# Trailer Opinion



## TaS (Jun 25, 2007)

We would love to get a Burley, but found this at Costco for sub $200 delivered to the door.









It is an Xterra Deluxe Trailer, alu. frame, 20" wheels, suspension, and jogger. I just could not find any reviews prior to my electing to purchase.

I know the addage "You get what you pay for", but in today economics you make a few sacrifices.

Anyhow, if anyone has some experiences with this trailer post up.

Thanks

Tom
Littleton, CO


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## OnYourLeft (Apr 25, 2008)

:thumbsup: Go for it!

We bought a Bell trailer at Costco (in '99 or '00) - it had 20" wheels and was folding so we could stick it in the trunk. We used it endlessly for the next 5 years. It worked great and held up too, without the price tag of the "Burley". We sold it to another family only because our kids moved up to tag-a-longs or their own bikes. So it still had plenty of life left in it. 

Good luck!


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## murph62903 (Apr 1, 2007)

FYI - REI has a 20% off coupon for members good until the end of the month. They carry a Charriot and Burley. They have the Burley Honey Bee for $375 and a charriot Caddie for $375. Costco also carries a Kidarooz trailer, seasonally call them, which is made by Chariot(???), see other trailer thread


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## Eric Z (Sep 28, 2008)

i have a schwinn trailer that looks just like the one in your pic. works extremely well and i really don't see spending $200+ for a trailer- good or bad economy! i also beat the heck out of mine and it's still going strong. 

i have heard the burleys and charriots have a better resale, but i'm really not too interested in that. 

have you looked for used trailers on cl or elsewhere? many people sell trailers for a pretty cheap price- especially since i'm thinking on average they only get a few years of use; if that.

i say go for it.
ez


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## navymtbkr (Mar 7, 2009)

I'm glad somebody brought this up. I have been trying to find a good trailer for my 3-yr old, but i'm afraid to buy something cheaper, as it is his safety that is at stake.

(that's him in my avatar.... )


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## blauer.nj (Feb 25, 2009)

I will say this almost a month ago I bought a CoPilot Model "A" (which is made by Bell Sports) for $179. We have now put well over 100 miles on it so far in mud/grass/paved sidewalk/road and it pull great. Folds up perfect and only takes about 5 minutes to setup and attach to my bike. My daughter absolutely loves it and it is comfortable enough for her that I can ride on a gravel road and she generally is asleep after the 1st hour of riding. As far as safety is concerned. These trailers are about as safe as you are. If you take them beyond their set limits they will be unsafe. If you ride responsibly/ defensively / and most important smartly you do not need to worry. Maintain a trailer like you would anything else inspect it prior to each ride and your trailer should last you along time.

Just my 2 cents


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## scottandmo (Jun 28, 2007)

I am having the same dilemma about this xterra trailer/jogger, but I think I am going to pull the trigger now mostly because of costco's great return policy. We will use it enough in the first couple months to be able to decide how well we think it will hold up and if there are any concerns I know costco will take it back. My main concern is the front wheel attachement doesn't look too sturdy, it looks like it's attached by a single small little tube. I'll leave a review on costco in a couple weeks when we get it with my initial impressions and then try to remember to update it with the durability information if we decide to keep it.


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## dh1 (Aug 28, 2004)

I have an older model instep (very similar to the schwinn or costco models) trailer and have a couple words of advice. Pay attention to how it mounts to your bike. Mine won't mount to a bike with disc brakes, and the bike I use to pull the trailer has noticeable paint wear from the trailer attachment point.

Also, my brother has a more expensive Trek brand convertible jogger/trailer. I wish I had spent the extra money because it has a lot of features my cheapy did not.
1. storage behind the seat
2. more aerodynamic design His has plastic sidelights and a removable windshield and tows like a bullet with the windshield on. Mine tows like a parachute...marginally better with the windshield in place, but it still catches a lot of air.
3. better wind protection for chilly rides for the kids
4. better bearings
5. his TREK model converts to a much better jogging stroller with a larger fixed axle front wheel. Mine has a really small front tire that swivels like a caster wheel.
6. The back wheels on his are tilted in at the top, rather than completely vertical. It makes it more laterally stable when towing and jogging.

