Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

This trailer was a snap to put together, easy to attach the link to the bike, and came with two adjustable straps to hold things on without needing bungees. I wish the platform at the bottom was larger, but that was probably to ensure that weight would be largely centered above the axle.
Wonderful for transporting groceries, or gear between home and work without using a backpack.

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

Bought this trailer for bike touring around Japan. It has performed wonderfully on one- and two-week trips, loaded with camping gear. We just strap our backpacks to the trailer and take off. One very nice option is to use it as a luggage cart when traveling on the train. Also, the trailer in its carry bag is small enough to be carry-on luggage on a plane!

I like it compared to panniers because the weight is not on the bike but on the trailer's axle. There is no wobble or weight issue - in fact, I often have to look back to make sure it is still there.

It works really well around town for carrying random things, and I would highly recommend it as an option for touring/bike camping.

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

Burley considers this an urban device, but - after 150 miles of unpaved trail over 5 days carrrying 35 pounds of stuff - this trailer was unaffected and ready for more.

It does the job with amazingly simple means: although I still haven't figured out the design mechanism that allows the trailer to actually flip on its side without breaking the connection to the bike.

Airline friendly. Just fold it up ... put it in the bag ... and check it through.

There are pannier people ... and there are trailer people. If you are a trailer people (and not transporting dogs or children) I would give this trailer a try.

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

A terrific solution for carrying a lot of stuff without covering your bike in racks and bags or weighing yourself down with a big backpack. Preserves handling of bike. Suspension keeps your stuff from getting damaged. Many bag options to fit your needs. Rain fly is easy to use and effective. Pop the trailer off the bike when you reach your destination and wheel it in the house, office, locker room, store, etc. Durable: I've put about 3000 miles on it over the past 18 months and no obvious wear other than kickstand foot.

One issue: Small kickstand is easily knocked out of deployed position so it tips over when standing after its been removed from bike.

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

This mounting system works to get over the rack mounted battery system of the Prodeco e-bike. With the excellent following style of this trailer I find it to be a good urban load carrier.

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

I think few people would regret owning this trailer. The tires call for 35 psi but unloaded it bounces around at 35 psi and one must slow down for bumps and curbs or it can actually tip over. (If it tips it doesn't take the bike with it, though). 20-25 psi seems more stable unloaded. It's so light unloaded one forgets it's back there.

You'll want a second lock for it but it's really easy to take inside stores with wide isles like supermarkets. I'd feel okay taking it inside a trasit bus in a pinch. The footprint is pretty small.

The bag that comes with it is mostly useless. The rack folds down to fit inside that bag so that's really all it's good for. It rubs on the tires if one tries to use it.

The strap system is just okay (one pair is included). One can do just as good or better with quality bungies or regular hardware store straps.

I bought an additional Travoy bag and promptly returned it. Strap a plastic clothes hamper to it (instead of a bag, see photo below) and you can keep filling it all day long and still stack stuff on top of the hamper. I cushion an electric guitar in the hamper without any additional straps for the guitar. No problem.

It's tempting to leave it at home but the times I do, I find a bargain at a yard sale or whatever and am very often sorry I left it behind.

Really a good product.

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

For years I towed my 3 kids in my Trek trailer (not to mention another several years of towing an Adams Trail-a-bike), so I am no newbie to towing.

A children's trailer is not the same as a commuting trailer. While the former is stable and durable, it's like towing a parachute behind you at times. It's also not very comfortable to tow when no one or nothing is in the back. It bounces, tugs and otherwise handles poorly. But it does have the great ability to haul a butt load of stuff!

I am a year round bike commuter and I feed a family of 5 by shopping by bike. I needed something that could carry more food and those bulky, bigger items (multipacks of to T.P., case of beer, giant bag of cat kibble, etc). I'd toyed with the idea of a B.o.b., but I didn't like the single wheel or narrow profile of it for my needs. I also considered the Burley Nomad (too much like a baby trailer), Croozer cargo trunk (didn't like the soft sides) and even some lesser known brands like Weber.

I spotted the Burley Travoy right after it was launched and thought that it would be perfect for my needs. Alas, my budget was not as excited by it as I was. After lusting after this for almost 2 years now, I finally indulged my desire when it went on sale at REI.

