Carrying a dog on a Rivendell

[joest...@gmail.com]

I'll be bringing home a puppy at the end of January, and I hope to bring the dog along with me on some bicycle adventures! She's a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, and will be in the neighborhood of 40-45lbs when full grown.

I did some searching to see if I could find any photos or stories of folks successfully toting their medium sized dogs along on their Riv, but didn't come up with anything. I have a 2024 54cm Appaloosa, so it's got a pretty long rear end which makes me feel like it would MAYBE be capable of hauling a dog in a crate on a rear rack, similar to a rear load style cargo bike.

I'm curious to hear if anyone here has stories or photos of trying something similar. Thanks!

[tom butcherboy]

Extreme Caution advised..

[Lucia Matioli]

I have had my pup on my riv and use a k9 sport sack. I have a Frenchie who is super top heavy. 

It’s been a great way to take her with me and I can only imagine what she’s thinking. They have reinforcement tabs that keep her and the zipper secured. 

She loves it!

Lucia Matioli

Sr Creative Consultant

goodthinkingco.com

linkedin.com/in/luciamatioli/

              

   

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[Lucia Matioli]

Also since her body is dwarfed I got the booster block and that helps her sit up more “normally” in the carrier. 

[Brady Smith]

40-45 pounds seems a bit large for any conventional bike, even with a mellow temperament. 

My 9 pound rat terrier fits nicely in a rando bag. 

My 18 pound Jack Russell refused to be contained by the generous basket on front of my Yuba Kombi. I now have an Urban Arrow e-cargo bike that works much better. 

If you're serious about riding a 45 pound dog on a bike, you may need to add another bike to your stable. 

[Guy Jett]

American Kennel Club lists an adult female weight between 35 and 50 pounds with a height of 20 to 22 inches (I think that's at the shoulder but the AKC is not specific on measuring height).  That's a lot of weight to be carrying high on a rack!  Plus it adds a difficulty in swinging you leg over the top tube to mount and dismount.

Would you consider a trailer?

GAJett

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[Collin A]

I've had success with a 30 lb doodle...but in a trailer. Loads of smiles whenever I ride around with her!

40 lbs (live load, not dead) is going to be very precarious on a bike. Regardless of what you try, start the exposure early and reward often.

Collin in Oakland

On Monday, December 15, 2025 at 11:20:31 AM UTC-8 Joe from Chicago wrote:

[Glen]

I used a Walkydog with my last dog, a 60 pound shepherd mix who needed to be run and I just don't run. 

I ran her with my Atlantis fitted with albatross bars and was well known in the neighborhood as the guy who rides with the red dog. 

I'd wait for your new pup to grow some before running, consult with your vet on when she can start running. The bonus is you'll never have to trim her nails. 

Good luck with your new puppy. 

https://walkydog.com 

[Brian Turner]

He's a bit too old to go on bike adventures now, but our 45 lb aussie loved riding in his Burley Tail Wagon. It has lots of nice features and folds up kinda flat-ish for storage.

Burley Tail Wagon

Brian

Lexington KY

[Guy Jett]

Re. running a dog while bike riding.

I remember coming up a woman riding on a paved bike trail in a remote area near Bakersfield, CA.  She had her dog on a leash forward and to the right of her bicycle.  Then a jackrabbit sped right to left across the trail about 10 feet in front of the dog. 

I expected a horrible crash with the dog bolting across the bike's path to chase the rabbit.  Instead the dog hesitated for about 1/2 a second before proceeding straight ahead, ignoring the rabbit.  Whew!

As I rode past I simply said to the lady, "What a well trained dog you have!"

GAJett

Guy

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[Joe from Chicago]

Thanks for all of the info everyone! It's a lot to consider. I was hoping to find some clever way to carry a dog ON the bike, but alas - maybe it's finally time to get a cargo bike.

