My First Ortliebs

Once again I have transformed a bicycle I no longer ride into equipment for The Great Escape. This time a single speed that I had built-up from an old 70’s Huffy Scout sold on Craigslist and the money, in part,  went toward a Tubus Ergo front rack from CycloCamping.com to carry the Front Rollers I got from my last bike sale.   I got the panniers at REI because with my 20% members coupon and some of my dividend from last year they came out to just over $80, which is half-price. I got the Ergo from cyclocamping because they had it on sale. Daddy loves bargain prices.

I have been wanting a set of Front Rollers since last Thanksgiving. Since the death of my wife family holidays are a bit rough on me so Thanksgiving weekend has generally become a time of travel. In the past my children and I have used that weekend to visit St. Louis, go Mountain Biking in Tsali in N.C., go rock climbing in Red River Gorge, and go camping in the mountains all over western N.C. This past year both children had plans with friends, so on ‘Black Friday’ I loaded up Bertha and Mule and rode out to Mounds State Park for the weekend.

Since the highs that weekend were in the low 30’s and the lows below 20, I needed extra space to carry bulkier winter gear so I used some cheapo rear panniers and a rear-rack trunk-bag to carry road fuel i.e. water, cliff bars and gel packs; emergency supplies i.e. first aid, and tubes and tools; as well as layers that changed during riding and stops.

During the rides to and from the park I noticed an occasional ‘shimmy’ of sorts from Bertha’s backside. After checking the spokes, wheel and tires and then doing some research when I got home I came to the conclusion that the problem was Bertha’s backside being too heavy in relation to her front, which caused her to ‘shimmy’.  I’m told that this is a common problem for ladies like her.

Since the accepted weight distribution for gear on a touring bike is 60% front and 40% percent rear to account for the distribution of the rider’s weight I came to the conclusion that I needed to shift the small amount of weight I was carrying in panniers and bags from rear to front. Enter Ortlieb Front Rollers and a Tubus Ergo.

As for the Ergo, it installed quite easily.  I did have to place a few washers between the supplied spacer and the fork to allow more room for the ‘tubular’ shape of Bertha’s fork–something to keep in mind if you are looking to buy this rack.  Aside from this minor hiccup there were no major issues and the rack sits nice and level. I also used some stick-on felt bumpers (commonly used on cabinet doors) to keep the rack from potentially rubbing against the fork. And I used some loctite to keep the bolts from vibrating themselves loose.

Once installed, the Ergo is quite solid.  I was a bit scared about this since it is so light (406 grams or 14.2 oz), but I guess the claims by Tubus about their geometry are well-founded, since I felt no sway and the rack didn’t budge a bit while loaded.  I chose the Ergo over its sister the Tara because it has a little more adaptability for mounting and more options for the lower clip placement on the Ortliebs and only weighs 46 grams (1.6 oz) more.  The Duo simply wouldn’t work because the mounting holes on my fork don’t go to both sides.

There’s nothing I can really say about the Front Rollers that hasn’t been said thousands of times in thousands of other places, so I won’t go into a review mode other than to say I really love these bags. Once I adjusted the placing of the attachment points to the Ergo and put in the correct Clip spacers the bags felt secure and ready for a test ride. So, I gave them one.

(If anyone needs a set of the 8mm clip spacers for Ortliebs, get in touch and I’ll mail them to you)

Berth’s New Luggage

I loaded the bags according to what I planned on using them for: Tools, tubes, first aid, locks, and water in one, and kitchen supplies, lights, and water in the other. This came out to about 8 pounds per bag. There was plenty of room left in each bag which is a good thing as I plan to carry other things in them like rain gear and food when I’m on the road, but I didn’t want to get too carried away until I found out how the bags affected handling. To simulate the tongue weight of Mule (10-15 pounds depending on the load) I put a gallon and a half of water in the old commuting panniers on Bertha’s rear rack. I then took them with me on the same ride I used to test my Etrex.

