My new mode of bushcraft transportation.

[Jonbodthethird]

Recently me and re8eld0g have been talking about been able to commute further distances with out the aid of a vehicle. We have to go places and leave our cars behind in sometimes secluded and unlighted areas. It does make you wonder sometimes if your going to see your car when you come back which isn't a nice feeling. A few years back I purchased a cross country bike for nearly a £1000 pounds. And never really used to it to its full potential. So we have both decided peddle power will be the new way of vomiting yes vomiting with exhaustion until we can used to it to our multiple destinations!

Here's my new bushcraft beast!

It carries roughly my entire kit that my lowe alpine sting carried. Roughly 70 litres. And seems to ride perfectly. All I needed to do was pump the rear shock up too 160psi to compensate for the extra weight (another 20psi) but all in all it's pretty manageable. Just had to get a few extra things like a bike pump spare inner tube and a puncture repair kit and travel tool kit. chuffed to bits with it all.


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[GGTBod]

Nice wheels, is that a seat mounted rear rack i see? I had one recently snap and drop my bag on my back wheel doing 20 in Chopwell woods, i only had 4 kilo of weight in the bag at the time, the repeated bouncing over the ruts and roots seems to multiply the force it was going through as under inspection you could see how the metal had first fatigued and then tore, it was not a cheap version either and had a triangular box section attachment clamp to the seat post that was very heavy duty, i was amazed it even happened but i am very wary of using them now.

this is the exact model that snapped on me and ever since anytime i see one i let folk know, it was a right phaff on trying to stuff my excess kit into my full Camelbak Mule for the 14 mile journey home

 

[cranmere]

That looks good. Of course you could always come to my spin classes where I will beast you unmercifully

 

[pieinthesky]

Those racks are notorious for snapping, I have seen a few broken ones with far far less weight than you have in the picture.

You would be much better off with a normal rack though obviously you cant on that bike.

If you are riding off road it can be better to carry your gear in a back pack. If you lean forward at all on your bike, the pack lays on your back rather than hanging on your shoulders and in my experience is easier to carry than when walking.

 

[Jonbodthethird]

Right then I'll get my braising kit out then lol. Strengthen up the welds with some plates and look at putting a titanium bolt instead of the mild tempered steel one that's already there for the clamp. That hopefully should sort it. There's 11kg in the pack including the weight of the bag an it stands 25kg of stress. With the add one that should sort out the stress.


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[Jonbodthethird]

Or make another clamp further up the seat post and weld that to the the the joint on the bag mounts to counter act the forces.


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[GGTBod]

Mine snapped halfway along the bar about 3-5 inches from the seat post, I was proper gutted but it turned into a blessing as i ended up giving up on it altogether and getting one of these, only thing that needed changed was i took the road mudguard off and put a little plastic offroad one in it's place, truly world opening piece of kit attaches and detaches to and from the bike in seconds and packs flat when needed

 

[Jonbodthethird]

That looks good. Of course you could always come to my spin classes where I will beast you unmercifully

There's a slight difference between spin class inside and down hill racing/cross country racing which I did for 10 years and suffered multiple fractures which your more than welcome to come to and I'll have the ambulance on stand by!


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[Clouston98]

There's a slight difference between spin class inside and down hill racing/cross country racing which I did for 10 years and suffered multiple fractures which your more than welcome to come to and I'll have the ambulance on stand by!


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Haha!

I've been doing down hill on a jump bike (Kona Shred) for a while, not as much as I used to. Some bad crack happened. I once went to ride over a rock between two trees which had been positioned like a jump and managed to hit the trees with my bars, whack my chest of the headset and go straight over the bars- it was an ouch moment. The worst was coming off in mid air after a drop off with a hills beneath and smashing my head of a rock and a stump- the beauty of full faced helmets! I don't do it as extreme now as I used to as I'm no longer fearless!

Nice bike that mate, should be cracking for camping out!

 

[RE8ELD0G]

Here is my new baby.
The one i have been given by different people in parts.
Finally got it all together today, just need to set the gears and put my pannier rack on.

