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Bicycle !


MauriceMynah

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I am not a keen cyclist. Far from it, but I can see that keeping one on a boat does have it's uses, especially as owing to dodgy feet, I enjoy walking even less. I do have a pushbike, though it's got more "patina" on it than old Nyx. Assuming I can do a restoration job on it, it seems likely that it's a piece of equipment that will make the trip to my boat in the fullness of time, and that leaves me with a dilemma. 

How do I carry/secure a bicycle to a boat in a way where it's out of the way and ideally not making the boat look like I live on it?

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A bike is always a good thing to have, in my local town no pub is more than 10 minutes away on a bike and the furthest pubs apart are only 15 minutes apart, you can tell the taxi's are a waste of space here.(£5 just to put your bum on the seat and goes up after midnight, if they bother to turn up)

My best record is 7 in one night, 7 falling off incidents that is........ It'd been a long day and lots of pubs. :default_blush:

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40 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

How do I carry/secure a bicycle to a boat in a way where it's out of the way and ideally not making the boat look like I live on it?

I think you're probably going to have to live with looking like a live aboard, anywhere inside the cabin(s) is going to be a serious hazard to your shins! After all, there's nothing wrong with being or looking like a live aboard... I'd love to do it!

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Guest Jayfire

Honestly Eminem, just strap it to the bow railing and enjoy it whenever you need it, who gives a Fig And Honey Christmas Cake what anyone thinks about being a liveaboard or not

:default_xmas2:

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I think I would go for a fold up one, ideally with electric assistance for those getting back to the boat after the pub moments.

Actually, I would likely want a MonkeyBike or folding moped of some sort to allow a bit more 'range'.(not for the pub though!)

I can't really see how to stow a full size pushbike onboard without it being very visible or very in the way. If it were something that got daily use I might be tempted to hang it over the transom on some brackets/davits but obviously this has stern-on implications.

 

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MM I have a Brompton that I have used for years pre Covid to commute into London to/from train stations and taking on the train itself. I have also used it on the Martham boats that I have hired and it is pretty compact, although weighing in at around 12kg it is heavy, and is perfect for relatively flat Broadland. Mine has 6 gears which is complete overkill. They do a fairly basic 2 gear which would be fine.

They are very expensive (mine was around £1200) but they hold their value exceptionally well. I think that they are tough and very well made.

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We have a couple of folding bikes which live chained to a tree bankside when we are aboard and folded up in the main heads when not. When we are out and about, we chain them to the pulpit rails.  Brilliant for getting out and about to places which are away from the water and a bit of good exercise too.  Mine is a Townsend, which is on the heavy side, but so am I. It has 6 gears and I still struggle to keep up with MrsO, who has a much lighter Dahon with a single speed. Having had them for 2 seasons, I wouldn't be without them. 

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Re-reading my original post I realise that it may not have conveyed the message I meant it to convey. As I am highly likely to become a liveaboard sooner or later, It would be wrong of me to give the impression that I disapprove of the way some of them choose to live their lives. I do not.  Nor would it be right for me to pigeonhole them into groups. Again, that is not my intention.

I do feel that there is a minority, or at least I hope it's a minority, who disrespect the waterway they live on, leaving their rubbish for others to dispose of and who have no concern for the displeasure they create for the authorities and holiday makers alike. It is that minority's brush I am keen to avoid being tarred with.

It is my view that all that should be visible from the outside of a boat, is a life ring, a boathook and possibly a mop. When moored I would add a TV Ariel and perhaps a bicycle. Those two should not be on deck when the craft is moving.

Sadly, with the bike I currently own, this may prove to be unfeasible. If I do replace it for another bike, then a Crompton does seem to be the favoured choice.

I do not have (nor will I fit) a pulpit. I've had a boat with one and for me it's a "never again" item. They look the part, but oh boy can they get in the way or what. Same can be said of davits, especially when coming in to stern on moorings single handed.

It has long been my opinion that there are things that look great on some types of boats, but hopelessly out of place on others. A steel narrow boat for example looks warm, cosy and traditional with a chimney, a rooftop stack of wood, and even, yes, a bicycle. It just sort of works as an image. but not for me on an Aquafibre 42.

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47 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

Does anybody know what the laws are regarding Electric bicycles and Alcohol?

I would imagine the same as pedal bikes as they are not licenced, illegal to be drunk in charge but not something that will get you a ban, most coppers would just shake their heads at you. (much like drunk in charge of a boat)

Disclaimer: Just guessing, not a hint of legal training.

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