Burley NOMAD Cargo Bike Trailer – How To & Long Term Review!
Burley NOMAD Cargo Bike Trailer – How To & Long Term Review!
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All about the Burley Nomad Bike Trailer. Could be for bikepacking or bike touring or just hauling gear around town! In this video, I break down the specs of the Nomad Trailer, how to set it up, what I like and dislike and what I use it for most.
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Just got back into biking…Do you have a review on the tail wagon? looking for a trailer for my pup for when we go bikepacking or tour down hwy 1.
Wow such a cool video. Love your trailer. I have an e-bike and am thinking about getting a trailer too. Great scenic area too
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Definitely enjoyed your video. Great job on the review, keep up your ridealong videos
Great review. Thank you! X
I rebuilt an old instep child trailer I think I made it to heavy because pulling it feels like your dragging anchor I used wood pallet boards for the floor and plywood for the sides.
Just got the burley flatbed cargo trailer. Have a plastic tote bungee in the trailer for trips to the grocery store. I got rid of my truck in July so getting around on my recumbent trike. I did the AIDS ride in june and planning on doing it again next year.
Hey, I really enjoyed the video and your energy. I just picked up a wike trailer for my new ebike (Canadian made), and its wonderful. Currently using it for groceries and stuff to cutback on car use now that I’m working from home, but I plan on taking it on a 2-3 day bikepacking trip. I want to get a solar panel for it, but we will see π Take care!
I have one for 10 years now, great for camping, also you can add a rack on top. I do recommend to add a aluminium L profile (or thin staircase grid plate) on the back bottom because that does wear from use and also the trailer invites to set it upright on the back, fi to save space in your garage for storage, because without protection the fabric will wear on the tube frame there.
Ride-along FTW!
The flag is that long so that it appears above the cars in traffic.
Great video, thanks! Where do you live that has so many great bike trails and lanes?
OH MY GAAAAAWWWWWD!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU for this video!!!!!
I wish there were more ‘long term’ or honest reviews like this one from people who’ve used the product over an extended period of time and not from those that scream their praises or outright disown them with all the spite of God themselves.
If I’m to look for any bike trailer it would probably have to be this one as I can’t seem to find any other good reviews of people who used their trailers for, again, an extended period of time. Such wear and tear on a trailer is part of the reviewing process. You can’t just review something right out of the box, it has to be put through its paces first to see how it holds up to working life.
If the trailer can’t handle what it’s built to do, then there’s literally no point in having one. Don’t you agree?
My wife and I just purchased one, it hasn’t arrived yet so have no personal experience with it. We have a RV and a couple of E-bikes and figure this would be a great way to go to the store or get firewood at a campground without having to foldup the RV. Looking forward to using it traveling around the country.
I have a Blue SKy. Traler and I like it it’s about 4 feet lone and 2/12 wide I like it and so will you .I’m Jerry from SC Ca,
I bought a Chinese made trailer that looks similar to the Nomad. I really like it but there were a few problems. It needs mudguards and fenders. I’ve tried to ride through a narrow gap and the wheel hit full force denting the alloy rim. The supplied cover barely fits and the Velcro attachment is not sufficient to hold it down plus I found it’s not waterproof at all. The worst problem was the attachment to my bike. They provide a solid pin and socket but the Join between the pin and the towing arm was steel spring inside the tubing. Well the spring stretched and eventually snapped. Ok my trailer was packed with heavy loads. I repaired it using a short length of steel chain inside the tubing. This allows fill flexibility of the connection and maximum strength.
Leaving in early September for a US bike tour with a Nomad. I’ve done 2 shakedown rides with it so far. Since I plan to be gone a year, I’m carrying a little more than the bike & panniers can handle. So far, the trailer is amazing! I definitely agree that the biggest drawback is the startup with the extra weight on the back, but once you get rolling, I actualy forget the trailer is back there. I am NOT a bicyclist (my preferred method of travel is walking) but given that I am going to see the whoe country, I decided a bicycle would allow me to cover more ground. I did opt for the cargo rack. I added a bungee net and use that space to store my Crazy Creek chair for quick access. Also the ability to attach a couple of water bottles to the rack was a major plus. I wish Burley would add braze ons for that. Overall, its been my best purchase for the trip so far!
Well done overview.
Very solid, thorough, thoughtful review. Keep up the good work, not many options for honest, real reviews
Great video! I am looking at getting a really sporty ebike so I won’t have as much cargo space as a cargo bike.
Does anybody know if certain bikes go better with trailers than others? I’m looking at an ebike from Riese & Muller like the Homage.
