Leo H.

Does anyone have experience with the name brand pet trailers? Wike, Doggyride, Croozer, etc.?

I have a recumbent and I'm looking for a trailer to haul 2 dogs, totalling 75# or so, so the 'convert a kids trailer route' won't cut it. I figure one of the 20" wheel models and a larger size is going to be the better investment, I'm just curious to hear of any user's impressions.


Thanks,

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

Cyclepup

Leo,

I don't have firsthand experience with actual pet trailers yet but I plan to purchase a Doggyride Novel, hopefully later this year. You might find some helpful input from these links and/or the posters therein:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/forum...d_id=9702&v=2J
https://bikingdog.blogspot.com/

Or search YouTube for specific brand trailers. I think it's DoggyRide that has one of a guy on a recumbent pulling his Standard Poodle in a trailer. You may be able to e-mail these folks to get their input. There are several others of the brands you mention, but I didn't pull them all up.

Good luck and I hope your dogs enjoy the ride!

Leo H.

Thanks, I enjoy the entries on crazyguyonabike, I'll look into that link.
The only thing that I don't care for on the Doggyride is the open top
and the black color. I have smaller dogs and I prefer the Croozer or
the Wike Wagalong for their solid top for sun shade and their basic
lighter colors. Ultimately cost and condition will probably win out, I
check out searchallcraigs.com regularly.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

tashi

I have a DoggieRide and both my dog and I enjoy it quite a bit. Well, I probably like it more, but he co-operates. Brisco's 75lbs and, uh, a noticeable load. Mountain or touring bike gearing is will probably be appreciated. It's hinge is a big spring so it has a slightly annoying bounce to it sometimes; not a bit deal though. I really appreciate how compact it can get; it really folds up easily. The top and both doors can be sipped shut, and the front one has a plastic rain cover.

Don't take downhill corners too fast. I'm embarrassed to say that I've rolled my little guy twice. He was fine, not even visibly upset, but the trailer has a scuff or two.

SPAM: Mine's for sale, BTW. I don't have room for it in the new apartment and am working towards a bakfiets for dog and cargo haulin'.

Yeah, enjoying the beach with Brisco:

Leo H.

Bakfiets? Interesting idea, have you ever ridden one or you've just seen pics? I am really curious to figure out how that front steering works. That would definitely work for a pet carrier.

Please send me an email if you're interested in selling the Doggyride. I've been looking long enough that, though I like the Croozer, the Doggyride is a good product and likely the one I'll come across more often.
I may buy it, let's talk.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

nwmtnbkr

Leo,

As someone who's having a real problem getting my dog to accept riding in a trailer, I'd suggest you do some test rides if you know anyone who has any kind of trailer that would fit even one dog (do it one at a time). I believe the biggest issue with my dog is that she's so far away from me that she doesn't feel comfortable given we're in traffic. I think she'd be a lot more comfortable on a cargo bike with front carrier. By the way, the options for such bikes is constantly expanding and some good ones are now manufactured in the US. Personally, I like Joe Bikes' box frame cargo bike that has an beefy front rack, too. Joe Bikes is a Portland, OR based manufacturer. If I got one of these, I'd build a wooden box to mount in the platform area when I had the dog with me.

TMB

I've got a Croozer which I can use for a Springer Spaniel and a Basset Hound.

Great trailer and it always surprises me how "light" it tows.

Leo H.

That's close to the weight I am facing. Wish I could come across a Croozer
more often on craigslist....


Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

Leo H.

Frankly NW mtbkr, I think having 70 pounds of wiggling weight in the front of a two wheeler, is as much of an issue as pulling them behind.
For me and my dogs, it would be just as much an acclimation riding in front as in the back. It is a fascinating design though. There's a
nearby bike co-op with many ties to the Burning Man milieu, perhaps someone may know someone who's made one of these or knows how
to do that...I'd be up for that sort of an experiment in cobbling one together, before dropping a grand and a half on something that may be
as problematic as a $100 trailer in transporting them around.

It is a cool looking rig though....

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

nwmtnbkr

It's not wiggling that's the problem with my dog; I use a seat belt harness so she can't move around much or jump out. It's the yelping and crying, which gets worse the farther we go. She seems to be terrified because she's down low, there's traffic and she can't see me. Maybe you won't have issues with your dogs. I would suggest you invest in seat belt harnesses. They'll keep your dogs safe and minimize their ability to move around much in the trailer. If you consider building a cargo bike, you might also consider adding electric power assist, given the extra weight you'll be dealing with. Box bikes in Portland, OR offers electric power assist on its bikes, similar to the Stoke Monkey for the Xtracycle.

Leo H.

