One of our owners, Rees, put it better than we could:
So happy we have our new trike. We have 3 Goldie’s and not only did they love the bike from the first ride they actually try and push each other out of the way to get another ride.
Most people worry beforehand about whether their dog will put up with it. More often than not, the dog works out very quickly that the box means they’re going somewhere good.
How you carry a dog mostly comes down to its size, and big and small dogs suit quite different bikes.
Big dogs ride in the box
For anything above about a spaniel, you want a cargo bike for dogs with a box up front, and you want it on three wheels.
Dogs don’t sit still. They stand up, turn around, lean over the side to sniff something and shift their weight without warning. On a two wheel bike you feel all of that through the handlebars, but on three wheels the bike doesn’t rely on you for balance, so it barely notices. You can stop, put the parking brake on and sort out whatever needs sorting while the bike stays put. It also means you can load a big dog on your own.
Getting a big dog in and out
You don’t want to be lifting a 35 kilo Golden Retriever into a box twice a trip, and asking a dog to jump into a box it can’t see the bottom of tends to go badly the first few times. The answer is a front door. The panel at the front of the box opens, the dog walks in at ground level, and you close the door behind them.
If you’ve got a big dog, get the door. The rest of the gear below is nice to have, but without the door you probably won’t end up taking the dog at all.
The dog gear
We’ve put the dog-specific bits together as the Doggo Accessory Bundle, which is $400 and saves you $82 on buying them separately. Here’s what’s in it:
- Front door, for the reason above.
- Doggo securing ring, a fixed point inside the box to clip a lead to, so nobody leaps out after a magpie.
- Rubber floor mat, to protect the plywood from claws, wet fur and sand.
- Rain cover and sun shade, with the poles to mount them. Dogs overheat faster than kids do, so shade matters on a summer afternoon.
- Spare tubes, front and rear, which is just sensible on any bike.
You don’t need all of it on day one, but you’ll want the door and the ring.
Small dogs ride up front
If your dog’s a terrier, a cavoodle, a mini dachshund or anything around that size, a cargo box is more bike than you need. A basket on the front of a Tribe Evamos Longtail works better, and they get the best view on the bike.
You’ll need two things:
- The Evamos frame mount front rack, $99. It mounts to the frame rather than the fork, so the weight sits on the bike instead of your steering, which makes a big difference with a dog wriggling about up there.
- The Basil Buddy pet basket, $299. It’s 45 by 33 by 22 centimetres, so measure your dog against that before you buy anything. It comes with a pillow, has reflective detailing, and is made of a tough plastic that copes with a wet dog much better than wicker.
The basket uses the MIK system, so it clips on and off the rack without tools, which is handy if the bike’s doing the shopping on Saturday and the dog on Sunday.
We don’t keep the Basil Buddy in stock, but we can order one in. Email us at hello@tribebikes.com.au and we’ll sort it out.
How dogs take to it
Kathryn, a few weeks in:
I’ve only been out on my Tribe Bike once with my dogs mainly due to the weather we’ve been having. It was great fun and the dogs seem to really enjoy it too.
John, more briefly:
Got the Tribe Bike Plus. Great for carting the dogs around. Really well built and fun to ride.
From what our owners tell us, once the dog’s had one ride they’re sold. They get as excited about the box as they do when the lead comes off the hook.
Which bike for your dog?
Measure the dog first. If they fit comfortably in 45 by 33 by 22 centimetres, the Tribe Evamos Longtail with a front rack and a Buddy basket is the lighter, cheaper and more manoeuvrable answer. The Evamos starts at $3,990 and rides like a normal bike.
If they don’t, you’ll want the box, which means the Tribe Original at $5,490. It’s our three wheel cargo bike, the same one most Tribe families use for kids, and the box is big enough that two large dogs is a normal load rather than a squeeze.
If you’d rather hear it from other owners, every Tribe Original page has owner reviews and a fair few of them are about dogs. Our bike shop partners around the country can talk it through in person too.
