Soooooo on my ongoing hike a bike adventures, I've a couple of routes where carrying the bikes hands free would be a distinct advantage as the routes are a little bit scrambly. Has anyone got any hints or tips on how best to do this? I'm thinking taking the wheels off and strapping them onto my frame and bag with Alpkit 2 and 4 metre strapping but am unsure how stable this will be.
Has anyone any experience of this that they would be happy to share?
Cheers
Sanny
Chris Akrigg has the best idea - 1 minute in
Thought about it but you're gonna need a proper heavy duty pack to strap it all to. Average 'bak is only made for couple of litres of water and a few tube/tools, hanging even a medium weight bike off it is gonna trash it I'd have thought, plus straps won't be wide enough to take the weight comfortably.
But if anyone knows better...
Use webbing straps for shoulder straps and make the bike the rucksack frame? With your back pack in between you and the frame to keep out the pokey bits but not taking any weight?
One of these might work:
[url= http://www.fjallraven.com/outdoor-equipment/carrying-accessories/fire-brigade-frame-hb ]Fjallraven fire brigade frame[/url]
But you'd then be carting a whacking great extra bit of tubing around when the bike frame is surely all the structure you need...
back in the 80's and 90's, whilst bagging some summits, i carried my bike with my head through the main triangle so that the seat tube was across my shoulders.
this kept both hands free to scramble up stuff.
I was thinking some pipe lagging to stop the frame and forks getting scratched to hell if I take the wheels off.
I use a 20 litre Alpkit Gourdon which is great for balancing my bike on the top of it for extended carrying so it's really a case of trying to figure out how best to strap the bike to it.
Cheers
Way long ago, my mate Rory Hitchens who now works at Upgrade Bikes took his bike to the summit of Mont Blanc. As I recall, he then assembled it, had a pic taken and then, AFAIK, carried it back down.
Drop him a line and ask how he carried it, must have been comfy as it's a long way up.
took his bike to the summit of Mont Blanc. As I recall, he then assembled it, had a pic taken and then, AFAIK, carried it back down
There's a question begging to be asked here.....
Like this - strapped to my normal bag 😀
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The Arizona Trail Race requires competitors to carry their bikes during the Grand Canyon section - I'm sure there will be lots of useful info in the discussion pages here: [url= http://www.topofusion.com/azt/300.php ]ATR[/url]
hold crank and fork leg, lift over head and sit top tube on shoulders nice and simple.
We did the ring of steel route with mixed scrambling like this...
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I've used army webbing and an old metal frame bergan rack to carry bikes/climb with bikes. Webbing was more comfy to wear but the bike could rub (had to pad it out with a jacket etc, metal fram probably best option
Hi Oli
Ring of Steall? Whoop! Tell me more? How did you enjoy it? Any more pics from the ride? When did you do that? Which way did you go? I'm wondering if you rode down from An Gearanach into Glen Nevis as it's on my radar of downhills to try. How long did you take? Interested to learn of other adventure rides you have done.
I did a variation on the Ring. Up the bealach below Stob Ban then across to Am Bodach. Sadly, my mates were pooped so bailed on Stob Coire a Chairn. I was gutted but went back later in the year to do it. It was ace!
Binean Mor is on the target list as a round of 5 in one day. 😀
Sanny - how about one of those harness type packs we used for carrying the packrafts?
Last summer in the Alps a friend used a webbing strap between stem and seatclamp to hook over the top of his camelback (through the straps / loop at top somehow) and found it worked well for the 2hr+ carries we did, the bikes were loaded too. I just hooked the saddle nose over my shoulder (with a pipe-lagging pad) and held the f wheel - less useful for scrambling but there was rarely a need to use both hands.
How to carry your bike hands free?
They don't call me clever dick for nothing!!! 😯
I'll get me coat...
Oooh. Packraft harness. I never thought of that. That's a great suggestion. Of course, I would now need to buy a Packraft to go with it! 😀
Last summer a mate broke his wrist at the top of les deux Alpes. He got land rovered off but not his bike, so I was left to carry it down. It's a long way down walking.
I ended up taking my bike apart and strapping it to my Dakine Apex with the helmet strap and a couple of inner tubes. Why I didn't dismantle his bike and ride mine I'll never know...
Worked OK though, I imagine you could do similar quite well with a but of working out.
The main problem is trying to even up the weight distribution so the pack doesn't swing round so much.
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