Is bicycle on the roof the only solution?

[magnetman]

I used to keep 4 bikes in my engine room when I had the narrow Boat. It was a large engine room (10ft and at the back of the cabin). Butchers bike (the basket holder folds up over the handlebars), Holdsworth racer. Dave Marsh racer and a Bickerton folder. 

 

All fitted in nicely no problems. 

 

But you do need a big engine room! 

 

Don't have bikes now as one by one they get stolen. 

[blackrose]

1 hour ago, noddyboater said:

I kept my old commuting bike on the front deck with the handle bar end tucked up behind the wellie bar on the bulkhead.

One evening in Sheffield I heard a noise, then felt the boat rocking. I popped out the stern and walked up to find a young gent with Eastern European accent who was "Taking this bike but leaving mine for you as this better"

True to his word there was a rusty old thing leaning on the wall nearby. Some people are so thoughtful.

 

 

You don't lock your bike to the boat? If you don't lock a bike to something expect it to go. Bike thieves generally won't bother cutting through locks for cheap bikes.

Edited January 28 by blackrose

[magnetman]

Actually it was 5 as I also had a Voodoo Erzulie mountain bike. 

[nealeST]

Thanks for all the input! Plenty of potential solutions…I absolutely love tug decks…but a large well deck is a good alternative. I’m imagining a bike under a cratch cover with coal and outerwear a bit of a struggle but if people manage it’s nothing I’ll rule out. I do like Brompton bikes…they are revolutionary. Amongst the suggestions I like foldable pedals and quick release wheels. I’m going to strip one of my bikes to basics and employ those ideas. Sans mudguards and chain case, flip the handle bars and invert them, lower the stem. With brake hubs I can easily go the quick release option on the front, try hinge pedals….great, just need to get the boat now. I’d been thinking tug deck but it looks so extravagant for the sake of a bike…in which case I’ll keep both bikes🤩

I’m certain hauling a steel frame bike off a roof is asking for back trouble. 

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

I used to keep 4 bikes in my engine room when I had the narrow Boat.

Yes I was mulling over engine room. Engine room is a must have for me. I think with the bike partly knocked down with quick release bits and bobs and pushing the handle bars through parallel to the frame….so you can wangle them through a side hatch? Diagonally sort of?

[noddyboater]

4 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

You don't lock your bike to the boat? If you don't lock a bike to something expect it to go. Bike thieves generally won't bother cutting through locks for cheap bikes.

Yes, I'd lock it when leaving the boat but stupidly thought that the doors being open/broad daylight smoke coming from the chimney etc it might be ok.

That mooring in Sheffield basin wasn't great, the first inline as you came into the newly renovated "quays" from the murky bridge holes and towpath.

 

[magnetman]

11 minutes ago, nealeST said:

Thanks for all the input! Plenty of potential solutions…I absolutely love tug decks…but a large well deck is a good alternative. I’m imagining a bike under a cratch cover with coal and outerwear a bit of a struggle but if people manage it’s nothing I’ll rule out. I do like Brompton bikes…they are revolutionary. Amongst the suggestions I like foldable pedals and quick release wheels. I’m going to strip one of my bikes to basics and employ those ideas. Sans mudguards and chain case, flip the handle bars and invert them, lower the stem. With brake hubs I can easily go the quick release option on the front, try hinge pedals….great, just need to get the boat now. I’d been thinking tug deck but it looks so extravagant for the sake of a bike…in which case I’ll keep both bikes🤩

I’m certain hauling a steel frame bike off a roof is asking for back trouble. 

Yes I was mulling over engine room. Engine room is a must have for me. I think with the bike partly knocked down with quick release bits and bobs and pushing the handle bars through parallel to the frame….so you can wangle them through a side hatch? Diagonally sort of?

I put them in through the back doors. It was an open engine room with an engine in the middle and loads of space around it. The bikes all went on one side. 

 

If you can deal with small wheel bikes then consider an Ammaco Zigzag. I do have one of these although it never gets used. 

It is an interesting bike because the pedals fold and the handlebars but it is too large for use on mass transit underground trains so it is not expensive like the Brompton. Mine was £35 on eBay and its basically new. 

 

Hand made bike. 

