Bikes on board
When it comes to carrying bikes on board a cruising boat, it seems that people are either extremely for the idea, or very much against it. It seems there are few who are on the fence with respect to the subject.
I know that our friend Drew, who sails a PDQ 32 the same as us, is a big proponent. In fact, I’m pretty sure that he rode his bike over to our boat the one time that we met him (we were on a dock of course, not at anchor). I also think Bob from Boat Bits is a big fan of bikes because he does post about them from time to time. On the other hand, we’ve met many other cruisers who felt that carrying bikes on their boat was a big waste of space. Unfortunately, we don’t have bikes of our own so we can’t comment on that.
Since setting off cruising, we have had the opportunity to borrow friends’ bikes on a couple of occasions and have enjoyed how we could get around on them. Yesterday we actually rented bikes so that we could explore Barbuda a bit with our friends who themselves have a couple on board their boat. We were fortunate that there was actually a place in Codrington that rented bikes and although we thought it was a little pricey to do so ($20.00 US per day per bike), the bikes were in excellent shape. When it was all said and done, exploring the caves at Two Foot Bay, our destination for the day, was definitely worth the money, and the effort that it took to get there.
Would LOVE to have bikes on board, but definitely don’t think we’ll have the room on our 30 footer. Looks like fun!
I have 1 folding one on our 30′ CAT, another when comes along will be added.
I can sure see the value.
They do make some pretty tiny bikes! 🙂
Fold up bikes work great…Expensive, but in the long run a great way to explore, get excercise and do errands. A great mode of transportation. Obviously I support TRX as the best type of excercise…..
We don’t look at the bikes so much as a form of exercise but more so as transportation.
If you decide you want some folding bikes, contact Thorsten at ThorUSA.com and tell him you’re a cruiser and see if he’ll cut you a deal. He and his wife sail on a Farrier trimaran when they’re not working the bike shop. You might even want to approach him about a sponsorship.
Deb
S/V Kintala
http://www.theretirementproject.blogspot.com
Hi Deb
Thanks for that tip. I visited their website and they have some nice bikes. I even have a couple picked out. 🙂
My thought is that if you ride frequently when not cruising, you will use them. If you don’t, you probably won’t.
I was a bike racer in college, until I injured my knee. Years later I did more damage. Now I can still walk and even hike in the mountains with a brace, but running is out of the question; I have no cartilage, can’t take the impact, and can’t jog farther than 100 yards without regretting it. But, I can get on my bike and blast 100 miles at a lung-searing pace without hurting my knee a bit. I can still keep up–mostly–with young triathletes 25 years younger. Riding feels like flying, like I’m still a kid, the one athletic activity–(well…. not quite;)–I can still pursue with complete abandon.
So I have my reasons for taking a bike. I get to see a lot more. But I also know it’s not for everyone.
I think now that we would definitely use them.
We borrowed our friends (on a 55′ motoryacht) in San Francisco and really enjoyed them. In the balance of space/money, we think we enjoy our kayak and now our kiteboarding gear more so we prioritize those but if/when we get to the Med we will likely add bikes.
We’d also love to have a kayak!
We loved our fold-down bikes we had aboard while out sailing the Bahamas for a season. Our 40′ catamaran had more than enough space to stow them when under passage, and on deck when at anchor or tied to the dock. They extended our ability to explore, run errands and carry goods back from remote stores. They also became part of our exercise regime shore-side when roads and trails ashore would allow.
Count us in the “for-bikes-on boats” group.
Alan
s/v Mango Groove
How many did you have on board, Alan?
We had three in total – initially had two for the greater part of our trip and acquired a third when we were up in the Abacos at the tail-end of our adventure. It would have been great to have a bike for each of the four of us on board, but we would share and divide up biking duties, or at times, borrow a bike from a fellow boater to make up a group of four. 🙂
Thanks Alan. I was curious as to whether you carried 4 on board.
We have home through 3 sets of folding bikes in the last 20 years. Wouldnt leave home without them!
Another positive vote!
One more Yes vote for bikes. We have huge lockers.
We have a couple of fairly large lockers too but unfortunately they’re already full of sails and other stuff. We are leaning towards acquiring a couple of bikes though. We’ll figure out where to store them once we get them.
For what its worth Mike, you could easily fold the bikes down when under passage and stow them in the tender. The bikes do fold down really small and can be laid on the floor of the tender before hoisting it up on the davits. No wasted locker space to worry about then.
Storing them while underway wouldn’t be a huge issue… we’d just put them in “the garage.” 🙂
Mike,
We’re planning to head out cruising soon and I’m wondering if your bicycles have had any problem with corrosion onboard? I’m hoping to find a folding bike that has as much stainless and aluminum as possible.
Thanks,
Javan
EVERYTHING suffers from corrosion on a boat, even stainLESS. The best you can do is keep them clean and well lubed.