Living from Bike

[bk2valve]

Good thing about steel Willie is they weld if they break....it is the plastic parts that everything seems to come with any more that gets us when they break...hard to fix unless you are in Mexico and take it to the local tinker and he will fix one up just fine...for a pittance.<br />Bri

 

[HWJ]

The&nbsp;Midget Bushtrekka Bike Trailer that was posted by mockturtle could be built using conventional materials, it doesn't have to be purchased.<br />Otherwise it does sounds like a good idea, despite the bad reviews.

 

[Saguache]

I'm surprised no one has posted this yet: http://gizmodo.com/5899053/you-can-pull-the-worlds-smallest-pop+up-camper-with-your-bike/gallery/1

<br /><br />Seen it and I'm not really sure you're getting much over a tent. &nbsp;Seems to me you could carry a spacious two person tent for yourself, a sleeping pad, and a nice sleeping bag for about a quarter of the weight.<br /><br />I've made some velomobile plans that would allow for more ready made camping. &nbsp;Sort of a hybrid between a three-wheeled trike and a sailing kayak. &nbsp;Much lighter construction using aluminum and sandwiched wood and fiber impregnated with resin. &nbsp;Unfortunately, today I don't have the space to even think about building a prototype.<br /><br />Speaking of which, I know Mockturtle probably read the books <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">, but that idea reminds me of the MetaTropolis collections. &nbsp;Specifically, Tobias Buckell's contribution. &nbsp;Anyone interested in making a semi-nomadic, human powered collective? &nbsp;(You can call me "Reginald").

 

[mockturtle]

The only advantage I can see to that pop-up camper is having your tent up off the ground.&nbsp; But sometimes that is a big advantage.&nbsp; Personally, I'm content with my small Class C.&nbsp; Only thing I would like is 4WD and, if I ever order a new one, I'll get it.&nbsp; (I'd have to sell my stick &amp; brick but I think it would be worth it.&nbsp; I'm not really into sticks and bricks, anyway).&nbsp;

 

[bk2valve]

As Mockturtle says, the advantage is being up off the ground....If that is not important, then a tent is fine. You can find plenty of places&nbsp; including Walmart and other parking lots, Pemex stations in Mexico and many wet and muddy spots where a tent would pretty much suck. The less it has to be set up, the better....<br /><br />Of course Motel 6 becomes a hugely beneficial option at times....even though I am a Poverty Rider aka Cheep Turista.<br /><br />Venturing a bit off topic with apologies....if you don't mind walking...try an EDAR:<br /><br />http://www.edar.org/<br /><br />I think we have talked about it elsewhere, but I love these things for the purpose they are for...<br />Bri<br /><br />Edited to say: Thanks Saguache,&nbsp; for the heads up on Metatropolis books...I will be looking for them.....

 

[Saguache]

As Mockturtle says, the advantage is being up off the ground....If that is not important, then a tent is fine. You can find plenty of places&nbsp; including Walmart and other parking lots, Pemex stations in Mexico and many wet and muddy spots where a tent would pretty much suck.

<br /><br />Ok, point.<br /><br />But getting up off the ground isn't going to make a Wal-Mart parking lot that much more comfortable. &nbsp;And if you sleep in a tent on a regular basis why would you consider trying to sleep behind the Pemex? &nbsp;Using a tent doesn't necessarily reduce the number of locations you can sleep, but it does and should change what you're looking for when you choose that place.<br /><br />There's no pulling even a tidy little Class-C off the road into dense North West understory or for that matter it wouldn't do well on a sandbar in the mangroves along the Gulf. &nbsp;And while I'd love to camp with my bike in either of these locations, I'm not certain how possible it would be if I had that pop-top trailing of my chainstay. &nbsp;I'd rather pick up a hammock at the little stand down the way from the Pemex station and use that to get up off the ground as necessary.&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" />

 

[bk2valve]

