Burley Encore X, 2 Seat Kids Bike Trailer & Stroller

On the whole, this is a good bike trailer. I have only used it as a bike trailer. I used it with a 20 pound/9 kilogram child. I used the trailer on paved roads and on hilly gravel roads.Folded up and without wheels, the trailer and tow bar fit in the back of my liftback subcompact car. There is little space for anything else.There are some issues you should be aware of:- The rear reflectors do not reflect well. They are terrible. The front reflectors are not much better. The white labels on the back of the trailer are actually much more visible than the reflectors. The wheel reflectors are okay. I strongly recommend purchasing lots of lights to put on your trailer and bicycle. Spoke reflectors are also good. My personal setup has ten lights.- The Schrader valves on the tubes that came with the trailer did not work. Burley sent me replacement tubes. The replacement tubes are okay.- The crotch pad on the harness detaches very easily. I used some cable ties to hold it on so it does not get lost.- The manual says the black thing on the front of the tow bar that looks exactly like a handle is not a handle. The manual is right. It is not a handle. It was foolish to make it look exactly like a handle.- The harness needs to be quite tight or else your child will flop over. It is not hard to tighten.- It is not possible to release the brake while holding your bicycle. You need two people or you need to release the brake before picking up your bike.- It stays warm on cool days. I have not tried it in the heat but I would guess you need to be very careful to keep your child cool.- The tow bar is not keyed, so it is possible to insert it into the trailer with the wrong orientation. It is possible, but difficult to fix this.- My trailer came with the flag holder installed upside down. it was easy to fix, but you need a hex key.I have been using the 16+ wheel kit with the trailer. The Schrader valves on that accessory worked well. It's not obvious to me that the 16+ wheels help my baby or help me tow the trailer, but they at least look like they make the ride more comfortable.The folding mechanism works well. The trailer handles well (no super sharp right turns, though). Hitch installation was easy with my quick release wheel.

Sweet ride! Great trailer, rides really smooth!

We live in Chicago with our 1.5 year old. Before her birth, we enjoyed bike riding along the lake front. Over the past year and a half, we have resorted to walking the lake front trail in a stroller. No more!When researching options for biking with a toddler, I first compared the attached seat approach versus the dedicated bike trailer. Consumer Reports states that the bike trailer is the safer option due to the child's shorter distance from the ground. Furthermore, I liked the idea that we could ride with the trailer, then detach it as a stroller. Seemed perfect for our lifestyle. The biggest questions then were price, size, and brand.After a couple of days with multiple Chrome tabs open, I finally settled on the Encore X. Throughout that research I compared the different tiers of trailers (entry, mid-level, affluent-status-symbol). After some time, it seemed that Thule and Burley were the biggest players in this industry, so that narrowed the search. Then comparing the different models and reading articles, the theme emerged that "you get what you pay for". It took a few days to swallow the possibility that I would be spending more that a couple hundred bucks on one of these. Finally, I weighed the decision of getting a 1 or a 2-seater. In the end, I landed on the Encore X because of the price point, the 2-seat option (for space and friends), and the stroller functionality.We have taken the stroller out with our daughter for 3 excursions along the lake front. All three times were wonderful. Our most recent trip was during the Pride Parade. We wanted to get away from the crowds, so we decided to head to the zoo for the afternoon. Traffic was a nightmare. Public transportation was backed up. But the bike trail was almost empty. We loaded up the trailer with a small cooler for snacks (and our daughter) and biked to the zoo. The bike ride was effortless. Then once we got to the zoo, we locked up the bikes and popped off the trailer into stroller mode and walked around the zoo. My daughter stayed content the whole time. Then after the zoo, we re-attached the trailer to the bikes and rode home. The sudden rain even gave us a chance to use the rain shield, and I'm happy to report that while her parents were soaked, our daughter stayed dry.I read the Wired article giving this a 5/10. Personally, I haven't experienced the handle bar issue. It stays put. Ventilation seems good as well, and if it's a particularly hot day, you can lift the back flap up entirely (unless it's raining, then honestly you've got other problems besides ventilation).We love this thing. Well worth the price of admission.

It is just amazing. We use it soo much. Even to go for groceries. But with bikes, it is so cool that our kids can sit together, share emotions, some snacks 😀And also very comfortable that it has a big trunk, so we can take a lot needed for picnic things with us: food, mat, water and other.We love it so much