What's the Best Bike Trailer? Testing the Burley Bee & COHO XC - 1 wheel vs 2 wheel!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- This is the first of two videos in which we compare the strengths and weaknesses of the two main types of bike trailer; single wheel & double wheel. We chose to use Burley as they have a great reputation and offer similarly priced/similarly rated one wheel and two wheel trailers. The Bee & Coho are massively popular and very commonly available new and second hand, both well tried and tested models.
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VIDEO CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:34 Before Assembly - Size & Portability
1:52 Assembly Time
4:55 Bracket V Burley Ballz
6:18 Hooking Up - Connecting To Bike
8:21 'U' Turn
10:15 25kg Tests - Flat
10:51 Getting Wet - Ford
11:40 Downhill - 25kg
12:00 Uphill - 25kg
13:21 Pump Track Tests
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You got a like for attacking those virtual stairs 😁but I would have liked it each and every time doggo jumped into either trailer.
I've had 5 trailers over the years - starting with a Spokey Joe double for children. 16" wheels made it a little bouncy so I I replaced it with a generic double trailer with 20" wheels and about 1.5" of suspension which was better for my daughter. Moved onto a tagalong, but when she grew old enough to ride her own bike and we bought a dog, I got a small-dog trailer (Trixie) but unfortunately our dog didn't like it.
Nowadays I have a Topeak Journey. Ngl that the stand on the Burley is miles better than "no stand at all" on the Topeak, although the Topeak is about 3Kg lighter (no suspension though). I really like the rear wheel faring/cover on the Burley.
haha, thanks from us and the doggo! Nice progression of trailers, changing to meet the need... The Coho is the only single wheeler we've tried, but 30% lighter sounds like a good trade off for the fancy stand... is the Topeak still stiff and solid feeling like the coho?
@@coraljackz Late reply - sorry. TH-cam doesn't always notify me of replies to my postings.
The Topeak connects very solidly to the bike but although the method is clever and rigid, it is a bit clunkier than the Burley and out of the box isn't compatible with all rear axle types.
However it pulls very well. It is very lightweight and can carry over 30Kg. I learned from my daughter's trailer that there's a time and place for suspension. To protect her or a doggo, I would absolutely specify a trailer must have it. For camping gear and "shopping", it's a weight overhead that's unnecessary.
I have recently discovered there are fatter tyres for 16" wheels so I am looking for some lightweight fat tyres in the hope that they will provide suitable suspension with little weight overhead. A compromise.
I also learned that tyre tread on an unpowered trailer offers no benefit and in fact can cause drag. A single wheeled trailer follows the bike wherever it goes - across rocks, road, and through sand and snow. Tread is only ever a drag in this circumstance. However, I have played with designing a powered trailer with braking capability similar to the Carla Cargo trailer, in which case tread may offer a benefit depending where you use it.
Good point about the suspension. The Bee relies on the fabric supporting the seats to give a little suspension, so with the plywood floor for the dog installed, there is none. Our nephews didn't mind on a short flat run, and we can take the plywood out easily for kids. But, it does make me question if the carpet and cushions that we put in for the dog are really enough?
A braked rear wheel would be a sensible addition, in my opinion. On hilly routes we have to stop to let the brakes cool down, I've glazed the first pads getting the used to the extra weight.
@@coraljackz Braking trailers... it's a great idea. I bought a Y-shaped hydraulic connector once with the intention of adding a disk brake to my single wheel trailer. I thought I'd simply connect the rear brake lever to both my rear wheel and the trailer. Problems included how to separate the trailer from the bike (there are dry separation joints but are intended for larger diameter hoses) and that the brake lever travelled too far with two lots of calipers. Another problem of how to attach the caliper to the trailer never occurred because I couldn't resolve the other two problems.
I'm sure they're both possible to overcome with a bit more engineering help than I'm capable of and I agree that a 30+Kg trailer would definitely benefit from a bit of braking.
Maybe... Remember those pedal-back brakes from the 70s (maybe not - I'm a fair bit older than you), well if you had a pedal back rear brake, you could use the brake lever for the trailer. Or two levers? Feels like that's a bit cumbersome.
Your bike trailer review made me almost want to get...
... a dog! So cute 😁
Ah he is a cutie! Thank for watching 😁
That single-wheeled trailer looks like it would make a decent sidecar, with a little alteration.
We might have to give this idea a go... not sure how practical it would be, locally to us, but it would definitely look good!
😂 doggo says , we ain't waiting on me ❤😂 lol
I use both a Coho and a Flatbed. The Coho is great for everyday use, because i can just throw stuff in and I don't have to worry if it fits through narrow areas. The Flatbed is amazing for hauling really heavy or long stuff.
Great video and explanation, guys. Cheers... I am looking for a trailer for my bicycle so I can put my shopping there.
Thanks! 😁 Will you go for a single or double wheel?
