Best Bicycle for use on the cut

[aread2]

I've found that having a bicycle is very useful when cruising on the cut for lock wheeling and for shopping trips for the odd pint of milk when the nearest village is couple of miles away. The only problem is storage. A bike on the roof is a liability because it can get crushed or knocked off under bridges or in tunnels and is a menace when you need to walk along the roof and is always at risk of being stolen. To keep one anywhere else requires some sort of folding machine. I'm in the very early stages of designing a new boat and am considering devoting storage space to a bicycle. Who has experience of folding bikes on the cut? Can you recommend any particular manufacturer or even model? Are small wheels a problem on muddy uneven towpaths?

[CanalWalker]

I always found having a really crap bike was useful. No one wanted to knick it and it wasnt a great loss if it fell in. there is a bridge in Liverpool with about 6 bikes under it if you want one!

[DHutch]

We've always ment to look into geting a bike, beucase as 'aread' says, it makes geting about so much easyer.

- A 3mile trek to get bread/milk suddenly turns into an enjoyable half hour round trip.

- And the tow path is be deffontion flat, relativly well made, and near the canal/boat.

 

But, the only problem, and the main reason we havnt go one, is storage.

 

 

Daniel

 

(yeah ok, so i dont have the answer...!)

[Alastair]

I've used a Brompton folding bike for years. They ride fairly well, and are actually quite good at coping with bumps, as there is a shock absorber.

 

HOWEVER. They are prone to corrosion, being nearly all cheap mild steel. They are expensive.

 

Look in chandlery magazines - Compass24 is good - they list much cheaper stainless-steel bikes for yachties - these would be good on a narrowboat.

[fuzzyduck]

of course the 1 big drawback of a nice shiny stainless bike is you can't fish it out with a sea searcher.

 

for me, the biggest concern would have to be "how small does it fold?" and for that i think the Brompton is a pretty good bet.

 

if you intend it for wider use, get a hoop welded to the hull, and lock the bike to the boat, and then get whatever "floats your boat" (pun intended)

[DHutch]

I did a bitt fo googleing for "aluminum folding bicycle" and the like.

- There certainly seams to a be a fair range.THESE looked quite good.

- What ever i got, i would get somthing with an alumium frame, becuase there so much ligher, far more coroision restant, and generally really nice.

 

 

Daniel

[DaveR]

We have a folding bike for the odd jolly along the tow path. It's at home at the moment for its winter overhaul. However I am reluctant to take it back after the escapades last year.

 

You need a really soft seat, OK I know I have a built in one, but going along the tow path which seems to be nothing but tree roots is very hard on the old posterior.

 

Make sure the bike has a pump fixed or attached to the frame, believe me it is not funny when you get back to the bike and find one of the tyres is flat.

 

The other danger was from the vegetation alongside the tow path. One morning it was beings slapped by some very wet Rosebay Willow Herb no problems just brushing passed it until one of the bunches had a load of nettles built in ow wow wwoooowww . . . .

[DHutch]

You need a really soft seat, OK I know I have a built in one, but going along the tow path which seems to be nothing but tree roots is very hard on the old posterior.

Stand up!

- The seats not there for siting on! (i certainly wouldnt like to sit on my seat, ouch!)

 

I agree about the pump, only i find there never very releable, so i have not got myself a CO2 gun for a fiver, miles better, would never go back!

 

 

Daniel

[fuzzyduck]

LMAO

 

Daniel, not everyone's a cyclist who enjoys powering along.

 

One suggestion is to get a Brookes, or pearson's saddle, the wider saddle and built in extra springing would probably suit those those back sides have seen a few more years than Dans

 

as for the trees etc, get a chainsaw, and a rear rack to carry it on.

[mr toad]

Excuse me if I foul this up, new to this forum. Just looking about bikes. I considered the folding bikes but they do look a bit flimsy. especially for a big fat bloater like me. thought about a roof rack effort then putting normal bikee on that!

[fuzzyduck]

1 word

 

Harecastle.

 

[Supermalc]

The best bicycle for use on the cut??? One with an engine

[Pirate]

I`ve been out this week looking at bikes.

 

Now I dont know much about bikes these days because theres so many different types now to what there used to be, but I sat on a few that, to me were mountain bikes with 18 gears, then I came across this one and wow what a difference it was, it had like a big spring in the frame towards the middle rear and a Gel seat the whole bike moved up and down ever so comfertably, (well in the shop).

 

Does anybody know what these are like on the tow path as they certainly are comfertable when you sit on them. £79.99 In focus and similar in Halfords were down to £100. No mud guards though.

 

It has been 30 years since I rode a bike by the way heheheheh, bear this in mind when replying please.

[bottle]

£100 for a bike when you could pay £600 or more for a similar one seems good and would the £600 one last six times as long.

[DHutch]

Yeah, you can get quite cheap "full sus" bikes (full suspention, ie, front & rear)

- And some of them are really quite good, certainly for the price at atlease.

