Towing bikes with bikes

Euan said:

Idle thought....

Bike's in the bike shop, my other bike is fine. It kind of sucks that I
have to get the train in to pick up the ill bike. I remember reading
somewhere about a tag along converter, wondering if one of those could
be used to tow a bike without a rider?

Yes, I have been taking my medication...

Don't know about that but I can remember riding my bike
with one hand whilst steering/towing another next to me.
I was surprised at the time how easy it was. I thought
that my reflexes would be all wrong but it was fine.
This was not in a built up area, not sure I'd recommend it
if there were many cars around.

DeF.

--
e-mail: d.farrow@your finger.murdoch.edu.au
To reply, you'll have to remove your finger.

Euan said:

Idle thought....

Bike's in the bike shop, my other bike is fine. It kind of sucks that I
have to get the train in to pick up the ill bike. I remember reading
somewhere about a tag along converter, wondering if one of those could
be used to tow a bike without a rider?

If yuo get a good answer to this, be sure to share it. I've had
occasion where I'd like to tow an unridden bike too 🙂

quote='Bleve'Euan said:

Idle thought....

Bike's in the bike shop, my other bike is fine. It kind of sucks that I
have to get the train in to pick up the ill bike. I remember reading
somewhere about a tag along converter, wondering if one of those could
be used to tow a bike without a rider?

If yuo get a good answer to this, be sure to share it. I've had
occasion where I'd like to tow an unridden bike too 🙂[/QUOTE]
I'm thinking: rack on front bike, elongated 'H' shape made out of tubing with one of the uprights attached to the rack and the other upright of the 'H' attached to the horizontal part of the handlebars on the towed bike. May need to fiddle with tightness of the attachments so that there is sufficient movement to follow the contour of the road.

Who remembers the difference between a pig trailer and a dog trailer behind a truck? One has a steering axle and the other doesn't but I can't remember which is which. Question is, would you want the towed bike to be a pig or a dog?

Then again, here is another design to think about:

bikecare.co.uktrail gator.htmlOpen ↗

SteveA

DeF said:

Euan wrote:

Don't know about that but I can remember riding my bike
with one hand whilst steering/towing another next to me.
I was surprised at the time how easy it was. I thought
that my reflexes would be all wrong but it was fine.

Yep, I've seen roadies riding their bike and towing another bike (their
track bike?) around suburban roads in the past. And I've done it myself
once, for 10-15 kms on a country road. Quite fun, encourages steering
concentration, and it's surprisingly easy. Steer your bike with one hand,
towards the middle of the bars, and hold the other bike in the middle of the
bars. Push hard and just let the bike roll with you.

Quoted message said:

This was not in a built up area, not sure I'd recommend it
if there were many cars around.

Especially Police cars? Not entirely legal - I mean how are you going to
signal turns now? But then towing another bike is illegal too. Or is that
just towing another bike and rider? Done that too once, uphill into Maldon
with an occie strap, rider had broken his crank.

I think that the practicalities of starting, stopping, turning, signalling,
gear changing and braking, in urban streets, whilst holding another bike
would be beyond most people's safe handling skills.

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)

Under Victoria Bicycle Specific Regulations, scooting a bike maybe seen as technically illegal. Your call. :o

http://www.yarrabug.org/wp-content/RulesForBikesAndSkateboardsInVictoria.pdf

245. Riding a bicycle, The rider of a bicycle must —

(a) sit astride the rider’s seat facing forwards (except if the bicycle is not built to be ridden astride);*

*Must sit on the seat face forward and have at least one hand on the handlebars.

(b) ride with at least 1 hand on the handlebars;*

*This rule would mean that scooting a bike is illegal.

(c) if the bicycle is equipped with a seat—not ride the bicycle seated in any other position on the bicycle.

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 1 May 2006 21:56:53 +1000

cfsmtb said:

Under Victoria Bicycle Specific Regulations, scooting a bike maybe seen
as technically illegal. Your call. :o

http://tinyurl.com/g7gwp

245. Riding a bicycle, The rider of a bicycle must —

I think the rider is riding their bike fine. The other bike isn't
being ridden.

Zebee

The trail gator seems like a solution, even if toatly dorky, but if you cant
get one of these easily maybe there is a way to strap a bike to your back.
Maybe one of those Tardis bags from Groundeffect could be managed? Good
training for the next guerilla war. Also you could modify a Bob trailer, or
use those surfboard racks? Dont give up, anything to avoid the train.

fb

Quoted message said:

Then again, here is another design to think about:

http://www.bikecare.co.uk/trail_gator.html

SteveA

--
SteveA

Fractal said:

The trail gator seems like a solution, even if toatly dorky, but if you
cant get one of these easily maybe there is a way to strap a bike to your
back. Maybe one of those Tardis bags from Groundeffect could be managed?
Good training for the next guerilla war. Also you could modify a Bob
trailer, or use those surfboard racks? Dont give up, anything to avoid the
train.

When I was but a wee lad, there was an occasion when my bike was
far from home and couldn't be ridden (can't remember the exact reason).
My dad carried it home on his motorbike (wearing it like a hula hoop,
I think, but the memory is a bit hazy).

That motorbike had a steel loop between rider and pillion seat, for the
passenger to hang on to. There was more than one occasion when
I sat on my bicycle while he rode the motorbike, and I hung on to
the steel loop with one hand.