When I see your comment, three years ago I bought a large sized Trixie dog trailer from Amazon for €131 at the time specifically as a shopping and cargo trailer. I don't actually currently have a dog. It's a bit bigger than the Bee shown here but it's fully enclosed and nothing falls out or needs to be secured. Just load your packed shopping bags straight from the trolley into the trailer the same as into the boot of a car, zip it up and off you go. I've put up almost 2,000 km with it since and it's going strong. I carry average loads of 30 to 50 kg but I have had over 70. Anything that you can think of that will fit inside it. Strong and stable on the roads. It was a great purchase for me.
I also got an actual cargo trailer, a Duramaxx Mountee for large bulky items too big for the dog trailer like a full sized lawnmower.
But something I didn't expect, the Duramaxx only has 16 inch wheels so it sits lower than my bike axle and there's always a slight tilt backwards in the trailer. It's a minor inconvenience but something I hadn't considered before I bought it. The Trixie has 20 inch wheels and sits completely level. In this video the Bee has 20 inch wheels and the Cohonhas 16 which probably shows why the lower Coho also scraped the ground going over those bumps. It has lower clearance.
Leaving the trailers parked on my bike outside shops or supermarkets, I replaced ALL of the quick realise pins with steel bolts each secured with two lock nuts per bolt to make it more difficult for a thief OR a mischievous little vandal to steal the trailer or maybe just the towbar. I use a little ratchet spanner to tighten and loosen these nuts. It just means that it takes a minute or two instead of a few seconds to attach or remove the trailers but it's worth it for a little extra security. Unfortunately that's the reality of the world we live in.
You can make your derailleur cable and sheath longer to get around the problem you’ve described. Next time you have to replace the cable just do it.
Thanks! The cable is getting stiff now, so I'll do this soon!
That rear mech cable sheath already looks to short as it is. You would kill two birds with one stone making it longer.
I have an electric scooter, and I've been looking at trailers. That 1-wheeled one has me curious. I wonder if I could flip the U-bracket upside down to fit the lower axle on my 10" scooter wheel. I might have to grind off the diagonal arch, and weld some reinforcement back into it, but it seems like a splendid idea over the 2-wheeled trailers, since scooters tend to lean more than bicycles.
great comparison video, thanks!
What if you have a soild axle? Can you mount those nubs to the frame above axle?🤔🍻
Burley sell a few different adapters and one called a 'nutted axle adapter' could potentially be bolted onto the frame, although we haven't seen anyone doing it there's bound to be someone who has tried...
Just stumbled on this video, great job testing , after watching the video I think I would be a bit more keen on the two wheeler, as you mentioned going up the hill slowly, at times the single wheeler might want to pull you over a bit , and I could see in my use if it was heavier on one side that it
might be annoying.
Cheers.
I think if you're doing road or gravel, the two-wheeler will be the better choice, but if you also do trail you'll be glad you got the one-wheeler.
We've had the double wheel trailer for a while now..It's a comfortable ride with kids as well as big dogs inside. :)
Great review guys..
Dog tea-bags trailer, establishes dominance.
I bought a COHO but had to return it. After several emails back and forth with Burley they explained they do not offer an axel or other way to attach to any bike equipped with a Universal Derailer hanger.
Also suspension spring is set for 70lbs and they don't offer a lower rated replacement spring, making the suspension useless. I was very sorry to have to return it.
Hi I recently came across a forum discussing a solution that 'tailfin' have for the universal derailer hanger... according to two people on there, it worked with the coho axle the same way... I don't have a UHD so can't confirm myself.
www.tailfin.cc/product/spares/accessories-accessories/universal-derailleur-hanger-adaptor/?v=79cba1185463
Thanks for watching! The suspension worked out OK for us as we regularly carry around 70lb and even stiffen it up when on doing a lot on the road... but I guess if you wanted to carry lightweight bulky items it would be lacking.
What trailer did you go with?
I bought a $120 Schwinn, two wheel trailer. Useless off road on trails as it wouldn't track and tip over easily. But I can use it as a grocery getter. @@coraljackz
also there's the frances trailer
Is that the single wheeler with a bag type cargo space?
yeah!@@coraljackz i was just reacting to the title of the video. both your trailers are nice. best though? debatable. the frances might not be available in the moment and it's pretty expensive i thikn
Ahhh, now I get you! The video title is meant to mean 'what is best? single wheel or double wheel?'... using the Burley trailers as an example but not claiming them to be the best brand if that makes sense?
isn't it the one made by aevon
Do you mean the aevon one that attaches at the seat post rather than at the rear axle like the coho? yeah, the tighter turning circle of the seat post hitch would definitely be a bonus
i'd also think that's probably the best feature of the aevon yes@@coraljackz but it doesn't fold up like yours if i recall correctly, so it might be a trailer for different requirements anyway. Jack Butler rode 13000 km-s with one and it held up for him fine. it's not a cheap trailer either, and not very light
The simple (and non folding) build would likely make it more durable for long and heavy use... the coho did get a little twisted after a ruff overladen ride, it twisted back with some effort but has dented my confidence in it at max capacity...
EXTRAWHEEL... Doggy can sit on fender...