Fabricating the Bob Bike Trailer

Researching on what's the best way to bring my stuff for the Mindoro bike tour this December, I stumbled upon an old item that's been in my wish list for so long - The Bob bike trailer. I know I just bought a Topeak beamrack and trunk bag set, but that can only carry a maximum of 20 pounds of gear. Just imagine how easier it would be if you have elbow room for up to 70 pounds? That's the Bob bike trailer.

I researched in Amazon.com as to how much these cost, and discovered that a Bob Ibex bike trailer with suspension costs $360. That's P15,777 in our currency. Amazon also says that they can only ship this within the US. For its weight, I don't think I can even afford having it brought here anyway. This whole thing weighs 17 pounds. That's equivalent to one lightweight road bike!

Since the nearest dealer is in Taiwan, I came up with this brilliant idea - why don't I just make one with the help of our local fabricators? I looked at the photos on Flickr and watched some videos on YouTube, and it seems very doable.

I posted an inquiry in our egroup, and was surprised to see that I wasn't the only one thinking of doing the same thing. There's this guy who thought of using bamboo while there are three more who are discussing about this.

Then I received an email this morning from Ar Mapagpalaya. Apparently he made the jump and had someone make him one without the suspension. According to him, he used 1" flatbar instead of tubular chromoly and 24 instead of a 16-inch wheel. The whole thing weighed 10 kilograms (22 pounds). He selling it to cover his cost (I don't know yet the reason why he is). I asked him to send pictures. I'll post it here as soon as I get them.