Today I was in the market for a grass rake, so I cycled to the junk shops in town and found one for a few quid, strapped it to the top tube and cycled home. Ive also carried planks of wood, curtain rails and other long objects in this fashion. It occured to me today that modern bikes with dropped top tubes can't carry long loads as well as bikes with horizontal top tubes.
Has anyone ever tried carrying a long object on an MTb or hybrid style of bike?

At Christmas I carried a couple of rolls of wrapping paper strapped either side of the top tube at the front but up onto the rack at the rear. I bought a few Hawthorn whips the other week and could have tied them to the top tube at the front and rack at rear if I hadn't wanted to avoid shredded thighs. They went with the roots on the rack and a red plastic bag loosely tied over the other end.

I must admit a conventional top tube would provide more places to tie things to, but I can secure at the front and not run the object down with tube, by securing at seatpos and rack.

Richard

This reminds me of a Top Tip:

Pretend that you are an ancient knight in a jousting contest, by riding a bicycle along the cycle path whilst holding a broom under your arm. Watch the damsels-in-distress swarm all over you as you push the oncoming cyclists off their bikes.

Sorry, couldn't help it.

Having carried 4' flourescent light tubes on my old-school mountain bike, I agree that a horizontal top tube has great utility. (I have carried all sorts of things home from my local Home Depot, which is separated from my house by 2.5mi/4km of road with one good-sized hill in the middle.)

More like "Watch the paramedics swarm all over you after the 300lb professional boxer whose ride was rudely interrupted catches up..."

I've never done this. But I've stuffed everything but the kitchen sink into by backpack.

The only reason I haven't done that is because it won't fit.

I lash my Eskrima sticks (a pair of 26 inch rattan sticks) to the top tube with bandannas. I find this much more convienient than trying to put them on my back or lashing them to the rear rack.

regards
Dan

True Stupid Stories:
I watched my roommate (drunk on Bacardi 151) make the decision to pick up the inner cardboard tube of what was a roll of carpeting (must be at least 20 feet long), stick it under his arm mounted on the handlebars and attempt to ride in a fashion he could comically "joust" a group of us standing over by a dumpster at the bottom of a hill. [Hanging out at the dumpster: classy!] Anyway, he lost control when he got close to us and realized this wasn't a good idea - unable to brake, his next decision is to let the 17 feet of overhanging carpet tube fall to the ground in front of him and attempt to hold on to his end in order to brake. His joust turned into more of a pole vaulting.