Where do you put your bicycle?

[Richard Steele]

Hello

 

Do any of you have a way of securely 'hanging' a bike to the side of your boat? Preferably without having to drill any holes into the steelwork. I'm trying to figure out a way, but if you already have the answer, please let me know.

 

Many thanks

 

Richard

[Liam]

the only time I've taken a push bike away with us was in my 8ft Dinghy, but the bikes that I do see on boats are sat on some form of cradle hanging over the stern. I suppose it would be fairly easy to rig one up, making sure it doesn't foul the swing of the tiller.

 

The other alternative is to just chuck them on top of the boat, and lock them either to your handrails or your the centre ring on the cabin top, if you have one.

[alan_fincher]

I've several times seen the car type "towball" bike carriers used to carry (say) two full sized bikes hanging over the back of a boat.

 

Seems quite an attractive way of getting full sized bikes reasonably out of the way, but they are clearly vulnerable to drifting back into lock gates, etc, as it's unlikely you could have a long enough stern fender to protect against it.

 

Also, somewhat like the thread about adding taff rails / seats to an existing boat, I think it would be hard to add the part of these bike carriers that normally bolts to a car towball bracket on to the stern.

 

Well, if that's where your diesel tank is, at least ?

 

I'd love to be able to carry "proper" bikes, but hate having them on the roof, (they are bigger than you think!).

 

So at the moment a small "folder", bought from the local tip for £3, (but costing nearly £6 when fully fixed up!), is proving to be a compromise lock wheeling bike, (and will just go into the engine roiom folded). It's even got 3 gears !!

[Carrie]

That's what I'm going for too - a folding bike I can hang (yes, I've seen the hooks) in the engine room.

 

I'm also thinking taff rails will be good to attach daughter's bike when visiting.

[alan_fincher]

That's what I'm going for too - a folding bike I can hang (yes, I've seen the hooks) in the engine room.

 

I'm also thinking taff rails will be good to attach daughter's bike when visiting.

A modern folding bike like a Brompton would fold to a fraction of the space of the old clunker I've currently picked up, and will fit into a very small space.

 

Problem is the price, which can easily be £500-£600 plus for the better Bromptons, if bought new, (and they are so popular that second hand prices are through the roof too....)

 

Compared to my £3, that sounds a lot, particularly if my wife and I both want one!.

 

Canal Shop Man has some folders at around the £110 to £125 range. Clearly they don't go as small as a Brompton, but look like they could be a good compromise between compactness and price. As a 6 footer, I'd actually need to try one though, as not all folders are truly rideable if you are tallish.

[anhar]

A modern folding bike like a Brompton would fold to a fraction of the space of the old clunker I've currently picked up, and will fit into a very small space.

 

Problem is the price, which can easily be £500-£600 plus for the better Bromptons, if bought new, (and they are so popular that second hand prices are through the roof too....)

 

Compared to my £3, that sounds a lot, particularly if my wife and I both want one!.

 

Canal Shop Man has some folders at around the £110 to £125 range. Clearly they don't go as small as a Brompton, but look like they could be a good compromise between compactness and price. As a 6 footer, I'd actually need to try one though, as not all folders are truly rideable if you are tallish.

Hello Alan

 

At two boat shows I've visited recently, Little Venice and Crick, there was a chap selling cheap folding bikes for something like the figure in your last paragraph. Not sure if it was the same person at both shows though.

 

I don't know about Canal Shop Man's models but my view is that in general these cheap bikes are nowhere near as good quality as the Brompton or similar folding bikes. As so often, you get what you pay for. Personally I find folding bikes with their small wheels much harder work to ride than a normal bike, but I guess that's the trade off for the easier storage. It's quite difficult in practice to store a full size bike on a narrowboat and at the same time protect it from thieves and the weather whereas a folder can be brought inside.