I know I said I wouldn’t go into review mode, but I want to add my name to the thousands of others out there who have praised Ortlieb’s attachment system.  Once adjusted for the Ergo and attached, the Front Rollers didn’t budge until the end of the ride when I grabbed the carrying handles and lifted them up and off–easy peezy.  Also, due to the roll-top and straps, combined with the attachment system the gear inside these beauties didn’t rattle or shift around while I was riding, which is a definite improvement over the old panniers which tend to noticeably sway when loaded.

As for my only real concern–handling, I was very pleasantly surprised.  It took a couple of seconds to get used to the slightly heavier feel when turning the handlebars at a stop, but once I got Bertha rolling her handling was noticeably better, not worse as I had feared.  She seemed more responsive and ‘solid’.  There are many statements out there about how dedicated touring bikes like the venerable Long Haul Trucker feel and handle better under load, but while Bertha shares some traits and geometry of a touring bike she is classified as an ‘urban bike’ so I didn’t expect this to apply to her–I was wrong.  She felt like a whole new bike, and seemed to love the extra weight up front.  symmetry good – asymmetry bad.

Stopping and starting with the Rollers in place also felt different, but not much.  Like I said before it took a couple of seconds to get used to the steering being heavier when sitting still, but after the first couple of stops I didn’t really notice it anymore.  Though I could see how not evenly weighting the panniers would cause problems.  As for stopping, the extra weight on the front wheel didn’t really cause a problem for Bertha’s disc brakes. The heavier feel to the steering as I slowed down took a bit to get used to, but once again after the first couple of stops was hardly noticeable.

Granted, on this ride I never reached speeds over about 14 mph or did any sharp climbs or descents, any of these things could have impacted my results.  But, Indianapolis is a flat place.  The best hill I know of for such a test is at the northern end of the Fall Creek Trail so I will try this test again the next time I use that trail which means I have one more test to confirm what the results of this test are screaming at me–this new set-up with trailer and front panniers is definitely the way to go for me.

The Burley Nomad-My Pack Mule

Next to my bike, my Burley Nomad was the most expensive piece of gear that I have purchased for touring, and was the most researched and mulled over.

Once I had decided on a bike for touring my next decision was about what I would use to carry my gear. The options presented quickly became overwhelming. Do I get panniers and racks, or a trailer? If I get a trailer which one do I get?

After a lot of research, and soul-searching I settled on the Nomad as the pack mule to follow my two-wheeled steed. I won’t get into the trailer vs panniers debate, because the choice really comes down to the individual rider and his or her needs, and both systems have their pros and cons. For me, a trailer was the better choice for the following reasons: a trailer is more easily removed from the bike when not needed, it holds more, it puts less strain on the bike’s rear wheel, and a bike and loaded trailer combo is more easily balanced than a panniers bike combo.

Once I decided to get a trailer the choices quickly boiled down to the Burley Nomad and the BOB. Once again there were pros and cons either way. I chose the Nomad over the BOB because of its capacity, stability, ease of use and usefulness when not on tour. Now that I have pulled the Nomad around for a few hundred miles I can say that I am quite happy with my choice.

The Nomad on its Maiden Voyage: My Bike setup has changed drastically since then

Since I’m new to the whole reviewing idea I will base my review on points I’ve seen addressed elsewhere while I was doing my research: stability, rolling resistance, tongue weight, and wind resistance. I’ll also address a few other points that were important to me: capacity, visibility, footprint/tracking, and ‘user friendliness.’

Stability – Simply put, this trailer has been very stable. When I bought it I had no intention of using the Nomad off-road, and haven’t. On the surfaces where I have used it: streets, sidewalks, and hard-packed gravel, the trailer has been very stable. Potholes, bumps, shoulders, and transitions (small curbs, and sloped path to street transitions) have all played their part in the commutes and longer trips that I have used this trailer on and none have given me cause to think the trailer was going to flip or slide off the road pulling me with it.

