Best Bike Cargo Trailer

Best Overall Bike Cargo Trailer

BOB Ibex Plus

$439 List

List Price

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The BOB Ibex Plus is our reigning champion. This versatile, lightweight, solidly designed trailer is excellent in a myriad of conditions and environments, solidifying it at the top of the pack. The single wheel, in-line design makes this trailer extremely maneuverable, and the added suspension helps absorb bumps and road chatter, making it pleasant to pull. The ride quality coupled with the generous capacity and ease of use (removing and re-attaching) mean the Ibex Plus is well suited for almost any condition.

It does have some drawbacks. You need a 10mm wrench to assemble the rear shock and to connect the fork to the main body. You also need patience: it took us about 20 minutes to put together and install. The single wheel creates a particular balance point favoring careful packing to keep the center of gravity low and evenly distributed. Still, even with these small drawbacks in mind, the BOB Ibex Plus can tackle whatever you throw its way.

Read review: BOB Ibex Plus

Best Bang for the Buck

Aosom Wanderer

$172.00

(9% off)
at Amazon

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The Aosom Wanderer not only has the highest weight carrying capacity of the trailers we tested but is also uniquely inexpensive. It demonstrates that a rugged, durable, sturdy, and unrelenting design doesn't have to be expensive. We are also impressed by the versatility, ease of setup, and how nicely such a simple trailer can pull.

On the flip side, this was the rattliest trailer of our lineup when it was empty. It is also quite heavy, which is a necessary downside to having such a large carrying capacity. All these things considered, this is a fantastically capable trailer for the price.

Read review: Aosom Wanderer

Most Versatile

Burley Coho XC

$450 List

List Price

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The Burley Coho XC is uniquely durable and able to haul large loads compared to other one-wheeled trailers. It offers a wide range of customizable features for different terrain or touring styles — anything from a quick grocery run or a week-long bike tour is easier and more fun with the Coho.

While the Coho sets the high mark for versatility, it does have drawbacks. The rugged design makes for a pretty heavy product, several pounds heavier than any other one-wheel trailer tested. It also has a large gap between the bike's rear wheel and the cargo bay of the trailer, making careful packing a must to avoid wag or sway. However, these negative features are far outweighed by the versatility and ease of use.

Read review: Burley Coho XC

Best for Grocery Shopping

Burley Travoy

$299.99

at Backcountry

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See all prices (3 found)

The Burley Travoy is a specialist explicitly designed for around-town endeavors. It's best suited for grocery runs because of its integrated tote bag and the option to unhitch the trailer and wheel it straight into the grocery store. All these features are user-friendly, and we especially like how easily you can fold the trailer up and store it in the tote bag when you're done.

The Travoy lacks the ability for the trailer to clear the rear bike wheel when ascending a curb. At certain points while on our way to the grocery store, we had to go out of our way to avoid large bumps and drops for fear of breaking the trailer. We wish the Travoy was more versatile, but it is extraordinarily adept at maneuvering through the city and hauling a generous load of groceries without sustaining any damage to items such as eggs and produce.

Read review: Burley Travoy

Notable for Bike Touring

Burley Nomad

$349.99

at Competitive Cyclist

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See all prices (3 found)

The Burley Nomad is a long-distance touring beast, able to accommodate all the comforts of home while on the road. It can pull straight and true even when loaded to the max, and assembly and breakdown are extremely easy, making storage a pleasant process.

Although not the most versatile trailer, the Nomad performed quite well at tasks from bike touring to running errands around town. It isn't completely waterproof with the weather cover, however, so keep that in mind if you're planning to be on the road for the long haul.

Read review: Burley Nomad

Why You Should Trust Us

This review is led by OutdoorGearLab Senior Review Editor Katherine Elliott, a prolific gear testing expert for many years at our home base in Tahoe. Kat enjoys lots of outdoor pursuits, many of them facilitated with a bit of extra bicycle carrying capacity. She is joined by former Yosemite Search and Rescue member and SAR technician Brian Martin. Brian is a mountain athlete for all seasons and can be found on everything from alpine ridge climbs to ski tours to bike-packing ultra races. His work with Search and Rescue often involved maintenance and selection of equipment, which required a sharp eye for many types of outdoor gear.

We initially checked out more than 40 models of bike trailers before settling on the best of the bunch for purchase and testing. For ease of towing, we hitched up each model in succession, comparing performance side-by-side. Ride quality was tested over various surfaces from smooth pavement to washboard gravel to singletrack trails.

Related: How We Tested Bike Cargo Trailers

Analysis and Test Results

To fully assess our lineup of trailers, we determined five testing metrics: capacity, ease of use, ease of towing, smoothness of ride, and versatility. Following is a discussion of these metrics with the results of how every model performed in each given area.