[Mackenzy Albright]

My bff has a dog, Lupin, who's about 30-35lbs. She's has him ride in a basket on the rear on her VO Campeur occasionally for errands. It's definitely a bit cramped but workable to run to the park or grocer as he has to sit. He's ridden more at length in a Crust Clydesdale with a basket and a bike trailer as well (same basket). I think his preference is the Clydesdale. I am sure he prefers being able to make eye contact and see what's going on better. All in all I think he was just always happy to be included! 

[Hoch in UT]

I’d also suggest a trailer. We were good with a front basket but our dog weighs 9lbs 😂

[Robert Remer]

I too would be really interested in any solutions here.  I have a 25 lb  rat terrier who is on the leggier side that I would love to join me on my Atlantis.  

Backpacks don’t work.   

Thanks. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 15, 2025, at 2:20 PM, joest...@gmail.com <joest...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'll be bringing home a puppy at the end of January, and I hope to bring the dog along with me on some bicycle adventures! She's a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, and will be in the neighborhood of 40-45lbs when full grown.

I did some searching to see if I could find any photos or stories of folks successfully toting their medium sized dogs along on their Riv, but didn't come up with anything. I have a 2024 54cm Appaloosa, so it's got a pretty long rear end which makes me feel like it would MAYBE be capable of hauling a dog in a crate on a rear rack, similar to a rear load style cargo bike.

I'm curious to hear if anyone here has stories or photos of trying something similar. Thanks!

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[Brian Forsee]

I'd agree with some other comments here that 45lb is really pushing it on any kind of standard rack. Cargo fork i.e. cyldesdale maybe. 

I have a 75lb german shepard, so using a rack was never an option in my mind. We started out in the Burly Tail Wagon trailer, and once he got the hang of that and i confirmed he enjoyed it I got an Omnium cargo bike almost specifically for carrying him and my other large dog. I have come to use it for much more than that though. 

[Chris Halasz]

Here's our little ten pound dog on a couple of Rivs: can't imagine a dog much over fifteen pounds on a bike, but over to another's experience on that. 

While the front basket arrangement is popular, and most definitely was preferred by the little dog, the rear seating felt much more stable, and was assumed safer in preventing the occasional large insect from flying into the little dog's face! 

The formerly stray little dog loved, loved those rides, and brought so many smiles to others, whether walking, running, or on bike, and she accompanied many, many twenty to thirty mile rides. She will forever make me think of the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, wherein the Pandava king Yudhishthira's journey to heaven (Svarga), at the gates of heaven, is accompanied by a loyal, stray dog ... 

- Chris 

[Patrick Moore]

That’s cute.

I wish I could get my dog, Perry (also a stray, picked out from the pound by my daughter 9 1/2 years ago and now 10 1/2 years old) to sit quietly in wheeled transport. On wheels he is more like Monkey in Arthur Waley’s version of Journey to the West but without the good humor. On land he’s excessively cheerful; daughter’s high school friend described him as “A walking exclamation point.”

Curious, and this relates to a thread I raised on the other list: does anyone carry a dog (in my case, let’s say 20 lb) on a Brompton? What kit and arrangements do you use to make things work well?

On Tue, Dec 30, 2025 at 3:47 PM Chris Halasz <cha...@gmail.com> wrote:

Here's our little ten pound dog on a couple of Rivs: can't imagine a dog much over fifteen pounds on a bike, but over to another's experience on that. 

While the front basket arrangement is popular, and most definitely was preferred by the little dog, the rear seating felt much more stable, and was assumed safer in preventing the occasional large insect from flying into the little dog's face! 

The formerly stray little dog loved, loved those rides, and brought so many smiles to others, whether walking, running, or on bike, and she accompanied many, many twenty to thirty mile rides. She will forever make me think of the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, wherein the Pandava king Yudhishthira's journey to heaven (Svarga), at the gates of heaven, is accompanied by a loyal, stray dog ... 

[st nick]

About two years back I encountered this guy riding with his with his large dog.