 

One of the major problemes we full-sus is that everytime you push down on the pegdles, as well as pushing yourself forwards, you pumping a fair old beit of energy into the shock absober. So unless is has a 'lock-out' for road and light-trail work (at £80, it wont have) it might not be the best idea.

- Also check the wieght of it, some of these cheap bikes have got a lot of steel in them, and it makes them very heavy indeed.

- Even if you dont get an alumium bike, you can get quite light crom-moly frames, which are a good compromise.

 

Also, somthing that gets a lot of people is that these bike are designed to sell, not to ride.

- So while it make by "cool" an have "full-sus" to get it under £100 they've had to cut a lot of corners on the rest of the bike, (ie, why the frames so heavy) - But also, cheap brake arms, leavers, gear shifters, bearings, cables, everything.

 

Im not sure what your planning to do with it.

- But if its for tow-path and road use, i'd be tempted to cheap hard-tail alumium framed bike, with V brakes, shamano gear sets, and a half decent pair of front shocks.

- Even if you dont buy from there in the end, i would go down to a well know bike shop and talk to th guys there. Most bike shops are run by 5/6 20somthings working parttime to cover there hobbie, and the vast majority are very knowlageable and will got to a lot of effort to help you get the best bike, for you, for your budget.

 

 

Daniel

 

- The for £15 you can get a pair of "crud catcher" mudguards and a lizard skin.

[bottle]

Thanks for that Dan, you've answered a lot of my questions

[alan_fincher]

I`ve been out this week looking at bikes.

 

Now I dont know much about bikes these days because theres so many different types now to what there used to be, but I sat on a few that, to me were mountain bikes with 18 gears, then I came across this one and wow what a difference it was, it had like a big spring in the frame towards the middle rear and a Gel seat the whole bike moved up and down ever so comfertably, (well in the shop).

 

Does anybody know what these are like on the tow path as they certainly are comfertable when you sit on them. £79.99 In focus and similar in Halfords were down to £100. No mud guards though.

 

It has been 30 years since I rode a bike by the way heheheheh, bear this in mind when replying please.

 

What you have come across is called A "full suspension bike", (as opposed to one that is rigid at the rear, but might have sprung forks at the front, (a "hard tail").

 

Purists would say that if you are spending less than about £500, you are best avoiding "full sussers", but you are talking about casual use on towpaths, not hacking down rough singletrack paths on Welsh mountains.

 

What will certainly be true, is that whilst some mountain bikes weigh 25 pounds or less, (sorry, I still think in pounds not kilos), what you have seen will weigh at least 10 pounds more, and possibly 15 pounds more. Not a major issue if riding it on the flat, but if you want to lift it on to boat roofs, it could be quite heavy.

 

The other thing about full suspension bikes is that because they bounce up and down as you pedal hard, (particularly if trying to get up hills, and standing on the pedals), quite a bit of your energy goes into that, and is wasted, rather than moving you forward. If you did the London to Brighton on one you would certainly feel more tired at the end than someone with rigid and more lighteweight road bike.

 

But the pricing is certainly attractive....

 

I've got a serviceable folding small wheel bike from the local council tip for £3. But it only has a 3 speed hub gear - OK on the tow-path, but not a serious hill climber.....

[bottle]

Here's a bargain down to £1500 from £1880 but it is a discontinued

 

model

 

 

Edited January 17, 2006 by bottle

[Canal Shop Man]

You could try these: Folding Bikes

 

They seem quite robust, despite the price, and fold down quite small.

 

I would recommend 'Green Slime' or 'Dr Sludge' in the inner tubes of any bike for use on the towpath. BW (or their contracters) seem to like spreading hawthorn bush cuttings all over the towpath and it makes good punctures, but this stuff seals it up again.

[DHutch]

Here's a bargain down to £1500 from £1880.

Ouch!! - Thats lotta dosh!

- Even my bike was less than that (just over £400)

 

 

Daniel

[Canal Shop Man]

OK so my first attempt at a link failed! Try this one . . .

Folding Bikes

[DHutch]

You could try these: Folding Bikes

Your link has got one to many http:// 's in it - This this Folding Bikes

 

I would recommend 'Green Slime' or 'Dr Sludge' in the inner tubes of any bike for use on the towpath. BW (or their contracters) seem to like spreading hawthorn bush cuttings all over the towpath and it makes good punctures, but this stuff seals it up again.

Yeah, that stuffs fantasic, I've put it in all the tyres of the other four's bikes, and our wheelbarrow, and our fourwheeled cart.

- Infacted, everything except my bike.

[Pirate]

Here's a bargain down to £1500 from £1880 but it is a discontinued

 

model

 

How the heck do you ride that

 

I`ll have two anyway

[DHutch]

[bottle]

How the heck do you ride that

 

I`ll have two anyway

 

You have to unfold it and what do you mean you will have two you can,t afford them