This basket is so aesthetically pleasing to the eye and a functional piece of gear all in one. I am overall pleased with how this Happy Ride™ Wicker Bicycle Basket by PetSafe Canada has served us during the (COVID-19) summer months and onto the fall season! Read on to find out why.
The G o o d Stuff
1. Easy Installation - Included you will find the wicker basket, sunshade, 4 faux leather straps to hold the sunshade in place, safety leash to secure to the pet's harness, two cinch straps that secure the weight in the basket to the bike, sheepskin liner and the kit to mount the basket onto your bike. Putting everything together is not one bit complicated. I made sure that I got zero help from my husband in mounting the basket to my bike because if I can do it, surely you can too. I won't bore you with the logistics on how to install the kit to your bike because the entire manual is here. We did, however, film how to mount the basket in the video below for your viewership (check point number 3 to see how Gibson goes in and the sunshade fits on).
2. Versatile/Practical - I am in love with the fact that this basket can transform into an every day basket to hold my backpack, light groceries, and any other items under 6KG or 13 pounds. After removing the sunshade and sheepskin liner, you've got yourself a sleek looking wicker bike basket which will help make your life easier as you bike around. Additionally, you can add an old camera strap like we've done before to the handles on each side or diagonally to carry the basket inside if you don't trust to leave it out to risk getting it stolen.
3. Perfect Size - As you can see from the photo below, Gibson comfortably fits in this basket with room to spare. Sometimes when we are biking for some time, he lays down and relaxes a bit. You can also take a look at the video to see how we put Gibson inside!
4. Security/Stability - As already mentioned, this basket fits weight up to 6KG or 13LBS. It is more than secure for Gibson, who's 4.7KG or 10.5LBS to sit and enjoy the ride. I also love that there is a super secure leash which is short to maintain safety and the inability to jump out, but long enough to keep Gibson inside the basket but also allow for him to sit up and look around. See photo 1 of 3 below to see the leash. Just note, do NOT put weight beyond what is recommended. I did not read this and went to get groceries packing a 2.63L jug of orange juice, 4L of milk, and other things. With all this weight amounting to more than 6KG or 13LBS, the clip from the cinch straps broke off. See photo below.
These clips breaking was totally my fault. Thankfully it was easy to replace with 2 small carabiner clips (2 because I'm OCD and each side had to match). See photos 2 and 3 below to view the clips that I added.
Changes I'd Recommend
1. Ease of Transformation - One of the things I really like about this basket is that it looks nice! The design makes it easy for this basket to become something for Gibson AND for me. It's easily a 2 in 1 type product! The faux leather buckles, however, make it a bit time consuming to undo all 4, pull the straps out, and take off the sunshade and sheepskin liner. I'd love to see the faux straps with possibly a buckle instead? It's just hard to tell if it would look as classy as it does now with the buckles so this is a hard one!
2. Ease of Removal of Cinch Straps - The cinch straps are attached to the basket and designed to help hold the weight inside the basket. If you don't have them attached then the basket will not at all be secure. I'm sure that it was designed the way it is because this basket is meant to fit all sorts of sizes of handle bars BUT I just wish it was a slightly easier process to put these on and take them off. Again, this is one of those things where if the design was changed it might affect this products ability to fit on most sizes of bikes. Also, I never really need to take the cinch straps off for any reason. Somebody might steal the basket but I'm pretty sure nobody will take cinch straps without the basket!
Important to Note
This bike basket was actually made for dogs, not cats. It does happen to work really well with us, though! I want to highlight the fact that lots of training has gone into being able to safely bike with Gibson in this basket alongside traffic on the streets of Toronto. If you'd like to know more about this, please DM me on Instagram. I'd love to help in any way that I could. Also, if you'd like to purchase this bike basket for yourself, check it out on Amazon. To check out product details for yourself, check it out on the PetSafe Canada website.
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Thanks so much for taking the time to read. I'd love to hear your thoughts on your experiences with pet friendly bike baskets that you've used! Feel free to message me on Instagram, email me, or drop a comment below (just note that I cannot comment back but always read what you write).
xx Sarah & Gibson