Bob Bob Bobbing Along

With the money from the sale of my old car, I bought not one but two B.O.B. trailers - you've seen them I'm sure.  The long, aerodynamic trailers that amost double the length of your bike.  B.O.B. stands for Beast of Burden.

Really?

Some people certainly take the burden part seriously.  A couple of years ago in Taipei I saw several examples of bicycles absolutely covered in crap.

No sudden stops please!  I might end up a basket case!

So much crap that you had to wonder if the cyclist could see where they were going.  Forget about a sudden stop where baskets and bricks and chickens would be flung across the road and pandemonium ensues.

Don't sneeze!

The particular model of B.O.B. trailers I bought are called the YAK.  Not because they are made in B.C. but because in a lot of countries, the Yak is the beast of burden.

Yahk, B.C.

The trailers came equipped with two bent wires that secure the trailer to the axle.  It was suggested to me that I could make my own from two spokes.  So why did I order some from Mountain Equipment Co-op?  The trailers also came with BOB nuts.  WTF?

Nuts to this

My first outing with the trailer securely attached with the supplied bent wires, was a success.  As someone told me - if a space is wide enough for your handlebars, then it is wide enough for the trailer.  The traction on my rear tire was improved and I was organized enough to have thought to bring a second U-lock for the trailer.

Unlike the cyclists I saw in Taipei, my trailer can only hold up to seventy pounds and it is best to keep that weight close to the ground.  You won't see me pulling a mountain of gack behind me.