Question Has anyone taken a large dog bike touring before? Any advice?

[Jimmy Beans]

So I've been housed up about 3 years at the same place and my mental health has plummeted, especially over the last 10 months or so. I've wanted to travel again for a very long time but I ended up getting a large dog back in 2015 and while I was able to rubber tramp with her once across the country about 4 years ago, she developed some weird condition where large structures on the sides of the road freak her out when we pass them at high speeds. So rubber tramping hasn't been an option, not to mention my transmission is blown anyways. She's too much of a mall cop to take on trains, she'll rat me out barking at noises in yards when I'm trying to be sneaky. Plus I just don't want to bring a creature with extremely sensitive hearing onto a train with squealing wheels.

I was going to try and ride this out here at the house I'm at for the rest of her life(she's 8 years old) but things have just gotten too stupid around here with the nature of this house. I'm a house manager of three transitional homes of 22 total people. The owner pays me 100 dollars a month and gives me free rent(about tree fiddy, my room is a dingy garage). He expects way too much from me for so little pay. I've been putting up with his bullshit because my dog has a huge yard here but he's become so delusional about how much time and energy I have to put into this job and any talk of deserving more pay is shot down. To add insult to injury he actually had the gumption to tell me he needs more out of me the other day, so I decided right then that it's time to go.

I feel terrible removing my dog from this place, she loves running after the ball and this yard is perfect for her but it no longer makes sense for me to stay in a place where I'm miserable just because the yard is big. North America is an even bigger yard for her, and she has old friends to visit and new friends to make out there, as do I. That was a pretty long detour from my question but I'm a longwinded MFer so that's just how my posts usually go. Anyway, I'm mainly looking for advice in terms of traveling long distances on a bike with a big dog. She's about 90 pounds, 3/4 GS 1/4 pit. What I'd like to do is build a platform on the front end of the bike similar to this;

for her and then use a rack and panniers on the back for gear. It would probably be easier to put her in a dog trailer on the back but I want to see her and her be able to look back and see me, so the front seems better.

Is there any sort of weight distribution issues having that much weight up in the front? Or any other issues I might not be realizing? Both in terms of where I'm trying to place her and also just in general any tips or advice on traveling on a bike with a large dog would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mrcharwe]

I have extensively bike traveled with my 50~ish lb dog. We would do 3-6 months of travel with seasonal work in between. Probably 20k miles of cycling. As long as the dog is well trained and can learn to be comfortable on a bike the additional weigh is just more work for you than anything else.

As for weight distribution it just depends on the bike. I've put my dog on the back of a surly big dummy, in a single wheel trailer behind a fat bike, and in a regular trailer behind a folding bike. It all works. My dog loves being on the bike so it's easy because it makes him happy also. You will have to teach your dog that cycling is fun.

Training is more important. Most big dogs if they are trained will learn to stay low and centered because they can feel when they move to much and shift the bike out of balance. you just have to teach them to not be too reactive or leave the bike until you give the command. That way they dont jump out at a stop light or when a loose dog is chasing you.

if you really want the dog up front this guy used to make cargo bikes out of mountain bikes and maybe he has some around. Login • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tomscargobikes/. As long as the dog is well behaved, I think you can get by on a two wheel cargo bike which would be easier to find and probaby cheaper.

The only other advice is if you have a big dog I would look at minimalist Gear to keep weight down.

 

[Matt Derrick]

i think the first thing you're going to have to figure out is how your dog is going to handle being on a bike. I'd do some tests asap and see how that goes. if they freak out then there's no point in getting all geared up and you're gonna have to figure out something else.

it sounds like your budget is pretty limited, so the fastest, easiest setup is going to be any old bike with a rear trailer. personally i would recommend a road bike, but i know some will disagree with me and suggest things like a mountain bike (which sounds dumb as hell in my opinion, but to each their own). you want something that isn't going to blow out your knees in the first 100 miles, or going up a huge mountain, etc. something with a decent set of gears.

i know you're a bigger guy like myself, so make sure you're 100% sure you're capable of doing this physically. I'm not saying that to be insulting, im speaking from personal experience, because i tried going up some medium/high diffculty mountains with less gear than you'll be carrying and i came seriously close to really hurting myself (almost blew a knee, muscle spasms, etc).

just some things to think about... i've been learning a lot about my physical limits over the past few years now that im in my 40's, i can't do all the crazy shit i used to a decade ago...

