More people are choosing bicycles as their primary source of transportation because they are easy to maneuver, enjoyable to ride, and inexpensive to operate. This is especially true when compared to vehicles. But what about when you need to transport cargo instead of passengers? A great option is to use a bicycle trailer – the best bicycle cargo trailer, which effectively overcomes the problem of cargo storage issues on a bicycle.
Bicycle cargo trailers harness the power of bikes to carry heavy loads. With the right-sized cargo trailer, one can bring virtually anything — coolers, camping gear, fishing rods, and so on. Cycle tourists use cargo trailers to transport excess baggage or as many items as needed during a journey.
When you’re delivering a small good locally, the best bike and bicycle trailer can save you money on gas costs or make the process simpler and more enjoyable. The size of the trailer will depend on your cargo. There are a variety of trailer sizes to accommodate anything from city delivery (small single-wheel trailers) to carrying pets or recreation equipment (big enough to carry a deer or even an expedition).
But what is the best cargo bike trailer? With so many different bike cargo trailers on the market today, we know choosing one can be quite difficult. However, to save you time and trouble, we’ve done the research and found our favorites of the best bike cargo trailers.
1. Schwinn Day Tripper Cargo Trailer
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Schwinn has a variety of bike trailers, but one model stands out: the Day Tripper. This covered cargo trailer can be the best bike cargo trailer for day trips to the beach or countryside and can carry 100 lbs of cargo.
When you want to carry small items, you can roll up and secure the cover. With 16-inch wheels, the Day Tripper’s offer stability and control, so you can easily transport your gear. You can fold up the frame for storage or to fit it into your car or truck.
Another great feature of the Schwinn Day Tripper is its universal bike coupler. This allows you to attach it to your other bikes for an added boost to your cycling prowess!
On the flip side, some people who ordered it just thought that the wheels were cheap knockoffs. But overall, we really like the Schwinn Day Tripper Cargo Trailer and we definitely recommend it to anyone looking for the best bicycle cargo trailer. If Schwinn is listening, however, we do have one suggestion — maybe make those wheels convincingly better?
2. Burley Travoy Cargo Bike Trailer
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The Burley Travoy is a specialized bike trailer that can be used for both trips around town and longer excursions. You will surely find this one possibly the best bike cargo trailer for groceries. It has an integrated tote bag and a trailer that detaches from the bike, making the trip from your front door to the grocery store easy — just wheel it in! When you’re done, just fold up the trailer and put it into the tote bag. Easy peasy!
On the flip side, you might find it tricky to pull the Travoy over curbs. There are customers who criticized the trailer’s design, which didn’t allow for it to clear the rear bike wheel. They had to find ways around large bumps and drops because they were afraid that they’d break the trailer by driving up onto them.
The Burley Travoy Cargo Bike Trailer might not be the most versatile, but it does magnificently well at transporting a bountiful load of groceries without damaging fragile items. And we’re proud to include it here in our list as the best bicycle cargo trailer as well.
3. Retrospec Rover Hauler Cargo Bike Trailer
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With its large size and water-resistant cover, this Retrospec Rover Hauler Bike Trailer is ideal for extensive delivering large items or bicycle touring trips. You can easily attach and detach the trailer arm and it fits on any bike with 20″ – 29″ wheels thanks to its convenient coupler.
It’s a breeze to store and transport the trailer. Just simply pop off the wheels and fold up the frame. With a 31″ x 19″ huge interior, there’s always room for camping equipment, firewood, hunting gear, tools, books, or anything else.
You’ll never have to worry about it toppling over so easily thanks to it having a low center of gravity and a wide wheels base. It also features interior D-rings that help you secure cargo and keep it in place while you travel.
The only thing you might not like about Retrospec Rover Hauler Cargo Bike Trailer is that there are holes in the corners, which definitely allows water in. So keep that in mind if you’re planning a long trip. But that’s such a puny downside compared to how very useful this bike trailer is. Who knows, this could be the best bicycle cargo trailer you’ve been looking for.
4. Burley Coho XC Cargo Bike Trailer
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The Burley Coho XC is vastly more durable and capable than other one-wheeled trailers. Whether you’re running a quick errand or taking a week-long bike tour, everything is so much easier with the Coho XC. It’s fully customizable for whatever you need: whether it’s bouncing through rough terrain or carrying heavy loads. If you’re a fisherman, a hunter, a researcher, or a camper, you will no doubt find the Burley Coho XC Cargo Bike Trailer the best bicycle cargo trailer for you!
To back it up, this bike cargo trailer is built for cross-country riding — it has a coil-sprung suspension that can handle the rigors of rough terrain, and a Burley Ballz dual ball hitch that makes attaching and detaching to and from the bike a cinch.
It’s more maneuverability and narrower thanks to its single 16″ wheel. And if you had enough of leaving your trailer or bike on its side, you’ll love the handy kickstand incorporated into the frame. The adjustable height makes it easy to keep both bike and trailer upright—and can go to work for you with a variable width yoke that doesn’t require tools.
Though the Coho offers a high level of versatility, it, unfortunately, suffers from a few flaws. The heavy, rugged design makes it one of the heavier models on the market, several pounds heavier than any other one-wheel trailer out there. It also has a large gap between the bike’s rear wheel and the trailer’s cargo bay, which can make careful packing a necessity to avoid wagging and swaying. Those few flaws, however, are outweighed by the positive features. The Burley Coho XC Cargo Bike Trailer is easy to use and extremely versatile.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to add some extra storage space on your bike, a cargo trailer is a simple way to do it. Cargo bike trailers offer an excellent alternative to bike panniers and bikepacking bags. They are easy to mount, easy on your bike, can carry up to 200 pounds of cargo, and can be removed just as easily. Plus, a trailer can add storage space to nearly any bike.
For anyone on the lookout for the best bicycle cargo trailer, you’ve come to the right place. With us providing you one of the best bike cargo trailer reviews, hopefully, you’ll be sure to find one from above that’s ideal for your needs.
Question: What is the best bike cargo trailer for you?
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