REASONS TO BUY
Easy to assemble
Large storage capacity
Affordable
REASONS TO AVOID
Rattles
Cloth sides touch wheels when overloaded
Aosom Elite II Review
This is an affordable trailer that boasts a massive cargo payload and is fairly versatile
Credit: Aosom
RELATED: Best Bike Cargo Trailer
Our Verdict
Affordable but proven trailers seem to be the name of the game for Aosom, and the Elite II definitely fits that bill. We used and abused this trailer all over town, and while it rattled like a diamondback fighting a mongoose, it did everything we asked of it and more. The two-wheel box trailer design boasts a huge cargo area and states it can hold 88 pounds of stuff, which we tested to that limit and beyond. Aside from the fabric side structures coming in contact with the wheels when overloaded, this trailer seemed to handle the overload quite well.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Aosom Elite II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  |  | |||
| Price | $160 List $108.99 at Amazon | $300 List $299.95 at Amazon | $190 List $119.99 at Amazon | $150 List $178.31 at Amazon | $200 List $129.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | While this trailer isn't the most refined, it is extremely affordable compared to the rest of the field and will get the job done | A large carrying capacity makes this trailer quite versatile and unique | This model is a bit heavy, but its an excellent value | An around town trailer that assembles quickly and proved to work well as a grocery getter or while out doing some greenway trail steward cleanup | Not recommended for epic bike touring adventures, but this trailer is an excellent around-town option |
| Rating Categories | Aosom Elite II | Burley Design Flatbed | Aosom Wanderer | Schwinn Day Tripper | Retrospec Rover Hauler |
| Capacity (30%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (20%) | |||||
| Ease of Towing (20%) | |||||
| Smoothness of Ride (20%) | |||||
| Versatility (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Aosom Elite II | Burley Design Flatbed | Aosom Wanderer | Schwinn Day Tripper | Retrospec Rover Hauler |
| Capacity | 88 lbs | 100 lbs | 110 lbs | 50 lbs | 80 lbs |
| Weight | 34.6 lbs | 14.5 lbs | 30 lbs | 18.5 lbs | 20.1 lbs |
| Number of Wheels | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Size (when open, L x W x H) | 35" x 33" x 25" | 33" x 16.1" x 30.9" | 57" x 27.6" x 19.2" | 25" x 16.5" x 10" | 27" x 24.5" x 20" |
| Wheel Size | 20" | 16" | 16" | 16" | 16" |
| Access into Trailer | Top | Top | Top | Top | Top |
| Cover Protection | Weatherproof cover | None | None | Weatherproof cover | Weatherproof cover |
| Attachment to Bike | Forged Steel Hitch | Forged Hitch | Aosom Type 'B' Bike Trailer Universal Hitch Coupler | Forged Steel Hitch | Forged Steel Hitch |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
If you're on the hunt for something large that won't break the bank, the Elite II is a solid consideration. It has some drawbacks, but depending on your needs, it may be the perfect companion.
Performance Comparison
Sheet metal siding, rolls of horse stall rubber, and mountains of empty beer cans, oh my. The Elite II seemed to haul whatever we threw into it even when we exceeded the 88 pound weight limit.
Credit: Brian Martin
Capacity
The Elite II is one of the largest trailers we tested and, in turn, was able to haul a ton of stuff. Indeed, one of the highlights of this trailer is the cavernous cargo bed. It doesn't carry the same weight rating as some of the burlier trailers do, but 88 pounds isn't too shabby. Have you ever tried to bike with 88 pounds attached to your bike? The reality is that this is plenty of capacity.
We went a little crazy cleaning up our greenway trail this year (you're welcome, Salt Lake), one positive being how much random stuff we could pile into this trailer. Everything from road cones exhumed from the creek to large rolls of horse stall rubber abandoned on public property. Shame, shame. The roll of rubber, weighing in at a solid 30 pounds, highlighted an issue with the cloth sides — the fabric got pushed into the wheels, creating some noisy friction. Be sure to pack the trailer bed strategically.