 

[Marticus]

i think the first thing you're going to have to figure out is how your dog is going to handle being on a bike. I'd do some tests asap and see how that goes. if they freak out then there's no point in getting all geared up and you're gonna have to figure out something else.

it sounds like your budget is pretty limited, so the fastest, easiest setup is going to be any old bike with a rear trailer. personally i would recommend a road bike, but i know some will disagree with me and suggest things like a mountain bike (which sounds dumb as hell in my opinion, but to each their own). you want something that isn't going to blow out your knees in the first 100 miles, or going up a huge mountain, etc. something with a decent set of gears.

i know you're a bigger guy like myself, so make sure you're 100% sure you're capable of doing this physically. I'm not saying that to be insulting, im speaking from personal experience, because i tried going up some medium/high diffculty mountains with less gear than you'll be carrying and i came seriously close to really hurting myself (almost blew a knee, muscle spasms, etc).

just some things to think about... i've been learning a lot about my physical limits over the past few years now that im in my 40's, i can't do all the crazy shit i used to a decade ago...

Yes - definitely do some test rides before committing to this plan. Borrow a bike, trailer if possible, even if it’s not the ideal setup it will give you a sense of how your dog copes with riding and whether you’re able to ride for miles over hills with so much weight. 90 pounds is a lot to haul before even considering all your gear, water, food, dog food, etc. Also, if you’re going into backwoods country, consider how your dog will react when you get chased by other dogs.

 

[pcflvly]

If it was me in your situation with a 90 pound dog, I would consider every option including just staying there and sucking it up - it doesn't sound like fun but it's still an option. Another option with a 90 pound dog, walk. It's slower but if your dog will pack, wilderness would be a lot easier and there are many long trails nowadays. You and your dog could walk the Sky Island Traverse in Arizona. That would be a tough trek but not as hard as biking with that heavy of a load. Your dog is huge! Another option might be to find a dog sitter or temporary foster for them. The perfect sized dog for bike life weighs about eight and a half pounds.

 

[Jimmy Beans]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. A few things were brought up that I hadn't considered, which is exactly why I posted this. I know it's definitely not ideal to take such a large dog on a bike. 90 lbs was actually a typo, she's about 70 lbs iirc. I don't imagine that makes a whole lot of difference. I've been researching quite a bit and nobody is out there biking with a 70 lb dog, probably for good reason. I guess I need to rethink things.

 

[laughingman]

Hey OP. I know this might be kind of blasphemous to say. But have you thought of an E-bike? The out of the box ones are very expensive. But the DIY market can provide you with something very reasonable if your handy or willing to learn. My electric cargo bike could handle 2 or 3 hundred pounds and was defiantly less then a thousand to put together. Maybe look into a bbs02 mid drive and a solar charger. Ive been thinking about a bike camper for years now that would defiantly end up less practical then your dog on a bike. Anything can be done. There are people out there touring with a family with several young children. I know a guy locally who went on a 500 mile tour in Florida pulling his girlfriend along with him as she sat on the back of the bike rack. If its something you want to do don't let anyone hold you back the bike touring life is a wonderful one.

power to the peddle.

 

[Matt Derrick]

Hey OP. I know this might be kind of blasphemous to say. But have you thought of an E-bike? The out of the box ones are very expensive. But the DIY market can provide you with something very reasonable if your handy or willing to learn. My electric cargo bike could handle 2 or 3 hundred pounds and was defiantly less then a thousand to put together. Maybe look into a bbs02 mid drive and a solar charger. Ive been thinking about a bike camper for years now that would defiantly end up less practical then your dog on a bike. Anything can be done. There are people out there touring with a family with several young children. I know a guy locally who went on a 500 mile tour in Florida pulling his girlfriend along with him as she sat on the back of the bike rack. If its something you want to do don't let anyone hold you back the bike touring life is a wonderful one.

power to the peddle.