Related: Buying Advice for Bike Cargo Trailers

Value

Among the many important things to consider when purchasing a bike cargo trailer, price is omnipresent. The trailers we tested had a massive spread in cost, and higher prices generally correlated to better quality, but there were exceptions. The Aosom Wanderer, a great trailer capable of hauling 110 pounds, costs less than you might expect. The Burley Flatbed also scored admirably without emptying our wallet. That said, if you want the highest performance and can pay for it, the BOB Ibex Plus earned our highest award.

Capacity

We placed a high value on each trailer's capacity, which, after all, is the entire point of purchasing a bike trailer for overnight camping or a week's worth of groceries. Two-wheel trailers generally have a much higher capacity, but they also have more rolling resistance. Single wheel options have less capacity but less rolling resistance and can haul stuff more gracefully.

The impressive Aosom Wanderer offers the highest stated weight-bearing capacity of all trailers we tested at 110 pounds! This is a lot of weight, much more than you would want to haul for an extended period of time. Think hauling firewood down a dirt road or taking your oversize dog on a camping trip. The Burley Design Flatbed and the Burley Nomad also offer 100 pounds of carrying capacity. The Flatbed was also significantly easier to roll giant firewood rounds onto with its open front and back ends.

Both the BOB Ibex Plus and the BOB Yak Plus are rated to 70 pounds. The extra three inches of suspension on the back of the Ibex Plus adds one pound to its weight, but the suspension allowed for a much smoother ride. It was an added weight that we were happy to have.

The Burley Nomad in action hauling a fully loaded cooler. The removable top cover allows for extra room when carrying large items.

Photo: Kat Elliott

Ease of Use

No one likes something that's difficult or unintuitive to use. To test this metric, we paid close attention to every detail of assembly, attachment, loading, removal, and storage. Both the BOB Yak Plus and BOB Ibex Plus have a quick and easy initial set up process. The only thing that slowed us down was finding two 10mm wrenches to assemble the front fork and the back shock for the Ibex Plus. Attaching the trailer to the bike is also easy with two quick-release pins that insert into the provided skewer. The Burley Coho had the easiest assembly as it didn't require any tools. Everything detachable on the trailer has a quick release skewer allowing you to disassemble and package for international travel.

The two-wheeled Burley models have an easy-to-use trailer attachment as well. It's a forged steel hitch that mounts directly to your bike frame by the back wheel. It also has a quick-release pin that holds the trailer in place and allows it to move freely from the bike. The Nomad and the Flatbed also come with button activated, quick release wheels, so taking them on and off for storage or travel is quick and easy.

The Burley Design Flatbed comes with two 16 inch quick release alloy wheels.

Photo: Kat Elliott

The wheels on the Aosom Wanderer are mounted with bolts onto the trailer, so it takes more time to adjust. With a pair of pliers, we managed to straighten out the back connector and get it attached to the quick release skewer and the bike. The initial setup and connection took around 15 minutes altogether, and besides the bent back connector, it was a rather easy setup.

A view of the back wheel after straightening the connector for the wheel.

Photo: Kat Elliott

Ease of Towing

To first tackle the broad spectrum of trailers tested, it's essential to recognize the difference between one and two-wheeled options. As you might imagine, two-wheeled trailers are stable and require a bit less attention when packing. Just throw everything in, make sure it isn't heavily loaded at the back, and it will generally tow just fine. Single wheel trailers, as a rule, require much more meticulous packing. Keeping heavier items low down and on the centerline is critical. Overloading one side or the other, or even having a top-heavy load, can make things interesting. Stopping at a red light, for example, an awkward load in a single wheel trailer will frustratingly pull the bike to whatever side is overloaded.

There is another important trade-off when going with two wheels. Two wheels, while offering stability, robs you of efficiency and maneuverability. If you have to pass through a short section of single track, a one-wheel trailer might pass right through, whereas the two-wheel models will likely have some trouble. One wheel also offers half the rolling resistance of two wheels.

Because of the rolling resistance and maneuverability advantages of the single wheel trailers, we tended to favor them over the two-wheel models. This isn't to say the two-wheelers don't have their place, though, because they do. There are loads single wheel models simply can't haul — basically anything large and cumbersome.

True to form, the single-wheeled Burley Coho XC and BOB Ibex Plus were the easiest to tow. Both track so well you nearly forget that they're behind you. Their lower center of gravity allows for better maneuverability and handling with or without a cargo load. The single wheel design also makes an excellent trailer for maneuvering through tight spaces or a crowded street. Unfortunately, it is easy to overload the single wheel trailers, making hike-and-bikes and technical trails a bit challenging.