Saguache...you make excellent points and I think it is outstanding you would be on your bike there. <br /><br />Obviously you would have much more serious problems than camping there...like how to stay on the pavement when a truck passes a bus, etc. Too hairy for me but I don't bicycle tour....the closest I get is moto touring and being able to ride with traffic or faster than, makes me feel a lot more secure....<br /><br id="tinymce" class="mceContentBody " />I forgot this is a bicycle thread and of course, if you are on a bicycle you have a myriad of excellent choices for a tent or hammock....<br /><br />Hauling anything but a B.O.B. would be silly.<br /><br />Incidentally the tourists that were the most numerous down in Baja one year ago this month, were bicyclists...none that I met were from the US, all from somewhere else in the world...next numerous were motos and they were mostly from the US and Canada/<br />Bri

 

[Varmint]

Regarding the pickle juice for cramps:

Pickle juice is essentially vinegar with added spices for flavor. It's ability to treat/cure cramps has to do with the potassium and salt in it. Remember back in high-school football/track when the coach made salt tablets available for everyone so they wouldn't get cramped up?

Also, though few seem to realize it, you can use cider vinegar in water, about a tablespoon per quart, for the same purpose. Put a pinch of potassium-based salt in it (not sodium-based)if you wish. You can get it at your grocery store or health-food store. An added benefit is that the cider vinegar kills a lot of parasites, thereby preventing stomache bugs you get from the food at picnics and family reunions where food sits out for hours. Might even help with water parasites, but not sure about that one. I assume the pickle juice also does this, but not as good as cider vinegar. And yes, you can apply topically, like a linamint for arthritis and other joint pains. Dad soaks in it, and he swears by it. Look up cider vinegar online, and you'll be amazed by the things it treats.

73 de Mike

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I have done a little touring on a bycicle not 40,000 miles but I toured through a few countries in Europe the Canadian maritimes, parts of the Kettle Valley Railway in BC, parts of NZ. I&nbsp;use a twenty-five year old Canondale mountain bike turned highbred, slick tires, front shock&nbsp;with front and rear paniers. I had a bike travel bag made for it 25 years ago before you could buy them and carry a duffel bag for all my paniers to fit in when travelling on planes or&nbsp;trains or busses. I land with two bags set up the bike and ride from the airport.&nbsp;All my food&nbsp;and cooking gear was loaded in the smaller front paniers, only could fit a&nbsp;couple days worth.&nbsp;I used the rear ones for spares tubes,cables, tools, clothing. My sleeping bag and tent&nbsp;fit on the&nbsp;top of the rear rack, the bike bag and duffel tightly rolled fit on top the front rack, I also had a small handle bar bag that I carried snacks, camera and&nbsp;personal stuff&nbsp;etc..I&nbsp;have two water bottle holders on the frame.&nbsp;I used a tent but I always thought a bivi sack would have been a good idea for the ease of pulling over and being stealth&nbsp; wherever I was. living on a bike full time is an interesting idea but I am not sure I would do it for more then a few months. I may have met this same Australian. I can't remember where. <br>I never heard of pickle juice but then I never had a cramp. flat tires&nbsp;are all the issues I ever had no bad guys no bears no thieves even if i spent a few&nbsp;minutes before falling asleep worrying about them.

 

[RV-Kitty]

<span><span>Rollin said:&nbsp; If I were to go that route I would want some means of protection against&nbsp;animals/man.</span></span><div>Also a way to&nbsp;communicate (if outside&nbsp;cellphone&nbsp;coverage)&nbsp;to the outside word in case of&nbsp;emergency.&nbsp; <br><br>Sorry but I cannot locate a QUOTE button anywhere.&nbsp; A gun wont be much protection against a cougar or bear in the middle of the night. By the time you realize what's going on it could be too late. </div>

 

[blueberry]

Someone just sent this link to me for bicycle campers. Looks pretty sweet:<br>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KKBT9Y

 

[Varmint]

I wouldn't be inclined to pay $900+ on the Bushtrekka rig, nor $500-600 for the the EDAR. You can buy a used trailer for $35-$100 at yard sales, flea markets, or even ebay & craigslist. It would be a simple job to replace the cloth with an aluminum sheet bottom and/or sides. I'm doing this with my old Burley D'Lite, which is rated for 100lbs with the cloth wrapper supporting the weight. An aluminum bottom will increase the weight handling, although you're not likely to want or need that capacity. Other trailers have similar limits....just look them up. My Burley is over 20 years old and handles real nice. I've never had it tip over at any speed, loaded or not, but a much longer series of rides may change that. What a two-wheel trailer WILL do much cheaper is haul your tent-cot, lawn chair, and other gear cheaply and reliable with less stress on your trailer frame than what the BushTrekka will have with it's small tires. Same for the EDAR: small tires are a bumpy liability. Also, I see no need to sleep on top of the luggage either, as the tent-cot already is off the ground when set up. I intend to have a tent-hammock along also, and a backpack. After all, everything I have is very lightweight. While I usually rode a Bike-E, a Recycled Recumbent (google it) would be even more comfy and stable, and I can put lower gears on it. Mine will be made from a mountain bike, which will give me the option of using wide knobbies or smaller high-pressure tires as needed. I'm a huge fan of versatility and multiple-use items.

