Bikes on board

[joreyn]

Here in the NW sometimes the marina or state park is a distance from town. Or maybe you want to get out and explore one of the islands. At the PNW rendezvous, one of the boats had bikes on board and the couple took off for a nice ride. What a cool idea, I thought.

What has your experience been carrying bikes along on your cruises?

I have a knee replacement, so I've been doing some research on what might work for me. Came across this model which is corrosion resistant and has an electric motor to help with hills, or if my knee is tiring. http://prodecotech.com/bikes/mariner-7/

It appeals to me because it's a step over style too. And it folds up for storage on board.

[ScubaPete]

That looks like quite a bike. We usually carry our bikes along whenever we're going on an extended cruise, or going to be in one spot for several days. Some marinas have complimentary loaner bikes for transient use as well. Our bikes fold up, but we can usually store them better not folded, except I fold up the pedals and turn the handlebar parallel to the bike frame.

I would be a little concerned about lifting a 46 pound bike on and off the boat. Our bikes weigh about 25 pounds in comparison.

[joreyn]

I have a deck crane up top. So the weight is less of an issue. Also, you can remove the battery which weighs close to 10 lbs. Would want to do that for charging purposes too.

I'm not sure I would fold the bikes when they are on the boat either. But for transporting in a car or truck, it seems ideal to fold them and put them in a protective bag.

Im looking into a bike rack type of system for the uppper deck.

[Marcy K]

We have been cruising with our Dahon folding bikes onboard for approx 10 years now - first aboard our A 27 and now on our A 34. The bikes fold up into bags and weigh about 28 lbs. The bags have a shoulder straps and we each carry our own. They are placed in the dinghy as soon as we get to an anchorage and then locked on shore. It makes exploring, shopping and even doing laundry so much easier. we wouldn't be without them. They have 7 gears and we have no problem going up steep hills even up hill from North light on BI. we peddled 30 miles on the Shining Sea bike path on Cape Cod one day too. Can't say enough good about them.

Marcy K
A 34 Paumanok 1986
Westbrook CT

[whwells]

The bike idea works well. I carried a full side off road bike for two years but rust did some damages from leaving on board. I am planning to get a fold up for next season as well. It will be nice to run into Anacortes from the Marina without loosing my parking spot. The full size bike takes a bit more work.
I did see a similar fold up bike at Camping world for about half of the price quoted for this one. This one does look really good but it is hard to know the difference.
The fold up will allow me to store inside while away. Nancy and Jeff take there's with them but I would rather not haul any more than I already do from Calif. up to the NW.
Let me know if you have actually ridden this bike.
whwells "Howard"
Nibbles 2006 35' Sportfisher Conv.

[joreyn]

Howard, I've zeroed in on an electric folding bike, due to my knee issues. That's the price driver. This one is also very compact and it is aircraft grade aluminum alloy which should mitigate rust and corrosion. It also has excellent components, including sealed hubs, so it's really designed for the marine environment.

If you are OK peddling, then I'd say one of the Dahon bikes (the aluminum models) might be good, and probably a lot less expensive. I just need the electric assist getting up hills.

Anyway, you definitely haven the right idea. walking two miles round trip for a visit to the grocery store or to the local farmers market can get old sometimes.

[JerseyNSC40]

We bought 2 from Downtube about 5 years ago and they are great. They were designed by a college Professor from Drexel who now resides in the Bahamas, nice! They are 25 pounds fold nicely and can be set up in 2 minutes. I took it in for a tuneup to local bike shop and they were very impressed with the components they used. We have had no problems in 5 years and I am able to ride up every hill on Block Island which is a pretty good testimony. I believe the weight limit is 220 lbs.
They are an internet company but our experience has been great.
Craig

[tbnolin]

We had our regular size mountain bikes on board when we made our trip from the upper Hudson to South Florida. I can lift mine with 2 fingers, my wife's bike is a bit heavier. We stowed them on the sundeck above the aft cabin. I think we would have been lost without them. Logged on 350 miles during our 8 week trip. Still have them and ride just about every evening.

[whwells]

Joeryn: My response failed to take into consideration you are searching for an elec. power bike. After reading the information you provided on the Mariner, I am impressed with both the quality and price. I looked at an English folding bike with the disc brakes and no power that was more money. Since then prices have ranged from a low of 400. at Camping World to 600. at a speciality bike shop in Anacortes, Wa.
The English folding bike was 1600. so your elec. bike looks even better. Please keep us posted on your findings.
whwells "Howard"

[DougSea]

Not commenting on the type of bike as the needs of the rider and available storage will dictate that. But I wanted to add our thumbs up to the idea of bringing then along. We're here on Block Island for the weekend and just came back from a ride up to the South East Lighthouse, me on my West Marine folding bike and Kathy on a full sized mountain bike. Great way to explore and we bought a bunch of stuff along the way and strapped it to the rack on my bike. The rack and/or a basket of some kind is a must have.

(And it handled a second trip to pick up an 18 pack of adult refreshment just fine as well!!)

[joreyn]

Jersey, I checked out the Downtube web site. They look great, and the prices are compelling. I would do a little bit of upgrading to the brakes, and add a cargo rack to the model that does not already have it.

For me, I'm still focused on the electric model due to my knees. For others, Downtube looks terrific. Especially the full suspension model.

[CayoHueso]

Old police auction rusty beach cruisers that got hosed down regularly and generously WD-40'd worked for us for years down here in S Florida. The funny thing was that they weren't on the boat when got hit by hurricane Wilma (which flooded KeyWest with salt water). We were so busy cleaning up, bike tending wasn't a priority and that was the end of our rusty trusty beach cruisers. Mine actually broke in half on the way to a meeting. I left it next to a recycling bin and called a taxi.