Full Size Bike of a 29ft Boat?

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Slipperman

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Recently I have taken up cycling after many years away. Now so enthused that I am wondering if I can fit my new bike on my 29ft boat. Of course I know about folding bikes etc but for a decent ride in the country I think a conventional bike is preferable. Wondering where it might fit - options I have thought of include 1. Across the coach roof (with maybe from wheel removed), 2. Lashed to the guard-rails towards the stern, 3. Lashed across stern somehow where the dinghy normally goes. Bike can get fairly muddy and greasy so I don't think down below is really an option, although in reality I guess a 'bike bag' might be required for any of the above.

Anybody done this, and have better ideas or experience to share?
 
we took 2 full sized road bikes on our Bav37 for a holiday - it was nice having proper bikes to get around Alderney & Guernsey. To protect both the boat and the bikes we purchased 2 bike cases - flight cases for us as we also take the bikes further away - I could get these down below and store in the aft cabin - just!

With a smaller vessel I think you'd need to separate out the components and not have something quite so bulky - Wheels can go in a wheelbag. You can stop the chain from flailing around by putting a bit of round conduit where the back axle goes - put the chain around it and fix in place with a quick release - I'd then put a bag over that - you can get bags that go over just the "running gear".
I'd then strap the handlebars so they can't swing around whilst you're moving it and put down dust sheets or similar where you'll store the bike.

The bike only gets muddy if you take it off road - you could always was it down when you get back - it will only get greasy if you don't take care to clean it down properly and apply too much oil to the chain.

Getting the bike ashore is easy when pontoon side - in Alderney we asked the taxi if he was happy to take us with bikes - which he was - saved us messing about with the tender!
 
Slipperman said:
Recently I have taken up cycling after many years away. Now so enthused that I am wondering if I can fit my new bike on my 29ft boat. Of course I know about folding bikes etc but for a decent ride in the country I think a conventional bike is preferable. Wondering where it might fit - options I have thought of include 1. Across the coach roof (with maybe from wheel removed), 2. Lashed to the guard-rails towards the stern, 3. Lashed across stern somehow where the dinghy normally goes. Bike can get fairly muddy and greasy so I don't think down below is really an option, although in reality I guess a 'bike bag' might be required for any of the above.

Anybody done this, and have better ideas or experience to share?
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Salt water devastates bikes.... so it really needs to be in a waterproof bag if its stored on deck, and probably wherever it's stored.....

There are some very good full size folding bikes available now, in both touring, and mountain bike variants.

http://www.montaguefoldingbike.co.uk/uk/folding_bikes/

Failing that, I'd whip both wheels off, and turn the handlebars 90 deg, to make the space it uses below managable.... you can also buy folding pedals, which might help.
 
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We bought two Montague full size folding mountain bikes. They are great. Its important whatever bike you buy to have folding or detachable pedals,

There are also some cheaper full size folding mountain bikes but they are heavier - Land Rover is one make
 
If you accept that the salt water will get at it have you thought about a bike rack on the transom like on a car boot?
 
Sort of depends how many people you have on board. My road bike fits in the f'c'sle of my Contessa with its wheels off in its bike bag and gets rowed ashore in the Avon. Mountain bikes, hybrids, bikes with mudguards may require a different solution.
 
Spyro said:
If you accept that the salt water will get at it have you thought about a bike rack on the transom like on a car boot?
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Get a £40 'pub bike' from ebay, an old mountain bike, spend a bit of time lubing everything and lash it to the pushpit. A few minutes oiling it after each wet passage will be fine.
 
Phoenix of Hamble said:
Salt water devastates bikes.... so it really needs to be in a waterproof bag if its stored on deck, and probably wherever it's stored.....
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Don't totally agree with that - it depends what frame material it is and even then it depends how wet it's getting and how frequently you're cleaning/drying it. For a short holiday in the summer you're unlikely to have it that bad that you'll destroy the bike - if you can get the bike down below then it's no worse off than any other bit of kit you store below - ie tablet, phone, computer etc etc - so no waterproofing would be required - on deck would depend on the weather, I'd not want to do a long stint with the bike on the bow getting hammered by waves.

Phoenix of Hamble said:
Failing that, I'd whip both wheels off, and turn the handlebars 90 deg, to make the space it uses below managable.... you can also buy folding pedals, which might help.
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Handlebars don't necessarily need to be turned if you take the front wheel out.
Pedals off is easy with a pedal spanner or some pedals take an allen key - I forgot that I took ours off when storing below.
 
lw395 said:
Get a £40 'pub bike' from ebay, an old mountain bike, spend a bit of time lubing everything and lash it to the pushpit. A few minutes oiling it after each wet passage will be fine.
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this the way to do it

Jill and I often take the fukll size bikes with us

particularlty when going upstream

on the slug they lived on the foredeck bungeed to the pulpit

on katie L they both went below - ditto Harmony

just bunged them in the saloon - a bit of a nuisance.... but worth the effort

as long as you can get to the bog and the kettle while under way they are fine where they are

D
 
We carried good quality mountain bikes in a GK29 for several years. Wheels off, stowed in home made bags, they didn't suffer at all.

Experience of carrying bikes on the motorhome on external carriers in winter shows that galvanised spokes suffer most from road salt but any decent bike today will have stainless ones. Next thing to suffer is aluminium rims but these take time to degrade. Chain and sprockets are usually greasy enough to resist rust. Nor much else seems to suffer.
 
Are you on the inland waterways or out to sea? We're on the Thames so lashing them down or salt water wasn't an issue, but visibility and not getting in the way was. On our 31ft boat, 2 adult bikes and 1 child's fit nicely, wedged between the hood and the davits.
 
Thanks for all replies so far - some good thoughts. My boat is a Sadler 290 and I sail single-handed most of the times, mostly around the Solent/South Coast with a couple of trips across the Channel each year. Think I would use it most if I did not have to dismantle it too much, but it does have quick release wheels. Think I need to investigate bike bags!
 
I cycle and have a road bike when I'm out with the (very uncompetitive) club.
My Mirage is c. 8m
I bought a 6 gear catalogue folder for my circumnavigation, currently half done.
The folder lies on the stern berth in an Aldi garden wheelbarrow bag. I used it with the club and found it c. 40% harder going but it was great, for example doing the Crinan both ways.
http://britainbyrivendell.weebly.com/
 
A bike bag is the way to go, doesn't take more than 5 -10 minutes to take out the wheels and take the pedals off. Since you sail mostly single handed you can stow the bike on one of the bunks. Keeps it out of the weather and salt that way. Took my bike to IOM last year like this.
 
Sailfree said:
We bought two Montague full size folding mountain bikes. They are great. Its important whatever bike you buy to have folding or detachable pedals,

There are also some cheaper full size folding mountain bikes but they are heavier - Land Rover is one make
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+ 1 - I have the Montague Paratrooper and it is an excellent bit of kit that folds into a bag for stowage below. The release mechanism is great - link below:

http://www.montaguebikes.com/paratrooper-folding-military-bike.html
 
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