Race vid and results

Well what a great day despite having to get up at 05:50am.... dogs made me so proud they ran there hearts out. Marley was very keen to get going as usuall lol. the race was 6km... i turned it into a 7.6km by missing a sign lol which lost us 9 mins. not so botherd as the leader of the group i ride with made the same mistake and we ended up working out a route back together. despite that we still didnt come in last, 12 out of 15. but take the time off for he error and we would have come in 5th at 17 mins 33 seconds for a six kilometer run (a personal best). the dogs earnt lots of respect today and changed alot of minds got lots of positive comments at the end i however came in for alot of stick lol, took it on the chin.

https://youtu.be/hLOs0Pnsv_A?list=UUH-rllrJqQXbIdG998XcuSw

Fab Nath!! what good dogs they were love their dip mid way

Inez Maria wrote:Fab Nath!! what good dogs they were love their dip mid way

lol made me laugh too, i left out the bit where laska decided she needed to have a dump 40 seconds away from finishing...and yes i had to bag it...which was fun as they wanted to get going again so i went over the line with a bag of doog poop swinging from the handlebars lol

brilliant vids Nath,i can see why your so proud of them

stella wrote:brilliant vids Nath,i can see why your so proud of them

even prouder that everyone was saying they could see the staffy heart for a challange and the husky drive for the run. still buzzing although im shatterd

Nathan wrote:

Inez Maria wrote:Fab Nath!! what good dogs they were love their dip mid way

lol made me laugh too, i left out the bit where laska decided she needed to have a dump 40 seconds away from finishing...and yes i had to bag it...which was fun as they wanted to get going again so i went over the line with a bag of doog poop swinging from the handlebars lol

One word Nath "Superb".. Could see from the outset that you're furkids were right up for it. The impromptu drink might have held you up a little too .. Great vid and looking forward to the next

Thanks mate, yeah they love it and the excitement of all the other dogs barking realy got them going. I couldnt help but laugh when they went in the lake, but if they needed a drink they could have one, even though they had totaly ignored 3 water stops lake water must taste better

Wow wow wow Nath that looks so much fun and it's obvious they love it so much I'd love to do it but Oz would be all over the place , must be very invigorating and tired doggies at theend, even better, very well done mate

Sara bet your boy would love it. the biggest challenge is getting them to pull as it goes against everything you have taught them. alot of dogs run to heal at first even on a bike so we lure them. the guys go nuts when i walk them out and see the bike on the back of the car, you can almost sense the disapointment when they see it isnt there lol. any dog that loves to run will enjoy bikejor.

Aww how on earth did you get started? X

your hardest part is getting them to pull if you have a good walking dog. the directions are suprisingly easy and they soon learn. it looks scarey but in fact it is quite safe and they help stablity pulling though mud and the wet stuff. it is a feeling like you have never felt before though and i recomend it to anyone, i feel the buzz for the rest of the day. the dogs love it and become super resonsive to commands, you can see how excited they are at the prospect of a run. and ANY dog that loves to run will enjoy the sport

great fun and the added bonus of the mini dip halfway through

This combines my 2 favourite things, dogs and bikes! This must be the most fun ever!!
I did think about getting Theia to run alongside the bike, not sure she would pull it tho, she is too good on the lead!!
Lynn

Lynn&Pete wrote:This combines my 2 favourite things, dogs and bikes! This must be the most fun ever!!
I did think about getting Theia to run alongside the bike, not sure she would pull it tho, she is too good on the lead!!
Lynn

it is and so so addictive. you can get a walky dog attachment if you want to run your dog alongside. and yes the pulling aspect is the biggest stumbling block as the dogs have been taught not to pull. have been taking a lass and her dog out training last few weekends and ive been riding ahead with a rubber chicken honking away pmsl her dog is so damn good at walking he refuses to pull but we are getting there with lots of praise. he will now pull but then look back at his mum for reasurance he is doing okay such a sweetheart.

Www that's cute, Oz pulls like a train given the chance but when we walk up steep hills he decides not to pull but will pull me going down a hill , it's taken 2 years to get him to walk something like on the lead but am sure he would love this trouble is when I try and run with him he cross crosses me

Sara n Ozzy wrote:Www that's cute, Oz pulls like a train given the chance but when we walk up steep hills he decides not to pull but will pull me going down a hill , it's taken 2 years to get him to walk something like on the lead but am sure he would love this  trouble is when I try and run with him he cross crosses me

I kid you not Sara, if Ozzy gets on the end of the line pulling in his element he will be uber resonsive. one lass runs spaniels and we all know what nutballs they are. they run straight..cough most of the time unless they see the odd squizzel. best find a local group to try harnesses and lines and if you ride in a group you dont have to worry about directions as they follow each other. ive proved staffies/staffy crosses will love this sportand do well in it. for a race most are 5k max which is nothing to a trained staffy. would love to see more of you guys into it

Would have to try it on my own under supervision probably as Oz is DA and would be scared that he would just go after another dog looks massive fun though any clubs in cheshire?

