Burley Minnow In-depth Review

As per our expert bike trailer review, we categorized the Burley Minnow as an entry-level single child bike trailer. It is a recreational bike trailer together with the Burley Bee and the Burley Honey Bee. Like the Burley Bee, it is a single-use bike trailer, which means it is a bike trailer that can only be used for bike riding. There are no accessories that can convert the bike trailer into a multisport bike trailer like Burley D’Lite, Burley Encore, Burley Encore X, and Burley Cub X.  

The Burley Minnow is the most basic single-seat child trailer. It tucks exceptional safety features and performance within its simplicity, which is a considerable saving given the price.

In a nutshell, the Burley Minnow has plenty of storage space, is easy to assemble, tows smoothly, and has many convenient features, which will make you love it as we did.

Although it was discontinued in 2021 and replaced by the Burley Bee Single trailer, we write this review if you can find it put up for sale.

Burley Minnow Bike Trailer

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Quick Facts on the Burley Minnow Trailer

Recommended for families looking for a basic single-trailer at an affordable price

Capacity: Single

Weight Capacity: 75 pounds

Trailer’s weight: 21 lbs.

Folded dimension:  32.25 x 26 x 11.25 inches

Dimensions: 36 x 32.25 x 26 inches

Tire Size: 20 Inches

Use: single-use (Cycling/Bike- only)

Full Burley Minnow Bike Trailer Review

The Burley Minnow is an entry-level bike-only trailer from Burley designed for adventurous families looking for a bike trailer that incorporates safety and durability for an affordable price point.

We tested the Burley Minnow with a 13-month-old, 15-month-old, and a 3-year-old. We also interviewed parents with kids between 1-year-old three years old, and here is what we discovered about the trailer.

Lightweight

The bike trailer shell is constructed from aluminum, which makes the trailer light. Once you acquire the Minnow, you will enjoy the family bike rides and not be left behind by others.

When pulling the trailer, it rolls smoothly. It hardly feels as though you have extra weight towing behind your bike.

Storage Space

Bringing items on a ride or carrying some kids’ supplies from the shop on a bike trailer can be fulfilling.

The Burley Minnow bike trailer has a large storage area. The cargo space can fit a diaper backpack or bag, extra items such as toys, and two adult shoes as well as water bottles, and still leave some room.

Safety and Comfort of Kids

The Burley Minnow comes with a full aluminum roll cage and 5-point harness system, both of which have passed the rigorous Burley Standard durability testing.

This can only mean one thing: while the single-seat kids’ bike trailer is affordable, safety and durability are not sacrificed.

Harness System

The Minnow features an entirely adjustable five-point harness. You can adjust the harness above either around the buckle or above the shoulders by pulling the nylon harness strap.

The buckle's beauty is that it can be operated with one hand as it does not require much pressure. The little pressure required is to make it kid-proof, which boosts the kids' safety on a ride.

Climate Control Features

Kids on bike trailers are special and deserve protection. Thanks to a kid-friendly design, the Burley Minnow trailer comes with windows, venting, and a trailer cover that protects the kids from the elements.

The Minnow trailer cover is made from a thick 600D polyester fabric that is water-resistant. The cover can help shield the kids from both wind and rain or water splashing as you ride.

For further protection from rain, the Burley Minnow has a transparent plastic cover that rolls down. Its fabric wings or panels wrap around the trailer’s sides, further preventing the rainwater and wind from reaching the little passenger. We love this salient feature in all the Burley trailers; it makes us worry less when we see the clouds gathering.

The Minnow trailer also comes with UPF 30 UV windows that come in handy during summers. It further has vents that help free the flow of wind to cool the babies. Besides, the trailer's back has a mesh that further acts as ventilation to the bike trailer cabin. Also, as the mesh is soft, it acts as a helmet recess, which holds the baby’s helmet in place during a ride.

Hammock-Style seat

Although we love the bench-style seats like the ones on the Thule Chariot Cheetah XT, for making it easy to load and offload the kids, the Minnow comes with a hammock-style seat.

