Burley Honey Bee Review 2022
Burley Honey Bee Review: Overview
Whether you have a deep passion for cycling or just enjoy a casual weekend cruise, sharing that experience with your kids compounds the joy you get from riding a bike. That’s why I looked forward to this Burley Honey Bee review as it gave me opportunities for quality time with my own child — as this trailer would for any parent who uses it.
Boasting a mixture of versatility, portability, and construction quality, the Burley Honey Bee competes in the ultra-competitive “budget” class of bike trailers (although on the high-end of that spectrum). Translation: Haul it behind your bike, detach it for walks in the park and feel at ease knowing it’s safe for your kids and should be able to withstand the harshest of punishments bike trailers typically experience – the kids themselves.
Overall the Burley Honey Bee trailer Electric Bike Report reviewed taught us one thing in particular: This trailer is a great option to look at for those wanting a simple, yet versatile bike trailer that performs as expected on each ride.
So is this the bike trailer for you? Head further below and we’ll dive into all the details you need to know.
- The Burley Honey Bee rolls well and feels one with your bike — you hardly feel it behind you.
- Going from riding to walking with the trailer is quick and easy.
- Stores down compactly for easy transport.
- The 5-point harness is simple and effective.
- The rear storage compartment holds more than you expect it to.
- The water-resistant polyester material keeps kids and cargo dry.
- UV window protection blocks 98% of UV light.
- Meets ASTM safety standards.
- 3-year warranty on the frame.
- No adjustable recline on the seats.
- No cushions on the harness straps.
- Would love to see floor mats for quick cleanup. To be fair, all these problems are solved on higher-end models. Just wish they had ‘cheap’ versions here on the more affordable Honey Bee.
Who It’s Best For:
Parents looking for a durable and versatile bike trailer, but who don’t necessarily need all the bells and whistles of higher priced models.
- 1-wheel stroller kit
- Hub brake
- Hitch, towarm, safety flag
- 5-point harness system
- Aluminum roll cage
- Hammock-style seats
- Water resistant 600D polyester cover and seat fabric
- Front, rear, and wheel reflectors
- UV protection windows are rated UPF 50+ and block 98% of UV light
- Interior pockets in both cargo area and child seating area
- Cargo area
- Quick release wheels
- (Optional) 16” fat tires
- Handlebar Height: 30-46”
- Size Open (Double): 84.5 x 74.9 x 94”
- Size Folded: 90.2 x 74.3 x 31.8”
- Inside Height: 26”
- Inside Width: 22”
- Number of Riders: 1 or 2 (we reviewed the 2)
- Weight Capacity: 100lbs
- Trailer Weight: 25.2 lbs (includes towbar, hitch, flag)
- Window UV Protection Rating: UPF 50+
- Wheel Size: 20” for standard wheels
Burley Honey Bee: Performance Review
Assembly
Those who fear assembling a product should have little to fear here; setup of the Burley Honey Bee takes only a few minutes.
Putting it together requires learning how to open it and lock it in place for the first time, attaching the wheel guards and popping the wheels and arm into place. Attach the flag and you’re ready to roll.
It’s all quite straightforward so you can look forward to unboxing the Burley Honey Bee and riding in almost no time.
Ride Handling
The thing that struck me from the onset of reviewing the Burley Honey Bee is how you barely notice it’s there. Once you’ve secured the hitch to your bike’s rear axle (check the instructions for your axle type) you’re ready to ride. And once you get going it’s almost easy to forget you’re riding with a trailer (or as easy as it is to ‘forget’ you’re towing your kids, anyway).
It doesn’t make much discernable noise above what your bike does, it moves in lockstep with you as you’d hope it to and the drag feels minimal for what you’re towing. The 20” wheels roll very smoothly across the roads, sidewalks and even some lighter dirt and grass that I tried it out on.
I even rode the bike to some more extreme speed without my son in tow to test the responsiveness and “tiltability” of the trailer.I was pleasantly surprised with how well it moved. Even while weaving or accelerating rapidly both trailer wheels stayed planted to the ground. Even as I took it off some curbs it seemed to just drop and stick to the roads in quick order.
It’s reassuring that my attempts at tilting the trailer yielded no results. It instilled confidence that proper use of the trailer should see virtually no problems.
Handling as a stroller
Switching from ride mode to stroller mode is simple. Detach the tow-bar from the hitch, pop down the wheel, lock it in place and you’re all set. It’s a very convenient and quick system.
In the previous section I raved about how smooth the trailer is – ditto that in stroller mode.
The Burley Honey Bee glides nicely as you go about neighborhood walks or trips to the park. Again, those 20” wheels move nicely, and even the front wheel on the tow-bar performs well when moving forward or turning.
It’s easy to appreciate the adjustable handlebars. They help you find your ideal height so that pushing isn’t uncomfortable (something I can’t say about my current baby stroller at home).