I was amazed the dog had no trouble keeping his balance. 

When he stopped for a minute the dog hopped  off and then back on before he pedaled away.

Paul Cunningham in Dallas, TX

[Chris Halasz]

Patrick 

The deliriously happy dog in the following two photos is on a Brompton, configured with a basket purchased from The Container Store, secured to a Brompton luggage rack attachment, without the luggage. 

The second photo shows the same configuration, with a custom made shade cover, for what what was then the 105-degree Tucson summers. IIRC we purchased some aluminum bar material from the local hardware store, and bent and drilled accordingly. 

The Brompton's handling was preferable with the front-weighted configuration. 

Be sure, of course, to tether the dog's harness, and not collar, to the bottom of the basket, and not the top, to provide maximum upper extension, preventing the dog from popping out over a bump! 

The same dog was ridden on the same configuration along the river trail in ABQ a decade or so ago. We kept our eyes out for a similarly age gent riding a custom Rivendell fixie, but no such cyclist was to be seen that day. 

Cheers, 

Chris 

[Patrick Moore]

Thanks, Chris. Perhaps dog carriage is one more reason “pro” for buying a Brompton.

You say your dog weighs 10 lb; I guestimate mine to be closer to 20 lb; perhaps 18 lb. So I ask, what do you gauge to be the success if someone were to carry a 18 lb dog on a Brompton as you did with your ten-pounder? Do-able? Might a Brompton handle a 18 lb front load, actually, well?

Good points about anchoring dog from harness to bottom of basket.

My present dog hates rides in the car and whines and groans (the correct word) non-stop en route. When I drove to Fort Worth ~5 years ago, he moaned almost the entire 10 hours. My previous dog didn’t whine or groan, but he did invariably run around the back of the car and shit, even if it were only 8 miles. Before that, we had a male Shi Tzu who was very enthusiastic about car rides, but not very smart; I recall one instance where, realizing I meant to take him on a drive, he ran and jumped mightily into the passenger seat — only, the door was closed.

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[Jason Fuller]

Another vote for the trailer - safest and most feasible for a medium sized dog like that. The red one my Bombadil is towing would fit a 45 lb dog no problem, the yellow-green one was up to 25 lbs. 

It definitely feels like someone is tugging on the back of your bike when accelerating or climbing, but once you're up to speed it's not too bad!  Disconnects quickly, and folds up pretty flat in about 5 minutes. 

Nice thing is they're plentiful on the used market, at least around here, so the investment is minimal and you can recoup your money if it doesn't pan out. $100 - 200 is what you could expect to spend. 

[Joe Mullins]

My dog unfortunately didn’t seem to like the trailer or the whole experience. Maybe borrow one to see if your dog likes it? I recommend a rear fender to block rocks from kicking up. I ended up tying my sweater in front of where she’s sticking her face.

For size reference she was a 65 lb pit bull. 

On Jan 7, 2026, at 5:33 PM, Jason Fuller <jtf.f...@gmail.com> wrote:

Another vote for the trailer - safest and most feasible for a medium sized dog like that. The red one my Bombadil is towing would fit a 45 lb dog no problem, the yellow-green one was up to 25 lbs. 

It definitely feels like someone is tugging on the back of your bike when accelerating or climbing, but once you're up to speed it's not too bad!  Disconnects quickly, and folds up pretty flat in about 5 minutes. 

Nice thing is they're plentiful on the used market, at least around here, so the investment is minimal and you can recoup your money if it doesn't pan out. $100 - 200 is what you could expect to spend. 

<PXL_20210517_002740350.jpg>

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[Patrick Moore]

Per another Brompton thread on the boblist, I am looking for another reason why I must buy a Brompton. Besides, a folded Brompton takes up much less space than a trailer.