It is expected that it is an entry-level trailer because similar trailers under 300 dollars also come with the same seat style.

Our little man loves the seat as it makes him sag and watch us do the heavy lifting – pedaling out our calories. We did not have any complaints regarding comfort, and to us, that was a big win.

However, should there be complaints, you can install the Burley seat pads to beef up comfort. You can also purchase the Burley S.I.T seat that offers more padding and comes with a tension system to secure the shoulder straps.

These extra additions can be made thanks to the inbuilt Velcro strips that allow seat insert and mesh pockets for additional storage.

Cabin Space

The Burley Minnow is roomy compared to other entry-level single trailers. The interior features many kid-specific features that will please your kids.

It has mesh-pockets accessible by the kid from their seated position, where you can place snacks and a few essentials.

Those toting small-size 5-year-olds indicated that they fit well and there is still some space to spare. Surprisingly, the Burley Minnow has an internal height of 27.5”, which is 3.5 additional inches in height compared to other single bike trailers in the market.

There is also more you can do with the 16” width of the trailer, which again makes it wider than the single bicycle trailers on the market.

With a recessed cabin, the little passenger has enough legroom to ensure that they are not cramped when enjoying the ride.

Easy to Assemble

The Burley Minnow comes with assembly instructions that make it easy and quick to install. Once ready, make sure you test ride it around the compound to have the magical Burley trailer towing feel – easy, smooth, and quiet are the three words that describe how the Minnow rolls.

Some parents indicated that setting up the Minnow is a breeze. From between 10 to 15 minutes, they had figured out how to set it up and were out of the parking, enjoying their ride with the kid onboard.

Attachment to bike, Foldability, and Storage

The Burley Minnow is super easy to attach and detach from the bike for storage. It has a great hitch system that beats most of the hitches that other high-end or mid-range bike trailers have.

The FlexConnector allows the trailer to maintain an upright positioning when the bike is flat and ensures that the bike trailer pools smoothly and efficiently.

When loading the kids to the trailer or during a crash, the trailer remains upright thanks to the roll-cage and the thick and sturdy rubber neck of the trailer arm hitch.

The Minnow folds in two steps. Once you release the red flame latches at the rear cover, the trailer collapses. You will then push the lower frame bar to make the trailer collapsed. It folds down flat with the tires and the trailer arm going inside the trailer.

The wheels can be removed by pressing the wheels' push buttons and subsequently pulling them away from the frame.

We found the process of removing the trailer arm that attaches to the frame in three areas tedious and time-consuming. But after the first attempt, the subsequent detachments were done swiftly.

After removing the wheels and the trailer arm, you can put them in the folded trailer to save space.

With the Minnow Discontinued, What Next?

The Minnow was commissioned as a basic single-bike trailer that offered affordable quality and durability. It also comparatively offered size almost close to that of single-trailer trims of higher-end bicycle trailers.

Thanks to the relatively large maximum weight limit, adequate cabin space, more headroom, and enough legroom, it easily grows with your kid.

Although you can find a single or double bike trailer for your budget, check out our top 11 best bike trailer list; here is a roundup of some of the alternatives now that the Minnow has bowed out.

Comparison table with other single bike trailers

Check out the full review of bike trailers on our website for more insights and information on the respective bike trailers.

Bottom Line

Burley has once again reaffirmed its position and reputation as a top bike trailer brand trusted for quality, safe, and durable products through the Burley Minnow. Because we love the Minnow for its kid-friendly design, compact foldability, and convenient features, you will surely love it.

Although it has been discontinued as of January 2021, the iconic Burley Bee single bike trailer is also up to the task and offers more or less the same features and a more affordable price.

It might not run up against the high-end bike trailers such as the Thule Chariot Cheetah XT and Burley D’Lite, but it is undoubtedly an excellent single-passenger bike trailer that will keep nagging you to get the kids outdoors.