Burley COHO XC Bug out Bike Trailer: Downhill Testing, Fully Loaded

Taking the Burley COHO XC single wheel bike trailer on a downhill adventure to simulate a bug out loadout. The Burley XC was impressive and handled the speed, curves, and bouncy single track like a professional.

[@MrElapid]

Just ordered one of these 03 Dec. Glad to see that it didn't fall apart...although at 64 I don't think I'll be going at transsonic speeds down a mountain. Plan on loading it up on camping trips & pulling with some help from a 500w hub motor. Trailer seems well-engineered and thought out. Great vid! Was entertaining as well as enlightening.

[@ryanarmishaw3305]

Damn! Pretty impressive. Now do it again with a dog in the back! I'm sure they would have a blast on that thing

[@mtower235]

Ok I gotta admit I’m impressed

[@cameronalexander359]

And THIS is why bikes are better for bugging out than on foot.

[@dwaaziwaazi]

A longer wheelchair push axle with 1/2” sleeve spacers will get the space needed to go with larger 20” tires? We need an update.

[@h-townautomotivetraining8219]

Seems like this trailer does better in back country than quietkat or other e bike hunting trailers .

[@h-townautomotivetraining8219]

I would like to see what it does on a ATV trail with some deep ruts and on Colorado Blm roads good video best real test I've seen how many pounds did you have on the run?

[@bandbfarmskuna]

ya thats pretty sweet...the descent is badass too.

[@david78212]

I’ve got one, I use it mostly as a grocery getter. You can kind of see, but it’s hard to tell on a trail, the trailer starts to “fishtail” at certain speeds. You have to balance the weight very well in order to make it stop. The first time I used it, I had milk and dog food in it, I have a hill near where I live, thankfully there was no traffic, because I almost crashed. Fishtailing of single wheel trailers is pretty common and a design flaw. That’s why a lot of companies have dropped them altogether. Speed is not a friend of this type of trailer. Do the same video on a road and you’ll see.

[@mwj5368]

Hi David! Wow! I didn't even know fish-tailing is a problem unique to single wheeled trailers! I was almost going to buy the COHO XC but changing my mind. The reason I wanted a single wheeled trailer was sometimes on my round the world journey I might be on two tread logging kind of roads or primitive roads or hiking trails like the one in the video. Like you can't probably ride "The Great Divide" trail with a two wheeled trailer. A two wheeled trailer would not go on a trail like in the video. What is the concensus on one-wheeled vs two-wheeled where in my case using it maybe for groceries, but mainly for camping trips and on my round the world journey. Thanks for your input!

[@david78212]

@@mwj5368 honestly you’re probably not going to be going fast enough to notice it, you need some speed for it to be noticeable. I use mine a lot to this day, but I know it will fishtail, so I keep the speed down. It will also matter just how balanced the load in it is. The Coho also has bigger tires than most, and that will keep speed down and better handle the weight.

[@mwj5368]

@@david78212 Hi David! Very nice of you to respond as purchasing a trailer is a major decision for me as I plan for a round the world journey. At first I'll just use it locally on some camping trips. I wonder why Burley didn't design their trailer to instead attach to the seat post as that would distribute the weight more centrally as the rear wheel then has most of the weight for the rider and the baggage. Did you break rear wheel spokes and have alignment problems with it? Does packing your baggage as much to the rear as possible put more weight on the trailer wheel? Maybe it's not a good idea, but I'd think they should have the trailer wheel centrally located and also where you can move it forward or back to change the center of gravity and put more weight on the trailer wheel. Do you know why one doesn't see other trailer models with that design concept? Thanks for your video and helpful insight!

[@mwj5368]

@@david78212 Hi! I wonder if some will take a BMX bike wheel (I think that's what those little stunt bikes are called, right?) with a lot of spokes and replace the original wheel. Does the original wheel go out of alignment easily?

[@david78212]

@@mwj5368 no they tend to be smaller anyway. The Burley Coho has a thicker wheel, so maybe that was how they solved the issue. Other than Chinese knockoff companies, they are the only one still making them, maybe that's how they solved the issue.

[@johnfretz1938]

It just needs a horror movie sound track behind the video...you just can't escape the axe following you. You can run, but you can't hide. :P

[@SolarizeYourLife]

Is that a stock wheel or the beef upped wheel??? Just a tad sped up video...

