# First Bike Ride of the Season



## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

King (the husky mix) and I just went for our first bike ride in Vermont. We found a rail trail that's mostly dirt, grass, and a little gravel and went about two miles. 70°F - beautiful weather.

Was wondering if anyone else did bikejoring.


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## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

Definitely something I want to look into. What kind of harness do you use, and did you get a specific type of bike?


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Thirty dollar yard sale bike, for when I wreck it going after a rabbit. The back brakes are busted, but that doesn't matter when you've got seventy pounds of muscle hauling ass with you in tow. You'll be riding on either dirt, sand, grass or loose gravel, so you'll want something with shocks and wide tires. I'm partial to mountain bikes. You can, however, also use a scooter. The scooter is a thousand times safer, but bikes are cheaper, easier to get, and more versatile. If you do decide to go with a bike, make sure you get knee pads, elbow pads, and a **** good helmet. Starting off is the hard part, and lemme tell you, I've definitely been wrapped around a pole going twenty miles an hour at least once or twice.

Oh yeah, and keep in mind that you will eventually be able to hit at least twenty to thirty-five MPH with your dog, so just consider that if you think that you won't ever need a helmet. 

I use what's called an X-back harness from Alpine Outfitters. They were marvelous, but I ordered mine custom fit during the busiest time of year, so it took 6 weeks to get everything. In retrospect, I probably would have gone with their urban trail harness because it's more versatile and doesn't require them to be pulling in order to stay on. There's also controversy over how the X-back affects the dog's joints, and it's really easy to mess up your measurements. They have some really nice starter packages, though. I'd recommend saving up and getting the deluxe package with all the bells and whistles. I needed mine ASAP since I live in an apartment, but I wish I had just saved some money and gone all the way. If you do settle on a more traditional X-back, which is perfectly fine - mushers have been using them for centuries, make sure to get the belly band so you don't end up with a loose dog. And the Scooter Noodle, whether you buy it or make it, is NOT optional if you want a low stress ride.
http://www.alpineoutfitters.net/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=33

I also bring a small pack with me when I go. You'll need, for any outing:

Essentials:
Bike/Scooter
Scooter Noodle or antennae
Post connector
Dog
Harness
Guy line (stuff that hooks the dog's harness to the bike)
ID tags, including the rabies tag
Collar (Alpine has the option to have your number embroidered on the collar as well as the harness. Take advantage of it.)
Opt. - GPS Tracker. I have one on King anyway because he's a master escape artist. Mine is a Whistle GPS, but there are a ton of cooler models out there to choose from now.

Other important stuff:
Water, lots of it. I bring a two liter camel pak for the two of us.
Collapsible bowls - I drink after King, so I don't bother with these. But I know some people out there are actually conscious of what goes in a dogs mouth, so I recommend these. 
Snacks for both you and Miikaah. (Don't feed or water immediately after high intensity running. Wait five minutes.)
Mushers Secret foot cream. Works for both you and the dog.
Alt. - Booties, but these never stay on, and you only need them for injuries and hot pavement, which you shouldn't be running on anyway. 
Cell phone 
Helmet and protective gear - I have no sense of self preservation, and King doesn't run me off the road nearly as much as he used to, so I usually skip this. Beginners should NEVER do that. 
Place to store cell phone, keys, wallet, etc while you're pedaling furiously at twenty plus MPH. That crap flies out of your pockets and isn't fun to track down when you've already gone four miles.
Mushers belt & pack - keep King attached to me while I set things up and holds my keys.

Stuff that I either really want or is just really nice to have:
GoPro camera
Padded bike seat 
Rear shocks
Where's my FitBit charger?
Gatorade/Powerade
Bike repair kit
Storage bags on bike

But I digress. I'm presuming you only plan on running Miikaah, so you'll have to teach her the lead dog commands. Here's a decent guide to send you off, though I've been learning on my own, so I'd recommend watching some youtube videos on teaching "Gee" and "Haw".

http://www.petguide.com/health/dog/wheely-good-time-bikejoring-and-scootering-part-2/


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Also, there are various forms of dog powered sports, and I would strongly recommend checking out all of your options since bikejoring is not exactly the safest or easiest support to go with. Read everything you can about it, and try to incorporate the training into your everyday life.

Here's some other forms of biking with your dog.
http://www.petguide.com/petcare/dog/pulling-for-urban-mushing-is-it-the-right-sport-for-your-dog/


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## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

I like how dog is on the essentials list, haha.

You make it sound very intimidating. Lol But I get that, it can totally be dangerous. You've definitely given me more than enough to get started with, though. I was just taking a quick look at that Alpine Outfitters website, the prices aren't too bad, but man.. 80 bucks for a helmet! WOW. 

Did I miss what a scooter noodle is?!


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Don't get me wrong, it's a whole world of fun. But it took King and I about ten hours a week for about eight months to get that puppy energy to focus and listen to my directions. And if you don't do it correctly, you can mess up their joints. Or your joints, depending on how badly you miscommunicate. It's less intimidating and more intense. You'll hit some great speeds once you trust Miikaah enough to let her go all out, but much like shoulder ratting, it's terrifying because you don't actually have 100% control. Unlike shoulder ratting, however, is not just your pet that can get injured, which is why I always tell newbies to consider other options. Most people just want to bike with their dog as opposed to teaching them to be a lead dog. They make seat attachments, which I use for training, that are much safer and don't require nearly as much training or equipment. Don't let it scare you, but also don't hurt yourself trying to exercise your dog.