Anyway, if I only had one kid I would have never known about all these deficiencies, but I have had several kids grow through this..so I have had it for 10 years now. Mine looks like HELL and my brothers still looks nearly new. I take good care of my stuff and my brother treats everything he owns like he plans on throwing it in the trash tomorrow.

Believe me, I understand economics of not wanting to spend what you can't afford. That's why I bought the instep from Target. And like I said, if I had stopped at one kid and used it for two summers it wouldn't have mattered much.


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## donalson (Apr 13, 2004)

I used my sisters for a while... it was a cheap thing she got for like $100... the way it hooks to the bike is crap even with the clamp as tight as I could get it it still would slide forward, it scratched the crap outa the frame... when I had both of our kids in it (right at the 75# weight limit) the axle would bow pretty badly, it was hard to pop up or zip closed (the nylon was VERY tight around the frame and never seemed to loosen....

also while riding to go pick up my girl from pre school one day it flipped on it's side... tore up some of the nylon along the frame bars... would never happen with a load but still irked me that it happend at all....

we don't use it any more, (kids out grew it)... but if I had it to do again i'd spend a bit more and get a better one...


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## mbmb65 (Jan 13, 2004)

We bit the bullet and went for the Chariot. It's awesome and I can't reccomend it enough. It's extremely versatile and has functioning suspension that makes it trail worthy. I can't imagine life without it, really.


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## scottandmo (Jun 28, 2007)

TaS, I hope you made your decision because it is gone now. I ordered mine a couple days before it disappeared from their website, but now I am second guessing myself since they got rid of it. Oh well I can always return it but I'll at least try it out first. Interesting about some of these trailers not working with disc brakes though, if this one has the same issue then it will be a problem for me. Also good to know about the possibility of the frame being scratched.


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## mbmb65 (Jan 13, 2004)

scottandmo said:


> TaS, I hope you made your decision because it is gone now. I ordered mine a couple days before it disappeared from their website, but now I am second guessing myself since they got rid of it. Oh well I can always return it but I'll at least try it out first. Interesting about some of these trailers not working with disc brakes though, if this one has the same issue then it will be a problem for me. Also good to know about the possibility of the frame being scratched.


The mounting problem is a good point and one I forgot about. The Chariot mounts via a skewer that replaces a standard qr skewer. Mounts to prolly any bike w/a qr. skewer. I rented a Burly while on a trip and not only did the disc rotor prevent its use, so did my frames rear triangle design. Another plus for the Chariot!


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## supermike (May 27, 2006)

mbmb65 said:


> The mounting problem is a good point and one I forgot about. The Chariot mounts via a skewer that replaces a standard qr skewer. Mounts to prolly any bike w/a qr. skewer. I rented a Burly while on a trip and not only did the disc rotor prevent its use, so did my frames rear triangle design. Another plus for the Chariot!


FYI, Burley has a QR skewer alternative hitch that poses no issues (at least for me) with disc brakes.


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## yogidave (Aug 9, 2006)

Chariots are excellent and are extremely well built. I have a 2-child carrier that converts between a bike trailer, jog stroller and a ski sleigh. They are anything but cheap, but you get what you pay for. I happened upon a deal that was far to good to pass up. 

The bike hitch is a QR skewer that replaces a normal QR and it is so simple to use. I currently pull it with a hardtail MTB with 6" disk brakes and there are no clearance issues. I have also pulled it behind my full suspension MTB, but that was terrible because it was not possible to tune out the bobbing AND have the FS rig rideable on the trial. So, I rebuilt an old hard tail frame as my "family" bike. 

The kids are very secure with the 5-point harnesses and there is a huge "trunk" in the back. There is a mess bug net and a full plastic rain cover. Chariot's design even includes adjustable leaf-spring suspension. The wheels are 20" and use sealed bearings. It's very smooth.

Highly recommended.


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## pimpbot (Dec 31, 2003)

*Nashbar Kid Kairrage for $75*



TaS said:


> We would love to get a Burley, but found this at Costco for sub $200 delivered to the door.
> 
> View attachment 437831
> 
> ...