Brilliant! ... loved watchin your lovely dogs work dude

Andy wrote:Brilliant! ... loved watchin your lovely dogs work dude

aww thanks ,mate! respect that comming from you as a guy who knows how to work dogs too

All respect to you and your amazing dogs too mate ... I just watched it again and showed the wife (she loved it too)

PS: Did you get a twig in ya spokes after the dogs had their dip

Andy wrote:All respect to you and your amazing dogs too mate ... I just watched it again and showed the wife (she loved it too)

PS: Did you get a twig in ya spokes after the dogs had their dip

no lol the bike got jammed between gears, soooo need a new one. looking at hardtails with hydrolic brakes, the v brakes just cant take the hammering. ended up going downhill with them pulling on worn pads a few weeks back...scared the hell out of me.

Hows your boy? still doing the weight pull?

Oh right, as a mountain biker myself .. I know how havin the right kit makes a world of difference, let alone being dragged along by your two ... I've just built another HT from scratch and use it for road training, I upgraded almost everything on my full suspension bike so used all the doner parts on another frame .. well pleased with it

Max is great thanks mate, though he recently suffered with the one thing I used to argue my t!ts off about ... a skin condition ... its all cleared up now, but wasnt very nice at the time, though I still say in Max's case it was made a LOT worse by the fact that his coat is SOOO tight! .. honestly, its like an otters pelt , so when he gets hot his skin temp stays hot!

We haven't "pulled" him for a while now, he broke a toe diving for a ball about a year ago and we haven't done any since really, but he's still the same coiled spring he always was, bouncing off the walls at exercise time every day

If ya need any advice on another MTB mate, I'll be glad to add my two peneth

very welcome on the advice mate as still just a novice on the MTB front. both dogs were trained for weight pull but it lends itself well to bikejor. one of the fastest guys uses a hardtail, hydrolic brakes and 17.5 wheels as a compromise between agility and speed. some tracks are very tight and twisty which lead into long straights. the terrain isnt to hard and more soft mud as the dogs paws and joints can take a hammering. with two dogs pulling your power is well up front, race regs is 2.5 meters so your center of gravity is about a foot in front of the bike which makes it so much easier going through the sticky stuff. at the moment im running 16's hardtail with v brakes which last about 12 miles. shimano twist gears which are pants as you hold on and instantly change down ten gears...

Ok, this looks fun. Where do you get the kit from and how to start?

Haizum74 wrote:Ok, this looks fun. Where do you get the kit from and how to start?

for the kits try these people

ebay for a made to measure harness = chicko3jack
can get the running lines from http://www.k9trailtime.com say you got recomended from marley at anglian bikejor and scooter you may get a discount.
for training that depends on the dog, a natural puller you need to start with direction commands and slowing down THEN speeding up. i dont use traditional mushing commands apart from Hike to go faster. i use left and right and steady for slowing. trained mine on deer trails and just said left or right and this way when they split. if your dog isnt a puller you will need a lure which is usually another running dog which is why joining a group is a good idea. you will find your dog will follow the others like a pro, just dont forget to say left and right even if they are running in that direction anyway. for speed use hike hike hike in and exited way and remember to hold on.
always keep an eye on your dogs, bring lots of water and wear a helmet, gloves and eye protection. for soft pads use mushers secret it works wonders. when you get into distance try feeding pemmikan kronch before a run http://www.csjk9.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=110 i cant recomend this stuff enough its bloody fantastic. above all keep it fun and post lwots of pics/vids

Nathan wrote:very welcome on the advice mate as still just a novice on the MTB front. both dogs were trained for weight pull but it lends itself well to bikejor. one of the fastest guys uses a hardtail, hydrolic brakes and 17.5 wheels as a compromise between agility and speed. some tracks are very tight and twisty which lead into long straights. the terrain isnt to hard and more soft mud as the dogs paws and joints can take a hammering. with two dogs pulling your power is well up front, race regs is 2.5 meters  so your center of gravity is about a foot in front of the bike which makes it so much easier going through the sticky stuff. at the moment im running 16's hardtail with v brakes which last about 12 miles. shimano twist gears which are pants as you hold on and instantly change down ten gears...

