Customer Reviews

Burley Honey Bee Bike Trailer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I did a lot of research into these trailers before making my purchase. I read plenty of reviews, checked it out at a local REI, and I even watched a video right here on Amazon from someone who really hated it, before making my decision. All I can say is, for the money, there is not a better trailer out there. Sure there are better trailers, but they all cost two to three times what this trailer cost - and many of them are heavier.

I put it through it's paces on a short 8-mile ride - sans kids - and found it rolled well and was extremely stable. I then decided to tempt fate and put my 2 year old in it for a short 20-mile river bike path ride. Loaded it up with her favorite stuffed animal, a couple books, a cooler of food, and diaper bag and hit the road. The added weight was noticeable but tolerable, riding in the saddle posed no noticeable problem with maneuverability. When standing for a short climb, I did feel a bit of a tug that limited my ability to really hammer - due to the limited rotational flex of the hitch, but again, tolerable and I quickly learned how to manage the limitations. And to be quite honest, I had to remind myself that this was a ride as much for my daughter as for me, and the added weight was greatly adding to my workout and speeding up hills simply wasn't necessary.

As far as the front flap is concerned, I put it down for the first half of the ride as it had recently rained and I did have to ride through a few puddles and minor mud patches. Nearly all of the debris and water ended up on my back like it always does; nary a drop of water was on the window of the trailer or up under onto the mesh door. So for the second half of the ride, I decided to roll up the outer door and just go with the mesh door. This posed no problems at all, and in fact I could hear my daughter playing inside as I rode, which made me very happy. She absolutely loved it!

So, are there things I didn't like about it? Not really, but there are a few things I noticed that could probably be done a little better. First, the brake is very solid and effective, but in my opinion, contacts the tires at a bad angle and puts a fair amount of torque stress on the rims and axles. It is hard to say how continued prolonged use of the brake could effect the trueness of the wheels, so my recommendation would be to use the brake sparingly and absolutely do not store the trailer with the brake engaged.
Second, the product literature states that you and your passengers should all wear helmets, so I went out and bought a cute pink Bell helmet for my daughter. She got used to it well enough, but the "helmet pocket" (the loose mesh wall above the seat) is a bit too tight and does not allow her to comfortably put her head back. It will probably be less of a problem as she gets a little taller, as her head barely reaches the top of the seat. She actually preferred to ride sitting forward with her feet on the front bar, so it was no big deal.
Lastly, as the video reviewer points out, the outer window door does appear to be a half to maybe an inch too narrow, although it is fully functional and DOES cover from side-to-side, it takes only a small amount of care to align both sides so they wrap around the corners. The air gap is present, but again, I do not share the video reviewer's concern that debris or water would be thrown up into this gap in any great amount. If I were at all concerned, I would simply have a Velcro strip sewn on to the lower edge of the outer door and onto the corresponding area on the inner door to seal the bottom.

All-in-all, this really is a great trailer for the money. It's sturdy, light weight and stable, and my daughter loved it!

Edited 08/03/2010 - I changed the title to include the price I bought it for since it has gone up considerably since I wrote how great this trailer was for the price. The trailer is still great, but I would recommend searching around for the $249 price.

Our Burley Bee is almost 3 years old now and we still LOVE it. Just took the little ones out in it again today and they are so happy and content back there, it's wonderful. We worried about it being small for two riders, but my son (3 yrs) and daughter (14 months) seem happy as clams, even on long rides.

Ours is almost 3 years old and we do road riding weekly/near daily, and off-road long rides a few times a year. We did have one big tire blow-out on a 50 mile off-road trip, but stuffed the tire with leaves to get us back to the car. Not ideal, but it worked. We're hoping the replacement tire lasts a while. :>

Great price, Amazon got it to us right away with free shipping and it's super easy to put together, attach to the hitch and pull. I'm only 5'3" and pretty slight, but I have no trouble pulling the two little ones around. Hills aren't great fun, but they're do-able. We got two hitches so my husband and I can both pull the trailer with our bikes. Definitely worth an extra few bucks to get two!

