Utility Cycling - Transporting a second bike by rolling it next to you...

Roll your own!

I "carried" an Atala road bike home from my semi-local bike shop with one hand on my left handlebar grip and my right hand on the stem of the atala.

No problems. I walked wherever a curb jump was necessary, but rode two trails. I also walked on the sidewalk over a bridge.

One guy passed me as I walked over that bridge. Two miles later, I caught up with him on the beach MUP. He was shocked to see me and picked up speed, embarrassed that I'd caught him!

It was kind of nice, as the second bike made me a four wheel vehicle, so balancing was easy. There were a few spots, transitioning off a sidewalk downhill onto the road, where I literally just lifted the bike in the air as I rode, rear tire down, setting the bike gently on the rear tire and then lowering it.

I would do this again-- it wasn't particularly hard. About a four mile ride, new haven to west haven. Flat, so staying in one gear was no problem.

Having long arms helped.

I do this all the time. i'm always finding bicycles in the trash or free on lawns and what not. I offten think people misake me for bike theif though lol so to make them not I flatten tires and adjust the bike messed up. I'm a well known bike person here in the city but not everyone knows that lol

This was something I've been doing most of my life, it all went wrong a few months ago though. I was towing a beaten up mtb for a friend, and as i picked up some speed it started shimmying and went into my front wheel, flipping the bike i was on and sending my face first in to the road.

I can only advise to take it slowly while doing this, my mistake was that I was going down a long hill with no cars or bumps around and I relaxed.

A few weeks back, the left hand pedal on my partners bike sheared off from the crank arm. At the time we were about 11 & 1/2 miles away from home cycling along Marriots Way: A section of the Sustrans National Route 1 just North of Norwich. I had to tow her and her bike all the way home by holding onto her handlebars with my left hand, steering my bike with my right, and pedelling for the two of us. 9 miles of that journey was on compacted gravel and rolled stone ballast surface, the final 2 & 1/2 miles on smoothish tarmac. Thankfully she is a Svelte 130# ~~~ 59 kgs, but I really did ache by the time we got back

I see it all the time here. There often seems to be a need to move an extra bike around and not everyone drives.
I was bringing an extra bike up my street a month ago, when my neighbour says, "That must be quite difficult for a non-Dutch to do."
I couldn't quite tell whether it was a compliment or a dig.
So I ran over his cat.

I do this as well, when I need to. Be careful, though - the second bike can become entangled with your own, leading to big problems. I had to jettison my friend's bike once when the handlebars got caught in my brake cables or something, and I suddenly couldn't steer.

As someone else said - take it slow

I tried it once while bringing a 10 speed home from a garage sale. The terrain was rather hilly, and I ended up walking both bikes because the one I was "guiding" kept trying to get off course and get close to the bike I was riding. Its like riding with a dog on a leash, it works well till it doesn't and then you get trouble fast.

I see it all the time here. There often seems to be a need to move an extra bike around and not everyone drives.
I was bringing an extra bike up my street a month ago, when my neighbour says, "That must be quite difficult for a non-Dutch to do."
I couldn't quite tell whether it was a compliment or a dig.
So I ran over his cat.


LOL

We have a couple near us, husband is German, wife is Dutch...


I used to transport bikes like this in High school. We also used to "ghost Ride" bikes into curbs and the like. Ahh, the old days with the indestructible Schwinn Varsitys....

I've had trouble with this--I was on a bridge taking up the whole right lane and there was traffic before and behind me. The second bike flipped out of control, and I swerved across the left lane, front wheel hit the gaurdrail and I stopped on my chest on the gaurd-rail look right down into the ravine. That was not the rush I was looking for.

I earnestly suggest putting the front forks in your saddle bag and bungee-ing the front tire to the opposite side of the saddle rack.

I've done this to take bikes to lend to friends and get them to ride to me.

Best way I've found is to take off the front wheel, secure the fork to your rear rack, and tie the front tire to the second bike. Trouble-free if you get the fork attached correctly.

I've considered getting an old QR hub and spend some time attaching it to my rear rack so I could cinch up a second bike easily.

Sounds awkard.... Congratulations.

You must have a knack for this that I do not have. The times that I have moved two bikes at once, I had to walk. The alternative of riding one was extremely awkward for me. It came across as difficult to balance and steer two bikes at once, while balancing on one of them.

You guys find spare bikes with tires on them?

Last bike I had to transport on bike was just a frame/fork/handlebar combination. Grabbed it out of a trash pile for the biopace cranks on it. Riding with it slung over my shoulder was doable, but next time I'm out on trash day, I think I'll take the xtracycle, not the road bike.

This is one of the two ways I do it.

The other way (when not pulling the trailer), I just strap the front wheel (still mounted) of the bike that I am towing to the side of the xtracycle frame. Don't have a photo of this to share, but it works quite well. I am working on recycling a discarded hub into a permanent hitch that I will mount on the back of the xtracycle frame.

Two things to look out for doing it this way.

First, don't want to elevate the front of the towed bike too much, as it pretty well invalidate the steering geometry. The towed bike will tend to lay over in turns.

Second, make sure you allow some play for the towed bike to pivot vertically at the point of attachment. If you make it rigid, it could lift the rear wheel of the towing bike off the ground when you go over a bump or off a curb or something.

Link to the photo. I haven't yet figured out how to attach photos. I put the link in when it asked, but they don't show up...

http://imagebin.org/63388

http://imagebin.org/63388

I do wish I had an extracycle to do what xargaun describes. I was on a Dahon 26" folder, so options were few. Part of what made the operation a success is the geometry of the Atala that I was towing. Relaxed angle to the fork and seat tube-- the bike drives itself. Always did.