I just wanted to chime in on this since i am now an ebike owner, and i gotta say it's one of the best purchases ive made this year, i love it.

that said, I personally can't see how an ebike would be all that practical for touring. the range of the battery is not that far; even if you're only using it for going up hills or difficult terrain. Then you have the weight of the battery, which is around 15-20 lbs depending on the battery.

Now, I have a ravpower plus, which is a cargo ebike, so not made for touring. but after the 2nd or 3rd time i ran out of power and had to bike up a hill (it's a 70lb bike) i nearly blew out my knee (i felt something snap a little) and said fuck that, and spent another $600 or so on installing a second battery.

even with the second battery my range is about 80 miles maximum (with me pedaling as well as using the battery) which is about twice the factory mileage (and usually blows other ebikers away when they hear what my range is). That's amazing for getting around town, but going long distance, it's just not enough.

on the solar panel thing... i keep seeing people bringing this up, and it's just not practical. as someone that has tested several solar panels on bike tours, car living, and van living, everyone is just overestimating how much a solar panel can produce in power. it will take you 8-10 hours of direct sunlight to charge a battery pack for your phone much less an ebike battery (would probably take weeks). that's with a high-end panel. it will be much, much longer if you go with a cheapo brand.

it would be far, far more practical to just find an outlet in the park or next to a building and borrow that for a few hours. that's what i did with my battery pack and it took about a quarter of the time to charge than it would with a portable solar panel (i.e. folding panels).

if someone knows something i don't and there is a way to make it practical, please let me know, i'd love to hear it. im not trying to dissuade anyone but it pays to know the practical reality of trying to do something like this.

 

[laughingman]

I just wanted to chime in on this since i am now an ebike owner, and i gotta say it's one of the best purchases ive made this year, i love it.

that said, I personally can't see how an ebike would be all that practical for touring. the range of the battery is not that far; even if you're only using it for going up hills or difficult terrain. Then you have the weight of the battery, which is around 15-20 lbs depending on the battery.

Now, I have a ravpower plus, which is a cargo ebike, so not made for touring. but after the 2nd or 3rd time i ran out of power and had to bike up a hill (it's a 70lb bike) i nearly blew out my knee (i felt something snap a little) and said fuck that, and spent another $600 or so on installing a second battery.

even with the second battery my range is about 80 miles maximum (with me pedaling as well as using the battery) which is about twice the factory mileage (and usually blows other ebikers away when they hear what my range is). That's amazing for getting around town, but going long distance, it's just not enough.

on the solar panel thing... i keep seeing people bringing this up, and it's just not practical. as someone that has tested several solar panels on bike tours, car living, and van living, everyone is just overestimating how much a solar panel can produce in power. it will take you 8-10 hours of direct sunlight to charge a battery pack for your phone much less an ebike battery (would probably take weeks). that's with a high-end panel. it will be much, much longer if you go with a cheapo brand.

it would be far, far more practical to just find an outlet in the park or next to a building and borrow that for a few hours. that's what i did with my battery pack and it took about a quarter of the time to charge than it would with a portable solar panel (i.e. folding panels).

if someone knows something i don't and there is a way to make it practical, please let me know, i'd love to hear it. im not trying to dissuade anyone but it pays to know the practical reality of trying to do something like this.

Hey Matt I got you. So there are a few ways to make the long distance thing with an ebike practical. There are already people doing touring on ebikes and it can be made to work with an off the shelf bike like yours. Ravpower is a nice piece of kit for around town riding by the way nice choice. Most people doing a tour on an ebike camp or sleep in places with a plug available. They use or carry extra batteries and their systems are built for long term efficient travel. With things like re-gen braking and fast charging modular batteries. Here are some people doing E-bike touring.