You can use a regular bike or skateboarding helmet. I already had a helmet for horseback riding, so I was pretty set. The heavier helmets are nicer for when you start doing rougher trails that involve trees.

Scooter noodle is basically a length of pool noodle that goes around the bungee section of your gangline. Keeps the line from tangling in your front tire. AO sells them for $20, but you can also make your own.


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## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

What could go wrong that you end up messing up their joints?

I think I do want to get into some sort of biking with her, mostly because I couldn't jog for long so this would be easier on me. (Aside from falling and injuring myself, lol.) I'm not fond of scooters, I feel more secure on a bike, however I get why they would be a safer option.

Is there anything you do as a sort of emergency stop? The only accessible trail here is used by others very frequently, so I would be worried about other people.

I mentioned to my dad that I think this is something I want to do with her, and he went on about how she'll just be running then smell something and suddenly stop to sniff or dart to the side. But she's not going to get better if you never work on it, so, I think we can make it work. He also actually has the exact same harness, the X-back one, he got it awhile ago because he intended on roller blading with her, but he doesn't specifically because of the reasons stated above and he has no way to brake. I think I would rather get the other harness, though. My dad doesn't like it because it attaches at the middle of the back as opposed to down by their butt, but I like it better.


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

If you run them before they're two, when their joints are still developing, you can hurt them. Like if you started running Koga in the next few months, you could hurt him. Running them on pavement is painful. You can still run in the city, but you need to keep them on the side with grass, and watch out for cars. (Someone once got hit and almost lost their dog and their life.)

Emergency stopping? If you have disk brakes on your bike and are only running Miikaah, you might be okay just braking with your feet near the ground. If you only have the typical rubber brakes, then you'll need to improvise. When I bike on dirt, I wear those ice spikes you attach to your shoes to give me a little extra traction... brake with your feet. But you also want to practice properly falling off your bike and kicking it away from you. This is when it's more dangerous to ride a bike over a scooter.

Your dad is right that, as she is now, she'll just run some and then stop to sniff things. But that's where you training her comes in. Look up how to train a lead sled dog.

If the x-back is fitted correctly, then there won't be any damage done to her. The main difference is that the x-back allows them to put more of their body weight into the pull. It's only a problem if it rides down on her hips, etc. For bikejoring, I love it, but if you're going to bike next to her, the other harness will be your main choice... but if it's the second case, you could get a regular walking harness like this.
http://www.overstock.com/#/3324649/product.html


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## Fraido (Oct 1, 2014)

Ahhh, of course. I knew about running on cement and stuff. Miikaah's good, she's three sometime this month. Koga will do fine with just a brisk 30 minute walk every day from what I've been reading online, so I think it would just be Miikaah I'd be going with, plus it's easier with one dog and Koga is going to be a STRONG dog. I've got a couple years to decide if I want to get into it with him, haha.

I don't think I would ever bike near a road, ever. Personally, I don't think I'll ever trust myself or Miikaah enough to safely do so. The park I'd be doing this at isn't really near any roads, so that's all good. The Trans-Canada trail goes through that park, I believe. I'm trying to imagine a way to bail off the bike without letting go of the handle bars, so when I hit the ground it will stop Miikaah as well. I practised falling off a horse in a similar way, lol, I wonder if that gives me sort of an advantage. Haha

Oh yeah, I know he is. That's what I was getting at, she just needs to be trained. He was just going on about it like he was implying I shouldn't even try biking with her. 

My dad is all FOR the X-back, I personally feel as though I'd like to use the urban trail harness or whatever that other one is called. He is under the impression that the UT harness would mess her back up because, "it's right in the middle of her spine," though. The only reason I don't prefer the X-back is because of the whole needing to be running for it to stay on, and I don't necessarily like the idea of her being able to put even more body weight into the pull. I feel like that might make things a little challenging for myself?


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## RatAtat2693 (Jan 13, 2016)

Fraido said:


> ...I'm trying to imagine a way to bail off the bike without letting go of the handle bars, so when I hit the ground it will stop Miikaah as well. I practised falling off a horse in a similar way, lol, I wonder if that gives me sort of an advantage. Haha...
> 
> ...The only reason I don't prefer the X-back is because of the whole needing to be running for it to stay on, and I don't necessarily like the idea of her being able to put even more body weight into the pull. I feel like that might make things a little challenging for myself?


Nope - ditch the handlebars. Forget that you own a bike. Save yourself. They usually notice you're no longer with them, or that the bike got stuck on something. The horse thing sort of helps, but I've found rolling off a horse to be easier than the bike.

If you spend the extra $4 for a belly band, you don't have to worry about that, and you won't really notice the difference.


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## JellOh (Jan 3, 2014)

Do you have any tips for finding trails to ride on? I've been wanting to do this as a way to condition my agility dogs for forever but I haven't been able to find a decent, flat trail to ride on.


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## SabrinaSpelman (2 mo ago)

Cycling is a spectacle that must be beautifully presented. A bicycle ride is not a speed contest, but a relaxed and beautiful bicycle ride with a team of like-minded people. Movement is carried out by a column, divided into teams of 30-40 people. Each team has a curator - a volunteer who lines up a team of 5-6 cyclists in a row. Team members ride together in friendship, not overtaking each other or other teams. I really like to participate in bike rides and recently bought myself a new bike. I immediately insured it with Simple Bike Insurance Agency, so that in case of an accident I could get money from the insurance.


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