Couldn't be happier. Oh, the older version didn't have the helmet pocket on the basic Bee model, but we got around that with a small camping pillow behind the little one's back. Gives her just enough room to not push the helmet forward and we figure the extra padding is likely comfy.

If you love biking and want to bring the kids, this product is awesome. Happy trails!!!

Overall my two-year-old daughter loves riding in this thing. She seems to be pretty comfortable, but she is always at an angle because the back doesn't adjust. The result is that she tends to slide down a bit after prolonged use. She should be able to push herself back into position with her legs, but she hasn't figured that out yet. It comes with a trailer hitch that afixes to the bolt on the rear wheel which was pretty easy to install. The latch that attaches to the hitch has a great swivel feature that allows the bike to turn and lean without transfering that to the trailer. That way, if the bike falls over, the trailer doesn't. The only problem is that the wheels don't have any kind of shock absorber so I have to drive very slowly over bumps.

Some of you are mentioning the cost of the Burley Bee. This is the Honey Bee, one step above the 249.00 Bee and one step lower than the Encore. This model was discontinued by the way and is from 2008/2009. The difference between this and the Bee is that this one can convert into a stroller/jogger.

I spent way more time researching and looking for a trailer than I wanted to. I didn't want to spend $300 on a bike trailer, but I didn't want to buy junk either. So I settled on this trailer. It's a good trailer. It does the job, it looks nice, it's not too heavy and it seems safe and comfortable for my daughter. It's also nice and roomy with a good amount of storage space in the back.

There is a review (I believe for this trailer) where someone was complaining that dirt and debris kept coming up underneith the front. That is not really possible with this trailer as the front mesh cover connects to the bottom part of the frame with velcro. Maybe the trailer that person had was an older model.

I would recommend buying this one, I just wish it were less expensive. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I feel for the price they should have included the rest of the stroller kit. They give you the handle bar, but not the front wheel. The other issue I have with it (minor) is that if you are only carrying one child, you have to turn the setbelt shoulder straps upside down in order to connect them.

Great quality, lightweight, roomy. Works great as a stroller too. My two year old loves it.

My trailer arrived quickly and in good condition, however it did NOT come with the stroller kit (as specified in the product description). So I called the seller and explained the situation. The first rep I spoke to was unhelpful, and basically said "oh well, that's Amazon's error they are the one who write the descriptions." So I asked to speak to a supervisor. I had to leave a voice mail message and within an hour the supervisor called me back and said they were sending me a stroller kit and that they had contacted Amazon about the error. My kit arrived yesterday and I am thrilled with the product and the customer service from the supervisor.

In regards to the review about the plastic covering being too narrow. I can see how that would be a problem if you were hauling gear, or biking in bad weather, however I have never closed the plastic covering when my kids are in it. We live in a dry climate and are fair weather bikers anyhow. So it's not an issue for me at all.

I purchased the "Honey Bee" for my wife. It went together pretty easily. I'm not sure if I like the parking brake setup though. Also, there really isn't a lot of room (length wise) inside if you have a taller 3 year old. Our two year old fits perfect but our 3 year old is a little crammed in there. Also, there is defintiely not enough room for their heads if they have their bike helmets on. They are fine when they don't have their helmets on, but without being able to recline them, their heads kind of are held up away from the backs of their seats. The trailer is constructed well, and pulls great. You just have to remember that you are pulling the weight of the trailer plus the weight of your kid(s) and you are using the same brakes from your bike.

Very nicely put together and easy to put together. Light and strong. I really like the storage in back and underneath; i can take my daughter shopping for groceries on the bicycle.

Caution if you intend to purchase a ski kit from Burley: theirs won't work on the honey bee. however, i have seen an 3rd-party option on the internet (far less $ also) which uses old children's ski's and some brackets and looks like a good choice.

I did extensive research before buying this trailer. Even after watching the negative video review I still decided to purchase this trailer. You will not find a better bike trailer for the money. Also, check out the review by iGanja - they did a good job covering the details. This is an excellent product.