The solar aspect is a lot more difficult to answer. Suffice it to say that it is doable, but most of the people doing it are solving a lot of the technical problems by throwing money or build skills at the problem. The SunTrip is a solar bike race that happens each year and is long distance and has zero grid charging the whole time. GrinTec, a Canadian ebike company, Is working on making solar charging and solar running a little more practical for the average cyclist. There intro to the concepts and the math involved is here.



People doing long distance bike tours that are just solar powered ebikes are here









You are correct that there just are not turn key options for solar charging ebikes. A lot of extremely expensive solar panels sold to the adventure travel market are just poor quality components re-branded. I've also bought one or two of these and know the pain of trying to charge your battery off of something that says it should work but just doesn't. To get good performance out of a solar charger it does seem you need to build it yourself. For a good example of someone building their own solar charger and testing it against an expensive alternative you can check out.



For the record you have to be VERY deep in the paint to know any of this. It is the sort of thing that i've been trying to crack the math on and make work for a few years now. Ebike touring is still a more expensive, less practical form of travel then standard bike touring. But without hard working tinkers, wrenches, and hobbyists it's going to stay like that. Thankfully lots of people are working on the problem.

 

[laughingman]

I didn't know all those links were going to insert like that. My bad if anyone has a problem loading this page.

 

[ali]

I gave a 🔧 to Matt because i think he is right about the state of batteries and solar for budget travel, but i want to add that only going 80 miles is fine actually. It all depends what kind of travel you are interested in doing.

Switching back to metric... Going 100km on a regular bike is a totally reasonable one day total. Unless you plan on heading way out into the sticks, 100km is more than enough to get you from one population center to another one in the contiguous US. You'd have to make a deliberate choice to head not just off-grid, but 100km off-grid, in one direction down a dirt road into the deepest, darkest corner of the country. And even then, it's not like you're doomed if your vehicle craps out. Long as you have water it's only 2-3 days hike back to civilization.

The difference i can see is that on an ebike maybe you make that 100km in 2-3 hours instead of better part of a day. If your main motivation for travel is being alone with your thoughts while the world rolls past, that's robbing you of the best part of bike touring. But if your main motivation is to visit lots of different places in a zero-emissions vehicle, why not?

Of course, then the same argument goes for regular bike touring. If hauling a stupidly heavy load means you can't go 100km a day, you can only go 50km a day... well, then you only go 50km a day. Plan your route to places where it's okay to do that. If you can't make it up a hill... then don't go up any hills. Man, fuck the entire state of Missouri and its fucking endless hills. Kansas is right there. It's fine. Humans spent millennia wandering the plains and tending the lands around rivers because what kind of nut would waste their hard-earned calories climbing a mountain?

Well, if you want to be a hermit, okay. But then you don't need a bike.

All that said, having toured a bit now on heavier bikes and lighter bikes, with heavier loads and lighter loads... Lighter is always better. I can't imagine anything in life bringing me enough day-to-day joy to be worth hauling another 30kg on the road. But if the dog means that much to you, and you also have your heart set on a bike, then i am sure you can make it work. Just don't expect to go too far or fast.

 

[MetalBryan]

I've had a stationary 25lbs on the front of mike bike ONCE and that was incredibly restrictive on how/when I could turn I can't imagine if that weight was constantly shifting around or not balanced. If your dawg has to go on the front, definitely need two wheels like the pic you posted.

Those Schwinn kid trailers are rated at 85lbs. Kids quickly outgrow them and there just isn't much demand so they can be free or pretty cheap. You could pull out the harness for kids and lay down the doggy bed, or if you like to cuddle you could just fold a heavy blanket for sleeping while you travel and pull it out at night. Might not be much left in the trailer to add weight after that. From a practical standpoint, you can always have your dog hop out if you need to push the bike up a hill - no shame in walking a bicycle.