 

regards

Steve

[Bones]

On my last boat I used to keep the bike inside under the gunwhale. On my current boat I am lucking enough to have a huge cratch and keep it in there with no problems. I used to moor next to a chap who had something like a bike rack moulded onto his stern and it seemed to work well, even in Locks (and he was a single handed boater).

[Cris P]

Brompton bikes are absolutely brilliant. Fantastic design and great construction. I reckon on mine lasting a lifetime (crime willing). My last bike has done 10 years and it cost £200. Worth every penny I'd say.

[DHutch]

The one time we had bikes aboard they went on the fordeck, and two of them filled it!

- Usally we just dont have a bike!

- We having thought about having a folder to extend our 'range' but havnt even gont one.

 

If i lived aboard i would put my bike in the aftcabin!

 

 

Daniel

[Breals]

I have one of those cheaper folding bikes, from Whilton Chandlers (£110). Its GREAT! Fits in the car, easily, so ideal for liveaboards who need to move about occasionally and don't have the luxury of being able to give up work.

 

I just store it in the cratch and take the seat off when not in use.* It looks pretty geeky, so probably not a thief magnet, but I chain it to the anchor just in case.

 

I had a rusty old racing bike, but I was far too anal about scratched paintwork and blocked vision to carry a bike on top - and anywhere else, it just got hopelessly in the way. So I returned it to the charity shop.

 

(Important to remember to replace before using bike...)

Edited June 5, 2006 by Breals

[bottle]

Here is a site Folding Bikes if you wish to peruse many different makes.

 

They are not the cheapest and I do not have any connection with them whatsoever.

 

When buying a folder be aware as with all bikes some are not suitable for anything other than a tarmac road.

Edited June 5, 2006 by bottle

[Carrie]

 

not all folders are truly rideable if you are tallish.

 

 

Ooh, hadn't reckoned on that. I'm 5ft10 so I'd better try out a few first. The Brompton does look lovely and folds so flat! They also do a lighter frame bike that, - of course, costs more

 

I'm reluctant to pay out loadsa cash from my experience of bike owning in Bristol. We are a city of bike swipers, it seems. I've had 2 stolen (really cheap 2nd hand bikes) and my cycling friends have all had bikes stolen.

[Incentive]

Hi

We have two full size bikes, and keep them on the roof.

 

I'm sick of seeing them, spoiling the view and threatening the paintwork.

 

But

 

They have big wheels, and great panniers, and they are ready whenever needed.

 

Big wheels on bumpy towpaths, feels safer, and more comfortable. Between the two of us we can carry a weeks food from the supermarket, even if it is an out of town one, and I've coped with a crate of beer on top of the bag rack Equally, big wheels, on tarmac roads, often at speed (down hill) are clearly the most efficient option.

 

We've also gone for loads of gears, making even the steepest climb, with shopping, possible.

 

I struggled with form over function, and decided that I needed to use the bike as a major source of transport. The folding bikes have the clear advantage with storage, but when living aboard, we find that our full sized, bikes do the job that we need them to do, daily, and with a minimum of fuss.

 

So, I'm resigned to seeing them in my way, and protecting my paint with pads.

 

Martin

[Cris P]

But Carrie, in 15 years of bike owning in Bristol, I've never had one nicked. Two big locks and bike racks front and rear seems to be a good deterrent. The racks are useful, and yet make any bike look like a wheel barrow. Brilliant.

[DHutch]

I guess it depends on the grade of bike and lock...

 

My bikes worth upwards of £6/500, and hence im not too happy leaving it ungaurded for very long.

- I have a £45 D-lock rated upto £1200 use around the frame, and a £30 cable lock which i put round the two wheels, the forks, and back though the frame to the object im locking too. (so the frame secured twice, with two diffrent types of locks, which requre very diffent tools to open them) - The bike also insured upto £500.