I definitely planned on harnessing the two; that's a good point about the electric assist. One thing I want to make sure is that I have a good fender flap to keep debris from banging too much into the front of the trailer...both for the dog's comfort and for the condition of the trailer. That is one feature of the Cycletote trailers that I thought was sharp, the skirt that fit over the trailer tongue to keep material out of the front of the trailer.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

hshearer

Semi-hijacking this thread here... does anyone have any experience with cats? I'm trying to be car-free, and my cats have a short trip coming up this weekend (5 km). If they go in their carrier in the back of a covered kiddie trailer, and I take residential streets and MUPs, will they be any unhappier than if they went by car? nwmtnbkr's dog didn't like the trailer. Does anyone else's pet (cat or dog) prefer the car over the trailer, or the trailer over the car? Tips for making them happier in the trailer?

Leo H.

I think it depends on the kitties. I saw a program on Animal Planet about different cat breeds. Apparently, Nicolas Cage's brother has a Burmese who enjoys riding on his motorcycle. The cat rides with a harness and goggles resting in a lined handlebar bag with a hole cut out so the cat rests his front paws on the lid and sticks his face in the slipstream. The cat looked totally into the movement at speed. I would assume you should do whatever you can to give kitty positive feelings about sitting in the trailer, hopefully you'll have enough time to associate fresh tuna with riding in the trailer.

Good Luck and let us know what happens. Pics even.

Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

tashi

Hi Leo -

Sorry for the delay, I was moving and didn't check back on this thread. The trailer is now packed up in my storage on the other side of the country from where I am now so I don't think I'll be able to sell it to you! Dang, I would have preferred to have sold it rather than store it. Oh well.

As far as weight on the bike goes, front or rear, center of gravity is what matters most (and if your load can stay still). The front loader above looks particularly awkward, as the front basket is way in front of the hub and above the wheel. Lower and closer to the center of the bike is better with large loads; a regular bikefeits gives you both, with the load in between you and the front wheel, and just inches off the ground. What I fantasize about is one with a big flat deck cargo area, to which I strap a regular airline carrier for the dog, and a more traditional child seat/ bucket set-up when the need arises. Something like the larryvsharry ones: https://www.larryvsharry.com/english/, although I think you could get one made in the US cheaper.



hshearer: My dog prefers the car for sure. In fact, when I'm getting loaded up to tow him on the bike he goes and stands at the back of the car and gives me his pushy little growl/bark thing that he does when he doesn't want to do something. He's a dog though, so I just tell him "get in, you" and he gets in - he'll do anything if it means coming with instead of being left behind! The seperation/comforting angle: I learned that Brisco would calm right down back there pretty quick, but if my wife got ahead of us he'd get super antsy - to the point of tearing the zipper off and jumping out! He would pull at the zipper a bit on the first few rides but got over it once he was more comfortable back there, then blammo - the wife rides ahead of us, he starts squirming around and tears his way out of there!

I haven't tried taking cats by bike, but growing up with cats I remember them absolutely hating car rides, but I bet you could condition them to enjoy almost anything if you stared when they're young.

Leo H.

That's ok Tashi, I don't get into this thread daily either. I still think I'm going to put together something from Tomscargobikes.com and attempt to create
a more dog friendly carrier in front. I hope I'll have something I can post here sometime this year.


Leo H.
Sun Valley, NV

CommuterRun

Cats just don't feel comfortable on a bicycle; it doesn't matter how much duct tape you use.

hshearer

It doesn't matter how much duct tape you use...

It actually went fine. I've now taken 3 rides with cats in the trailer (to the adoption center, return from the adoption center, and a roundtrip to the vet's with one of my own cats). They didn't love it, but it was no worse than the car (based on the quantity and quality of meowing... occasional complaining, no outright panic). I made sure to take only quiet streets and MUPS, and tried to minimize bumps (not easy, since roads are snow-covered right now).

dogontour

I use a Solvit Track'r for my dogs. It has held up well so far. It's less expensive than the Croozer but it does the job. It doesn't have a rain cover as an option but the Doggyride trailer has the same dimensions and they sell one so it could be used. It holds 110 lbs. I've taken my dog out on many day trips and a short tour. I use the extra ceiling space in the rear to hang a couple of lightweight but bulky items so thgey're not blocking wind.



Tiff

kuan

It looks like the Croozer, Doggyride, and Solvit all use the same chassis. I'm looking for a way to take the dog touring too.

dogontour

Yes, I believe they do. The Solvit is a good starter since it's the least expensive. That way you're not out a whole lot if it doesn't work out for whatever reason. Some people have used BOB trailers as well but I can't imagine that being stable enough for a dog. Depending on the size of your dog, you might be able t get away with using a child trailer...with a couple of slight modifications. You can get one cheap for used. Mine are too big for that option. But you should definitely give it a shot!

Tiff