patgoral

Ok, so I have been car free for over a year and have a 15 mile commute each way to work at my bike shop. I have a 17 lbs jack russell/chihuahua mix, that I would love to have at the shop with me everyday. I'm the only employee except for my boss, so I get pretty lonely in here. I was looking at the Burley Rover for taking her to work with me, BUT I ride on a lot of nasty suburban roads, and I don't want to put my dog in danger. How wide are these trailers and would it be ok on some pretty busy roads? Also, is there a way to mount lights on the back of the trailer?

patgoral

I just found this, I may have to give this a try https://www.pets2bed.com/site/1405195/product/SPP-13. I can only use it on nice days, BUT it is much less vulnerable than a trailer on busier roads and a lot less weight.

arkiemark

I commute 10 miles each way to work 2-3 days per week with my cavalier king charles spaniel (20lbs) sitting inside a padded folding Wald rear basket. He's never jumped out and is pretty safe on the back roads. In order for the bike to be balanced, I end up putting all my office items (clothes, papers, laptop) inside the other basket. All in all, the bike is HEAVY with all the weight, but so long as I'm not rushing, we get to the office and back safely.

craigR

Well, when my pup was smaller, around 15lbs, I used to ride him around in a Jandd grocery pannier. Now he's a little bigger, 43 lbs, so I bought a used child trailer off craigslist and converted it to a dog hauling utility trailer. I would say a Wald basket should work well for a 20lb dog. Although, 10-20 miles is a lot farther than I went with the panniers because he had to sit up the whole time. He liked it, but he definitely enjoys the trailer more because of the freedom of movement.

PS. I moved down to FL from Suwanee in 07, nice area up there. I miss the north Georgia mountains and mountain biking. I have a Santa Cruz Heckler that gets no love down here in flat Florida.

exarkuhn15

Very clever ideas! Anyone figure out some way to get a slightly bigger (30 pound) dog on a rear bike rack, without resorting to one of those 2 wheeled buggies that you pull behind you?

Lot's Knife

Holy crap, that's a cute picture. I want to echo Exarkuhn's question. Any ideas for the 30-pounders?

atx33

Yeah I agree. I have a 50 pound dog that I would be interested in riding along with me if possible.

exarkuhn15

Not sure if that's sarcasm or not, but I thought 30 was pushing it! 50 - yikes! You'd need one of those Dutch cargo bikes for that!

atx33

No sarcasm, I am new to the biking world. I was curious if they had a wagon or something for dogs. My dog has hip problems so running isnt the best for him. Sorry if that came out wrong.

atx33

I guess this is what I was talking about.

https://thepamperedpetmart.com/page/TPPM/PROD/TPPE/SWL_M
https://www.radiofence.com/pet-stroll...t_stroller.htm

badmother

Get a longtail bike. Mine is homemade. My dog is 26 ks`s.



https://www.bikeforums.net/utility-cycling/540919-spring-time-new-dogbike.html

craigR

Love the Dogbike2 Badmother. That's such a sweet ride.

50lbs seems like a lot for most rear racks to handle, especially if its a constantly shifting load like a squirmy dog. They'll all squirm a little while they catch all the scents as you ride. You already have the majority of your body weight above the top tube, so for sake of stability, if you're going to add more weight, get the load as low as possible. Humans on the back of a motorcycle make a good example. If they lean with you, corners are taken seamlessly. If they fight you, like dogs will as the floor underneath them moves, holding a line as you turn can be difficult.

Either way, my Jandd expedition rack is rated for 50lbs, don't know of too many that carry much more than that. I believe the Surly Nice Rack is rated for 80lbs if you felt like giving it a whirl. If you do, take some pics, I'd love to see it.

Trailers, although not the "coolest" option, are probably the best bet for a larger size dog. As long as my dog is happy, that's all I care about. Most people around here point and "aww look" anyway. He's never been bothered by obnoxious barking dogs or spooked by loud noises, so it works out well for us.

tobashiya

While I know the picture doesn't seem to show a useful solution, the PFD does have two D rings that I've clipped a shoulder strap onto and held the dog as if she were a messenger bag... Even at 12lbs, riding with her like this my biceps are on fire after 5 mins... Just a thought tho, maybe you could go one step further...