However, I am pulling the trailer with a road-style bike so I don’t hit obstacles with as much abandon as I might with a mountain bike. I have also gotten used to where the trailer is in relation to my surroundings, and as such am careful with what the wheels might be hitting. The trailer does bounce a little when it rolls over things at speed, so hitting something fast and hard with one wheel could theoretically flip the trailer, but based on my experiences so far, this would have to be one hell of a hit. The worst thing I’ve hit so far was a flattened raccoon carcass that I couldn’t dodge due to traffic and the poor critter did no harm aside from a little goop on the wheel and bottom of the cargo bed.

Rolling Resistance – This subject seems to come up a lot in single vs double wheel trailer debates, and while I haven’t pulled a BOB around for comparison, I can say that once I get the Nomad rolling I hardly know it’s there. The most weight I’ve pulled with it so far was around 50 lbs, and I couldn’t really feel the trailer pulling on me once I got moving. On take off, up hill, and stopping I can feel the trailer, but it seems to me that this is a matter of gravity and the push/pull effect that any trailer causes, and the effects are countered by my using different gearing and braking pressure than I use when riding without the trailer.

Tongue weight – According to Burley’s website the Nomad transfers 10% of the weight in the trailer to the attachment point at the rear of the bike thereby having a negligible effect on bike handling. As for the weight transference, I have found their claim to be fairly accurate. The one test I did came up with about 15% transfer, but it wasn’t overly scientific. I weighed a loaded trailer then put the end of the tongue on a scale set at the same height as it attaches to my bike and a 42lb trailer transferred just under 6 1/2 pounds to the scale. In actual use these measurements would fluctuate due to how the trailer was loaded, and physics–when going down hill the trailer would transfer more weight to the wheel, and it would transfer less weight when going up. Regardless of the actual transfer ratio, there is significantly less weight on the rear wheel and frame of the bike than there would be if all the gear were in panniers.

As far as handling goes, I did notice a small amount of ‘shimmy’ when pulling the trailer with no weight on the front of the bike. After some research and a good bit of trial-and-error I found that balancing the amount of weight on the front and rear of the bike by using front panniers for certain items virtually eliminated this shake-rattle-and-roll feeling.

Wind Resistance – Now here’s a point that I can definitely speak to with some expertise. On my first real trip with the Nomad I had some steady 20 mph head and cross winds, with gusts that were definitely stronger. These winds played hell with me, in that I had to do a bit of walking because it was simply too dangerous to ride, but I never noticed any problems with the trailer being thrown around. Due to the shape of the trailer I am sure it resisted the wind to a point especially cross winds, but even when the winds where bending the flag pole quite a bit to the side I never felt the trailer trying to pull me off track.

Anti-theft Device

One note on the flag: I had read a review of the Nomad wherein the reviewer mentioned losing his flag to high winds somewhere in Montana, and since the flag just sits in a pocket on the trailers left side instead of being mechanically attached I can see how this would happen (this setup would also allow easy theft of an unwatched flag). With this story in mind I used an extra computer mounting band cinch-knotted around the flag-pole and wrapped around the cross-bar knob of the trailer (see picture) to help keep the flag where I put it. Enough force could still rip the flag free, but it would need to be an extreme amount.

Capacity – So far, I have used my Nomad to carry groceries, used it to do some local Christmas shopping, and to haul the recycling, tools for work, and supplies/gear for short tours. Not once have I wished I had more room for stuff. And, If I did for some strange reason want more room in (or rather, on) my trailer, I could always get the cargo rack attachment for it. The extra capacity over panniers really comes in handy in the winter when I carried bulkier sleeping gear and clothes. The only downside I can see of the Nomad’s cargo capacity would be the potential for carrying more than I need to, but this is more of a self-discipline issue than a cargo-capacity issue. (I have since gone to the hybrid-system of front panniers and a trailer which I mentioned earlier and will discuss more in a separate post.)

