I want to start using my bike more for local travel and general running about the place but I need to carry more shopping and stuff than will fit in a rucksack or my pockets so I’m looking to get either a rack and panniers or a single wheel Bob Yak style trailer (wouldn’t be an actual Bob Yak since my budget won’t stretch that far).

So, oh great and wise STW, what should I go for?

A single wheel trailer with a water resistant bag can be got from Ebay for about £70 Trailer thusly.

This looks to be a decent deal to me as I’ll only be using it for road/cyclepaths round town for the weekly shop and occasional other errands and the price looks similar to that of getting a rack and panniers.

Never towed a trailer with a bike, but use rack and panniers for weekly shop now and again. Panniers are easy to take off and take in as shopping bags, and bike is easy to park in racks etc.

I think panniers make more sense if you’re not taking anything huge. Decent ones with quick release are much easier to take into shops and fill, plus you’ll only have one thing to lock to the bike rack!

Trailer, can stand bike up attached to it, carry more and dont have to take rack of bike when just using it for a ride.

never used a trailer….cant see the point.
but just this week I have bought some new 60ltr panniers after my 30yr old carradice ones succumbed to neglect.

bought these Crosso ones for £50 the pair from cycle sense in Tadcaster.
see ace for the money.

http://emkcycles.co.uk/crosso-dry-big

Ton – those panniers look very good and if I already had a rack on any one of my bikes I’d go for a set. I know I could get a rack but it looks to me as though a trailer might be more flexible for me (plus I intend to tow/fit it using an old steel road bike and am a bit concerned about putting that much weight on the rear wheel with panniers).

Still undecided though…

Panniers IMHO are under rated in the modern world. Lots of effort seems to go into avoiding them. A rack is hardly an issue on a bike when your not shopping