 

But its still not anywhere near invicabale, my mate has a simular costing bike, and only last week he locked it up (in a simular way to i lock mine) outside the town swiming pool, under the CCTV cameras, for 2hours between 6 and 8 (when its perfectly light). On return he found somone had pinched his rear calapers, which co-incently, are eactly the same calapers i have on my bike (Fairly cheap Shimano POS cable disk units, street value little over £30!)

- IF you leave a half dence bike lieing around, even if its well locked up, they will strip it for parts, and probberbly vandalise whats left a few days later.

- This is not covered by my insurence, as any detachable accessorys are only covered if the whole bike is stole at the same time.

 

Bike theft is a major problem, and the "authoritys" are very poor at doing anything about it.

- All bikes have a unique frame number stamped into the bottom bracket, which is affectly irrmovable. As are some more expensive forks and other part.

- However there is no national database of these numbers, they do not have names/addresses logged against them, and they are often not even recored even if the bike is reported stollen. Certain constabularys do keep records of the frame numbers of stolen bikes, but as i say, not all do, and the database is not national. So all you have to do it take the lorry load of bike you've just stollen half way up the country and there almost untraceable.

 

There are also large-scale robbers, only about a week a high-image bike shop in durham Durham had a load of its stock stollen from its storage containers, 31 bikes, including some bikes which are very rair in the uk - The total value being estimated at about £18,000.

- They then returned all of the replacement bikes, again this including many high value bikes, some worth upwards of £3000 each.

 

There are also many reported incedents of people being mugged off there bike, most being held at knife point untill they agree to hand it over.

 

 

Daniel

Edited June 6, 2006 by dhutch

[matt]

I have a bike I use when travelling distances - I keep that locked to the roof when I'm aboard and in the car when I'm not.

 

I had one stolen at the top of the Caen Flight last year (I damaged my knee and had to leave the boat for a week and couldn't move it off the boat).

 

Usually I go on the basis that rural mooring is safe, but I had my wind generator stolen recently moored fairly rurally overnight.

 

You can't leave anything on show these days ...

 

Matt.

[Carrie]

But Carrie, in 15 years of bike owning in Bristol, I've never had one nicked. Two big locks and bike racks front and rear seems to be a good deterrent. The racks are useful, and yet make any bike look like a wheel barrow. Brilliant.

 

Ah well, yes, but that's because I don't know you Chris! If I did, I'm sure you would have one nicked instantly

Knowing my luck - if I disguised it as a wheelbarrow, I'd have it nicked by a gardener

[Callum]

I'd caution anyone who hasn't ridden a Brompton before to try before they buy. Because the Bromptons fold up into the smallest space they have the smallest wheels (probably) and that makes the steering very twitchy. We have one that my other 1/2 uses twixt station and office/home and whilst it is fine on tarmac I'd hesitate to use it on an ill maintained towpath.

 

I think I'd consider one of the less compact folders with the slightly chunkier wheels first. One of our local bike shops has one in their window that telescopes rather than folds. The cross bar is a straight tube about 6" diameter that the whole rear seat/wheel/pedal assembly can be slid back and forth on, thus significantly reducing the length of the bike overall for storage. I think the handle bars fold in a conventional manner. Probably no more space efficient than other designs but looks very groovy!

[Cris P]

For Bristol and Bath folks (ie all of you at the west of the K&A), I wholeheartedly recommend Avon Valley Cyclery behind Bath train station. They've got a big range of folders.

[bottle]

For Bristol and Bath folks (ie all of you at the west of the K&A), I wholeheartedly recommend Avon Valley Cyclery behind Bath train station. They've got a big range of folders.

 

Is this them bikeshop

[alan_fincher]

I'd caution anyone who hasn't ridden a Brompton before to try before they buy. Because the Bromptons fold up into the smallest space they have the smallest wheels (probably) and that makes the steering very twitchy. We have one that my other 1/2 uses twixt station and office/home and whilst it is fine on tarmac I'd hesitate to use it on an ill maintained towpath.

 

Yes,

 

This is a very valid point.