A comparative look at the back wheel of the BOB Yak and BOB Ibex Plus with the extra three inches of suspension on its back wheel.

Photo: Kat Elliott

Both the Coho XC and Ibex Plus are good choices if you're planning to travel on bumpy dirt roads or singletrack. When carefully loaded and balanced, these trailers offer a smooth, drama-free ride.

Throughout our two-wheel trailer testing, it became apparent that the Burley Nomad had a significant advantage over the competition. The mounting design is especially nice as the hitch mount allows the bike to pitch and yaw without moving the trailer off of level. While this doesn't sound that spectacular, when standing up to pump up a hill, the smooth pulling trailer is much appreciated.

The Burley Travoy also has some unique features, such as a padded handle that allows you to detach the trailer from its hitch, wheel it into a grocery store, and re-clip it to your bike. All with one hand.

How you load your trailer has a lot to do with how well it tows. For example, the dual-wheeled Aosom Wanderer made for an easier tow if there was a properly tied down and secured heavy load. It was a little squirrelly when empty or with a light load. Both the mono-wheeled BOB Ibex Plus and the BOB Yak Plus performed best with heavier supplies (tent, stove, etc.) in the back of the trailer by the wheel. This method creates better traction with the trailer and the bike.

A close up of the shock engagement on the BOB Ibex Plus.

Photo: Kat Elliott

Smoothness of Ride

As you might imagine, having suspension goes a long way to improve ride quality for bike cargo trailers. The Burley Coho XC and Bob Ibex Plus both offer smooth and efficient suspended one wheel goodness. After using these trailers, it was difficult for us to want to tow anything else offroad as the rattle and perceived extra weight of a rigid wheel hitting a bump felt exhausting.

Two-wheel trailers, in general, are much less smooth. One wheel hitting a bump inevitably disrupts both wheels. Washboard gravel at high speeds causes something akin to the Jeep Wrangler "death wobble". The Aosom Wanderer was among the least smooth on gravel and was also pretty noisy when unloaded, which adds to perceived effort.

In short, the smoother the ride, the less energy it takes to pedal the trailer. Both the Coho XC and Ibex Plus offer quiet and smooth rides when compared to the rest of the field.

A rear view of a fully loaded Burley Design Flatbed bike cargo trailer.

Photo: Kat Elliott

Versatility

The Burley Coho XC was among the most versatile we've tested. The rugged construction, stretchy cargo net, kickstand, and one-handed hitching make most applications easy. From grocery runs to overnight camping, the Coho never seemed to run out of applications. The Burley Flatbed is also top-notch in this category with its open front and back. Add that to its stability, and you can haul practically anything.

The BOB Yak Plus and the Burley Nomad offer comparable versatility. The sizeable dry sack on the Yak makes it easy to load up and tie-down. Similarly, the Nomad has a cargo cover that helps secure your load. The cover is easy to attach and detach from the main trailer body. So if you are hauling large or uneven cargo, you just need to unclip the cover from the trailer, load, secure your items, and you're ready to roll. You still have plenty of room for larger or longer items to stick out of the back of the trailer.

The top cover on the Nomad folds back to allow for easier packing and unloading.

Photo: Kat Elliott

Different Types of Bike Trailers

• Single Wheel Bicycle Cargo Trailers: BOB Ibex Plus and Bob Yak Plus

• Two-Wheel Bicycle Cargo Trailers: Burley Nomad, Burley Flatbed, Aosom Wanderer

• Child Bicycle Trailers — some of these types of bike trailers also convert to a jogging or hiking stroller

• Pedal Trailers & Trail-a-Bikes like the Weehoo iGo Turbo and the WeeRide Co-Pilot — neither of these are enclosed, and the Weeride is more like riding a bike

• Dog & Pet Bicycle Trailers like the Aosom Elite II which has rear suspension dampers that absorb shock

Conclusion

Our main motivation for choosing the BOB Ibex Plus as our favorite model is its suspension, relatively light weight, and balanced feel. We love the Burley Nomad for its large carrying capacity and balance point designed to reduce torque on the frame. The Burley Flatbed offers an open front and back design, and its accredited 100 lb weight capacity piqued our interest for heavier and longer objects to transport. Lastly, the Aosom Wanderer offers a lightweight steel frame and easily collapsible sidewalls for storage, which made it a must on the testing list, and the Burley Travoy is great for around-town commuting and grocery shopping. We hope our breakdown and assessment of these top-tier bike cargo trailers helps you pick the perfect one for your needs and lifestyle.

The easy to use hitch connection of the Burley Design Nomad.

Photo: Kat Elliott