This won't make me popular, but you shouldn't sacrifice your mental health for your dog. Consider spending YEARS living with the things you have already rejected and the resentment towards your dog that will build over time. As some have said, it's worth considering what it would take to relocate locally, even if you lose the yard in the short term.

 

[Jimmy Beans]

An ebike doesn't interest me all that much. I could see having one of those if I just wanted to putt around town where I'd have a place to charge it up each night. But in terms of traveling, I just don't want to deal with the charging issues. Also, I kind of like the idea of traversing long distances using only my own motive power. I want to ride to the ocean and do it with my legs, not motors. Motors have already taken me to far away places.

As far as sacrificing my mental health for my dog.. that's a whole ass can of worms. I already thought about this some time back and considered trying to find her another home. I felt like I wasn't giving her the life she deserves, because I was working all the time. My dog is 8 years old and I've had her since she was 6 weeks old. All she knows is me. She's also a bit quirky. It's kind of like when you have a beater car and you gotta do all these certain tricks you've learned just to get the damn thing down the road. That's my dog. I know all of her quirks, I know how to keep her from hauling off and just full on attacking a little kid or a cat or anything else. She's kind of nuts, but she doesn't want to let me down and we have a way of communicating where I'm able to keep her in check. She's progressed a lot and she's way easier to introduce to people than she used to be but she isn't like some perfectly trained dog or anything.

I just feel like even if I did find a good person who would be able to give her a great life, I'd worry that they'd have their hands full. They don't know her body language, they don't know what she's capable of. I wrote a post about this on reddit a couple years ago when I was considering all of this and someone asked me "What would your dog say about all of this if you asked her? Would she prefer to go with some random person she doesn't even know just because they'd have a little more time for her? Or do you think she'd say "man.. fuck that I wanna be with you. Even if you don't have a lot of time right now, I'd rather have a little time with you each day than a lot of time with some rando." and yeah, that's what I think she'd say. She's just too complicated to hand off, and also that would break her heart and also mine. I could never resent my dog for anything. I didn't have to get her. I made that decision. I made a commitment to her when I chose her, she's like my kid. Leaving my dog would be worse on my mental health than taking her with me.

It's all just a very complicated situation. I know she isn't going to be easy to deal with on the road with her quirks. I know it's gonna be really difficult at times. I just don't really know what the fuck to do. I can't be here anymore. I think I'm just gonna try to fabricate something for my bike that might not necessarily be super light weight and it might be a fucking bitch to ride but I'm not concerned about timelines. I don't have anywhere to be. I don't care if I only ride 5 mph for 4 hours split up with however many breaks I need. 20 miles a day gets me to the ocean in a week. That's a lot faster than I'm traveling right now not leaving this fucking house.

Plus I like a good challenge. Even if I can't make this work, so what. If the bike breaks to some point where I'm unable to fix it or it's just too much hassle.. I'll just leave the bike and then it's on to plan B and we're walking I guess. I just gotta leave this house and more importantly I gotta leave this god forsaken city. My mental health isn't going to improve here.

 

[MetalBryan]

Not sure if Dick City is a real place, but I've spent a lot of time in Cali and there's a ton of bicycle co-ops that might have got a donated kids trailer. If you were in Kansas City I'd give you one because we have 3 in our shop and there's no demand for them. If you explain your situation, you might get one for free. If you would consider the kids rear trailer, you can send me a pm if you like and let me know where you live. I could call around on behalf of our bike shop and do the inquiry for you.

Please don't put your loved one on the front of a 2 wheeled bike that's asking for chaos and injury.

 

[Marticus]

I kind of like the idea of traversing long distances using only my own motive power. I want to ride to the ocean and do it with my legs, not motors. Motors have already taken me to far away places.

Agreed. E-bikes are fine for getting more people out of cars and on 2 wheels. But riding a real bike feels like having a superpower that makes you so much faster and farther using your own muscle power. Closest thing to flying in my book. It makes sense that the Wright Brothers were bicycle mechanics before they started trying build flying bikes...