What my plan also does is allow me to buy modular....one piece at a time, and at the best prices. You can pay $250-$1000 for a new trailer, but they're not likely to haul any more than a used one. The one thing I urge you to really consider in trailers is the axles. If your wheels mount outside of the frame with one mount point like the latest Burley's and dime-store models do, it might not hold more than 60lbs. The older model's have wheels that mount like bike wheels, with two mount points, and they mount INSIDE the frame tubes. One-sided wheel mounts simply won't hold as much weight as a two-sided mount will, but they, and the frame, will flex more. The frame tubes protect the wheels also, which doesn't happen with wheels mounted outside the frame. Schwinn and some others had the older frames with two-sided mounts for the wheels, as well.

These weight and convenience issues may not matter to you if you're not carrying a lot of weight, but I bet price will. Consider the price, as well as what you intend to do with it. In addition, not everyone wants to rip the cloth off their trailer to put a metal bottom and sides on, but it's an idea I intend to use, along with possibly lengthening the trailer. I have a solar panel I intend to mount on the top rails of my trailer.

I'm making plans to build a light cargo trailer, which willl also haul my bike stuff, but whether I end up in a trailer, or on a bike with tent/hammock, etc, I intend to be comfortable, and that means I'll be following my multi-use ideas throughout. Just some more ideas to share with the gang....

 

[Willy]

How hard would it be to affix this http://www.amazon.com/Kamp-Rite-DTC...=UTF8&qid=1385443031&sr=1-1&keywords=tent+cot to a trailer (or make it integral), plus it's cheaper. ..Willy.

 

[AltTransBikes]

Now we're talking.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I tried traveling with a trailer on a 2 wheeler. There were many back roads that were simply too narrow for safety.
Hwy 89 down thru Oak Creek Canyon from Flagstaff to Sedona is a good example. Its narrow, with few shoulders and lots of crazy traffic.
Besides, I didn't need to carry that much stuff and liked a light load on the bike. Since I rode mostly Az, Ut, and Mexico, (not always on regular roads) water was my main concern, so I carried 3 bladders, 2 low up front and one center.

 

[AltTransBikes]

Yes, secondary roads with narrow shoulders and car traffic can be nerve wracking. For that reason I've come to like single wheel bike trailers, the ones I use have bit of suspension at the rear to take some of the bounce out.

 

[Varmint]

Not sure why it would need to be integrated into/onto the trailer. I'd just use the trailer to haul it. After all, it IS off the ground already, and putting it on top of a trailer would only make it more unstable. A good tent-cot folds down like one of those $30 lawn chairs you see in so many stores, and you can still put any tarp or rain fly you want on them. Again, any trailer purchased seperately will be cheaper than the Bushtrekka, and you can get whatever trailer style you want for far less money.

One word on single-track trailers, though: They put far more stress on the rear axles or skewers, so have several spares. You should have these even without trailers, since having bags will also increase the bike's load. The single-track trailers, such as the BOB, are not noted for turning over, as that would require serious damage to the trailer, or overturning your bike with it. They haul loads comparable to the two-wheeled trailers, and you WILL feel the difference in handling, but I hear it's not really bad; just different. Beware also that Nashbar has a much cheaper version of the bob-style trailer, but it's been known to fail. I saw a post from a guy that modified this unit to beef it up. You might find it on youtube, bicycletrailershop, or the crazyguyonabike site. It's been about a year since I saw that.

I have a two-wheel unit, so that's what I'll continue to use. If I had no trailer, or if I intended to ride rough roads or off-road, I'd likely get the single-track BOB.