--
beerwolf (remove numbers from email address)

beerwolf said:

Fractal said:

The trail gator seems like a solution, even if toatly dorky, but if you
cant get one of these easily maybe there is a way to strap a bike to your
back. Maybe one of those Tardis bags from Groundeffect could be managed?
Good training for the next guerilla war. Also you could modify a Bob
trailer, or use those surfboard racks? Dont give up, anything to avoid the
train.

When I was but a wee lad, there was an occasion when my bike was
far from home and couldn't be ridden (can't remember the exact reason).
My dad carried it home on his motorbike (wearing it like a hula hoop,
I think, but the memory is a bit hazy).

I've carried my roady on my motorbike, strapped to a backpack. Not so
good for high speed, but manageable as long as I didn't forget it was
there andtry to lanesplit (not likely with a bike strapped to your
back!)

SteveA wrote:
<Snipped>

Quoted message said:

Who remembers the difference between a pig trailer and a dog trailer
behind a truck? One has a steering axle and the other doesn't but I
can't remember which is which. Question is, would you want the towed
bike to be a pig or a dog?

Dog trailer has the front steered axle,
Pig trailer has all fixed axles.
A standard 6x4 is a pig!

Quoted message said:

Then again, here is another design to think about:

http://www.bikecare.co.uk/trail_gator.html

SteveA

Stop Mucking about,
Get an Xtracycle.

http://xtracycle.com/albums/real_loads/9_5_03_bike.jpg

PeteB

Euan said:

Idle thought....

Bike's in the bike shop, my other bike is fine. It kind of sucks that I
have to get the train in to pick up the ill bike. I remember reading
somewhere about a tag along converter, wondering if one of those could
be used to tow a bike without a rider?

Yes, I have been taking my medication...

Euan,

From memory, your commuter has a pretty sturdy rack on the rear, yes?
Towing a second bike is pretty easy then with a couple of toe straps
and an occy strap or two.

All you do is Lash the front wheel of the towed bike to the side of the Rack.

Sit the skewer & front fork dropout on top of the rack toward the back,
Then use the toe straps to secure the wheel rim to the rest of the rack.
It tracks suprisingly well.

Or you could give up your B.O.B Yak trailer owning fantasy and get a real load carrier ;-).

http://xtracycle.com/albums/real_loads/Bikes.sized.jpg

Cheers ;-)
Pete

(See you at Goat for some real self medication.)

..s

In aus.bicycle on 1 May 2006 07:04:05 -0700

Bleve said:

I've carried my roady on my motorbike, strapped to a backpack. Not so
good for high speed, but manageable as long as I didn't forget it was
there andtry to lanesplit (not likely with a bike strapped to your
back!)

Did you take it apart much?

I've carried a pushbike on my motorbike, but I removed the wheels and
strapped them on separately.

I did get a lot of comments about "carrying a spare"....

Zebee

Euan said:

Idle thought....

Bike's in the bike shop, my other bike is fine. It kind of sucks that I
have to get the train in to pick up the ill bike. I remember reading
somewhere about a tag along converter, wondering if one of those could
be used to tow a bike without a rider?

Yes, I have been taking my medication...

Hi Euan
I know a guy who used to ride (can you believe that?) to the track at
Hawthorne in Brisbane for the midweek racing. He'd put his track bike in
a trailer on the back of his mountain bike. Worked well for him,
although the other competitors did give him a ribbing for not driving
like the rest of them.

Peter

--
Peter McCallum
Mackay Qld AUSTRALIA

pffftt! yer all soft, i tells ya!

Sling 2nd bike over shoulder and ride.
Not very aero, but aerodynamics is soft too!@#@!!!!

Zebee Johnstone said:

I think the rider is riding their bike fine. The other bike isn't being ridden.
Zebee

Oh well Zebee, you can argue that point with the constabulary the next time you're in Victoria and scooting a bike. We prefer FD's cyclocross option or indeed a trailer/xtracycle.

flyingdutch said:

pffftt! yer all soft, i tells ya!

Sling 2nd bike over shoulder and ride.
Not very aero, but aerodynamics is soft too!@#@!!!!

This is how:

cyclingnews.commtbphotos.phpOpen ↗

slaw said:

This is how:

cyclingnews.commtbphotos.phpOpen ↗

"Girlfriend or bike? Girlfriend or bike? Which will I rescue? Which will I leave all busted up on the side of the track?"

SteveA

In aus.bicycle on Tue, 2 May 2006 09:22:19 +1000

cfsmtb said:

Zebee Johnstone said:

I think the rider is riding their bike fine. The other bike isn't
being ridden.
Zebee

Oh well Zebee, you can argue that point with the constabulary the next
time you're in Victoria and scooting a bike. We prefer FD's cyclocross
option or indeed a trailer/xtracycle.

Oh I think he trailer or tagalong option is better. I just doubt they
can do you for *riding* the bike badly when you aren't riding it.

They may well decide to get you for not being in proper control of the
one you are riding, which is not the same thing.

Arguing with police who may have got it wrong is always a judgement
call. I think you'd have a good chance with a magistrate, but a
sensible copper will ahve a backup charge you might not wriggle away
from.

Zebee

Zebee Johnstone said:

In aus.bicycle on 1 May 2006 07:04:05 -0700

Bleve said:

I've carried my roady on my motorbike, strapped to a backpack. Not so
good for high speed, but manageable as long as I didn't forget it was
there andtry to lanesplit (not likely with a bike strapped to your
back!)

Did you take it apart much?

Nope. Not a bit. Occy strap, big 80l mountaineering rucksack ... no
worries 🙂
Helps if you're a big lad though - I used to carry all my icehockey kit
on my back too, that was a challenge ....