 

[Marticus]

"What would your dog say about all of this if you asked her? Would she prefer to go with some random person she doesn't even know just because they'd have a little more time for her? Or do you think she'd say "man.. fuck that I wanna be with you. Even if you don't have a lot of time right now, I'd rather have a little time with you each day than a lot of time with some rando." and yeah, that's what I think she'd say. She's just too complicated to hand off, and also that would break her heart and also mine. I could never resent my dog for anything. I didn't have to get her. I made that decision. I made a commitment to her when I chose her, she's like my kid. Leaving my dog would be worse on my mental health than taking her with me.

It's all just a very complicated situation. I know she isn't going to be easy to deal with on the road with her quirks. I know it's gonna be really difficult at times. I just don't really know what the fuck to do. I can't be here anymore. I think I'm just gonna try to fabricate something for my bike that might not necessarily be super light weight and it might be a fucking bitch to ride but I'm not concerned about timelines. I don't have anywhere to be. I don't care if I only ride 5 mph for 4 hours split up with however many breaks I need. 20 miles a day gets me to the ocean in a week. That's a lot faster than I'm traveling right now not leaving this fucking house.

Plus I like a good challenge. Even if I can't make this work, so what. If the bike breaks to some point where I'm unable to fix it or it's just too much hassle.. I'll just leave the bike and then it's on to plan B and we're walking I guess. I just gotta leave this house and more importantly I gotta leave this god forsaken city. My mental health isn't going to improve here.

And I relate to the dog vs. travel conflict, and wanting to try to have both with a dog who's kinda edgy. I've been there, and felt the same sense of responsibility and loyalty because I made the choice to adopt her. I think you're right not to worry about time and miles. Start off real slow with a cheap trailer set up. And maybe a decent backpack in case you have to ditch the bike idea. Long distance backpacking is probably the best way to travel for most dogs anyway.

 

[Jimmy Beans]

I've given up on putting her up front. That was just me wanting to keep an eye on my dog, but I think it's just too complicated to make that work with the materials I have and the bike. I think trailer just makes the most sense. I'm mocking up a trailer using a wheelchair. it's one of those sporty ones they use in handicap basketball leagues and whatnot. It's very lightweight but the components are durable. The guy I picked it up from was around 240 lbs so I'd imagine it's capable of handling that amount of weight or a bit more, not that I intend on putting that much weight on it. Just whatever materials it takes to build it out, my dog, her food and some gear.

Thank you @MetalBryan I'll check into co-ops but I kinda have a feeling this city doesn't have one. It's not a very bike friendly place. I live in Fresno, Ca. I just think dick city is more fitting, there's a whole lot of dicks here.

 

[MetalBryan]

I've given up on putting her up front. That was just me wanting to keep an eye on my dog, but I think it's just too complicated to make that work with the materials I have and the bike. I think trailer just makes the most sense. I'm mocking up a trailer using a wheelchair. it's one of those sporty ones they use in handicap basketball leagues and whatnot. It's very lightweight but the components are durable. The guy I picked it up from was around 240 lbs so I'd imagine it's capable of handling that amount of weight or a bit more, not that I intend on putting that much weight on it. Just whatever materials it takes to build it out, my dog, her food and some gear.

Thank you @MetalBryan I'll check into co-ops but I kinda have a feeling this city doesn't have one. It's not a very bike friendly place. I live in Fresno, Ca. I just think dick city is more fitting, there's a whole lot of dicks here.

I spent a little over a year in central Cali and the whole place is kinda rotten. I don't blame you for wanting to leave.

The Fresno County Bicycle Coalition has a once a month repair station pop-up (Fresno County Bicycle Coalition - Bike Station - https://www.fresnobike.org/bike-station) at the Van Ness Village. It looks like they partner with a local bike shop (Velo) so while they don't seem to have a store front they do accept donations and those have to be stored somewhere. There's an email address and facebook page listed on the link above. Good luck!