i have a couple of quick questions about bike touring. i’m toying with the idea of planning a west to east crossing starting early September.
i’m a pretty fit guy, finished my 1st HIM yesterday. would i need to do any extensive “touring specific” training? i regularly do moderate volume training (18-24 hrs / week) for tri’s.
i can borrow a bob trailer for free. would i see any significant difference in speed if i went with panniers (which i don’t have and would have to figure out a way of hooking up to my road bike).
thanks, any other info on the topic would be appreciated!
i think your fitness should be fine for you. however, depending on your previous training volumes on the bike, i would highly suggest that as you start the journey, you build your daily mileage ridden very slowly and progressively to allow your joints and connective tissue to adapt to the daily loads and stress. otherwise you make have knee (or other) pain.
i haven’t used a trailer for long distance touring, but i have used panniers. the trailer sounds like a good solution if you don’t have and/or don’t want to buy a touring bike. if you try to make a race or tri or basic road bike into a touring bike, you may have some fairly major problems in handling, getting racks on, spokes breaking with the heavy loads, flats (being unable to put on fatter tires on your other bike) and possible gearing issues (but you will probably have to plan gearing changes for using a trailer as well).
the B.O.B is gonna slow you down noticeably from panniers, yes.
I found exactly the opposite. My trailer is much faster than panniers IMHO. Less wind resistance is my guess. Oh and bike handleing is much better. You may want to check if you are on a regular road frame vs a touring frame, your seat stays may be too short to even mount panniers (your ankles will hit)
bob observes, " My trailer is much faster than panniers IMHO "
hmmm. no explanation for that from me. i have always found the opposite to be true in practice. increased weight, more rolling resistance, i sorta doubt the aero-aspect as well, but i haven’t seen any wind-tunnel testing on the issue. well actually i think specialized used to quote some aero data on their “tailwind” aero-panniers ( !! ) from back in the day saying a rider was more aero with them than without ( i am not making this up).
i have out-coasted guys with B.O.B’s who will still swear the B.O.B is faster. guys do like their B.O.B’s, i guess.
at the least, be cool and put a fast wheel on that badboy. a little tire, like a BMX mini tire, pumped way the hell up - that is cool.
at the least, be cool and put a fast wheel on that badboy. a little tire, like a BMX mini tire, pumped way the hell up - that is cool.
It may just feel faster to me. I have no doubts it handles better.
I am currently running a skinny little road tire the local wrench hunted up for me. I may take some black ultracote and make the wheel a disc (for looks of course). And yeah i love my trailer, do groceries on it all the time.
anyway, no question when you start to talk about stop-and-go riding, slicing thru parking lots and over pedestrain walkways dodging traffic and stuff, the B.O.B is gonna work great - better than a set of panniers swaying all over hell. just as in for their original application riding off-road . . . they rule for that.
but if you are talking just booking ass across south dakota thru hills and wind steady-like on the long lonesome hi-way the trailer will slow ya down compared to having the stuff stowed tight on the bike itself. i thought that is what dude was asking.
i have always found the opposite to be true in practice. increased weight, more rolling resistance, i sorta doubt the aero-aspect as well, but i haven’t seen any wind-tunnel testing on the issue. well actually i think specialized used to quote some aero data on their “tailwind” aero-panniers ( !! ) from back in the day saying a rider was more aero with them than without ( i am not making this up).