 

[JonathanD]

Cool, Mongoose. I had a Mongoose BMX, loved it.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

My bike of choice for bushcraft trips, (and for all trips really these days) is my trusty Brompton.

I've upgraded her, she now has 8 gears, new brake levers, Gp2 handle bar grips, bottle rack, and an SQR rack under the saddle. With the Brompton T bag, on the front, and a 30L dry bag bungied to the SQR rack under the saddle I can transport about 50L of kit. Which is more than enough for most trips. I tend to also have my backpack with me, but I keep that as light as possible, just my camera in it (to isolate it as much as I can from vibration). I don't like having a heavy backpack on when cycling, it just increases the amount of pressure the saddle is putting on your back side and makes it more uncomfortable. Far better to stick it all on the bike.

Welcome to the Bush by bike!

Julia

 

[Jonbodthethird]

Mine snapped halfway along the bar about 3-5 inches from the seat post, I was proper gutted but it turned into a blessing as i ended up giving up on it altogether and getting one of these, only thing that needed changed was i took the road mudguard off and put a little plastic offroad one in it's place, truly world opening piece of kit attaches and detaches to and from the bike in seconds and packs flat when needed

Awesome. Much cheaper then I thought too. Have you used it much since you purchased it? Is it holding up to expectations? Thinking I might buy that instead.


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[GGTBod]

Aye it is cracking kit, the most i tried to haul was 30 kilo, literally a bag with my weight lifting discs in it as a test of handling and control (max load is 35kilo and the most my kit ever weighs is around 15-20kilo), as expected climbing a hill or going over rougher ground it adds to the workload but you quickly learn to take your time and you get through and learn to love your granny cogs all over again, one downside is with that much weight you're like an artic truck and trailer when going downhill and the trailer has no brakes so under heavy braking it can jackknife and start to drift slide as it tries to overtake you, you feel this happening and quickly adapt and do not break as heavy or go as fast downhills, i was doing just over 30mph when i experienced it the first time and have never experienced it under 20mph and the more i use it the less it happens, most i have covered in a day in 3 small rides before setting camp is 55 miles.

Loves rooty singletrack, bridleways, waggonways and fire roads, adores tarmac and will make your life a misery if you try to pedal through prolonged thick mud like the bloke in this pic, you can tell it is his first time stuck as he is looking at it surprised and has not avoided trying to pedal through it at all, it hitches and is unhitched in seconds, when using it you remove your rear wheel spindle (or replace your rear wheel nuts with the ones provided) and insert the one with the trailer hitches (also provided), this is very handy when faced with stiles or fences, it's off and over and then so is the bike and then hooked back up and you're off

Bloke in pic is using the Bob suspension version which is £400, it does not get any less stuck in mud for the extra money spent


Hope that helps

 

[ozzy1977]

Always fancied one of those bob trailers.

 

[GGTBod]

Here is mine, fully modded with extra reflectors and an offroad mudguard, total cost around £55, Bob Trailer with no bag £250 - £320

 

[Jonbodthethird]

For £320 I'd rather make a rip off one. But £50 for that looks really good and not only that if the bags zips pack in ill just shove my burgen in. Really like that. Does it have some sort of bearing or coupling for the up and down movements?


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[Jonbodthethird]

Here is mine, fully modded with extra reflectors and an offroad mudguard, total cost around £55, Bob Trailer with no bag £250 - £320

Can't get the image to upload. :/ might be my area. You'd think Stilton would have fairly ok signal but nope!


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[GGTBod]

The bag that comes with it is waterproof and of a roll top style, it is nothing fancy like and i also prefer to use my bergen in the trailer with bungees to hold it in place, this is mostly because i prefer the compartments to one big internal bag space and if i ever had to i could flat pack the trailer and bungee that to the outside of my bergen and stick the whole thing on my back and cycle, trailer is light as a feather and packs flat with the removal of 2 quick release bolts (3 including the wheel lol)

 

[GGTBod]

Smaller version of the pic

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/album.php?albumid=232&attachmentid=31419