The brake lever is simple too for when you need to park the trailer for kids to get in and out.
You discover quickly that the storage compartment is handy and comes into play in either stroller or trailer mode, but man can you pack a lot into that space! Blankets, lunch and my backpack were all stowed with no problem.
I think the only minor gripe I have of the Burley Honey Bee as a stroller is that you can really feel how wide it is when maneuvering vs. a traditional stroller. Not a fault of the Honey Bee per se, it’s just a bike trailer first and stroller second and that’s one of the few areas you feel it.
Ride Comfort
First-hand feedback on this section is limited, but my 1 ½ year old son can be quoted as saying “Yay,” “Whee,” “Go,” and “More” at various points while riding — all good indicators of him enjoying himself and staying relatively comfortable.
Overall the materials used on the interior are solid and make for a good experience. Hammock-style seating offers a type of natural suspension. The 5-point harness can be adjusted for an appropriate fit. Handy little pockets are close by for holding all the Cheerios (at least in my case). And the mesh area around where the head rests can accommodate different shapes of helmets.
As I mentioned above in the handling section, the wheels do a good job of staying planted and the trailer follows the bike pretty well. The experience in the trailer shouldn’t be vastly different from the feedback the rider of the bike feels from the road, so if you’re smooth sailing on paved roads then the kids should be as well.
There are some areas where I think comfort could be improved. I wouldn’t say no to seeing some cushioning on the straps of the harness so I don’t have to question if they dig into my son (it didn’t seem to be a problem though). Also, there is no recline adjustment on the seats so if I’m anticipating a ride through nap times I’ll have to hope my son will fall asleep upright.
In fairness to Burley, both of those problems are solved on higher end models such as the D’Lite X.
Folding/Transporting
Folding down the Burley Honey Bee is a sinch. Unhook the release latches from the rear cross bar and push in from the front. Then unhook and pull out the tow-bar and remove the quick release wheels by depressing the release button and pulling it off its axle. Just like that, it’s folded and ready for transport.
While it’s built to be sturdy, the Burley Bee trailer is fairly light. I had no issues getting it in the trunk of my car.
The overall footprint it has in your trunk is nothing outrageous either. Compared to some traditional or jogging strollers it might even occupy less volume in your trunk than you’re used to.
Thanks to how flat it folds, you should be able to secure it in longer narrow spaces too, or stow it somewhere in a closet till you’re ready to use it again.
Safety
One of the more notable aspects of the Honey Bee is the overall construction quality. I’ve spent time with Burley’s higher-end models and I’m happy to note that across the line Burley makes solid, safe products using great materials.
Burley claims to meet or exceed the American Society for Testing and Materials and they offer a 3-year warranty for the frame. Both are good signs for knowing you’re getting a product that has safety standards the company believes in.
The Heat treated 6061-T6 aluminum frame provides protection in the event of a crash, and the stroller handlebar when in bike ride positioning adds to the roll cage.
The 5-point harness keeps kids where they should be, and the water-resistant polyester fabric that goes around the trailer provides good protection against the rain and elements.
Reflectors can be found on the front, sides and rear of the trailer plus the orange flag for visibility.
Accessories
Burley offers several accessories for the Honey Bee including a trailer storage bag, bunting bag for keeping little ones warm and a premium seat pad if you want more comfortable rides inside the trailer.
They also have a 16” x 3” wheel kit you can buy. This is great for people who want to fare better in the sand, dirt and snow.
Burley sent us a 16” wheel kit to test and it paired nicely with some of the fat tire e-bikes I was using to pull the trailer with. They held up well with some of the sandy areas I rode over and it was just nice in general to know I could have options for either a park joyride or leisurely beach stroll and I could use the appropriate tire for the job.
Burley Honey Bee Review: Summary / Where to Buy
The Burley Honey Bee I reviewed really left me with a positive experience in the end. It exceeded many of my expectations for an entry-level bike trailer.
The ride quality is nothing shy of spectacular. It sticks with your bike and moves everybit how you’d hope it does. You quickly learn you don’t have to worry too much about the trailer as it will follow you most anywhere reliably.
The versatility of having a trailer and stroller in one is great. I think it’s absolutely worth the cost difference between a regular trailer to one that can work as a stroller — consider me converted.
The Burley Honey Bee isn’t without its shortcomings. Namely I’d like to see a few of what I’d consider basic comfort components added in with cushioning on the harness straps, and some way to adjust the recline.
Still, at the end of the day the Honey Bee is an all-around quality package that is sure to encourage more bike rides with my family. Or as my 1 ½ year old eloquently put it when I’d go to take him out of the trailer: “More bike!”
Burley sells the Honey Bee directly from their website at the link below.
‘Happy Riding, make sure to let us know if you have any questions down in our comments section or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Burley Honey Bee.