Hi, I recently received an interesting message from one of the members called Steven here, he actually is a border collie training coach but he wants some fun with his Smart Border, so let’s help him solve his problem

“Hey guys, how can I haul a dog. I have a small dog about 25 pounds and am looking for ways to take her on a recumbent trike. If she sees a rabbit she will jump. She will ride on my lap but she is heavy! I need something to where I can take her for short rides every now and then. Have any ideas?”

LOL! Hey everybody please do share your opinions to him if you can (All suggestions will be updated here)

“Have you considered a trailer? You can get a special trailer for pets (Google ”dog carrier for bike), or use a child’s trailer. Used kid trailers are often
advertised on Craigslist. I’m assuming you are on a recumbent. They do have
small pet carriers that fit on handlebars for regular uprights.”

-Scott

“Emma, a 60 pound Pit Bull, wears a harness.  I have a tether with 2 lines, each line is attached to the back of my seat.  One line is tied to the left side of the seat and the other to the right side.  Both lines are each about 12” long and they join at the snap.  Two lines coming from different sides reduces the amount of play and keeps Emma from getting out.  I watched the video of the sidecar, it’s very clever.  If you have a tadpole, that’s a decent way to carry a bigger dog.  It adds an extra wheel which adds rolling resistance.”

-Randy

“My dog is about 25 – 30 pounds but is very strong so I need something sturdy.  How do you keep the thing on the bike?  Does he every jump out?  My dog would have to be tied in somehow because she will jump if she sees a rabbit or someone on a bike. lol I have been asking alot of people about baskets and they all laugh and say we don’t put baskets on Trikes.  And you got a bucket.  Check this video out.  I want to make one of these.”

-Susan

One recommendation to consider for your selection in a recumbent is an
adjustable seat back. (50 to 70 degree vertical range) All the women I’ve ever
rode or spoken with have always preferred an upright seated position. Most of
them do not like the reclining style, so they like to be able to adjust it.

-Danny

Hey Steven, Danny has given some further details for you, I’ve moved it to another post, check it out here: http://www.1hpcycles.com/to-steven-alternatives-to-a-folding-trike/

Hey guys, please read the following info for our next ride.

Saturday May 21, 2012
Time: 7:30 am – 10:30 am
Location: Udall Park

Notes: Ride out to the country store on Spanish Trail and then to Reid Park Zoo, a 30 mile ride. It is 8 miles from the Zoo back to Udall Park. Saturday is “Bike 2 Zoo” day and by riding there you get free entry to the zoo. GABA will have a bike valet and provide ice cream from 9 to 3. I will remain at the zoo to help support GABA. The weather will be nice this Saturday as opposed to last Saturday. As always a conversational pace and no one left behind.

There have been more diamond frames than bents on recent rides so I am hoping the bents will show up in mass this weekend.

The route will be Tanque Verde (E), Pio Decimo (S), Pima (E), Pantano (S), Speedway (E), Harrison (S), Spanish Trail (SE), turn around at RCCS, 22nd (W) and Randoph (N).

The stretch of 22nd st. between harrison and Camino Seco is a little risky given narrow lanes, virtually no paved shoulder and high speed traffic.  You might want to consider taking 29th st. from Old Spanish Tr. to Camino Seco, then up to 22nd st.

However, I personally drove the route this afternoon and found no problems with the shoulder area.

If you choose not to do this ride, feel free to ride to the zoo anyway and enjoy some free ice cream.

Alternatively, you may follow another route that was designed by Alex,

Start Information:  Udall Park, 4/21 at 7: 15 AM with wheels turning at 7:30.

Ride out to the country store on Spanish Trail and then to Reid Park Zoo, a 30 mile ride. It is 8 miles from the Zoo back to Udall Park. Saturday is “Bike 2 Zoo” day and by riding there you get free entry to the zoo. GABA will have a bike valet and provide ice cream from 9 to 3. I will remain at the zoo to help support GABA. The weather will be nice this Saturday as opposed to last Saturday. As always a conversational pace and no one left behind.

There have been more diamond frames than bents on recent rides so I am hoping the bents willshow up in mass this weekend.

The route will be Tanque Verde (E), Pio Decimo (S), Pima (E), Pantano (S), Speedway (E), Harrison (S), Spanish Trail (SE), turn around at RCCS, 22nd (W) and Randoph (N).

If you choose not to do this ride, feel free to ride to the zoo anyway and enjoy some free ice cream.

Sorry it’s too early in the morning so I ain’t fully awake to type all this but if there is anything unclear, just call me! (preferably a few hours later coz I’m going to hit the bed NOW!)

Flèches-USA–A 24-hour event held on or around Easter weekend. This is an
ACP-sanctioned event and counts toward the R-5000 medal. No rest stop may be longer than 2 hours.

Allowable start times are from noon Thursday through 10 AM on Saturday. A minimum of 360 km must be covered during the event.

Arrow-A 24-hour event very similar to the ACP event, this is a RUSA-sanctioned event. An Arrow can be run any time of year and be organized for any day of the week. There is no limit as to how long a team can rest in one place. It does not count toward any ACP awards, only RUSA ones. A minimum of 360 km must be covered during the event.

Dart-A sub-24-hour version of the Arrow. Unlike the two longer team events, a
Dart could, depending on the time of year, start time, and event time period, be
run entirely in daylight. A Dart may be scheduled with a minimum event distance of from 180km to 359km (and corresponding event time period).

I had hoped to get a Dart Team together with a start and finish in Tucson, but
wasn’t to be. So I did a RUSA Permanent instead. A Permanent, you ask?

A Permanent is like a brevet but you can arrange to ride it any time, not just
on one specific date established by the organizer. Like brevets, routes can
start and finish in the same location, but they can also run point-to-point, and
can be any distance of 200km+ (100-199km for a Permanent Populaire). You must be a RUSA member to ride a Permanent (or a member of another ACP-affiliated country organization.) A Permanent may be ridden alone or with a group. And, of course, they must be completed in a prescribed time depending upon the distance.

Kirk drove me to the start: (Ajo Way/Kinney Rd). Rode the route counter
clockwise: Three Points->Arivaca->Green Valley->Ajo Way/Kinney Rd: 210k/130 miles.

Weather was perfect and the descent from Helmet Peak to Valencia was awesome, especially since the road has been repaved and is smooth as glass.

If you normally tend to ride on your own and don’t typically do event or group riding, you might be interested in doing something like that to challenge yourself on the mileage. Currently we already have something like 20 new challengers signing up. So hurry up! We are all waiting for you!

Here is an inspiring message from one of our members:

“I finally got a long trike. Have been on two rides so far. 2 miles the first day
and 5 miles the second day. I am wanting to try the Julian Wash Greenway stretch out early Saturday morning with anyone who would like to join a beginner? I was thinking maybe at 8:00 whatever time anyone else would want to go.

I was told the path was here: “On the east side of Tucson, the Julian Wash
Greenway stretches between Kolb Road and Rita Road, just south of the railroad tracks. This path is just under 3 miles one-way, and is fairly new (so in very good condition). If you’re not quite up to a 6 mile round trip, start at the Kold road end (there is a parking lot there), and ride east. It’s just slightly uphill going east, and if you start to get tired, it’s easier to turn around and head back downhill.”

By the way, maybe next year we can get a Dart Team together. Look forward!