Bike transport...by bike?
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Bike transport...by bike?
I am curious what solutions people have found for transporting a second bike while riding a bike. I often pick up my daughter places where she doesn't have a bike with her. It would be nice to be able to bike there with her bike in tow so we could bike back together. She's outgrown the trail-a-bike I used to use for these occasions.
I have plenty experience riding one-handed while holding the stem of the second bike. It works, and I'm not afraid to do it, but I'm looking for a better solution. (Ever tried doing this while shifting DT shifters with your one "free" hand, or shifting a DT shifter with your foot? Not to mention creating a wide berth in a lane, reduced braking, putting strain on your back/neck over longer distances, etc. The second bike does offer support when doing a sitting track stand at a light, a precarious position in tightened toe straps.)
I experimented with attaching a hub to the top of a rack and attaching the second bike's fork to the hub/rack combo with the front wheel strapped onto the second bike. *DO NOT TRY THIS.* I thought it would behave like the Burley Piccolo trail-a-bike., but it was a total failure. The second bike doesn't turn at the same rate as the one you're riding, so it wants to flop over as soon as you veer from a straight line. I was lucky I didn't break off a fork tip.
Surely in the history of vintage cycling inventiveness, someone has developed or rigged an adequate system...or maybe not. I'm not aware of anything currently on the market. Has anyone come across such a thing in your travels or other literature? Thoughts?
I have plenty experience riding one-handed while holding the stem of the second bike. It works, and I'm not afraid to do it, but I'm looking for a better solution. (Ever tried doing this while shifting DT shifters with your one "free" hand, or shifting a DT shifter with your foot? Not to mention creating a wide berth in a lane, reduced braking, putting strain on your back/neck over longer distances, etc. The second bike does offer support when doing a sitting track stand at a light, a precarious position in tightened toe straps.)
I experimented with attaching a hub to the top of a rack and attaching the second bike's fork to the hub/rack combo with the front wheel strapped onto the second bike. *DO NOT TRY THIS.* I thought it would behave like the Burley Piccolo trail-a-bike., but it was a total failure. The second bike doesn't turn at the same rate as the one you're riding, so it wants to flop over as soon as you veer from a straight line. I was lucky I didn't break off a fork tip.
Surely in the history of vintage cycling inventiveness, someone has developed or rigged an adequate system...or maybe not. I'm not aware of anything currently on the market. Has anyone come across such a thing in your travels or other literature? Thoughts?
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There are at least two other recent threads on the topic. Older ones?
https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cy...bike-bike.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car...e-bicycle.html
In the second thread above, I have a rack mount for pulling a bike. I only used it once so far. It was a little unwieldy due to the high center of balance, I think, but otherwise it worked reasonably well. I carried the wheel on my backpack, but might find a better place to stash it. Sorry, no photos of the adpter on the bike. I could mount it again, but you can use your imagination.
Most commonly I've carried recently purchased bikes in a trailer (most of them aren't ready to ride anyway). At some point, I'll make a bike carrying trailer.
https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cy...bike-bike.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/living-car...e-bicycle.html
In the second thread above, I have a rack mount for pulling a bike. I only used it once so far. It was a little unwieldy due to the high center of balance, I think, but otherwise it worked reasonably well. I carried the wheel on my backpack, but might find a better place to stash it. Sorry, no photos of the adpter on the bike. I could mount it again, but you can use your imagination.
Most commonly I've carried recently purchased bikes in a trailer (most of them aren't ready to ride anyway). At some point, I'll make a bike carrying trailer.
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Oh, another option might be a trail-gator. I have no idea how well it would work. It is designed for young kid's bikes, but it might work (or something similar) for adult bikes without a passenger. There are some that actually support the front wheel.
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Thanks for those links. Lately, I haven't been on this forum as much as usual, so I missed those threads.
Yeah, that's another direction I was considering.
Yeah, that's another direction I was considering.
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Oh, I saw this on the web. A little more fabrication work than the fork tow bar I made, but then one doesn't have to deal with the wheel.
Bicycle Tow Rack - I Made It at TechShop!: 9 Steps
Bicycle Tow Rack - I Made It at TechShop!: 9 Steps
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I built a frame to hold a bicycle on my Vespa. not quite the same, but close.
Somebody has made a bike carrier that carries the bike alongside the Vespa; got to be more stable in a crosswind. My rig works fine while scooting on the backroads. But sitting motionless on the Vespa for an hour ride home after riding my bike for 5 hours left me almost unable to move.
Somebody has made a bike carrier that carries the bike alongside the Vespa; got to be more stable in a crosswind. My rig works fine while scooting on the backroads. But sitting motionless on the Vespa for an hour ride home after riding my bike for 5 hours left me almost unable to move.
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I don't think you need any kind of fancy rig.
Assuming you have a rack, odds are you can secure the front wheel to one of the support legs, You might have to DIY a short brace from the leg to the seatstay, to add a stabilizer attachment point without going forward enough to interfere with your heel.
Then 3 toe straps should do the trick, and (maybe) a short length of rope from axle to top of rack to support the weight and keep the front wheel high enough.
Then it's only about keeping the 2nd bike vertical so it's steering properties are right and the rear wheel tracks without crabbing.
IMO - 10 minutes thought, and another in the execution and you should be good to go.
BTW - don't forget to include a small bag so you have a place for the straps on the dead head leg.
Assuming you have a rack, odds are you can secure the front wheel to one of the support legs, You might have to DIY a short brace from the leg to the seatstay, to add a stabilizer attachment point without going forward enough to interfere with your heel.
Then 3 toe straps should do the trick, and (maybe) a short length of rope from axle to top of rack to support the weight and keep the front wheel high enough.
Then it's only about keeping the 2nd bike vertical so it's steering properties are right and the rear wheel tracks without crabbing.
IMO - 10 minutes thought, and another in the execution and you should be good to go.
BTW - don't forget to include a small bag so you have a place for the straps on the dead head leg.
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This is a Carver surfboard rack; they have a version to fit a bike (as in carrying a board on your bike) I adapted this one for my scooter
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this is how i do it for my local bike share.
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Minimalist.
I have been tring to figure out how to transport a bicycle with another bicycle for some time. I also want to do it with the minimum of special equipment.
Here is what I have come up with.
The transporting bike needs a rear rack. Parts needed: front axle, "U" clamps, bungie cords and (optional) an old inner tube.
The old inner tube is wrapped around the fork blades to hold things in place while the U-clamps are secured.
The key principle is this: The front axle of the transported bicycle must be secured parallel to the rear axle of the transporting bicycle.
If you can achieve this principle, the transported bicycle behaves like a trail-a-bike.
I have been tring to figure out how to transport a bicycle with another bicycle for some time. I also want to do it with the minimum of special equipment.
Here is what I have come up with.
The transporting bike needs a rear rack. Parts needed: front axle, "U" clamps, bungie cords and (optional) an old inner tube.
The old inner tube is wrapped around the fork blades to hold things in place while the U-clamps are secured.
The key principle is this: The front axle of the transported bicycle must be secured parallel to the rear axle of the transporting bicycle.
If you can achieve this principle, the transported bicycle behaves like a trail-a-bike.
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Sounds like a good excuse for a tandem!
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk