Phil (ascentale)Feb 28

@scottsthoughts asks:

Q2. Are there any #musicians here who get to gigs via bike? What do you play? Do you carry your instrument with you? And perhaps most challenging - how do you keep your instrument safe if you go out with your band mates/friends after the show?

I'm thinking of getting back in to playing, but as someone who plays piano, carrying around an 88-key keyboard seems... difficult.

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

Show thread😀🚲Feb 28
@ascentale @scottsthoughts #bikeNite A2 if you have a locking case for your instrument, consider some way to secure that to a bike/trailer that can only be detached by opening the case. Or something like the travoy trailer with road-worthy wheels & bearings which you can easily detach and roll inside with you as a hand cart.
Show threadScottFeb 28
@enobacon @ascentale oh that's an interesting idea... I previously had fashioned a lockable toolbox for storage on my cargo bike, I bet getting a lockable road case I could figure out a way to lock it to the bike too... hmmm...
Show threadLovesTha🥧Feb 28

@scottsthoughts @enobacon @ascentale I wouldn't trust that to protecting a valuable instrument when locking the bike up in a place likely to experience theft. I'd even be wary of having the case locked closed and empty, as the temptation of the locked box may be great.

Having a minimal trailer that you can then use to wheel the case around would strike me as ideal.

Show thread😀🚲Feb 28
@LovesTha @scottsthoughts @ascentale yeah any security is a matter of inconvenience vs context. If you needed to stop at the store on the way to a gig and had it locked to your bike by some method that wouldn't yield to quietly prying with a small tool, or at least a thick sharp cable cutter, maybe okay but also depends on what store. Some detachable hitch and wheels from a used burley trailer might work for the guitar or keyboard road case to be the trailer body itself. #BikeNite
Show threadLovesTha🥧Feb 28
@enobacon @scottsthoughts @ascentale I really like the idea of items, in their cases when needed, as the trailer
My sister was talking about how to transport a canoe, and the only good solution I can really think of is attaching a bike hitch to the front of the canoe and attaching wheels 1/2~2/3rds of the way down the canoe. With the added benefit that when you take the hitch off you still have wheels to get canoe from bike parking to river! (Unsure what to do with wheels once canoe is wet)
Show thread😀🚲Mar 1
@LovesTha @scottsthoughts @ascentale the kayak wheels I've seen have long straps and a small cradle/chassis with some grippy pad under the boat. I've only seen people walking those, though ISTR seeing online a similar setup for bike with a seatpost hitch, might have been diy. #bikeNite
Show threadLovesTha🥧

@enobacon @scottsthoughts @ascentale Yeah, I suspect it would be a diy thing.

Hitch at axle is optimal for unbalanced loads right. Balancing a canoe should be easy (just adjust where you attached the wheel platform) so where it mounts shouldn't be a big deal?

Mar 1 at 3:01amWeb
Show thread😀🚲Mar 1
@LovesTha @scottsthoughts @ascentale yeah you might want extra tie-off points and more straps to be able to adjust the wheel position and keep it from sliding on the bottom of the boat. I suppose you could also be carrying cargo in the canoe as long as it was balanced, pulling up hills, stopping, and turning would be the big forces on the hitch & it needs a stiff connection to the front of the boat that won't fold relative to the wheels, especially without trailer brakes. #BikeNite #BoatTooter
Show threadLovesTha🥧Mar 1

@enobacon @scottsthoughts @ascentale trailer brakes aren't out of the question, but would be a challenge. Just a cable from hitch to wheel components would be viable.

Judicious use of ratchet straps for securing would be the first and dangerous option. But might be fine with bracing of the canoe.

Show threadLovesTha🥧Mar 1
@enobacon @scottsthoughts @ascentale I think a load in the canoe could be a bit dangerous for causing the canoe to break. But minimal loads are probably fine (like a paddle and wife vest)