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

14 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

You don't lock your bike to the boat? If you don't lock a bike to something expect it to go. 

absolutely, mine was permanently locked until the one evening I left it unlocked,

the following morning the bike was gone,

 

I always hope they’ve made good use of it or they bought some decent drugs if they sold it,

 

 

[magnetman]

One of these. 16 inch wheels. I've got a hub motor for it but have not got a round tuit yet. 

 

Could be quite funny. 

 

 

Boing boing boing 

The frame is one piece with no hinge but peripherals such as seat sliding down, pedals folding in and handle bars folding means it knocks down to a very low profile. 

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

Yes I thought I might get use out of a bike for stuff like that but instead I’ve got in the habit of taking the boat and mooring beside the Elsen or the wharf/yard selling the gas.

For groceries, particularly a big shop, I take advantage of the canalside or (very near canalside) supermarkets. 
Pretty much all the canal side villages have coops and spars for the small stuff. And if I’m gonna be countrified for any length of time then I stock up in advance. Yeah, I get caught out now and again but it’s not often. 

I mainly thought having a bike would be good for lock wheeling,

but on my own it don’t work out like that,

if I had someone with me it’d be very useful for one of us to go ahead.

 

If someone really likes cycling and exploring away from the canal then I can see them being well used.

I guess I’m just lazy

 

The only time I found it useful was the likes of Tradibigge and I don't do that flight often, I thought I was going to get it nicked coming up into Birmingham, bike by top gate me operating bottom paddles, He looked at the bike, looked at me, I looked at him and he walked off

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Just reread the OP’s post, I now understand you haven’t a boat yet.

Id suggest, if you’re a keen cyclist choose a boat with enough room inside to store the bike,

and think about extra space to keep all the cycling gear and paraphernalia that goes with it,

depends how serious/enthusiastic you are, you might want to designate a cabin for it,

if something is important to you then you’ll find the space,

My mate’s a keen cyclist and he’ll cycle up to the Midlands from Cornwall to see me,

he once cycled up to Bugsworth Basin!

his bike’s worth a fair bit and is set up proper for him, so it usually comes into the boat at night,

handle bars turned sideways means it won’t take up more room than a book case does,

 

 

 

 

[Crewcut]

Have a look in the usual places for Montague folding (full size) bikes, I got an as new "urban" for £500 off ebay, QR front wheel, whole frame folds, I added QR pedals. Their paratrooper folding mountain bike would be great for the towpath...

[Wanderer Vagabond]

3 hours ago, nealeST said:

Thanks for all the input! Plenty of potential solutions…I absolutely love tug decks…but a large well deck is a good alternative. I’m imagining a bike under a cratch cover with coal and outerwear a bit of a struggle but if people manage it’s nothing I’ll rule out. I do like Brompton bikes…they are revolutionary. Amongst the suggestions I like foldable pedals and quick release wheels. I’m going to strip one of my bikes to basics and employ those ideas. Sans mudguards and chain case, flip the handle bars and invert them, lower the stem. With brake hubs I can easily go the quick release option on the front, try hinge pedals….great, just need to get the boat now. I’d been thinking tug deck but it looks so extravagant for the sake of a bike…in which case I’ll keep both bikes🤩

I’m certain hauling a steel frame bike off a roof is asking for back trouble. 

Yes I was mulling over engine room. Engine room is a must have for me. I think with the bike partly knocked down with quick release bits and bobs and pushing the handle bars through parallel to the frame….so you can wangle them through a side hatch? Diagonally sort of?

I've had a Dahon Zero G folding mountain bike(https://products.mtbr.com/product/bikes/xc-hardtail/dahon/zero-g.html) on the boat since day 1 and use in on a regular basis (11 years on). Sadly Dahon don't make that model any more but they do now apparently have an alternative that might be worth considering(https://dahon.com/bikes/gb-2-2/). For towpaths the small wheel folding cycles are rubbish, but a folding mountain bike is ideal.

 

For mine I also use it in combination with a trailer when necessary (https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/trailers/carry-freedom-y-small-trailer/) on which I have carried Coal,a gas cylinder,full Thetford Cassettes......and a scrap washing machine!! The bike comfortably fits in a top box (I take the pedals off) and the trailer dismantles and fits under the table in the back cabin.

