Ebike with a Service Dog?

[pyxiscetus]

I'm trying to switch to a lower carbon footprint with a move to a much larger city than the small rural town I currently live in. In trying to find an electric bike I have to take into account my service dog and his needs as well. I've been looking at eTrikes and cargo bikes that can hold a large amount of weight. I'd have to create a basket for a cargo bike or find a trike that has one that can be modified. I'm wondering if this is something that could work or should I scrap this idea?

 

[PDXzap]

It should be doable.

What size dog?
Will you have to take the bike on stairs?

 

[indianajo]

Living in an area with a lot of wind sometimes, like this month, I find stretch cargo bikes more practical than trikes because of the lower front area. A 25 mph headwind can slow my 3.5 hour commute home from summer camp to 6 hours unpowered, and I think a trike would be worse. A motor would keep the speed up but more drag would consume more watt-hours.
Stretch frame cargo bikes come from xtracycle, surlybikes, yubabikes, radwagon, magnum, blix, reiss & Muller, tern. There are also front bin cargo bikes from some of the above, but those also have high drag and are about $1000 more than the cargo behind bikes because of the chain steering. The bin front models do allow the dog to jump in the bin and sit low.
I've put a 36" x 19" aluminum angle frame over the child seat rack on my yubabike to allow a pickup tire to be tied on top & overhang the rear. That should accomodate a large animal aircraft cage. You are only allowed 80 lb behind the front axle on the bodaboda model shown left, for small people. The 6 mm mount screws allow this heavy load to ride stably. Note my model also has bosses in the frame to allow a front basket to be hung off it that doesn't steer with the front wheel. I carry my battery up there, shown left. I frequently carry 60 lb groceries or weed killer out to my summer camps, & occasionally 80 lb. Most of the supplies go in the bags shown, but 5 gallon pails will tie on top. I live without a car, only occasionally borrowing the wife's for such loads as a plastic 55 gal barrel or a 120 lb chain hoist.
I like geared hub motors that allow me to pedal unpowered most of the time without dragging the motor with my feet, reserving the motor for days with a high front wind or trips over 25 miles. Magnum has such a motor. The yubabikes electric bodaboda comes with a Shimano mid drive that has a one-way clutch allowing one to pedal without drag. However, it is a 9 speed rear cluster and could possibly wear out chains every 1000 miles. I get 5000 miles/chain with the rear hub drive and wider 8 speed chain. Radwagon is a direct drive motor, which drags unpowered and is slower out of the traffic lights than my geared hub motor.

 

[QAJAQR]

Yuba

Riese & Muller

Bullitt Bike

Nihola

If your dog weighs no more than 26 lbs, and your bike frame isn't too small, Buddyrider might work out for you.

Buddyrider Bicycle Pet Seat

The Buddyrider Bicycle Pet Seat is a fun way to safely take your dog with you on a bike ride.

www.buddyrider.ca

 

[pyxiscetus]

It should be doable.

What size dog?
Will you have to take the bike on stairs?

He's a 65# lab and as of now no.

@indianajo okay, that'll be something to keep in mind with the wind. While it wouldn't be an issue with some of my daily routine, Florida is rainy.

@Timpo I was looking at the front basket ones but I wasn't sure if my height, (5'0/1.5m) would work because a lot of them didn't look like a step-through. It's been a little overwhelming.

 

[E-Wheels]

I'm trying to switch to a lower carbon footprint with a move to a much larger city than the small rural town I currently live in. In trying to find an electric bike I have to take into account my service dog and his needs as well. I've been looking at eTrikes and cargo bikes that can hold a large amount of weight. I'd have to create a basket for a cargo bike or find a trike that has one that can be modified. I'm wondering if this is something that could work or should I scrap this idea?

Have you considered a trailer https://outdoordogworld.com/best-bike-trailer-for-dogs/

 

[pyxiscetus]

@E-Wheels I had not. I wasn't aware that they could be attached to an eBike. Would they mount the same way that it would attach to a regular bike? That would definitely open up more options.

 

[E-Wheels]

@E-Wheels I had not. I wasn't aware that they could be attached to an eBike. Would they mount the same way that it would attach to a regular bike? That would definitely open up more options.

