Some questions to anyone with a burley cub

[Dragonhart]

I have been researching into bike trailers for my 2 dds age 3 and 20mo and really like the look of the Burley Cub. But I am having trouble finding reviews on it online so wanted to see what people who have one think of it.

I want to use it for the school run as there are loads of cycle paths or shared pavements near us but also want to use it as a buggy. So I would be interested in how well it works as a buggy.

As part of the school run I will have to drop off dd1 at playgroup then cycle in the morning with just dd2 so I was a bit worried about how the trailer would handle with just one child in without changing the straps to make it into a single seater.

Also worried about two children being in close quarters and fighting and if they will have enough room. dd2 is quite small but dd2 is not so much!

Just any pluses and negatives would be really handy. Thanks

I don't have a Burley Cub but I do have another quality dual trailer (Cougar Chariot II) that converts to pushchair.

It doesn't handle noticeably different with just one child in it.

They nearly always get along just fine in there, and believe me, they squabble like crazy the rest of the time!!

I guess I can't comment on the specifics of how it handles as pushchair -- we lost or had sheer off so had to replace (somewhat expensive) some of the bits needed to convert ours to a pushchair, so be aware of parts that can work loose or break easily.

Try to keep yours dry, ours got mildew marks on it, very detrimental to resale value!

I just saw your other thread about this... I think you might want to seriously look at a cheaper trailer, maybe what they sell on Ebay, if it's just school run journeys I don't think you need an expensive trailer.

You can always cough up the money for a Burley cub later.

It is interesting you say that as the man in a local bike shop said the same. He said he had an Avenir Avon for 2 years for the school run until his dss were 3 and 5.

I dont feel confident buying from ebay as it feels a bit like buying a second hand car seat. I know that there is probably no reason not to but it just makes me feel a bit wobbly.

I am interested to know what high use is though! Spending an 5hours a week cycling a trailer (then pos more at the wkend on days out) seems like alot to me! But I am new to using cycling as transport rather than just for fun.

Oops! Didnt click on the link before I posted! TBH What I really dont get is what makes that trailer so cheap when they can be so expensive? Are the more expensive ones safer? Or is it just the frills?

Would you really use the trailer in all weathers? Most people would drive any time the weather was iffy, tbh, which reduces numbers of journeys taken by 50-75%. Would you only use it for school runs, or would it also be a weekend vehicle (shopping, errands, leisure, etc.)?

When I tried to research it I didn't find a lot of difference in safety wrt price; basically it's a metal frame box which will almost certainly bounce high up in the air if hit by a vehicle (unless sadly crushed underneath, in which case nothing is safe enough). So (bouncing scenario) child comes out bruised and shaken, but no worse, most likely.

I think with Ebay you have to go on feedback, and make sure it's a regular sellers of the same kind of item. I have one friend who is very happy with her 50 quid trailer she got off of there.

If you know you'll truly use it A LOT (are you members of CTC, or the type of cyclists who ought to be?) then it's worth it for you to pay for the Burley. The Chariot Cougar is crud in rainy weather, btw, I'd look at their City model instead (?Captain?) if I was buying today.

Amazingly MN reviews doesn't include child trailers, that astounds me! Thorough review on epinions, though.

I looked at all the trailers and in fact have used a cub in th epast. We recetly bought a cheaper one from halfords and its just the same. The fact it has a hard floor is a bonus, I suspect cheaper soft floored ones arent as good but I can't find any comparable difference except price between mine and the cub.
I don't drive so it gets used any weather if I need to get somewhere.

regarding the sides thing I make sure the child to get out last is on the side of the hitch and have been fine

lljkk- I walk ds to school every day now, come rain or shine as dh has the car to get to work. The idea of the trailer is to make the school and nursery run take up less of my day, but still want it to be a good buggy as I want to be able to walk as well when we have more time in the day.

Captain is the trailer I drool after but no chance there! I thought the hard base would mean that when it rains then the rain would not get in? Can the fabric based ones be very waterproof too?

At the weekend we would only cycle in fair weather in warmer months as a family, but I was planning on taking dd3 to the supermarket once a week after dropping dd2 at nursery and I meet up with friends once or twice a week so would use it then too.

TBH I am really of two minds. What I really want is a trailer that makes a great buggy, is great in the rain, comfortable for dds and costs less than £200.

Bronze- isnt the max weight of the hard based one from halfords only 25kg? Is it this one?

No its not
but I think it was an old stock as we got it reduced so they might not do it anymore

I would keep looking and definitely keep an eye on ebay

Was it this one Bronze?

no it wasnt avenir
really dont even know if it was a specific make

only real bit of advice is get a hard bottomed one

Ok thanks for all your help lljkk and bronze. The search continues! xxx

We have just used the Burley Cub for 4 days in Center Parcs (It's the only one they hire out). It's the first time we have used a trailer and we found it great and had lots of fun. My guess is that it is a pretty good quality trailer as they must really get some stick being hired all the time. But saying that when we saw how much they cost new (!!!???) The main difference between more expensive trailers and cheaper ebay type for about £60 is the hard base opposed to fabric base and almost certainly less good weldding/joints and heavier materials. Definitely invest in hard base for everyday use. We ordered a cheap one from ebay, £60, and the quality was rough. Wonky jogger wheel for a start! We have a 17 moth old and an 11 week old. We put our car seat in (strapped in very easily with straps/bungees but against center parcs advice) for younger child and older had plenty of room at the side so nice and spacious. We even had room for 2 ruck sacks too! Both babies slept really well in it. One drawback was that we found that the trailer let in a litle bit of water when it rained but hubby can't be sure he put the cover on properly. We didn't use it as a jogger so can't comment on that.
Just a thought, but have you thought of asking Center Parcs to buy one of their used trailers? I'm sure they're regularly serviced but they probably update them frequently. I'm sure someone said they do this.

Thanks archangeldeb- Ihadnt thought about that but I suppose they would be a bit battered after all the abuse they get at centerparks!

Will try contacting them though just to see how much of a bargain they are. x