Some people don’t feel safe cycling while holding their dog’s leash or tying it to the handlebars or seat, nor is it a good idea for some dogs to cycle off leash (and this isn’t a good idea for any dog when you’re cycling in built up areas with cars around).

Here are some bike attachments that you can use to keep your dog and yourself safer when cycling if leash-holding or off-leash cycling isn’t for you.

• Springer
• BikerDog
• K-9 Bike Jogger

Springer

The Springer dog bike attachment is what Keeda and I use for cycling. It attaches to your bicycle’s seat pole. The device is very ‘springy’, taking away most of the pull of your dog. So if the dog jerks to the side or toward another dog you can easily keep on course. With my dog, who weighs about 20kgs and is medium-sized, I barely feel the pull, but of course this will vary with each dog.

Bikerdog

The BikerDog attaches to the rear triangle of the bike and supposedly reduces the risk of wobble. The BikerDog is built to be easily converted to a leash by removing one pin from the attachment, which is the one area where the Springer fails.

K-9 Bike Jogger

The K-9 Bike Jogger also claims to be able to transform into a leash easily. It is made of stainless steal and is fairly light weight. This attachment, like the Springer, is attached to the seat tube. One thing I didn’t like is that on their site they actually recommend attaching your dog by the collar. Having your dog pulling against the bike with the attachment on its collar can hurt its neck, so one would think that they would recommend a harness.