It used to be impossible to add a rack to a fully-suspended mountain bike. So if you wanted to bring your canine companion along, you needed to get a bike-trailer.
Today there is at least one rack for a fully-suspended mountain bike from Old Man Mountain. I got their (American made) Divide Rack.
Even a dog who is a bit of a cry-baby can easily take to a rack, since they are with their man. Almost touching him, actually.
I won't go through the obvious details, but there is one thing that goes against common sense. It helps to move the rack/box as far to the rear (aft) as possible.
For instance, the photo shows about 5 inches between the rear of the saddle and the front of the box. Sounds like plenty. But it would be nice to increase this distance so the bicyclist can scoot rearwards when descending hills.
The magic in this rack is the fact that it doesn't need eyelets (that is, screw holes) built into the frame of the bike. Most of the weight of the rack rests on a customized axle that the company supplies, and which replaces your standard rear axle.
Here is a photo showing how the rack attaches to the custom rear axle:
Our usual habit is to leash the dog to a belt around my waist and let her gallop her little heart out at the start of a ride. And then put her in the box after she has gotten an endorphin 'fix' or when other conditions warrant it.
Comments
Medium and larger dogs can keep up with a mountain bike when they are young without getting a bike-trailer. But at some time in middle age, they will hold the biker up.