The biggest gripe we had with this trailer was when our negligence led to the side fabric rubbing on the wheel. The screaming sound this friction made quickly alerted us to our mistake. We remedied it by saying "hush little trailer" and loading even more garbage inside. By repositioning the contents, the contact stopped.
Credit: Brian Martin
Ease of Use
Overall, the Elite II was easy to use. The assembly didn't take more than 10 or 15 minutes, including time spent pumping up the flat tires. The hitching mechanism is self-explanatory, as is the backup strap. We learned that excessively heavy loads cause some issues, though, which we will address in the next segment.
Once the bike side mount was installed, the trailer attached and detached easily, allowing us to park it in the garage and deploy anytime we discovered a new trash pile along our greenway, which means daily.
We found assembly and hitching to be quite easy. Ultimately this trailer was highly functional out of the box.
Credit: Brian Martin
Ease of Towing
Unloaded, this trailer zips right along and cleverly notifies any pedestrians of your approaching by rattling so loud they jump from the trail — this also saves you from having to buy one of those cute bike bells! Kidding aside, the Elite II pulls well for a trailer that weighs as much as this one does when unloaded, and the rattling was our only major gripe.
When loaded down, the spring-loaded hitch sagged and pulled on our bike, probably worse than any other we tested. The spring hitch seems to dampen bumps when the trailer is modestly loaded, but when approaching its max, it starts to become annoying as you can feel it exerting weird forces on the bike. However, the large wheels pulled nicely on gravel paths and handled unexpected bumps well. We didn't tip this fella once!
The trailer side of the hitch was equipped with a spring. This did well to dampen bumps until the trailer was overloaded. It then sagged and pulled our bike side to side.
Credit: Brian Martin
Smoothness of Ride
My god, the rattling. Yes, we already complained about this, but the sound, at times, dominated our experience. Supposing we had earplugs in, this trailer does actually offer a decently smooth ride. The large wheels seemed to handle gravel road well enough, and the spring-loaded hitch dampened some bumps.
Get some garbage in that thing quick or it's going to continue the rattling. Unloaded, the Elite was quite noisy with its sheet metal bed and numerous loose metal connections.
Credit: Brian Martin
Versatility
The sheer size of this trailer boosted the versatility up quite a bit. You could pack just about anything appropriate for a bike trailer, such as groceries, coolers, fishing equipment, or, as in our case, heaps of garbage. If you want a trailer for long-distance touring or something that will slither down a single-track trail with no drama, this is not that trailer. Bringing the Elite II on a bike tour would be akin to hauling out a civil war cannon for a knife fight. This trailer is a heavy hitter built for swallowing up creek garbage and pretty much anything else you could imagine that weighs less than 88 pounds.
Go home Aosom, you're drunk! You never know what you're going to find out there, which makes the large voluminous cargo area of the Elite a nice touch.
Credit: Brian Martin
Value
The Elite II is downright affordable compared to so many others. It offers a huge cargo capacity and really performed pretty well throughout our tests. Even if you just wanted a trailer capable of being thrashed around town and without having to worry about dinging up your fancier trailer, this is a great choice. Like Bowser in Mario Cart, the Elite takes some time to get up to speed and doesn't snap around corners like Princess, but it can haul a bunch of stuff. The cost to capacity ratio alone makes this trailer a solid value.
Conclusion
For the price, the Aosom Elite II is a great choice for someone looking to haul things around with their bike. We have some gripes with this trailer, including its unloaded weight, incessant rattling, and handling when loaded down heavy. Those gripes aside, this trailer will do just about anything you ask it to do around town, and despite us trying to kill it, it keeps on keeping on.
If having a large trailer capable of taking a beating sounds like something you would be into, check out the Elite II. It's a rough and tumble trailer that is easy on your wallet.
Credit: Brian Martin
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Brian Martin
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