Bike suggestions for bikejoring
 

Hi there, I hope this is the right forum to post in! I know very little about bikes and am looking to get into bikejoring casually, which is essentially sled-dogging but with a bike instead!

I'm finding very little practical information online about what bike would work best. I would mostly be riding on bikepaths and trails, and wouldn't be doing anything extreme. I'm short (5'4) but not at my best weight at the moment so I'm not sure what bike would work best. Because I'm only planning to ride casually and every weekend or second, I'm really hoping not to spend more than $500. I'd also love some suggestions of bikes I could get secondhand!

Thank you so much :)

Had never heard of bikejoring - and have not seen discussion of it on BF. But perhaps others have.

bikejor.com

Bikejoring is riding a bike with dogs pulling you. (Instead of a bike you can also use a dog scooter).

http://www.bikejor.com/_/rsrc/132473...=280&width=320

Wait. You want dogs to pull you on the bike?

I did this on a skateboard with my Irish Setter as a kid. What a blast!

Trust me. Try it on a skateboard.

Try to draft an ambulance.

Imagine the possibilities when a bikejorers gets chased by dogs.

Keith

Squirrel

The author at the above link recommends a bike that can be "dragged along," and no bike is really designed for that. He also says get an old mountain bike, which sounds like the right idea. Or maybe an old BMX or beach cruiser. Old, anyhow, and disposable

You should try this with a unicycle, assuming you have good health insurance.

Probably just one very little dog just to be safe.

Great, thank you, that works for me! :)

I only ride fixies

Pretty sure you want a freewheel for this

Delta trike?

For competitive bikejoring you would definitely want an MTB, maybe a CX bike could work too; in any case it must be easily maneuverable and have good, reliable brakes.

E-Bikejoring is the future of cycling.

25 years ago when we lived in interior Alaska, in the summertime we would occasionally see dog teams being exercised / trained while attached to a quad (four wheeled) ATV. A mountain or fat bike would probably work very well for skijoring

I got to try a wheeled summer training sled pulled by a small team of dogs. Fast, Fast, Faster, Sketchfactor Five Fun!

A bike with very good brakes? And a light anchor.

Indeed.

An old MTB would work pretty well. Big tires, and maybe a suspension fork, because you won't have a lot of time/choice to avoid small obstacles like ruts / sticks / rocks. Good brakes, especially the back brake; hand-brake, instead of coaster, so you can put your feet out / down while still operating the brakes.

What kind of dog(s) are going to be pulling? What kind of other bike riding experience do you have?

Since it sounds like you don't already have a bike, second hand will be a good way to go. Check your local area's Craigslist, there are always deals to be had.

I would go for an old mountain bike without suspension. I imagine you'll be fighting the dogs a little bit on the precise path - that is you might want to veer a little from path the dogs pull to avoid a puddle or a stick or something. So not having a suspension fork will make that easier, I think. And a mountain bike gives you wide handlebars and wide tires, which I think you'll need.

First get a dog, or two

Wouldn't you need an e-dog?

When I was a kid, we would engage in Radio Flyerjoring, but the wagon almost always flipped over.