Visibility – With the color, the reflective piping, reflectors, lights, and flag this guy is more visible than my bike and I are. I have yet to feel that drivers have failed to see me whether it was dark or in the full light of day. This was a concern of mine given the idiocy of a lot of Indianapolis drivers. While the trailer’s visibility hasn’t diminished the idiocy it has certainly made me even more visible when I’m pulling it, and in some cases made people a little more careful around me (some reviewers believe that some drivers believe it to be a child-carrier so are more careful), these are subjective observations, so they may all be in my head, but I feel safer, and, to me, that is a good thing.

Footprint/Tracking – This issue comes up a lot in reviews and questions about the Nomad especially when it’s being compared to a BOB trailer. When considering the Nomad, a lot of people (myself included) seem to feel that its two-wheel design and width would cause problems. So far I haven’t had issues with this. The trailer with wheels and quick-releases is a hair over 26″ wide. It sits 2″ off-center with 12″ going to the bike’s right, and 14″ to the left. Since my handlebars (which are centered) with brake levers are about 30″ wide the trailer rides within my footprint and tracks right along with me–if my bike can go through a gap the trailer will too. You do have to pay more attention to where you are in relation to curbs and such on your right, but I found this a quick learning process. I did have to learn to be a bit more careful on turns since the trailer adds to my overall length, but this hasn’t been an issue since I got used to the extra length, and I would think this to be the case with any trailer.

For people without such a wide cockpit, if you figure around 18″ for road bars and 29″ for mountain bars the trailer will fit into the width of the mountain bars with 1″ on the left and 2″ on the right. On the road bike the trailer will be 5″ wider on the left and 3″ on the right. While you would have to learn to stay farther from curbs and other obstacles on your right, the width difference on your left is not such a big thing since a car passing within five inches of you would probably take you out with its mirror anyway. And like I said, drivers seem to be a bit more careful around the trailer.

User-friendliness – This would seem to be a purely subjective subject, but some of my observations may fall into areas that match other people’s questions. First off it’s easy to load. With the detachable divider inside and the design of the cover this trailer is easy to organize and pack. There are rings attached to the outside of the sides of the cargo bed for using cord or bungees with overflow, and there are full length mesh pockets on the inside for small items. I like the open trunk feel of the cargo bed as opposed to the duffel bag style BOB bag or panniers because it allows me to organize things. Granted the Nomad is not waterproof due to its design, but I use stuff sacks anyway for organization so this isn’t a problem (there are even drainage holes in the cargo bed for when water does get in). While I haven’t used the trailer in a full on deluge, I have pulled it in light rain, snow, and through puddles and have yet to get any water inside it.

The trailer attaches to the bike easily and securely whether it’s loaded or not, which is a problem talked about in relation to the BOB. I like this a lot because after a long ride the last thing I want to do is fight a trailer.

The only negative user issue I have seen with the Nomad is security of its contents when unattended. When I use it for errands it doesn’t have anything in it when it’s unattended (except recycling which most people wouldn’t steal and it wouldn’t bother me if they did) so this isn’t an issue. However, when I’m on the road and make a stop somewhere for food or a nature break there is the possibility of someone stealing something from inside the trailer. This possibility applies to panniers, or other trailers as well, and with simple precautions like parking in visible areas and next to windows it is no different from just parking a bike anywhere. As for securing the trailer itself I use an extra cable with my lock to secure the wheels to the trailer and my bike which is in-turn secured to something else. This might not be adequate for long-term security (such as overnight), but when I am using the trailer I am not often in situations where I am away from the trailer and its contents for long periods. The few times I have left my rig or just the trailer unattended was during hikes and sight-seeing rides while on tour, and I just locked it/them up next to the park or campgrounds office and the attendant gladly agreed to keep an eye on it/them.   In these cases there was more chance of my tent being stolen. On a couple of occasions like trips to the shower, I just wheeled the trailer into my tent.

As for Burley’s customer service I haven’t had any dealings with them so I can’t say anything about it one way or the other, but since I bought my trailer at REI which has excellent customer service I figure I will deal with them if the need arises.

So, overall, I would say I am very happy with my investment in the Nomad and would recommend it to others so long as it fit their individual needs. I hope my observations, for what they’re worth, helps someone.