To be honest, I’ve never walked into a review for a product so excited, yet so worried about the outcome. Normally, I have a pretty good idea of how I’ll feel about a product – sometimes my decision or opinion will be swayed one way or another based on product durability or features. The Burley Travoy is a unique trailer system, that would either completely sell me on trailers for daily use or leave me hoping for more.
Initial Reactions
When I pulled the Travoy out of the shipping box I was pleasantly surprised in the weight and how small the trailer could pack down into. (Folded size: 21″ x 18″ x 8″. The details of the design are pure Burley – from how easy the handles turned within each tier of the folding system, to how the wheels popped off and even to how the bags or rain fly installed. To see these in action, view the video below.
The plastic wheels and height worried me. Would the system be easy to use on all my bikes, and would I break the plastic wheels on my short off road and gravel excursions??
Riding with the Travoy
The Travoy was tested, maybe too hard at times, on all of my bikes and on many different surfaces.. Everything shy of mountain biking this little Travoy saw, and it seemed to do well on all of them. The small 12″ wheels tracked well and the Travoy never seemed to want to pitch over, even on shaky gravel hills. The wheels are even still straight and the tires show only a slight bit of wear.
Every bike I tried the Travoy on, worked well.
The Trek Madone seen in the video we used a rubber sleeve between the clamp and the carbon as not to scuff or scratch the carbon.- The closest encounter I had with compatibility issues was with my Salsa Casseroll and rear rack. The arm of the Travoy was very close to touching the rack, and if the bike/trailer ever were on different levels of terrain I’m sure it would of hit.
Accessories for the Travoy
The Burley Travoy comes as a naked system seen here. It comes with two straps, and a carrying bag that doubles as a large bag that goes on the bottom tier.. If you want to purchase the Grocery or Transit bags they are additional, but are dual use for in the grocery store (Travoy Grocery Bag), or as a messenger bag for your laptop (Travoy Transit Bag.)
Overall Impressions of the Travoy
The Burley Travoy is a great commuter or urban cargo system. The upright position of the trailer makes it more viewable for cars and other cyclist. The thought out bag system allows you to commute to work with your laptop, or go grocery shopping with ease.
This system is by far my favorite grocery hauler that I’ve tried. The fact I can take the Travoy in as my shopping cart and dual use the bag system in the grocery store, ring up my groceries and have everything already put in place when I leave the store is AMAZING. Simply hook the trailer on and you are riding off into the sunset.
The trailer due to the 12″ wheels and low clearance isn’t for anyone going off road, and the wheels would even limit me personally for using this for a loaded tour, but for a short stint would work fine.
Pros and Cons of the Burley Travoy
Pro. :
- Easy to use
- Upright position for viewing and carrying
- Two wheels for stability
- Weight of system
- Small collapsible system
Cons :
- Small wheels
- Needed additional accessories
- Low clearance
The Burley Travoy will be continued to be tested through the fall. I plan on a short overnight tour (S24O) utilizing it, and other little test. You should see this revisited so keep your eye on BikeShopGirl.com.
If you are interested in purchasing a Burley Travoy visit our friends and sponsors at Bike Trailer Shop.