Child Carriers - Burley d'Lite vs Nashbar?

[toon-time]

Anyone have any thoughts on Child Carriers? Nashbar (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=98&subcategory=1059&brand=&sku=9308&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Child%20Carriers) ($110) has a child carrier that looks very similar to Burley dLite (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=12829&subcategory_ID=6400) ($400) for way less? Will I be sacrificing safety if I go with Nashbar? If durability is an issue, I can by 4 Nashbars for 1 Burley.

Any recommendations?

[Bobbo]

I think this depends mainly on how much you will use the carrier. If it's going to see just occasional, around the block type usage, I would save the money.

If there is a real difference, it's likely in the design or in the amenities. Those differences get greater the more you use it.

[93legendti]

I've had a Burley for 3 years and it is great. It looks like the wheels on the Nashbar are smaller than the Burley's wheels. If that is so, the ride might be rougher in the Nahsbar. So that's a consideration. As my mother (who is as frugal as they come) says: "it isn't a bargain if you do not use it!"

[lemondsteel]

I used my Burley weekly when my kids were small. Never had an issue with anything for over 8 years. The only time it (me) caused a problem is when I forgot to strap the kids in (they were wearing helmets) and clipped a curb with the trailer wheel. It flipped it over on it's side, the kids did stayed in but they did tumble around a bit. The good top cover with window kept them in.
Never forgot the seatbelt again. Sold it to somone in LA and got 80% of what I paid for it.

[Steelhead]

Child Carriers - Burley d'Lite vs Nashbar?

Cars - BMW Sedan Vs. Geo Metro?

:D

[Chad Engle]

I have owned both a Burley and a cheapo from Target. Burley was a lot lighter and definitely better built but for the occasional ride I could not justify buying another Burley, should not have sold it. Aluminum vs. Steel, the debate rages on but this is one case where aluminum wins. Burley resale = awesome. Make sure and get the stroller package regardless of which you chose.

[djg]

Child Carriers - Burley d'Lite vs Nashbar?

Cars - BMW Sedan Vs. Geo Metro?

:D

Surely this is a meaningless comparison--neither of the kid carriers comes with an engine, for starters.

We've had a "bell" brand trailer for some years now--I don't know whether the model remains current. We bought ours at Costco for about 100 bucks. It too, looks quite a bit like the Burley. Ours came with spoked wheels with alloy rims, an allloy frame, five-point harnesses, ventilation, fore and aft, and a rain cover. It's fine. A friend who borrowed ours and then bought a used burley, said that the models were very similar, but that he found the assembly/fold-away processes slightly more convenient with the Burley.

I gather that one can buy a trailer with plastic wheels or other problems, but the basics seem to me to be pretty similar. Enough room for the kids is key, as is reasonable ventilation, but I think that the kids' experience, the parent's experience, and the safety factor are almost entirely determined by factors exogenous to the trailer. The difficulty of pulling the thing is largely a function of the weight of the kids and the terrain, not subtle differences in the trailer. The kids' comfort is mostly about the weather, how they are dressed, how they are provisioned, and how long they are supposed to sit still. And safety seems to me chiefly to do with where and when you ride and the extent to which you, the parent, pays attention to the surroundings--obviously, certain things are out of your hands, but quite a bit is not.

By all means look them over. And if the money doesn't mean much to you, buy whatever seems nicer. But it struck us, when we were shopping, that it was pretty easy to get away from the bottom-of-the-barrel choices and into some that all seemed close enough in performance, but substantially different in price. Our relative cheapie has been fine.

[Polyglot]

I owned a Burey for 10 years and actually sold it for more than I paid for it initially as it was still in near perfect shape. I used it both as a trailer as well as a stroller (especially when going to the zoo with two toddlers and all their gear). I think that in the end, the price difference works out to perhaps $100 as the Burley can be resold for a strong price whereas the Nashabr one will become yard/garage sale fodder in the end. Technically the Burley has proper bicycle wheels/hubs, a wider more stable stance, protection around the wheels (very important as it is quite easy to forget the width of the trailer when riding in tight quarters), superb flexibility of the hitch joint (better than any other I have ever seen). In my eyes, I would rather spend the small final price difference on the Burley.

[pdxmech13]

Burley has a new model called eruo d'lite
exceeds some kind of testing in euro world

me, I would buy depending on if I thought my
kid has the potential on suppporting me when
I'm old and crazy.