I never thought I would spend $750 on a bike trailer, but the safety and versatility of Burley's high-end buggy make me glad I did

Riding in Burley's D'Lite X — Dominick Reuter/Insider

Burley is an Oregon-based designer of some of the most popular bike accessories in the world.
The company's iconic kids' trailer, the Bee, starts at $280, while the D'Lite X starts at $750.
After considering both, I chose the D'Lite X for its versatility and features. I'm glad I did.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

My wife and I have a 9-month-old daughter. She's still too small for bike rides, so I borrowed her teddy bear for this test ride of the Burley D'Lite X.

Burley's D'Lite X with a teddy bear for testing — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The D'Lite X looks like a normal bike trailer.

Burley's D'Lite X with the tow bar in biking position — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The first advantage is the trailer easily converts to a stroller by lowering the front wheel and retracting the tow bar.

Burley's D'Lite X with the tow bar in stroller position — Dominick Reuter/Insider

But if you don't like the bar, you can quickly change it out using the optional stroller wheel accessory. There's also an attachment for a jogger wheel. All attachments are sold separately.

Burley's D'Lite X with a tow bar and the optional stroller accessory — Dominick Reuter/Insider

A large, sturdy clip secures attachments in place...

Burley's D'Lite X can change from trailer to stroller with a wheel kit — Dominick Reuter/Insider

... and a safety pin adds additional security.

A push-button secures the safety pin on Burley's D'Lite X — Dominick Reuter/Insider

In trailer mode, the push bar serves as additional rollover protection.

Burley's D'Lite X push bar easily flips to be a roll bar — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The roll bar easily flips to become a push bar, and the height is quickly adjustable for short or tall people.

The push bar of Burley's D'Lite X flips over to become a roll bar — Dominick Reuter/Insider

My wife and I are both tall, so the higher handle practically sold us on this trailer as an alternative to the normal stroller that causes us to hunch over when walking.

Burley's D'Lite X in stroller mode — Dominick Reuter/Insider

We use the stroller every day for walks around the neighborhood, and our daughter loves the comfortably padded seat.

The seat of Burley's D'Lite X — Dominick Reuter/Insider

There are mesh pockets on both sides for snacks, toys, or bottles.

Burley's D'Lite X has several side mesh pockets — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The rubber floor mat is removable for easily cleaning out Cheerios and Goldfish.

Burley's D'Lite X has a removable floor mat — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The bench seat is firm but padded - far more supportive than the saggy seat I recall riding around in when I was a kid. The seat can also be removed to turn the D'Lite X into a cargo trailer.

Burley's D'Lite X seat is firm but padded — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The front panel folds away for easier entry (when the child is able to climb in on their own).

The front panel of Burley's D'Lite X folds away for easier entry — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The wheels are easily removed with the push of a button, and can be swapped out for more rugged ones or outfitted with skis for wintertime.

The wheels on Burley's D'Lite X are easily removed with the push of a button — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The D'Lite X features shocks, which you can adjust depending on the terrain or the weight of the passenger or cargo.

A closeup of the shocks and brakes on Burley's D'Lite X — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The shocks make for an incredibly smooth ride, and the hub-brake mechanism fully locks up the wheels.

The hub brake mechanism of Burley's D'Lite X — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The hub brake is easily engaged by sliding the foot lever at the back.

The hub brake of Burley's D'Lite X is easily engaged by sliding the foot lever — Dominick Reuter/Insider

A clear rain cover zips over the mesh windows on both the front and back of the passenger area...

Burley's D'Lite X has a clear rain cover that zips over its mesh windows — Dominick Reuter/Insider

... and a sun shade pulls down for the passenger.

Burley's D'Lite X has a sun shade for the passenger — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The seat is reclinable with a button accessed through the rear compartment.

The seat of Burley's D'Lite X is reclinable — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The seat leans back pretty far, and on two-seater models they are independently adjustable.

Burley's D'Lite X has a reclinable seat — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The interior is spacious with tinted side windows.

Burley's D'Lite X has a spacious interior with tinted side windows — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The trailer quickly folds down by releasing two catches above the seat...

Burley's D'Lite X folds down by releasing two catches — Dominick Reuter/Insider

... then pushing the seat forward.

Burley's D'Lite X folds down by leaning the seat forward first — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The whole thing folds relatively flat...

Burley's D'Lite X folds relatively flat — Dominick Reuter/Insider

... especially when the wheels are removed.

Burley's D'Lite X folded flat with wheels removed — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The rear compartment easily fits several grocery bags, though it can get a little unbalanced with heavier loads.

Burley's D'Lite X rear compartment fits groceries — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The tow bar connects with a bracket that stays attached to your bike. If your bike uses a through-axle, you'll need a special one to connect the bracket.

Burley's D'Lite X connects to a bike with a bracket — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The tow bar is connected to the bracket with a pin...

The connecting pin of Burley's D'Lite X — Dominick Reuter/Insider

... and the stroller wheel folds out of the way.

The tow bar's stroller wheel folds away on Burley's D'Lite X — Dominick Reuter/Insider

As always, there are backups - for this model, a safety tether in case the hitch comes loose while riding.

Burley's D'Lite X has a safety tether in case the hitch comes loose — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The first thing I noticed was how smooth and quiet the ride was.

The single-seat trailer isn't exactly centered, but I realized that allows me to hug the right shoulder more closely without worrying about clipping the curb.

A visibility flag is included, and there are several spots to attach safety lights on the back.

I was surprised by the trailer's light weight and maneuverability on pavement...

... and off.

The shocks really smoothed out the bumps...

... and making a tight turn was no problem.

Making a tight turn with the Burley's D'Lite X — Dominick Reuter/Insider

The hitch is flexible enough to just lay the bike down when you need to take a break.

Considering the fact that some high-end strollers easily top the price of the Burley D'Lite X, I think having something this versatile is actually a pretty good deal.