[@whazzat8015]

Great vid. I have a rigid frame BOB that is pretty bouncy. The image stabilization may reduce that. Will have to check your YT for a pic of the rig you used to shoot things, as details would add to the value. Axe on top, eh? You ridin' the YellowBrickRoad and expecting to be attacked by a tree??

[@katis999]

nice, thank you

[@WSallai]

Does it also have its own brake? I imagine that the hill climb was not as fast as the descent! Sweet. What was your top speed on the descent? I just saw this, I would definitely keep the axe much better secured/buried in the trailer. That sheath is made to protect the edge, but will cut through quite easily if it landed against you.

[@whazzat8015]

No brake and increased bike weigth by what? 60lbs No fake , Being chased by a flying axe, or falling around one will void your insurance

[@mwj5368]

It looked like once you were on smooth pavement the trailer was shimmying a lot. Is that normal for a one-wheeled trailer? Also I wonder why Reise and Muller electric bike company will not warranty your bike if you use a 2 wheeled trailer. Does anyone know? Also why do they have that yellow spring? Does that set the Burley ahead performance wise over all other single wheeled trailers for having that? Thanks for this very nice video!

[@branden525]

Great video! Thanks. Is the bike aluminum, or steel frame? Reason I ask is that I recently got a Coho & hooked it to an aluminum frame bike; the loaded trailer seemed to torque on the rear frame of my aluminum bike, and I'm wondering if a steel framed bike would be more stable.

[@whazzat8015]

Love the vid, but the torque on the frame is a concern . At that weight an Aluminum bike is not offering much but decreased tensile strength

[@22fret]

Such a pity this thing is so heavy. Almost 10 kgs empty, that's a lot. I am somewhat torn apart between this one and the Topeak Journey, weighing half of that...

[@LoganJohnston190]

I have the coho xc and honestly I don’t notice the extra weight that much. Its amazingly durable and smooth.

[@mwj5368]

Hi 22Fret! Which one did you decide on? I notice the Burley COHO XC has a big spring for the wheel, but not with the Topeak. I wonder if that spring makes a big difference. Also I like how with no tools the Burley comes apart and can be stored. I live in a little one bedroom apartment in a big high-rise so ease of storage makes a difference. Still, the quality of materials and ease of ride without as much fish-tailing... just wondering about that.

[@22fret]

​@@mwj5368 I took my decision in favour of the Topeak. It is incredible how light this thing is, even with its drybag, and the build quality is excellent. You might have to adjust the wheel bearings a bit, but that takes no longer than 5 minutes. Storage is no issue in my case but to disassemble it, you don't need much. The wheel has a quick release and for the yoke you need an Allen key and a 10mm spanner. For the fender it's just an Allen key. All in all pretty straightforward. The ride is very good indeed. When empty, it has a tendency to jump a bit on bumpy surfaces, which is due to its very low weight, but as soon as you put some load in the trailer, it is rock solid. Depends a bit on the tyre pressure and the roads of course. I mainly ride on tarmac, gravel roads and single tracks through the woods. No fishtailing at all, not even at +30 km/h. The Journey is surely not the right choice for hardcore downhilling in the mountains or dodgy offroad stuff. But that's no issue in my case... :D To me, the best thing about it is the fact, that you hardly notice the trailer behind the bike. Going uphill and accelerating you'll notice the additional weight, but that's already it. 2 weeks ago I have transported 30 kgs of potting soil with it - no problem at all, even though at these loads it starts to influence the way your bike behaves a bit. That might be worse depending on the bike's and the rider's weight. My 103 kgs @ 1,96m + 13 kgs of the bike are without a doubt a positive factor here. But I think it's just a matter of getting used to it, that's all. The Journey is considerably cheaper than the Coho XC and is below 5 kgs empty, even with its drybag. That is why I wanted one of these. Mine is the TX version because of my bike's wide back end (Alfine 8 with disc brakes), but the wider yoke is the only difference. I hope, this helps you a bit in your decision process... :-)

[@jcecho854]

Thanks for this video, I was worried about how stable it would be downhill. I'm looking for a video with it going uphill fully loaded now

[@nikitamuller1579]

Would you recommend it to travel around the world?

[@ziggyzenith4273]

Yes I would

[@scottwillispiano2241]

I want to buy a Coho XC for camping this July but they no longer ship the standard QR Skewer, and none are available until late summer. Would anyone sell me their standard QR Skewer if you aren't using it?