Is bicycle on the roof the only solution?

[IanD]

2 hours 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😉  

Well it was there when I took the photo... 😉

[nealeST]

25 minutes ago, beerbeerbeerbeerbeer said:

all depends how determined you are,

That’s interesting 🤔…food for thought, like the photo you posted.

Edited January 28 by nealeST

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

1 hour ago, IanD said:

Well it was there when I took the photo... 😉

Hopefully it’s not there now, but at home with you👍

Edited January 29 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[roland elsdon]

You are thinking your priorities wrong. We can get at least 20 bikes under cover and out of sight.

You just have to have the right boat.

 

Our last living boat had a tandem 2 road racing bikes 2 mountain bikes and my going to work bike on board.

Never put on roof. Boat far too shiny

[Alan de Enfield]

When the holding tank was removed from our NB the opportunity was taken to remodel the back end of the boat changing the bathroom around to suit a cassette system and add a bath.

The bed was 'turned around' to make it a cross bed and the space left (the difference between the length of the bed, and the width of the bed) was now empty. A wardrobe/cupboard was built that easily accomodated 2 folding bikes on shelves.

[Stroudwater1]

There’s the suggestion of  bike carriers attached from a towbar off the stern. Covered in the thread below. 

I’ve seen quite a few of these arrangements and as a compromise it seems a reasonable option. With bike transportation it seems like there’s a lot of possibilities that suit different people differently . 
 

 

[IanD]

1 hour ago, Stroudwater1 said:

There’s the suggestion of  bike carriers attached from a towbar off the stern. Covered in the thread below. 

I’ve seen quite a few of these arrangements and as a compromise it seems a reasonable option. With bike transportation it seems like there’s a lot of possibilities that suit different people differently . 
 

 

 

If any tea-leafs are on the prowl for bikes, this seems a perfect opportunity for them -- much more obvious and easier to nick than a folding bike in either a steel locker or inside the boat... 😉

[Stroudwater1]

54 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

If any tea-leafs are on the prowl for bikes, this seems a perfect opportunity for them -- much more obvious and easier to nick than a folding bike in either a steel locker or inside the boat... 😉

Many of these have lockable tow bars and holders. More usual application is for cars/touring Europe. Parking overnight with them attached to the towbar security is noted  to be an important part of the set up. 
 

[IanD]

18 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Many of these have lockable tow bars and holders. More usual application is for cars/touring Europe. Parking overnight with them attached to the towbar security is noted  to be an important part of the set up. 
 

 

I realise that -- the problem is having them out on view as opposed to hidden away, you might as well have a flashing neon sign saying "Please steal me!"... 😉

 

The -- possibly mythical -- towpath tea-leaf with a battery-powered angle-grinder or bolt cutters -- or any of the other things bike thieves routinely use to defeat supposedly secure bike locks -- would make short work of them... 😞

 

(which is exactly what happened to the bikes on a lockable towbar rack just like this, on my mum's motorhome in France)

Edited January 29 by IanD

[magnetman]

If humans had never invented wheels in the first place we would not have all these problems 

[BoatinglifeupNorth]

57 minutes ago, Stroudwater1 said:

Many of these have lockable tow bars and holders. More usual application is for cars/touring Europe. Parking overnight with them attached to the towbar security is noted  to be an important part of the set up. 
 

 Seen quite a few of these fabricated on new widebeams and narrows, with two bikes attached and a Halfords bike cover, a year later there still there in situ and not stolen, also still there and never taken off and used. Seams a must have accessory for the married couple buying a house on the water along with the inflatable canoes.  

Edited January 29 by BoatinglifeupNorth

[Twig]

Hi!

 

The 20" folding ebikes fit really well in the back of my trad.  The 4" tyres handled the towpath really well, even in ice and snow.  Unfortunately the quality of the bike itself was poor and only lasted a year of daily boater use (commuting to work). Can't really recommend bikes like this due to quality, but a larger format, quality folder could fit nicely in the engine room when moored. And in the well deck when cruising.  A quality folding fatbike or could be an option for you.

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

[magnetman]

Crazy machine.

 

[Twig]

Those Di Blasis look like loads of fun.  Would go for the electric R70

[GUMPY]

32 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Been there got the T shirt.

Sold it to Graham 20 years ago.

[IanD]

Costs £3300, weighs 25kg without battery, 36kg with battery...

[Twig]

10 minutes ago, IanD said:

Costs £3300

I might just have to look at the pictures

 

I'm currently running a decent mountain bike but have the storage problems that go with it.  I keep it on the bow propped up against a tunnel light post.  I'm in a marina though, so not too worried about it getting stolen here.  

One issues I encountered in the last sub-zero temperature we had, was the grease in the freewheel ratchet freezing and stopping the pawls from engaging.  A quick blast with a blowtorch got the grease soft again, only for it to refreeze 10 mins later on the way in to work.   Admittedly it's an old bike, but I don't think its a great idea to be keeping bikes outside, even under a tarp/cover.  

I'm probably gonna try a brompton for my next ride.  It needs to be able to take a beating though, as i'm on it every day and the towpath is pretty rough in places.

Would definitely recommend the OP looks for a way to store his bike inside

[IanD]

13 minutes ago, Twig said:

I might just have to look at the pictures

 

I'm currently running a decent mountain bike but have the storage problems that go with it.  I keep it on the bow propped up against a tunnel light post.  I'm in a marina though, so not too worried about it getting stolen here.  

One issues I encountered in the last sub-zero temperature we had, was the grease in the freewheel ratchet freezing and stopping the pawls from engaging.  A quick blast with a blowtorch got the grease soft again, only for it to refreeze 10 mins later on the way in to work.   Admittedly it's an old bike, but I don't think its a great idea to be keeping bikes outside, even under a tarp/cover.  

I'm probably gonna try a brompton for my next ride.  It needs to be able to take a beating though, as i'm on it every day and the towpath is pretty rough in places.

Would definitely recommend the OP looks for a way to store his bike inside

 

Bromptons are pretty robust, but with small wheels and narrow tyres (and no suspension to speak of) they're hard work if the towpath is really rough/potholed, and not so good if it's really muddy.

 

Still, I managed to use mine most of the way up the Rochdale last October with no problems, and it was rainy so everywhere was pretty wet, lots of deep puddles and some mud -- not inches deep though, it would have struggled then. OTOH it's nicer to ride on reasonable roads/paths than many folding bikes -- it was great for zooming along the S&SY to open all the swing/lift bridges, and folds down smaller than anything else if your storage space is restricted -- and perfect for carrying on trains/buses if you need to.

 

So some good plus points, and some significant minus points -- and expensive. Not for everyone, but good if it meets your requirements.

Edited January 29 by IanD

[Twig]

Yeah I think that sounds quite good.  I can always walk it through the really muddy parts after its been raining.  And allot of my route is a decent cycle path.  Can get them for £500ish on ebay too, so got to be worth a try.