Dog Biker Kit, S-M
K**I
Brilliant idea and keeps the dog and bike under control
OMG I am so impressed with what is effectively such a simple product. I can’t believe I didn’t invest in this sooner.We have a Gerbian Shepsky (German Shepherd/Siberian Husky cross) and being part sled dog, all he wants to do is run and pull - this is the ideal solution as now I can keep up with him.It took longer for my partner and myself to deliberate where to put this than it did to actually attach it to the bike.So, we attached the bracket to the seat post of my bike, however depending on the size and type of bike and dog, you may wish to pick somewhere else to attach it. For us, we needed it quite high up as our dog has a 29” shoulder, so the seat post was ideal. We pointed it backwards slightly so that it’s not sitting against the back of my thigh, and secured it in place.One thing to note here is that if you have a large dog, then this bracket is potentially going to swivel, as there’s no way to secure it 100% without drilling holes through the frame of the bike and making pins etc, as it is literally 2 metal plates tightened with bolts and some hose acting a damage protector, so there’s no real grip to prevent it twisting round if pulled. Granted, we may swap the hose for something else to give more grip in the future but otherwise for now it’s doing the job and it’s not exactly hard to push it back if it twists forward towards the handle bars because the dog didn’t stop quite as quickly as I did.So, we team this with an anti-pull harness so it’s not attached to anything around his neck, and due to his height. The harness has a loop which is a good foot long, so we opt to use the shorter option on the bracket-lead otherwise there’s too much length on the which means it has potential to get either in my pedals or under his legs or allow him too much freedom to wrap round lamp posts and things. Yes this means I’ve removed the “break-away” option, however given where we cycle, it’s safe and there’s no cars, so we can get away with it. I may look at another option in the future but at present it’s doing fine. Being as it has clips, you can teather whatever you need to do that it suits your dog and being as there are also dog lead bungies available for under £5, it’s ideal for finding a good set up that’s personalised to you and meets your needs.The spring is indeed great at preventing the dog from yanking the bike, as has been tested numerous times with ours when he suddenly decides to sniff something, it gives him a tug to move on and me a tug to let me know he’s slowed or stopped (although to be honest due to his size, it’s really hard to miss him suddenly disappearing from my side). So far we’ve had no issues as I can stop or slow accordingly and it prevents the bike being yanked out from under me as if he suddenly stops it’s the equivalent of a 10 stone anchor being dropped.Our dog took really well to it and is now learning left and right commands, the idea being when we are turning he doesn’t try to cross in front of the bike tyre (again, he’s the length of the bike, so ideally I need him to know when I’m turning) which he is picking up well. I never thought I’d need to teach my dog the directions, however I guess it’s not a bad idea if it prevents his feet getting ran over by my tyre.The option to unclip the bar without having to undo all the bolts is ideal as now we don’t have the dismantle the whole thing when transporting the bikes on the car rack or storing them. It clips on and off easily and feels secure. It had a little movement in it, but doesn’t feel like it’s going anywhere.Apart from going up and down the road to test the position of the bracket and how the dog attached, we did our first test-run (pun totally intended) over 3.5 miles of various terrain and dealt with a number of obstacles (namely walkers who don’t grasp the concept of a bike tracks & lanes), and managed to navigate all of them without issue, without any accidents or incidents as the bracket stood up to the test of the dog moving about and changing direction and speed as we weaved through the walkers (people with those hiking sticks are a bane when you have a nervous dog), whilst keeping him close enough and under control that no one got cloth-lined in the process.When we were strapping the bikes back up after our run/ride we saw another couple struggling with their dog, trying to ride one handed whilst holding the lead - I actually recommended they invest in a Trixie Bracket after using ours and experiencing the benefits first hand of being able to control the bike and the dog with both hands on the bike (and most importantly the brakes).Can’t recommend this item enough - it’s a great bit of kit and at £20, every keen biker-dog-owner should invest in one - no excuses. Infact it should be made the law that if you ride with a dog you use something like this as it’s so much safer than some of the other ways people try.IF YOU FOUND MY REVIEW HELPFUL please hit the button below. This encourages me to keep writing reviews as then I know people are reading them and finding them of use. Many thanks for your time.
V**N
Phenomenal for use with wheelchair
FOR WHEELCHAIR USE#Independent'Ness #abilitynotdisabilityI've been road testing (literally) my new toy for a month now and Wow Wow Wow Wow. What a fantastic idea if I do say so myself... lol.It's a bike kit for cyclists who take their dogs with them and it keeps them alongside but at a safe distance from the wheels. Just switch bicycle for wheelchair and it does exactly what it says on the box.I can't express enough how these little things like being able to take the dog for a quick walk make suuuuuch a difference to disabled life.It was phenomenal and my Dropsy'Ness won't now struggle with holding a lead and my chair controller either. Juggling'Ness is not my forte... lol.Happy happy happy'Ness. And Daisy Bunkle... 😀Ps. Next question - can you get a fixing piece separately. As I have two outdoor wheelchairs (don't ask or ill ramble on about destination and terrain, access and weight and pain and suspension and ramps ete lol). I would like to be able to use with both chairs and my grip issues make it impossible to transfer fixing piece between them).
M**S
Freedom!
The media could not be loaded. My husband and I recently purchased a Class 2 mobility scooter to enable us to get out more and walk our Sheltie 'Monty'. After much internet searching and discussion with the supplier, we decided to try this product, as it is advertised not only as a bike attachment, but also for wheelchairs. Our scooter is our 'wheelchair' and can only go up to maximum 4 mph. I was encouraged by the review of an off-road wheelchair user (M. Hardman on 20 Nov. 2012) and their photos, but unsure if the bracket and fixings would work on the seat post of our scooter. Well, it does, and our 9 year old Sheltie took to it really well. We wanted a device that would keep him at a safe distance from the wheels, and leaves me hands free to operate the scooter. We use it to take him to the local parks, where he is then let off lead to roam around free. Shetland Sheepdogs are a very lively, intelligent breed and train easily, but are not known for their calmness or use as assistance dogs. He is amazingly adaptable. Here are some photos and a little movie of our practice session in a local park. I'm trying to train both my husband and Monty! Think Monty learnt quicker!
J**O
So far very happy. Easy fit and works
So far I have found this item to be fairly decent on two runs out with my dog. The bar fit easily to my seat stem and my German shepherd has been loving running along side. I use both clips that are provided. The shortest to her soft collar so this pulls taught first. The longer on I fit to a choke collar just in case the first one snaps or something. I then use a halty lead that stay slack around me and attached to her choke just in case the bar somehow snaps off. None of this has happened so far and she looks perfectly secure and content running besides me. My main concern is the quick release button looks like it could be a weak spot.
S**N
Great bit of kit. Could do with minor tweaks.
I gave this 4 stars as overall I am very pleased with this so far.I own 2 GSD cross lurchers and their energy levels are through the roof. This is a fantastic bit of kit to keep them running.Half hour on the bike with them is equivalent to 1.5 hours of walking so it’s a great benefit.The installation is easy however it could do with some improvement; the screw on part to the spring just doesn’t feel right. There is no locking mechanism and it feels like it’s just holding inside the spring and it’s difficult/impossible to remove once you’ve connected this part.Having said that I’ve not had it come apart so it’s done the job..I also think for added security it would be an idea to look at the locking mechanism again when connecting to the bike mounting. It’s currently only being held in with one ballpin joint.The spring is fantastic and takes the shock of the dogs so I guess this makes up for the above, however it wouldn’t hurt to tweak it?All in all, thoroughly impressed so far and would recommend.