Review of Burley Design Nomad Cargo Bicycle Trailer

Burley Design Nomad Cargo Bicycle Trailer
By: Burley Design Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 3
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Great trailer, iffy hitch.

On: 2008-02-29

I bought the trailer to pull behind my 29er mountain bike on a four day tour in Death Valley in Februrary.

Im hardly qualified to render a judgment on the debate over panniers vs. trailers but I was very pleased with the Nomads performance.

Actually we had a third type of trailer. Doug had an extra wheel. The Bobs and the Extra wheel both use large yellow waterproof bags which I like. The Bobs have just one large bag, but it is convenient to pick up and carry into a motel room. This one large bag opens like a satchel. The extra-wheel uses two such yellow bags configured like panniers on the extra wheel. They are more like duffels and open at one end. Convenient for carrying into a motel but not so convenient when trying to find something unless you are far more organized than seems possible on a tour.

The Nomad does have waterproof covering, but is by no means waterproof. Corners are open and the bottom actually has eyelets. The instructions tell you to line it with plastic. In practice, none of this is a problem if you prepackage your gear in plastic zip locks. I bought the gallon size which worked just fine for a t-shirt, socks, and pair of underwear. Or a jersey, riding shorts, and socks. This makes things easier to find and provides waterproofing. Since everything I had was in a bag of some type, water proofing wasnt an issue. But it would have been nice to be able to take the whole thing into the motel which wasnt practical. I could have brought a bag, but that would have been more weight.

The inline single wheel trailers seemed to have more issues with stability than the Nomad. The two Bobs reported some fishtailing as the trailer tried to do its own thing. The Extrawheel did some "wagging the dog," Doug reports.

That being said, the Nomad was almost unnoticeable. I did manage to turn a wheel on the high side of a bank. Doug said it ran along for about 10 feet on one wheel before falling over.

I had Steve ride behind as I followed the fog line. He said the outside wheel was about 3 to 4 inches to the left of the line. I was surprised at the number of times I expected an issue as I road closer than 3 inches to some rock or bump. I cant remember a single other time when I ever noticed the trailer either going up or down. It was just there.

On the pavement, I usually had to check my mirror just to make sure it was there. It tracked beautifully. It is rated to carry 100 pounds so could theoretically come to 114.5 pounds of extra weight. You do notice the extra weight especially when you stop pedaling. Stopping distances are much shorter on the flat and up hill.

The ride down Titus Canyon gave all our equipment a real workout. All did well but the Nomad seemed most stable even more than Steve with his panniers.

I was worried about stopping going downhill but that never seemed to be a problem. I think the Nomad actually gave me more stability in the soft sand going down hill. Id just lay completely off the brakes and let the bike roll through. Those 29ers are good for that kind of thing too.

On pavement with a rumble strip, you might have a problem. It could be difficult to straddle the rumble strip and keep your bike off it at the same time. This might force you more into the traffic lane. We didnt see much traffic but Ive read that the presence of a trailer actually encourages motorists to pass with greater clearance.

Steve argues that he has never met a serious road tourist who preferred the trailer to panniers. Hes probably right. But other than the rumble strip issue, I dont see a problem. He also claimed his panniers distributed weight (he had a front rack installed) that actually gave him an advantage going up those steep climbs in soft gravel. Given that he is usuallly slowest and was certainly undertrained, Id say there might be something to his story.

I preferred the trailer because I am not a tourist. I might want to occasionally tour or make a trip to the market, but I dont see myself as a tourist. To me mounting racks for panniers mars the appearance of the bike, adds weight when you dont need the racks, and spoils the aesthetic of the ride. I can slip in the skewer hitch and attach the trailer in about 5 minutes. Im unlikely to do much road touring or off-road touring. Well probably give it a try on the Galloping Goose.

If pulling a trailer marks me as an eternal novice tourist, so be it.Nomad

The bad news? The single hitch which you mount by sliding your skewer through a tab of metal broke off in the garage when the 29er fell on its left side. Burely replaced that hitch and added an "old style" hitch that include the hitch built into its own skewer. That worked beautifully. If you buy the Nomad get that alternative hitch. I dont trust the shipping model.

Read more about my Death Valley ride and see some pics at Crusty Cassette. The series runs for several blogs ending on Feb 21 with "Dougs Waitress."

Bicycle Cargo Carrier works as promised.

On: 2008-01-08

I bought this for my daughter for Christmas, as she wanted to cart laundry and groceries on her bike. She loves it!! Works easily as promised.

Buy This Trailer

On: 2008-01-07

After borrowing a Bob trailer from a friend, I decided a single wheel trailer wasnt for me. It seemed to always want to tip over at a stop. So after some research and finding an incredible price through amazon, I ordered the Nomad. It was very easy to assemble, and the quick release hitch is so simple (much better than the hitch for the Bob). There are several tie down loops inside and out to secure your cargo. Plus both of the tailgates fold down if you have larger items that need to hang out. The dividing wall down the center keeps your stuff from sliding around, and if you have a big item, it just un-velcros from the roll bar so you have the whole trailer to fill. There are even pockets on the insides of the walls.
The low center of gravity makes the weight easy to pull. It tracks the bike perfectly, and doesnt bounce around too much. Once you get going, you dont even realize that youre pulling 60+ lbs behind your bike. I highly recommend this product.