 

It all depends upon how keen you are on your cycling

 

[Francis Herne]

With a suitably large hatch, you could store a bicycle under a tug deck where it would be much more secure.

Ideally with some kind of spring-loaded Thunderbirds-esque contraption to get it out easily.

 

Mine lives on a rack across the back of a square cruiser stern, which is convenient for access but exposed and quite good at snagging things.

Edited January 28 by Francis Herne

[MtB]

12 minutes ago, Wanderer Vagabond said:

I've had a Dahon Zero G folding mountain bike(https://products.mtbr.com/product/bikes/xc-hardtail/dahon/zero-g.html) on the boat since day 1 and use in on a regular basis (11 years on). Sadly Dahon don't make that model any more but they do now apparently have an alternative that might be worth considering(https://dahon.com/bikes/gb-2-2/). For towpaths the small wheel folding cycles are rubbish, but a folding mountain bike is ideal.

 

 

Totally agree. I use a Dahon Zero G too, and a Dahon Jack which is the same thing but with rigid front forks (easily changed to bouncy forks). Fine pieces of engineering which are a dream to ride on the towpath. Best of all is once covered in mud, they hardly look worth the effort of nicking! Unlike the Motague Paratrooper recommended above by Crewcut. Probably an excellent bike too for the towpath but looks achingly easy to sell in the nearest pub once nicked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faintly surprised it doesn't have disc brakes though, which (unlike rim brakes) still work in the wet.

 

(Image nicked off ebay.)

 

 

Edited January 28 by MtB
Add a bit.

[Wanderer Vagabond]

21 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

Totally agree. I use a Dahon Zero G too, and a Dahon Jack which is the same thing but with rigid front forks (easily changed to bouncy forks). Fine pieces of engineering which are a dream to ride on the towpath. Best of all is once covered in mud, they hardly look worth the effort of nicking! Unlike the Motague Paratrooper recommended above by Crewcut. Probably an excellent bike too for the towpath but looks achingly easy to sell in the nearest pub once nicked.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I thought I remembered you once saying you had that bike.

 

Stored in a top box mine would be a bit of a challenge to nick (although I'd never say impossible). The pedals are inside the boat and the handlebars are disconnected, so if anyone can pinch it we are looking for a circus performer. I've left it in the top box in most locations throughout the country from Bristol to Birmingham to Burnley, and it is still there (last time I checked).

Edited January 28 by Wanderer Vagabond

[Ronaldo47]

I take my 1980's, and long discontinued,  Bickerton folder with us when we go on the canals for lockwheeling and shopping. Folded, it fits its  medium suitcase-sized carry bag and has a pedal with an integral sliding spanner to remove it when stowed. 10" front wheel and  12" rear wheel so  not ideal for deep potholes, but being aluminium, easy to carry when unloaded. No luggage carrier, but it has hooks on the handlebars for hanging the carry bag on. I have used mine to transport bulky things like beer crates and even a boxed lawnmower, but have had no need to carry a cassette as all our hires have had pumpouts. 

Edited January 28 by Ronaldo47

[David Mack]

I seem to recall that someone on the forum had a bike locker built into a newbuild. As I recall it was a semitrad stern with a conventional seat locker on one side and a full height bike locker on the other, with the locker accessed by a door in the stern bulkhead. With handle bars turned through 90 degrees and folding pedals the locker could be quite narrow yet accommodate a standard (non folding) bike. Secure storage, with no need to bring a possibly wet and muddy bike into the cabin. Although presumably a bit difficult to clean (or repaint) the inside of the locker.

Edited January 28 by David Mack

[IanD]

28 minutes ago, David Mack said:

I seem to recall that someone on the forum had a bike locker built into a newbuild. As I recall it was a semitrad stern with a conventional seat locker on one side and a full height bike locker on the other, with the locker accessed by a door in the stern bulkhead. With handle bars turned through 90 degrees and folding pedals the locker could be quite narrow yet accommodate a standard (non folding) bike. Secure storage, with no need to bring a possibly wet and muddy bike into the cabin. Although presumably a bit difficult to clean (or repaint) the inside of the locker.

