Bicycle Mechanics - Need simple grabs for bike-overboard rescue

Please no sarcastic posts:

We boat alot and while transporting the bikes to the boat, I'm always worried about a bike 'going overboard'.

Of course, when the bike is totally sunk, it's a lost cause. Imaging as the bike is sinking slowly out of grasp...wondering if there's a way to make some sort of grab bar that floats up...while the bike is sinking to grab.

Help me design something to put on the bike while transporting it to/from the boat... to rescue a sinking bike.

The grab bar would need to be attached to the bike, right? Meaning you'd need a long rope. Ropes and bikes don't mix.

The only practical rescue method is to jump in the water after it.

Better yet, fasten it to something so it doesn't go overboard in the first place.

Tie a lobster pot float to the bike. That should buy you some time.

Sligtly unrelated, but way back in the day, as teenagers without access to foam pit skateparks, we launched BMX bikes off pier ramps into the water to practice bigger air tricks.
We had four 2liter bottles duct taped and tied to the frames to keep them from sinking. It worked, but swimming those bikes back to shore was quite the chore.


Perhaps you could just tie some light bouy or balloon the the bikes while in transport (or hucking off of pier ramps)?

Why not just tie it down to prevent it going over in the first place?

Just put a leash on it, loop it onto a hitch on the dock, once its on the boat, untie it. Reverse for boat to land.

Use a marine fender, tied to the top tube??

How bout a big beefy magnet on a rope

Hot air balloon!

The floats look like really good ideas. Handy too. Thanks for all of the responses!

Got a couple extra life jackets?

It wouldn't take much to float a 20-30 lb bike. Probably a fender would do it. Easy to test with a barbell or some such thing.


I wonder if a cycling helmet (mostly styrofoam as we all know!) would provide 20 lbs of flotation? Strap the helmet on to the top tube routinely when in storage on the boat or when moving to shore.

Put a small dog's life preserver on the top bar with a leash attached to it. You can get them on sale right now at Petsmart and Petco. Just look for the size for 20-30 lb. dogs. They come with handles on them, too.

Take a 12" or 16" bike tube, fold it in half and thread it around the hub inside the spokes. Tie the folded ends together with a zip tie and inflate the tube. It expands and fills the space between the spokes.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l156/Wordbiker/Copyoflakejump.jpg

This is a trick we came up with for lake jumping bikes. The bike can be ridden with no interference from floats or ropes, and even my steel mountain bike floated, no sweat. It's also easily removable and won't harm the bike in any way.

How about tying a section of 4" PVC pipe with end caps sealed by silicone rubber to the frame with rope. Assuming we are talking about loading and unloading the bike to/from the boat in relatively shallow water and not riding it off the end of a pier, the PVC pipe with a sufficient length of rope should serve as a floating marker to grab and haul the bike back out of the water.

Or, inflate an old automotive inner tube and tie it to the bike so the bike floats.

To float 25 lbs of bike, you'd need a minimum of around 3 US Gal. of air-filled volume.

Pelican Bouy.

http://www.pelican-cases-flashlights.com/Pelican_Float_Marker_jpeg.jpg

substitute your bike for the lead weight.

nuff said.

Pelican Bouy.

http://www.pelican-cases-flashlights.com/Pelican_Float_Marker_jpeg.jpg

substitute your bike for the lead weight.

nuff said.

Won't work. That bouy has very little buoyancy to hold the bike up - unless you're suggesting they let the bouy drag loosely behind the bike by it's line.:rolleyes: Nuff said.

I've kinda the same problem.

If I was to transport a bike, insecurely and rather casually strapped to the outside of a small aircraft, and it somehow or other was lost while in transit, how would I go about recovering it?

I'm thinking a small automatically deployed parachute and a locating beacon. Any other ideas?

Put a small dog on the top bar with a leash attached to it.

That's just plain SICK

Buy one of the pool noodle kid toys that are hollow down the middle like pipe wrap for about $1 and cut it to fit the top tube. Slit it down the middle so you can slip it over the tube and add two bungie cords to hold it on. Can probably do 4 bikes with one noodle.

Why not just tie it down to prevent it going over in the first place?

This is the most sensible solution i've seen yet.

As a boater I am well aware of the almost concious intent some things show for going overboard.

The split foam noodles or foam pipe insul is a good idea, pipe insulation is better because you can get it in different sizes to fit the various tubes on the bike. If you get a few velcro straps you can remove/replace them without worrying about them cutting loose from the bike when it hits the water.

The pelican bouy is a decent idea if the water is shallow, as it can normally be rigged to release the float when it hits the water, won't keep the bike afloat, but will allow a grab and remove the urgency when it does go overboard. doesn't add a lot of bulk and can be removed easily when the bike is ridden.

if you're looking for a permanant mounted floatation system, buy or make a couple of the frame bags that fit inside the triangle and fill them with styrofoam, or 'canned' foam. (put a plastic bag inside the frame bag then fill the plastic bag with the canned foam) that way it doesn't make your bike look like something you'd only ride in the dark wearing a disguise.

Ken.

Whatever system you choose, it will have to be tested with the intended equipment. <shudder>

Put the whole bike in a bag and seal it. There should be enough air to float it, and it stays dry - even in tests.

Why exactly are you taking your bikes on a boat again??? Not that it matters .....

...no, I think that's a question worth asking....

Around here,there are about 50 islands. Upon arriving by boat, there's no way to get to town for supplies etc. A bike with a rack or basket comes in real handy.

A sea-dog reminded me that a life-jacket is only supposed to float about 10lbs (the weight of your head). Said the jacket probably wouldn't even slow down a 25lb bike...a 40lb bike for sure would tank. To test, send a 45lb kid into the water and watch what happens when he just sits on the jacket.

San Juan Islands??? I'm jealous.

My wife and I visited Vancouver island last year.....Gawd I wish we had bikes when we were there.