Burley D’Lite

The Burley is burly! Chunky 6061 aluminum tubes and supports, coil sprung suspension and a load limit of a hefty 45 kg means that parents with multiple children (Burley also do the Solo, which has all the same features as the D’Lite for a single child) or who need to pack a lot of kit, will love the design. With, by far, the largest cargo space on test, you can literally take the kitchen sink, as long as you have the legs to power it as the extra weight is noticeable and requires effort to get rolling. With variable tilt on the suspended seat and 5 point harness; tinted windows, extra ventilation and adjustable sunshade the D’lite’s cockpit is so nice inside that adults may get jealous. The coil suspension allows you to change the spring tension depending on how heavy your load is. On the curb test, the Burley could mount at an angle as long as the speed was limited to a walk, any faster and it threatened to overturn. There is no additional dampening, other than that within the spring, so although the DLite looks built to tackle rougher tracks, it gets a bit bouncy at speed which is unnerving to the rider and affects the trailer’s stability.

Unless you have a 135 mm QR rear axle, an additional bolt thru adaptors is required to attach the trailer to bikes with 142 or 148 mm rear axles. These are an extra € 60 so savvy buyers may want to negotiate cost this at the point of sale as it’s a considerable extra expense. Once acquired, simply swap out the axle and hitch it up with a 17 mm spanner. The only issue we faced was that the safety strap, designed to wrap around the axle end of the non-drive chainstay, had to be pulled tight and the slack zip-tied because, on our bike, there was minimal room between the stay and the brake disk. Due to the flexible mounting hardware, handling is quick and nimble for such a big trailer; you can even lay the bike on the ground when fitted to the trailer. However, the trailer won’t support the bike standing which we found annoying when being used with our expensive bikes

The D’Lite model is a 75 cm wide double eMTB kids trailer, so it won’t fit on narrower trails. Despite its size, the wheels pop of easily and it will pack down to fit in a medium to large car boot. For big families and executive level comfort, the Burley D’lite is a top choice.

Strengths

– Coil sprung suspension adjusts for rougher terrain.
– Tough; built for daily use and heavy loads
– Lots of room for kids and kit

Weaknesses

– Increased weight increases rolling resistance
– Wide design limits where you can ride


Weight 12.9 kg
Cost € 705 + € 60 for 12 mm bolt through adaptor
Age range up to 45 kg
Fitting through axle 135 mm QR as standard, other axle options available for 142 /148 mm hubs

More information on the Burley website


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About the author

Thomas Corfield

After nearly 30 years of riding and coming from a career in cycle sales, UK Editor Tom is still passionate about everything mountain biking. Based in the Scottish Borders, he enjoys riding everything from solo adventures in the mountains to big social night rides.