Just saw this, in case anybody is interested:

http://www.nashbar.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10053_10052_168065_-1_18500__18500


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## gord962 (Aug 11, 2007)

I also use a chariot. I bought it used (4 yrs old) and it had been used very frequently. I used frequently last year and plan to use it frequently for the next 3 years and I expect it will still be in good condition after that much use. The quality of the chariot is excellent, the suspension works great and it pulls well, even behind my FS. http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=464783

I would highly recommend buying a used trailer that is high quality rather than buying a new trailer of a lower quality.


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## reelmcoy (Mar 2, 2009)

I also use a Chariot behind a FS bike. Pulls like a dream. Even going 20 mph down a hill it tracks perfect.


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## Tjaard (Aug 17, 2007)

TaS said:


> We would love to get a Burley, but found this at Costco for sub $200 delivered to the door.
> 
> View attachment 437831
> 
> ...


The bikeshop I work at has 08 Dlites on sale for $360, I believe Burlewy had a bit of overstock so other places might have some good deals as well. If you factor in the resale value(very hign!) that would actually be cheaper.

If you are gettting a trailer make sure it has the following features:

20" wheels and suspension! ! ! Kids heads are so big they get bouced all over the place. Just go to a curb on local bikepath and watch a few trailers come by.

A helmet 'scoop' so their chin isn't pressed on their chest.

a padded seat edge to prent cutting off leg circulation


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## dougneb (May 20, 2009)

Any new updates on this? I'm debating between a Burley Solo and the CostCo XTerra Deluxe.


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## comedygene (May 22, 2009)

I've had two trailers. one is the Bell wal-mart version. It works.... but after a few miles, the top tilts and doesn't have rugged feel. Plus- folds down for car travel. the other is a Duo Sport. I got it for 50 bucks used. It has a wide wheel base and molded plastic body. no rain cover, but has screen. Rideability- awesome. I beat the hell out of that thing. doubles great as a jogger. I wish I still had it. I rode two kids @ 50+ lbs ea in it. It was slow but it took it like a champ. Worked for 5 yrs, 2 kids, and rough rides. good investment. ( and good training)


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## mac777daddy (May 18, 2009)

We bought one a Walmart for 99 bucks. It works great. My daughter and son rode in it for a year or so now my daughter rides her own bike and my son rides in there alone. He cries at first because he would rather ride his big wheel instead of riding in the trailer but once we get going he calms down and all is OK. Thanks


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## TaS (Jun 25, 2007)

Finally a follow-up. After sitting in the box in the garage for 2 months I made some time to assemble the trailer. The instructions are short and to the point. It may have taken more time to get the plastic wrap off everything than to assemble the thing. Velcro and "grenade pins" click and strap all but one connection. The hitch bar itself has one nylock bolt and the allen and open end wrench are included.

Over all it is a nice unit. Padded seat bottom and front edge where little legs would hang over. Seat belts for two passengers side by side or one centered. Screen front or clear plastic rain cover, reminded me of my old Jeep and its plastic windows.

The bike attachment is simple and my only mark in the half way done column. It is a simple two piece clamp with a through bolt and hand thghten knob. It is a little big and quick test runs have my size 11.5 shoe clipping it on occasion. I'll keep a lookout for a Burley type unit for the future.

I look forward to my son's first ride in it this evening.

Have a Day

Tom
Littleton, CO


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## TaS (Jun 25, 2007)

*First Trailer Ride*

Getting the carseat inside is a little snug but it works.


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## Ozmosis (Sep 22, 2005)

We bought the Kidarooz trailer from Costco last summer for about $180 and I've put lots of miles on it. The kids love it, and it's a great workout for me.
Funny side story: I was pulling them last night after just converting my singlespeed to a 1x8, and on a long climb where I usually stand and mash, I was sitting and spinning, and my son told me to hurry up!


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## blauer.nj (Feb 25, 2009)

Is the new Burley suspension found on the Solo ST comparable to the Chariot suspension found on the Cougar 1? Anyone know just wondering we are looking at upgrading to a little more trail worthy trailer than we currently have. The price is comparable, but my fav. LBS carries the burley so was wanting to throw the business their way.


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