Just two years ago, Veolo unveiled a lightweight two-wheeled trailer designed to make every cyclist from bikepackers to cargo bike enthusiasts, rethink if… maybe a trailer was a better solution to hauling more gear. Now, they are back with the Veolo Bike Trailer 2.0 – a lighter, lower-profile, faster-rolling, more stable, and easier-to-use version that builds on everything that made their first independent-suspension trailer a nice solution for carrying more by bike. Plus, Veolo now offers more add-on options tailored to bringing your dog on adventures, hauling a boat or board to the lake, or just more secure ways to carry a week’s shopping or a weekend’s adventure gear…
Veolo 2.0 lightweight, suspended performance bike trailer
Why load your bike down with top-heavy bags? Or why would you need to buy a dedicated bike just to haul 4 bags of groceries home from the store, or to carry something even bigger? Instead, why not keep your high-performance bike light for most of the time. Then, just hook up a lightweight and fast-rolling trailer for those bike trips that really do need to haul a lot more gear.
That’s the concept behind the original Veolo bike trailer, and it’s still the core principle behind version 2.0. Only this time, the new trailer does everything better, lighter, and is easier to live with day to day.
What’s new?
Lighter weight, narrower form factor, better weight distribution
More than 20% weight reduction is pretty solid starting point. The original Veolo trailer was already pretty lightweight at 8.5kg. But now this one is so light, if it was a bike, the UCI wouldn’t let you race it!
Now, just 6.7kg.
Veolo calls the 2.0 the “lightest sprung multi-function trailer” and definitely the “lightest sprung dog trailer“, too!
Plus, the new trailer is a ~8.5cm narrower overall and a few centimeters longer shape (Veolo calls the frame 10cm narrower & 10cm longer), that also happens to sit your load 2cm lower. That means there’s a bit lower frontal area to pull through the wind. But probably more importantly, it gives the Veolo 2.0 trailer a lower center of gravity for more stability over irregular terrain and improved cornering handling.
Its narrower design has also been optimized to sit more centrally in-line behind modern 142mm spaced thru-axles bikes.
More refined load basket, tires & mounting hitch system
Looking more closely, it’s also nice to see the move to a reinforced fabric platform for the main basket of the trailer vs. the bent aluminum sheet of the original. The change not only reduces weight, but means that the trailer will compress flat when not in use, taking up less storage space. Just the height/thickness of the frame, really.
The new fabric basket, with new carbon-composite stiffener crossbars, also includes new magnetic anchor points that make it easy to quickly clip on the included load straps. But they also serve as attachment points for several of Veolo’s Add-On accessories to tailor your trailer for ‘everyday, water sports, dog, and camping’ activities.
There’s also a shift to more burly & versatile 2″ Kenda Small Block Eight tires. Compared to the first generation’s lower-volume 44mm Big Apples, this should mean less bouncing around on anything beyond perfectly smooth roads, and it means the trailer can run lower pressures for a smoother ride for whatever you are hauling.
The Veolo 2.0 trailer still uses the common Chariot/Thule rubber ball hitch standard, which is convenient. But Veolo created an all-new much lighter-weight hitch with a smart, one-handed quick-attach & release design and an integrated locking mechanism. Saving more than 100g off the hitch alone is a pretty big deal, since that will stay on people’s bikes effectively permanently once you bolt it onto a hitch-ready thru-axle. And the standard cast Thule hitch just feels unnecessarily heavy!
Tech details
- lightweight 6061 aluminum-frame bicycle trailer
- durable & now collapsible fabric load basket, with mesh bottom & carbon composite lateral basket stiffeners
- 40-49cm x 92cm load basket area
- dual 20″ wheels with inward-leaning negative camber for added cornering stability
- 45mm of independent elastomer-damped suspension, with 3 elastomer stiffnesses available
- new Veolo-designed lightweight quick-release ball hitch connector
- compatible with bikes with 20-29″ rear wheels
- new magnetic Add-On system allows for quick & easy tool-free installation and removal of accessory kits
- new integrated kickstand of the standard-length & Dual-Mode towbars for stable loading/unloading away from the bike
- new driveside deflector to keep anything from going into the rear wheel opposite the tow bar
- 6.7kg total trailer weight
- max 60kg load hauling capacity
- made by hand in Leipzig, Germany
Optional Veolo accessory kits
- Dog Add-On makes lightest sprung dog trailer at 10.7kg. The washable textile & mesh enclosure is tested safe for dogs up to 45kg. It features a soft washable padded bed inside, and a separate external compartment for your pup’s snacks, water & extra toys.
- Touring Bag Add-On is a large 180L removable duffle bag. The large bag features a removable padded liner, adjustable internal dividers, small external pockets, and is secured magnetically to the trailer frame in seconds.
- Cargo Box Add-On is an even bigger 220L rectangular soft box with an aluminum frame. The waterproof Box is built to be light but sturdy box to haul all types of groceries and other gear, and includes with a lockable soft lid secured with any flexible lock.
- Water Sports Add-Ons are available in two versions. The simple double-decker Load Bars support medium-sized loads up to ~2m long, while still keeping the main basket available for smaller gear. Or the Long Load kit combines the load bracket mounts with an extended Long Drawbar to carry boats, boards and other items up to 3.5m long.
- Dual-Mode drawbar replaces the normal tow bar with and a more adjustable option. It is designed to rotate its combo trailer hitch and hand grip so you can more easily pull the trailer around by hand after the ride, and is also the ideal solution for pulling behind smaller-wheeled 20-24″ bikes thanks to its option to be adjusted shorter.
Veolo Trailer 2.0 – Pricing options & pre-order availability
The new Veolo Trailer 2.0 is being crowdfunded in a Kickstarter campaign now, just like the first-gen was back in late 2023. That’s because Veolo who already makes and sells the successful 1.0 trailer, simply needs to meet a minimum quantity threshold before they can afford to update all their tooling to the new generation. In the first few days of the crowdfunding, they’ve already pulled in more than 1/3 of the orders they need to go into production, and will be running the Kickstarter through July 3rd.
Campaign pre-order pledges start at about 660€ (~640 / 550€, before VAT) for Early Bird backers, plus shipping adding 18-80€ more. Interestingly, that’s as cheap as the original from a couple years ago, and the entry cost is still quite a bit less than the Cargo 1.0 version that Veolo has discounted on their site today. Add-on accessories tack on anywhere from 89-269€ before tax, so final costs will be higher if you are looking for a specialized setup.
Since this is a crowdfunding pre-order, you are going to have to wait quite a while. Veolo anticipates final assembly at their base in Leipzig will happen late this coming autumn. And their realistic customer delivery time frame is slated from January 2027 onward. As they say, “well ahead of the next riding season“.
They reiterated to us that some Veolo 1.0 trailers are still in stock for anyone needing to haul their gear right away.
Veolo Bike Trailer 2.0 is now available for ‘pre-order’ via Kickstarter, where there is tons more info available, especially about all the Add-On possibilities.
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