I need one for shopping hauls~ thanks for sharing
I have a 520 as well. Currently Iβm demoing a Burley Flarbed at the moment. Today was my third day using itβ¦ itβs a game changerβ¦ I have been car light for about two years now, getting a trailer is allowing me to become 100% car free and self reliant.
I owned a Burley when they were designed with standard parts, now I would not buy one. I had the utility trailer which used standard 20 inch wheels with standard quick release hubs, and 100mm hub spacing. You can buy these 20 inch wheels at any bike shop. I sold my trailer when moving, but when I went back to replace it Burley total changed it all with 16 inch wheels and non-standard "trailer" hubs. Why? When touring the last thing you want on your bike is proprietary parts that NO bike shop would stock. But that’s the bike market today, full of parts that are no longer standard, making for a long list of parts that cannot be interchanged. Index shifting and gears being the biggest stupidity; for example 99% of all recreational riders could use one of two gearing set ups for their road bike… An 8 speed cassette with 11×32 for hilly/mountain terrain or a 12×23 for flatter living areas…with a 22-32-42 triple crank; there is little need for any other gearing system.
No matter how ‘big’ you are, most cars will not see you, and if they do, they will not change their course and speed. Bicycles are invisible to cars. You do not exist and never will. Understanding this can save your life.
I went with the BOB trailer with the singel axle I ride a Catrike Dumont Trike.
I love your review on this nomad ππ
I have a burley trailer to go with my tadpole recumbent. It is well set up for my coming tour. I even built a rack from half inch pvc pipe that will double as a table
I used a bob trailer to go from Southern California to northeastern Minnesota once I loved it! I would never use a trailer with more than one wheel!! But that looks like a great trailer, I’m considering getting the Burley coho!! After I finish riding the coast this year!!ππ΄
Since I use a sleep machine, this trailer is a win win!!
Use it with your ebike instead. Itβs a lot of fun on a ebike. πI use mine a lot for my around town shopping.
I like this video. Very clear explanation.
As a Burly Nomad owner I have had similar experiences.
I’ve seen a bunch of people on YouTube use trailers like this for ebike touring. You’re less worried about the extra payload weight and it gives you something critically important. Not only is it giving you extra cargo volume, it’s giving you extra SURFACE AREA on top. Why does that matter? Solar panels! You rig up the panels so that they charge the bike (ideally while riding, but not possible with every model). This keeps you out of trouble with battery range anxiety. A friendly wall outlet will still charge much faster, but solar means that you aren’t anchored to finding one every ~40-80 miles.
When you buy anything with the name Burley on it you are going to pay exorbitant prices for any extras quite apart from the trailer.
I bought a large sized Trixie dog trailer last year specifically for shopping and carrying cargo because it was much bigger (and cheaper at β¬131 delivered at the time from Amazon – I’m in Ireland) than any other actual cargo trailers. We don’t currently have a dog.
I can fit a weekly family (and other pets) shopping into it. I’ve had over 70kg loaded plus 13kg for the trailer itself on the way home (6.5km to my local supermarket) although usually less. My average load is about 50kg, that’s 110lbs for Americans. It’s definitely more effort to pull but it’s certainly not too difficult.
It’s completely covered and secure so just load your large reusable shopping bags in, zip it up and off you go.
More than panniers, it really turns a bicycle into a real world alternative to a car.
I got a stand fitted on my bike since I got the trailer because it is just so convenient instead of finding something to lean it up against.
Also, because I will be parking my bike and trailer mostly outside in a supermarket car park or underground parking, I replaced the quick release clips with bolts and two double lock nuts to make it harder for someone to just clip it off and walk away with it. I also have a cable to go through the quick release wheels and trailer to add extra security. Plus deliberately letting it look dirty.
I own and need a car but I rarely need to use it for anything within easy cycling distance since I got the trailer.
I did a 9,500 mile bicycle tour with a trailer. The first half of the tour I used a single wheel BOB IBEX trailer. A little over halfway through the tour the aluminum frame on my BOB broke. Once I upgradded to the two wheel Burly Nomad, I found myself to be more stable with a load and the frame obviously did not break. Great video and happy π£.
Nice review. I have used it the last two years for a bike tour. I notice with 25-30 kg of materials it does feel more heavy and pulls on the bike, even uphill.I have found ot most enjoyable in combination with an ebike. Negatives I have experienced is that with more weight there is a bigger burden on the rear axel which causes the wheel axel and axel of the trailer to sag on the quick release hinges. This makes the wheels on both sag, causing the pins to bend. Especially when frequently getting off sidewalks and bumpy roads or stony trails. It will cause the pins of the quick release wheels to bend. On off road or gravel trails it will make biking a bit heavier as the wheels are less aligned. Squeek more on longer trips, and potentially be the weak point of the bike trailer in my view.