That was me, and the locker was designed to fit a Brompton -- and it does, and the locker is just the right height to perch on while steering... 🙂

 

A towpath has to be pretty bad to make a small-wheel bike like this unusable -- I had no problems last year with the Brompton anywhere between Sheffield and Anderton, and I've cycled the towpaths for several years in the past on a Moulton with similar wheels/tyres. Yes if it's *really* muddy a bike with bigger wheels and chunky tyres -- like I use regularly near home -- is better, but then you have to find somewhere to stow it, which is no problem given a shed at home but more difficult on a boat.

 

It's the same issue as with a camera -- yes if you want ultimate quality and are willing to hump it around a DSLR with the appropriate lenses will undoubtedly take better photos, but what matters most is having a camera with you in the first place -- which is why most photos nowadays are taken on smartphones.

 

A small folding bike like a Brompton is not as good in really bad conditions as a bigger one, but it's a lot easier to fit in and have handy when you need it -- and great for taking on trains and buses on the way to/from the boat. OTOH they're expensive and allegedly are thief magnets... 🙂

 

Guess what -- usual issue with boats, every solution has good and bad points, you pays yer money and you takes yer choice... 😉

 

Edited January 28 by IanD

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

And now you’ve told everyone you have a £1k plus Brompton bike in your rear locker, not the brightest of moves I would say😉  

Edited January 28 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, BoatinglifeupNorth said:

And now you’ve told everyone you have a £1k plus Brompton bike in your rear locker, not the brightest of moves I would say😉  

 

Maybe he shouldn't of mentioned the £20,000 of lithium batteries under the deck.

[magnetman]

My little Zigzag takes up no room at all no gears to break. Not used it much as no need for a bike but it does work properly. 

 

i like the groovy colour too. 

 

Need another one for the other Boat really. 

 

 

I never gave it much thought but it is 16 inch wheels which while small are not terrible and a lot of towing paths are surfaced rather well these days. 

 

 

The folding handlebar is actually very well engineered. 

 

Its solid and the quick release is mounted on a spring loaded sliding pin so even if the QR itself became loose the handlebars are still locked in position. Rather an important detail ! 

 

 

The frame is steel but the folding headset is aluminium. Welds have been kept to a minimum as they are a weakness. 

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Francis Herne said:

With a suitably large hatch, you could store a bicycle under a tug deck where it would be much more secure.

Ideally with some kind of spring-loaded Thunderbirds-esque contraption to get it out easily.

 

Mine lives on a rack across the back of a square cruiser stern, which is convenient for access but exposed and quite good at snagging things.

Wyvern built one like that 

[Slim]

8 hours ago, GUMPY said:

Why mess about with push bikes? One of these was what I used to use to get back to the car😉

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386716993667?

 

I believe they now do electric ones 😱

You're a braver man than I, Ganger Din.! 

I speak from experience.

I bought one at the Inland Waterways Festival at Beale Park 20 ? years ago for £1400. Sold it 30 miles and some years later for about £300. 

Tiny wheels that fell into any size hole and as unstable as a Roundtrees jelly.

A chauffeur driven Roller would have been an infinitely better idea, unfortunately it was that damned beer tent offering 20+ types of real ale that was to blame  

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Maybe he shouldn't of mentioned the £20,000 of lithium batteries under the deck.

Bit difficult to hide the multi thousand £ boat moored on the bank. Sometimes you can be too risk averse

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Poor quality image pinched off internet,

but gives an idea for storage inside a camper van

all depends how determined you are,

[cheesegas]

Used to have a full size bike which worked ok locked to the stern rail of my cruiser stern, but going through locks it would get in the way so I'd have to put it inside or on the roof which was a pain. It eventually got nicked so I bought a Dahon folder as I quite liked the ability to take it on buses...but it was crap and kept unfolding itself and couldn't stand up on its own folded. Then bought a Tern which was a bit better but it was awkward to fold. And finally bought a used Brompton for £400 and it's really worlds apart. Liftable with one hand, can be pushed one handed ahead of you folded in busy train stations, doesn't unfold when you don't want it to etc etc. Don't waste your money on anything else! It lives inside - I wouldn't fancy trying to get a full size bike in and out of the boat daily though.