I’ve not owned a pet trailer, but see plenty of others using them when out on my rides
Other members will hopefully chime in and offer their insight on how they connect and their experiences in using them
If you opt for a trailer set up, then this widens you’re options for choosing an ebike that you can also use for when you are not transporting your dog, and gives you a smaller footprint for storage

 

[pyxiscetus]

@Timpo something like that could definitely work. Would mounting something like that change what type of ebike I would need?

 

[rich c]

I can't say I would want to move into a metropolitan area right now.

 

[pyxiscetus]

I can't say I would want to move into a metropolitan area right now.

I don't have much of a choice. I'm transferring schools to finish up my Masters and this seems to be a better alternative to city traffic after having lived in a very rural community.

 

[pyxiscetus]

Burley trailer would work well.

Check it out https://www.burley.com/product/tail-wagon/

That would work very well! Even one of the reviews mentions hooking up to an ebike. So that's a plus!

@E-Wheels he goes everywhere. It's not a choice, my life would definitely be easier if it was.

 

[PDXzap]

Attaching a trailer to my ebike.

I have a trailer with this attachment that can accomodate up to 12 mm quick release axles but my ebike has 15 mm quick releases. Any suggestions ( aside from selling the trailer)?

electricbikereview.com

 

[pyxiscetus]

@PDXzap thanks!

 

[E-Wheels]

That would work very well! Even one of the reviews mentions hooking up to an ebike. So that's a plus!

@E-Wheels he goes everywhere. It's not a choice, my life would definitely be easier if it was.

Oh sorry I get it now
I wrongly assumed you were a law enforcement officer or in security services

 

[pyxiscetus]

@E-Wheels no worries It's a nicer thought than some others I've heard. You would not believe how many people judge needing a service dog on how disabled a person looks... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[E-Wheels]

yeah, you would have to be able to mount it using the hitch.

This is what the hitch looks like, https://www.burley.com/product/steel-hitch/
(I think it is already included, but I am 100% sure)

It says the axle needs to be "up to 12mm" so that kind of limits the selection if you're looking for a Bafang hub powered ebike.
However if you're looking for Yamaha, Bosch, Brose, and other mid drive ebikes, it would likely not matter, depending on what kind of axle it has, obviously.

My Bafang hub motor for example, is 14mm. I would guess most (if not all) Bafang hub motors are 14mm.
MAC motors are 14mm as well, but Grin Technologies made this motor called GMAC that is only 10mm.

Anyways, my point is, the axle needs to be 12mm or less and it also mentions that it won't work with breezer style dropouts too.

@steve mercier might be able to confirm as he had a similar challenge in his thread here

Attaching a trailer to my ebike.

I have a trailer with this attachment that can accomodate up to 12 mm quick release axles but my ebike has 15 mm quick releases. Any suggestions ( aside from selling the trailer)?

electricbikereview.com

 

[E-Wheels]

@E-Wheels no worries It's a nicer thought than some others I've heard. You would not believe how many people judge needing a service dog on how disabled a person looks... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

There are mostly nicer posters than not on this forum, so you are in good company
I‘m sure we can find the best solution to suit you and your dogs requirments

 

[E-Wheels]

So he widened the hole from 12mm to 15mm using a drill??

No I don’t think so
I get the feeling he didn’t have to make the hole any bigger as the hole was already big enough
For me, the question or answer wasn’t clear as to whether Steve had a 12mm or 15mm axle

 

[steve mercier]

No I don’t think so
I get the feeling he didn’t have to make the hole any bigger as the hole was already big enough
For me, the question or answer wasn’t clear as to whether Steve had a 12mm or 15mm axle

HI Yes I attached a Burley Bee childs trailer ( bought it used for $100 on Craigslist ) to my Ebike using the standard trailer hitch provided with the trailer. No modifications were necessary. If your bike has a quick release you open it and remove one end then slide the hitch in and tighten it up. It is easy to put the trailer on for grocery store trips and remove it again. You can remove the child sling if you like and throw in some dog bedding and away you go. Cheers !