Travelling by bike alternatives

[james4480]

I live in Lincoln which is mostly surrounded by countryside. I spend a lot of my time out in the fields fishing, flying kites and whatever else, however I am not old enough to drive yet and find it easier also to use my bike to get around. I am a very experienced cyclist for my age, and use my bike to transport me and my recources around the country side however i find it difficult to carry everything.


Does anyone know of any alternatives or any thing I could make to help me carry things easier on my bike?


Thanks James

 

[Seoras]

Hi James

Welcone to BCUK.

I am sure you will get some help from folk on here.

You may have noticed I have deleted a link in your post.

Please read the rules and regs here

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53527

Thanks

George

 

[bilmo-p5]

Does anyone know of any alternatives or any thing I could make to help me carry things easier on my bike?

Welcome to BCUK, James. What are you having difficulty carrying on your bike?

 

[mountainm]

Maybe a trailer or a trike?

 

[crosslandkelly]

Something like this.View attachment 14269

 

[Binxie]

You just need to keep it light and to the bare essentials. Try and keep it down to a 50L sack with maybe some of those sachels which fit either side of the rear wheel. I know how bad it is trying to travel by push bike with too much kit. I once did a Salisbury to Swindon cycle in a day and a half and had to chuck some kit away in a bin so I could actually make it home. That was a few years ago now and I learnt my lesson the hard way.

 

[ged]

Welcome to BCUK, James.

Don't get a motor, keep using the bike as long as you possibly can - it's much cheaper, safer and better for you.

Here's a trailer that I made a couple of decades ago for a cycling and camping around Northern France...


http://www.jubileegroup.co.uk/JOS/misc/dscf3339a.jpg


I just use a bit of rope to attach it to my bike rack.
I made mine from steel tube so it can easily carry fifty kilos, but you might want lower gear ratios on the bike if you're pulling that kind of a load up Lincoln Hill -- we all had to get out and push my dad's car up there once. :yikes:

If you don't want to pull such a lot of weight you might be able to get away with making one from reasonably small section timber. An interesting little project for you.

Of course you can always find things like this on the auction sites, but where's the fun in that?

 

[santaman2000]

Panniers made for bikes work on bikes like they do on pack animals: www.thefind.com/sports/info-touring-bicycle-panniers

 

[toilet digger]

as has already been mentioned previously. keep it light.
if you are heading out camping, strap your sleeping bag, bivi/tent and roll mat to a pannier rack, then everything else should fit in a 30 litre bag.
need to ride more myself, so thats how i'm gonna play it.

all the best.
jamie.

 

[John Fenna]

I used to do a lot of camping by bike and never needed more than a set of rear panniers and a rucksack strapped acros the top of them...
To distribute the weight better (and keep the front wheel down when going up hill!) a set of front panniers would be useful if you have huge loads...

 

[pastymuncher]

Have a look at cargo bikes for some inspiration, Yuba Mundo for example or the bolt on xtracycle.
They are expensive but you could make your own similar version, there are free plans on the web.
There are loads of people making cargo bikes/trailers etc and lots of blogs and free plans out there.

welcome BTW

 

[ged]

As John says, panniers are indeed a great way to carry gear on a bike, and as he also says load distribution can be an issue. My wife uses her front panniers a lot but I never have. I go faster down the hills than she does.

One problem I had with overloading my rear panniers and rack was breaking rear axles. It wasn't long after I found that I was including a rear axle in my spares kit that I decided to make the trailer.

A lot of people tell me they've never broken an axle on a bike, even with large loads. Maybe I ride 'em rougher or something. Anyway I think it's something to watch out for.

 

[Man of Tanith]

a mate of mine does almost all his camping on bike
he has two bergen side pockets rigged up as panniers, usually these have water in
then he wears a predator 50ltr pack on his back with the small low profile side pockets attached. thats all he needs although he does on occasion add a bigger tarp onto the top of the pannier rack

 

[Indoorsout]

Last thing I'd do is wear a backpack for a long trip. I've used a trailer and they are perfect for this, though you will find you can't pull away from junctions/lights etc anywhere near as fast

 

[decorum]

Does anyone know of any alternatives or any thing I could make to help me carry things easier on my bike?

You have two basic options ~ panniers or trailer. As you've already made a trailer for towing a canoe could it not be used/modified? If you've modified it already and are a bit stuck for space, add panniers to the bike.