Bike Trailer Errands

Today I borrowed this B.O.B. bicycle trailer from a friend and set off to haul heavy, awkward stuff around Minneapolis. I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it was! Sure, 30 pounds trailing behind my bike gave my legs a good workout, but the ride was smooth and uneventful. Connecting the trailer’s drop-outs to the fancy hub that goes with it was a snap. I felt very accomplished after successfully tackling the “hill” that is the Sabo Bridge, and fighting crosswinds on top of it.

Then I thought of Peace Coffee’s delivery people, who pull bigger, heavier trailers around the City of Lakes on a regular basis. Also friends who cart one or two children to day care via bike. All of this just proves that hauling stuff via bike is not generally very difficult for those whose leg muscles have been initiated (it does help if the bike has lots of gears). It was easy enough that I would do this regularly.

As you can see, there is an obscene amount of snow on the ground for April 19, even for Minneapolis. It was melting quickly and the streets were not icy, but I decided to ride my mountain bike with a studded tire. The Long Haul Trucker still needs four more parts before she will be a real bike, and the 10-speed Schwinn didn’t seem up to the task, especially given the slushy state of the roads.

This certainly isn’t a formal review of the B.O.B., but first impression was that it’s pretty sweet! The Trek 800 doesn’t corner tightly anyway, but I didn’t have to adjust the way I rode at all (maybe partly due to the single, central wheel). I would definitely check this trailer out if I were in the market and didn’t need to haul children.