The water "resistant" side covers can reasonably with stand the frequent European rainy weather, though they are absolutely not water proof. I do wrap non waterproof gear in plastics bags or water proof bags in the trailer tonkeep them extra dry. Tip is to put thin floor mats on the bottom of the trailer to keep things inside clean and dry. I think the bike rack on top is an amazing addition and worth the investment. Great for the iccasional extra bag on top, but otherwise also a great cloths line for drying clothes, while stationary or even on the go! With velcro tape you can even stick extra light on the bike rack for better visibility and illumination. When folded up and with a third walking wheel, you can easyily stoll ot around. Use the bike rack a make shift handle bar. For those short walks.
I think the weakest point I think the trailer lacks decent shock absorption in the axel, whichbInthink could help with longer lasting wheels and axel on offriad or uneven terrain. I also mis and option for a cillapsable handlebar. For those moments you want to convert to short walks with the trailer as a cargo stoller. The it would be a truly versatile tour and cargo stoller. The room is ondeed ample in my experience. Though sometimes I wish the framework was just a little bit more square in the back and less "aerodynamic" to fit gear in the back more easily.
I just found an absolute steal on a bike on craigslist that’s coming with a trailer designed for toddlers to sit in. Looks perfect for slinging some camping gear in. We’ll see. A child might be mandatory…Thanks for the great advice as ever!
look super but should have some suspension for delicate things as photo equipments.. love the design!!
You look fit. Nice review ty.
Many years ago when my wife and I started our family we had little money and shared one car. I rode a mtb and then got a trailer once kids came into our lives. We lived in a tropical climate, so the weather was compatible with this lifestyle choice. I still miss the freedom, lack of headaches, expense and burden…less is more. Now in our fifties, we have e bikes and have just got a trailer with plans to bicycle tour within a few hours of home. I see so many of our cohort stressing to pay for the big, luxurious 4×4 with massive van behind….no thanks. Planet killing, expensive, indulgent and non-sensical. Happiness is right in front of us…we’re just conditioned to overlook it.
As far as a 100 pound weight limit goes, it is one thing to put 100 pounds in the trailer and go yup, it holds 100 pounds, and the tires didn’t pop. The true test would be to RIDE the bike with the little aluminum trailer with a 100 pound load, and see how it handles in areal life situation, going uphill, downhill, and putting on the brakes. The trailer may be well built, but you would Never. dare show a ride with a bicycle pulling this little rig with 100 pounds aboard.
gentem voce fala muito rapido lol
I just got one for local pet food runs, a music camp that I go to so I can haul my instrument and music from my cabin to the campus, and for hauling camp gear into walk/hike-in camp spots.
Iβm hoping to take it bike camping maybe next year. But that will depend on me being able to downsize my camping gear. My bike isnβt really capable of putting much gear on it directly. My bike is a 2001 womanβs Trek 6000. The cables are exterior to the frame, I have front shocks, and the frame is a step though, so yeah – pretty limited for bike bags. This will be just easier.
Awesome review. I got mine exclusively for carrying my inflatable SUP to the nearby river and have also used it for grocery runs. I don’t plan to use it for touring unless I can convince my family to do a tour by agreeing to carrying everything for everyone. Haha.
Iβm considering a trailer, so revisiting this focused my thinking. Thanks!
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Cool video, Ryan, I dig the ride-along format! I’ve been thinking about cargo capacity to be able to drive even less than I already do. I’ve been tempted by a cargo bike, but just have no where to keep one. And I’m hoping to get my doggo to ride along, now that he’s getting older and can’t walk or run for much distance anymore. I decided on the Burley Flatbed. Just ordered it, so we’ll see how it goes!
Great video, nice channel. This review earned a sub. Thanks! Based on your review, I’ll likely order one for my Class 3 ebike (with an old school bolt-on rear wheel), a bike I use mostly for errands and which has a kickstand, which for me is a very handy accessory for use with a trailer.
What about mounting on a adult tricycle?
I’ve used the Nomad for years, and its a very good trailer. The Nylon of the body is not water proof, but thats easy to fix, with Flex Steel clear spray. My biggest gripe is the tow arm is bent, so the trailer rides nose down. I have the Luggage rack, and I love it. A good place to put flags and lights. Did RAGBRAI in 2012 and pulled the trailer, since I ride a recumbent. Worked great.