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www.bobtrailers.com
About Bob Trailiers
In 1991, in San Luis Obispo, California, Roger Malinowski, a bicycle industry maven, met Philip Novotny, an airline mechanic, who had turned a decrepit beach cruiser bike into a versatile, lightweight, single-track bike trailer, called the YAK, and was rolling them out of his machine shop on a small scale. Roger knew a great idea when he saw it, and together they took Philip’s invention and turned it into a revolution.
Originally, the name of the company was Beast of Burden, which many thought was a burden unto itself. However, in typical California fashion, that mouthful was soon shortened to its acronym BOB. “BOB was easier to spell, funny, and simple,” Roger explains. “A lot like us and the stuff we produce.”
Part of the BOB trailer’s genius was how it attached to the bike: the patented BOB QR attachment system, a revolutionary mechanism that even to this day takes advantage of one simple fact: all bikes have a rear axle. What better place to attach a bike trailer? It provides optimal towing performance, excellent aerodynamics, the lowest possible center of gravity, compatibility with virtually every bike on the road, and excellent handling characteristics. The YAK trailer literally revolutionized the way bikes transport gear. As a result, it has become the world standard for cycle tourists.
Bob Trailer Culture
Driving into the BOB office in Boise, Idaho, you notice two things: 1) the few cars in the parking lot, and 2) the plethora of two-wheelers in the bike rack, even on the chilly, snow-stacked days of deep winter. This is not in reaction to the recent bulge in gas prices, or a sudden guilt-induced concern over the environment, but a reflection of the basic culture at BOB. We’ve always preferred using our own horsepower over resource-consuming products, if at all possible. In fact, if your visit had occurred three years ago, or thirteen years ago, you would have seen pretty much the same thing.
But then, we’ve always thought differently at BOB. About our products. About our customers. About our wardrobes. Walk down our halls, past our offices, into our conference rooms, and you won’t see any suits and ties. Our “business casual” is shorts and flip-flops, which is probably pretty close to what our customers will be wearing when they use our products.
At the same time, we’re very picky about the features we put on our products. Take the new reclining seat on our strollers. When all the other stroller manufacturers rushed to be among the first to market with this laid-back feature, we took our time. We didn’t need to be first, just the best.
Calling on the same innovative spirit that our founders exhibited in their San Luis Obispo, California, machine shop, we worked to make ours as safe and comfortable a reclining seat as possible. Happily, for sleepy children, their parents, and the retailers who carry our strollers, we were successful, and our new, improved reclining seat is now available through your nearest BOB retailer.
Independence, dedication to our products and our customers, and an appreciation for getting out into the natural world. Those are the driving components of the BOB culture. They’re not what you’d usually find in a corporate boardroom, but then, being a privately-held company, we don’t have one of those either.
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