Traveling across Europe by bike with two dogs

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Note: Dawn Lumsden of Canada and Finley Fagan of Australia are on a long-term, around-the-world bike tour with their two SPCA-rescue dogs, Jack and Paco.

The four set off from Belgium in 2008 with expectations for many extraordinary adventures. So far they have biked about 10,000 miles and visited 18 countries throughout Europe. Right now, they're settled into a Berlin apartment for the time-being and are writing about their ongoing adventures at their Cycling Gypsies blog. You'll find plenty of interesting stories and amazing photos there.

Dawn and Finley, aka Zoa and Fin, were kind enough to offer this story to the Biking Bis website. It tells what prompted them to embark on their bike tour, and how they chose some of the equipment for their unusual entourage.


A bicycle odyssey with dogs: Our customized rides 

By Finley Fagan

“Cycling around the world? Ha! Yeah right… Bicycles are for around town, not for around the world.”

But my girlfriend was serious, and a quick Google search proved she was right. Thousands and thousands of cyclists were traversing countries and continents at any given moment. The idea seemed absurd, yet irresistibly epic. Sign me up!

Only one small problem. Well, actually one medium sized problem, and another big, hairy problem. Our two dogs! Can you believe it? Nobody wanted to look after them while we cycled carefree into the horizon. Hmmmm….

Screw it, we would find a way. We quit our jobs and ended our rental lease leaving two and a half months to sell just about everything we owned, and research the world of bicycles. The last time I owned a bicycle I was as a child in suburban Australia in the 80’s, so needless to say, it was a steep learning curve.

For Jack, our 40 kilogram Collie/Husky/Retriever/Grizzly Bear cross we would need a trailer. Unfortunately most of the trailers on the market couldn’t carry his weight, or weren’t set up with a dog in mind. We decided on US company Cycletote’s Super Deluxe Doggy Tote’ trailer, which could accommodate Jack’s hefty rear, while being fairly lightweight itself. The pricetag is hefty at $1045 US, but the frame is guaranteed for life (even in a crash!), and the customer service is very good. We liked the drum brakes that engage automatically on downhills, the canopy for some rain protection, the mudguard, the way it hitches onto the seatpost, and the fact that it allows regular sized bicycle wheels. With all our wheels rolling at 26” it would be less spare parts to carry. Being made of aluminium it is not as easy to re-weld as steel (rough roads and an accident have required 3 rewelds for it so far), but we have managed to get by.

Not happy with the price and setup of pre-built touring bikes like Koga’s and Thorn’s, and unsuccessful with finding any second hand touring bikes, we decided to custom build two bikes from the frame up. Zoa snapped up a trusty Surly Long Haul Trucker frame, but not wanting to buy a second trailer, I still needed a way to carry Paco, our crazy 15 kilogram dog. Inspired by the journey and the bikes of three American guys Riding the Spine of the Americas from Alaska to Patagonia, I had found the answer.

Long-tailed, green, and with curves that could make a grown man blush. The ‘Big Dummy’, or as I prefer to call her ‘my precious’, is a monster of a bike from Surly. It is based on the Xtracycle long-tail design (and is compatible with the Xtracycle accessories), but has the added benefit of being one strong, solid piece of chromoly steel. It is light enough to tackle steep mountain ranges (18% is our record so far) while being able to carry up to around 180 kilos (400 pounds) of combined cargo and rider.

The extra weight and the long wheelbase took a few days to get used to, but it soon became second nature. Plus, its versatility is awesome.

— Rear panniers can be replaced by see-through waterproof bags for handy luggage distribution and easy access;

— There is less rolling resistance than a trailer

— There is a low centre of gravity;

— It performs well off road;

— Disc brakes are fully supported (although we went hydraulic)

— Rohloff gears are fully supported (too expensive for us though)

— There are lots of braze-ons

— Its unusual appearance makes it less attractive to steal

— It makes a handy utility vehicle when not on tour

— A basket can be screwed onto the snap-deck over the rear wheel for a dog or ever more cargo

It is a bit awkward to fit on public transport, but so far we have squeezed onto every train and ferry. At around $1050 US for the frame alone it isn’t cheap, but it was replacing my car, and I have never regretted the decision.

Before long second hand and discounted parts were being delivered from all over Europe. But when our day of reckoning had arrived we were still a few sandwiches short of a picnic, 2 bikes short of a cycling trip. Lacking vital components, and some important gear, our bicycle adventure started as vagrants camping in a hidden park on the edge of the town.

But finally the day arrived. After screwing a perfectly sized basket onto the snap deck of the Big Dummy we strapped our dog Paco in and cycled away, relieved to be finally moving towards brighter horizons. On the first corner the snap deck lived up to its name, you guessed it, snapping off. Paco and his basket were airborne on a way flight to the ground. Shaken but unfazed, Paco the Test Pilot was happy to get back in. With a few reinforcement straps the adventure was ready to begin.

Read more about Fin and Zoa's bike travels in Europe at http://cyclinggypsies.wordpress.com.

Photo above, checking the rigs above a French gorge

Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2009/12/01/traveling-across-europe-by-bike-with-two-dogs/

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