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[Jason Fuller]

Regarding the Brompton: the stock front mount is rated to 10kg, so you are good to go for a 20 lb dog on it safely. There is an updated 'basket bag' by Brompton that would work excellent. I had a Brompton for a couple years and sold it to buy a Bike Friday instead... and while the BF is great and makes sense for a traveling bike tourist, I regret selling my Brompton for it - and will probably buy another one this year. They are super useful, for example to throw in the trunk of your car when dropping it off for service, or to bring on a trip you otherwise wouldn't bring a bike, for going to and from the train station, or running a huge bag of groceries home from the store. 

If you can add "carry my dog places" to that list, it's a pretty compelling argument for one. The Brompton should be viewed as a mobility tool as much as a bike - they aren't as nice to ride for recreation as a full size bike, but they are so dang useful and smart. 

[Geoff Klingsporn]

I know it's early, but I would like to formally nominate this for thread-of-the-year and encourage everyone to keep posting photos of dogs on bikes. 

Thanks,

Geoff

(Denver)

On Thu, Jan 8, 2026 at 10:15 AM Jason Fuller <jtf.f...@gmail.com> wrote:

Regarding the Brompton: the stock front mount is rated to 10kg, so you are good to go for a 20 lb dog on it safely. There is an updated 'basket bag' by Brompton that would work excellent. I had a Brompton for a couple years and sold it to buy a Bike Friday instead... and while the BF is great and makes sense for a traveling bike tourist, I regret selling my Brompton for it - and will probably buy another one this year. They are super useful, for example to throw in the trunk of your car when dropping it off for service, or to bring on a trip you otherwise wouldn't bring a bike, for going to and from the train station, or running a huge bag of groceries home from the store. 

If you can add "carry my dog places" to that list, it's a pretty compelling argument for one. The Brompton should be viewed as a mobility tool as much as a bike - they aren't as nice to ride for recreation as a full size bike, but they are so dang useful and smart. 

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[Brian Forsee]

Since Geoff asked so nicely,

Brian

[Joe Mullins]

I guess the Wooly Warm rock guard is more comfortable as a chin rest!

[Chris Halasz]

Patrick

Without still having the Brompton, I'm confident that my large Carradice bag on the front carried something on the order of 18lbs, whether it was with laptop and books and lunch and clothing and water bottles to work. 

Having said that, the large Carradice bag never squirmed around like that little ten pound dog, and she didn't squirm much, only turning around to complain when my uphill speed didn't promote the air speed she liked, and oh, how she'd lean into fast turns 

A few other things to consider: 

1) A deep basket is helpful, maybe something like this one from The Container Store? 

2) If your dog is a squirmer, gently securely tethering them really reduces handling challenges 

3) Regarding handling weight, and not actual capacity limits, there is a device for the Brompton called an IT Chair that is fixed between cyclist and handlebars to hold up to a five year old (~20kg?) child - that is, if a kid can jump on there ... and I think you're about my height and weight (5kg, 6') 

4) The Brompton handled the 20kg on the front, nice and low and low trail, as good or better than any other bike I've ridden, including some ten or so Rivendells, and Bruce Gordon, Specialized, and Trek ... 

And a few pics along a frequent ride, as requested by Geoff, who I'm wondering if I knew years ago in Parker ... 

- Chris 

[Joe from Chicago]

I'm loving all of these photos and stories! Thanks for all of the thoughtful replies.

After putting more thought into possible solutions, I decided to acquire an Omnium Mini-Max frameset, which I will build up with some parts bin parts as well as some new parts. Hopefully the dog likes it! But, frankly, even if she doesn't - I live car-free in Chicago, so the Omnium will be helpful to have around for other errands around town.

[Patrick Moore]

Great; thanks, Chris.

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[Geoff Klingsporn]

Thanks for the great photos, keep them coming. Inspires me to try to set up something for my schnoodle, but the old girl may be too set in her ways. 

(@ Chris -- we definitely met sometime this century in Colorado, probably buying or selling a bike or parts!)

Geoff

(Denver)

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