Tuba?
 

i play tuba in the Highschool band, Is there anyway i can fit it in a trailer so i can commute to school?

I dont want to end up having to pay the school $20,000

Maybe you can strap it to the top of your trailer instead. I don't think you can fit one inside, but with a lot of bungee cords, I bet you can get it strapped down tight on the top of it.

Koffee

Would it be preferable (and easier) to have a tuba at home and at school? Maybe rent one for home so you won't have to commute with it. I think it would be too much of a risk of being damaged on a bike trailer. Or you could take out an insurance policy on it (would a homeowner's policy cover something like this?).

$20,000!? For what? You must be at a private school.

I used to ride to jr. high with mine in a gig-bag, laying across the baskets on my 3 speed Schwinn 'Racer' ... Of course, back in the early 70's having baskets on your 3 speed english racer with fenders was normal for kids with paper routes. Nowadays, you'd probably get some strange looks. Do they even sell wire bicycle baskets these days and do kids still have paper routes? Dang, I'm getting old.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

BTW, what kind of tubas are they giving you to use in High School these days? I seem to recall that horns like the $3k Yamaha YBB were standard fare back in the 70's.

I play a miraphone BBb horn, and no, I dont go to public school.

I have 3 tuba's But I need my miraphone For wind ensamble and compititon band.

I decided to just try to get a ride when i need my tuba, it just wouldent fit inside my trailer nomatter how hard i tried. My case is just as big as the whold trailer.

I dont think i could even get my Holten to fit.

One of my friends has done crazy things wit his Tuba. He's hiked the Appalachian Trail, ran the boston marathon, and biked across the country from Washington to Maine all with his Tuba.

He used an F tuba however which is a bit small than the BBb that you quite likly play as a student in band, but he put it in a trailer and tooted it across the country behind his bike. Just an option. You might also want to consider strapping it to the trailer.

You also might consider a gig bag instead of a case.

You could wear it. Tuba practice, commute, and exercise all in one. Now all you need is some cymbals between your knees and a drum on your back. ;)

I just throw mine in my gig bag (the kind with backpack straps) and head off on my Dahon presto. Granted mine is an F, not BBb. Still this could work. An accident would be pretty catastrophic though.

I would rather have my tuba riding on my back than bouncing around in or strapped onto a trailer.

I've been meaning to buy a gig bag, I hear theyre expensive.

My horn is pretty big. Bigger than a F horn. I might be able to haul my student tuba around though.

Wear the horn portion on your head as a helmet. Cut 2 holes in it to see. The holes won't affect the sound that much.

:roflmao: That's just funny. I don't think he'll go for that idea.

Bassplayinbiker,

Try contacting Fred Lenk at: lenkf@dock.net

He may be helpful because he plays tuba and hauls it around in a trailer. He had a picture of his tuba and trailer on his website (http://www.lenk.net), but I can't seem to find it.

I don't know the type of tuba or trailer he has.

Ron

Oh man, this has made me nostalgic....When I was a little kid I used to see David Wells, a high school student, riding his bike back & forth to school wearing his Sousaphone....Later, when I got to H S, I of course played the tuba.....Our band only had Sousaphones, but our band director was a tuba player, so when I got to be good enough, he let me play his.....Bikes & tubas, a perfect match! :love:

You must be a high school tuba virtuoso.....Three (3! count 'em 3!) tubas....The average person doesn't realize what a beautiful melodic instrument a well-played tuba can be.... ;)

I once saw a stand-up bass player who had fashioned a special trailer for his instrument - it was an enormous, high-walled, two-wheeled wooden affair with padding on the inside and some straps to hold the bass in place, standing upright and snugly placed inside. (As a bass player myself, I've long coveted such a set-up but never taken the time to build it, especially since I'd have nowhere to keep it.) I imagine you could design and build a special tuba carrier along those lines.

This thread is making me really glad I play the flute :)
Just toss it in the backpack and go... heck, I could carry 2 or 3 of 'em!

A different bike trailor large enough to fit a BBb Tuba wouldn't exactly be cheap either.

If you're interested in a gig bag, I'd suggest Irvin Karen at www.slidebone.com or just email him at slidebone@optonline.net . He's a freelance NYC trombonist with some good connections. If you're looking for a good gig bag, Cronkite bags have proven to be just that. For something cheaper, that also has a thin fiberglass shell around it, Protec cases work- not the best by any means but decent, light, hard shell cases at a good price.

He normally has very good prices.


Ah, but flute players can't gather inside a men's bathroom find the pitch that resonates best in that size room, and proceed to blast it loud enough to crack a toilet...


Neither do I, and I've heard many of them.
Oh the horrors Ralph Vaughn Williams unleashed with his concerto! :eek:

Octubafest.... TubaChristmas.... NOOOOOOOOO:p


Frank
-Trombone player, Vocalist, and double music major
:D

This would work if you took the top off.
http://www.lickbike.com/lickimages/3783.gif

Time to play another instrument. I'd go with piccolo.

Is there anything more annoying than the piccolo comment? (double bass player...) Seriously though, I've known several tuba players who had gig bags with backpack straps; I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work other than being a little inconvenient. Although, depending on the value of your instrument you might want to reconsider. If it's just some crap school instrument though go for it...

BTW, I have a friend who works at Pro-Tec. Email me if you are really interested.

I've heard awesome things about tuba conventions.
I was snowboarding one time and this girl sat down. We talked for 30 minutes how awesome band and tubas are. She would go to tuba conventions with hundreds of tubas all playing the same song together. Awesome.

You should check out www.youngbloodbrassband.com . They play hip hop with brass instruments and there is an AMAZING solo called "the warriors come out to play" by a guy on a tuba.

About the bike, since your tuba is as big as your trailer, couldn't you just get a massive cargo/elastic net around it?

Might I suggest learning to play harmonica instead?

I was about to post about this guy! What an awesome maniac! I found his AT website a couple years ago and just can't get over how cool that guy is.

By the way, I found an old tuba and made a bong out of it one time.

I use to balance my euphonium on the handlebars. Not a great idea, but I was young and determined.

How about one of those Yak bicycle trailers? Seems like a perfect answer.