 

I doubt, however much you spend, that there will ever be a perfect compromise between how small it can be packed down, and how much like a "real bike" it feels to ride.

 

Having said that, we have recently used one of those cheap and nasty 20" wheel shopping bikes that folds in the middle as a towpath / lock wheeling bike. It's a very basic Eastern European import, weighs a ton, and, other than Sturmy Archer 3 speed gears, lacks any kind of sophistication at all.

 

Considering I paid £3 for it at a council tip, I'm genuinely surprised, that it is relatively well suited to towpath use, and I find it pretty easy to ride, despite being over 6 feet.

 

The downside, as I've said previously, is that it' doesn't fold particularly compact, but it will just squeeze into our engine room. This despite the floor over the engine in there being at "counter height", rather that dropping down forward of the steerer, as in most "trad" type boats.

 

(Incidentally, I also have a second one, also £3 sourced at the same place. This "Dawes Kingpin" was obviously originally a better bike, but being slightly larger framed, whilst a better ride and lighter, will not [quite] fit into the space just described. I continue to scour the tip for more upmarket models!....)

 

I can well imagine that the 16" wheels of a Brompton, (or many of the other ultra compact models), would cause more problems on the rough terrain of a towpath, than the 20" ones on my "scrapheap challenge" model. Even if they rode OK through ruts and potholes, I think it's bound to feel less stable used in this way.

 

I'd certainly appreciate a recommendation for a modern folder that is suitable for canal use, but folds compactly. If it didn't cost £500 or more, that would be even better!.....

 

Alan

[Carrie]

For Bristol and Bath folks (ie all of you at the west of the K&A), I wholeheartedly recommend Avon Valley Cyclery behind Bath train station. They've got a big range of folders.

 

Thanks Chris - I'll definitely go and have a look.

[Mimi]

Im not a livaboard or even a narrowboat owner but have spent a lot of time on canal boats over the years. I agree that its a bit of a problem where to stash the wheels but why not just have a couple of bent pieces of steel welded onto the side of the roof to hook the bikes onto and then the wheels could rest onto the little walkwayon one side only. Probably a dumb answer with loads of problems that I couldnt think of

[Mick and Pauline]

Im not a livaboard or even a narrowboat owner but have spent a lot of time on canal boats over the years. I agree that its a bit of a problem where to stash the wheels but why not just have a couple of bent pieces of steel welded onto the side of the roof to hook the bikes onto and then the wheels could rest onto the little walkwayon one side only. Probably a dumb answer with loads of problems that I couldnt think of

 

Hi Mimi,

 

This idea would work on rivers or any waterway without locks. The problem with putting bikes on the sides of n/boats is, there is not quite enough room between the area above the gunwhale and the side of an empty lock. The gunwhales are used to go fore and aft on the outside of the n/boat so it is very important that are kept clear of obstructions.

This is why bikes either go on the boat roof or hang on brackets over the stern.

 

But feel free to put your ideas forward because you may see something that the rest of us have not thought of but most of all, read and enjoy the forum, its a great place to learn.

 

M & P.

[David Schweizer]

I'd caution anyone who hasn't ridden a Brompton before to try before they buy. Because the Bromptons fold up into the smallest space they have the smallest wheels (probably) and that makes the steering very twitchy. We have one that my other 1/2 uses twixt station and office/home and whilst it is fine on tarmac I'd hesitate to use it on an ill maintained towpath.

I have been using a Brompton on the towpath for years, in my opinion they are no more difficult to handle than a standard full size bike. They may not be as stable as a mountain bike with tractor tyres, but as I have never ridden one of those I can't comment.

 

For Bristol and Bath folks (ie all of you at the west of the K&A), I wholeheartedly recommend Avon Valley Cyclery behind Bath train station. They've got a big range of folders.

I will second that. My son worked for them as a part time mechanic from the age of 14 until he left College at the age of 19. That's where I got my Brompton from (with Staff discount of course)

Edited June 27, 2006 by David Schweizer