Bit confused about ya wheel sizing bud .. when you say "17.5 & 16's" .. do you mean 27.5inch and 26inch wheels ? as these are the two most popular wheel size's in mountain biking at the mo (I think 29ers will fade out personally)

The main factor is budget ? ... that will pretty much determine whether its better to go for a lower spec new bike, or a higher spec used bike

Nathan wrote:

Haizum74 wrote:Ok, this looks fun. Where do you get the kit from and how to start?

for the kits try these people

ebay for a made to measure harness = chicko3jack
can get the running lines from http://www.k9trailtime.com say you got recomended from marley at anglian bikejor and scooter you may get a discount.
for training that depends on the dog, a natural puller you need to start with direction commands and slowing down THEN speeding up. i dont use traditional mushing commands apart from Hike to go faster. i use left and right and steady for slowing. trained mine on deer trails and just said left or right and this way when they split. if your dog isnt a puller you will need a lure which is usually another running dog which is why joining a group is a good idea. you will find your dog will follow the others like a pro, just dont forget to say left and right even if they are running in that direction anyway. for speed use hike hike hike in and exited way and remember to hold on.
always keep an eye on your dogs, bring lots of water and  wear a helmet, gloves and eye protection. for soft pads use mushers secret it works wonders. when you get into distance try feeding pemmikan kronch before a run http://www.csjk9.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=110 i cant recomend this stuff enough its bloody fantastic. above all keep it fun and post lwots of pics/vids

Fantastic, thanks for the info.

Andy wrote:

Nathan wrote:very welcome on the advice mate as still just a novice on the MTB front. both dogs were trained for weight pull but it lends itself well to bikejor. one of the fastest guys uses a hardtail, hydrolic brakes and 17.5 wheels as a compromise between agility and speed. some tracks are very tight and twisty which lead into long straights. the terrain isnt to hard and more soft mud as the dogs paws and joints can take a hammering. with two dogs pulling your power is well up front, race regs is 2.5 meters  so your center of gravity is about a foot in front of the bike which makes it so much easier going through the sticky stuff. at the moment im running 16's hardtail with v brakes which last about 12 miles. shimano twist gears which are pants as you hold on and instantly change down ten gears...

Bit confused about ya wheel sizing bud  .. when you say "17.5 & 16's" .. do you mean 27.5inch and 26inch wheels ? as these are the two most popular wheel size's in mountain biking at the mo (I think 29ers will fade out personally)

The main factor is budget ? ... that will pretty much determine whether its better to go for a lower spec new bike, or a higher spec used bike

lol yeah had my car head on, i run 26 at the mo which is best for agility 27.5 is supposed to be best for an all round. tad expensive at the moment though and dont seem so many tyre choises unless thats my ignorance. was just pmsl at thought of running around on 16's lol

 .. yeh I was thinkin to my self .. "is he running some kinda weird BMX wheeled stuff on a hybrid built for the purpose )

I'm a die hard 26er fan myself, the conventional size is stronger, more nimble in the tight stuff, and climbs better IMO, so I wont be moving to the larger wheel size's any time soon as I cant see any real advantage for my riding, and TBH mate, when you're rolling along behind the dogs I cant see it making any noticeable difference other than physiologically .. but that's just my opinion, and I know bugger all about your sport  

One thing I would say is, as you've mentioned, brakes are a massive thing for your sport, obviously for some control over the eager dogs and safety, but dont think that just because you may get a bike with hydraulic disc brakes it will be a revelation in stopping power!! .. cheap disc brakes are not much better than decent V brakes .. however .. good disc brakes are awesome! (I actually have too much braking power in some conditions, and one finger on the lever is all I ever need, even on fast downhill sections)

This is my idea of GOOD brakes, not the most expensive out there, but you'd never want for more feel or power

thanks mate, after your input think i will stay with 26 as i also find them more nimble too. had figured there was a reason why people where moving away from 30's for agility. the main problem with the v's is they collect all the leaves etc and if they arnt used on a regular basis they become usless when you need them. your set up looks bloody perfect for bikejor tbh. think i can grab a bargin and get a great bike with 26 and hydrolics while everyone else goes for the 30s. big race of the year is the checkenden challenge which is very tight so the 26 should shine. thanks again for your help mate.

Awesome vid! They run so well together