailer. And BTW, that's just one tour of many, about
>> which I have the same feelings.
>>
>> - Frank Krygowski
>
>You have some good points. I guess I was going over kill on the weight.
>
>Ken

Dude! You haven't lived until you've learned to cut down the handles on
your toothbrushes (and similar thing) to save weight, lol.

jj

[David]

In article >, Ken
> wrote:

> "pam_in_sc" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Ken wrote:
> >
> >> I am thinking seriously about doing a bit of in-state (Florida) touring
> >> late this summer / fall, and I am curious as to opinions about whether to
> >> load the bike down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already
> >> have rack on the back) or to invest in a trailer. The rack I have on the
> >> back is rated for 35 lbs. And I figure if I got a trailer that could
> >> carry another 35 lbs. that would be 70 lbs. which I think is probably the
> >> most I would want to haul on a tour. I have seen and read about people
> >> that load the bike up with 70 lbs. and then have a trailer too! Seems
> >> like they are hauling a bit too much too me.
> >>
> >> Ken

Hi Ken,

Front rack is cheaper and lighter than a trailer. It isn't hard to
attach one either, except maybe if you ride a bike with front
suspension. If that's the case, Axiom , Old Man Mountain and Delta
Cycles have a limited variety of front suspension mountable front
racks. These racks can also be equipped for bikes that don't have
front braze-ons for racks or a touring bike with a cyclo-cross carbon
disc fork (the Winwood variety).

David.

[LioNiNoiL_a t_Y a h 0 0_d 0 t_c 0 m]

Ken wrote:

> I am curious as to opinions about whether to load the bike
> down with front and rear pannier racks (actually already
> have rack on the back) or to invest in a trailer.
> ...
> 70 lbs. which I think is probably the most I would want
> to haul on a tour.

I've done a lot of touring with panniers and with a trailer, and for a
70-pound load (which is quite a lot) I'd use a trailer. You may be
happier with a much lighter load in panniers, though, unless (1) you'll
be camping for an extended period in some dry, remote area into which
you'll need to carry provisions, water, and a complete set of spares and
tools; or (2) you're a souvenir collector, rock hound, or some other
kind of pack rat, and expect to return home with a lot more than what
you had when you left.

--
"Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much
to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes,
it has not died out." -- The Daily Telegraph (1877)