> I agree that putting brakes on the trailer is not neccessary (and
> unnessarily complicated). I've pulled a BOB trailer loaded with its
> maximum capacity of 70 lbs behind my mountain bike. The trailer will
> travel at the same speed as the bike. Slow the bike, and the trailer will
> slow down, too. If you brake too hard, you might fishtail or jacknife, but
> the solution to that is less brake, not more. If you've got good brakes on
> your bicycle, you should be fine.

My kayak weighs 55 lbs empty. Add in my equipment for a week, another 75 lbs. Calculate in some creature comforts and my trailer is now up into the 150 lbs range. Can the bike brakes handle this or more on a longer trip?

I think the jack knife/fishtail problem is caused by the trailer trying to pass the bike when you brake. Brakes on the trailer would greatly alleviate this problem. It is not always possible to use less brake, panic stops in traffic are not uncommon and the situation decides brake force in these instances.

Another cause of the fishtail on descent may be the short wheelbase of your bike trailer combination. Look at the difference between a tent trailer and a larger travel trailer when towed behind a vehicle. The length of my kayak is 18 feet so this will greatly extend the wheelbase and coupled with a good hitch system should make the trailer follow very well.

Hooking up brakes would be quite easy. The problem I had was the fact that I only want the wheel to mount to the hub on one side, not both as on a normal bike. This makes using standard brakes tough. The disc brake would have been easier but the idea about the drum brake really appeals to me.

Thanks for the input, Ian