I've now owned the Travoy for about 3 weeks... and I LOVE it. It's just so easy to use. The trailer pops on and off the bike in about 2 seconds. The trailer holds a great deal of stuff--both in the included bag and with bungees or with the included straps. I can easily roll it into the store to do my shopping, then attach it to the bike... and off I go.

Advantages:
-you don't have to lock it up because it goes into the store with you (however, if you DO decide to lock it up, it's easy... way better than a kid trailer).
-you don't have to remove things from an earlier purchase to slog around with you because you fear theft if you leave it out with your bike.
-it handles very easily both on the bike and while using for shopping.
-it is very lightweight but still nicely built out of quality materials
-storage bag included in initial purchase works great for groceries.
-you can still use panniers. For most bikes, the hitch will clear your rack and any panniers you might be using. I think you'd only have a problem if you are a very tiny rider and/or your bike is too bike for you (ie. the seat sits directly on top of your top tube).
-you can purchase an adaptor that allows you to mount the travoy to the back of your rack leaving you even more room! In my case, it allows my daughter to piggyback ride while I have the travoy attached. It also allows you to use your rack to bungee more stuff (esp. those bulky items like paper towels). I'm sure it's main purpose is to allow you to continue to use a baby seat on your rack.
-very little bounce or jiggle on the back of the bike, even when the trailer is empty.
-SUPER easy to fold and store. It literally takes seconds to set up or take down.
-many available options for purchase such as special bags custom tailored for specific tasks/needs, rain cover, extra straps (it comes with 2, but more are handy), extra hitches for swapping the trailer between different bikes, the rack adaptor, etc.
-handles stairs well
-folds up super compact for it's size and is easy to carry because it is so lightweight
-easily carries golf clubs
-the tubes are pneumatic, so be prepared to pump them up. They are tiny small wheels--but here is the beauty of Burley: the stem valves are angled so you can pump them up easier!

Negatives:
-umm....
Maybe the fact that it doesn't come with a rain cover as a standard item?
-the fact that to get the total coordinated bag plus trailer option gets pretty expensive?
Mind you, you can be perfectly happy strapping bags that you already own to this. My dry bag works great on it. So does my husband's army duffel. So do my Detours bags.

Perhaps the thing that has me the most excited is thinking about how easy this will be to go bike camping. I can *easily* carry our 10x10' tent (that sleeps all 5 of us... 2 adults, 2 teenagers and a 9 yr old) and still have room for sleeping pads, some sleeping bags or blankets, and maybe even a small soft sided cooler. Oh, and my camping cook gear. Yes!!!

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

This is a very well thought out device. The level of detail is reflected in the price but you do get a very good product. I've used it for shopping, hauling photo gear and garden supplies - it's a piece of cake and works as advertised.

The base cart comes with the carry bag and 2 accessory straps - so far that's all I've needed.

Prior to this I used panniers to carry gear and they work but the cart is much much easier to use. Most of the weight is not on the bike so it's easier to maneuver. When I first used it I was looking behind me because it felt like nothing was there. Getting on and off the bike requires less care and the the cart becomes a dolly so no lugging.

Also the types and sizes of things you can carry - relative to panniers - is much greater.

I like this thing a lot.

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

Got this to use bring home melons and delicate produce from farmer's market -- works great for that as well as other types of shopping trips. Haven't tried it on long trips yet. This well designed, portable bike trailer is my favorite purchase of the past year.

Comments about Burley Travoy Urban Bike Trailer:

This is a great trailer. Very easy to setup, and once folded up, it's surprisingly small and compact. Granted I've only used it once so I can't speak to the long-run quality, but it's maiden voyage didn't give me any indication of build quality issues.

You'll definitely feel the added weight or lag when pulling the trailer but once I got going it wasn't so much an issue. We had packed a cooler with ice and drinks, and on top of it we placed the carry bag with our lunch and some wares. Total weight I would guess at about 30 - 35 lbs. No trouble hauling and pulling that load whatsoever. At one point, the bike fell over because I was on uneven ground, and the trailer didn't even tip over. I was pleasantly surprised. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the Travoy.

One problem I noticed was when we got back to the car, 2 of the latches had come loose and away from the latching points. The bag stayed on the trailer regardless, but I'm going to keep an eye on this as a potential issue.