Bike hunting

mmwb

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I've read a few past threads on bike hunting and have done so a little in the past. This year I decided to save my feet some and get more serious about it. The opening morning of the deer rifle hunt seemed a likely time.

This year, I had great ideas of including a rack to carry the pack on. A rack that mounts on the seat post and sticks out over the rear wheel. I then clamped a big enough piece of hog panel on to allow me to strap my hunting pack and rifle to it. That way I’d be able to pedal, unencumbered by a pack on my back. Ah, the best laid schemes of mice and men...

I found out right away that my front shifter was only engaging two sprockets. I also found out that my rear derailer wouldn’t shift at all. It had been fine in the yard 30 minutes earlier of course.

In any case, I was committed to the endeavor, so I headed up the old logging road (closed to motorized traffic, though it hardly slowed them down) with two speeds. Fortunately, they were low speeds. The pedaling itself wasn’t too bad. A couple of hills winded me pretty good and I just walked the bike in some severely rocky areas. There were some other unexpected happenings though.

I hadn’t expected throwing my pack on the back to affect the handling of the bike much. It had a severe effect. The added weight in the back lightened the front and the steering was a bit squirrely, the bike tending to take off to the left or right with the slightest provocation by terrain. Imagine a two wheeled snake slithering down the road if you will. Except snakes tend to not run into bushes, large rocks, or off steep embankments.

Now it may be that I slightly overloaded the rack. By slightly overloaded, I of course mean about three-quarters more weight than the rack is rated for. I also found that while I thought the rack was securely clamped to the seat post, 35 pounds of pack and firearm hanging a foot and a half behind the seat had a leveraging effect. If the bike leaned much to a side, the whole rack/pack thing tended to swing over in that direction. I found that 35 pounds abruptly swinging off to one side or the other had a detrimental effect on handling.

This was compounded by the next discovery. When going up a steep hill (when 56, steep is anything not flat), you sometimes have to apply a little more pressure to the pedals. By a little more pressure, I of course mean, bear down with all your weight because we need to keep momentum. If the beast of a bike stops on the hill, not only are you going to have to walk it to the top (there is no starting from a stop once on the hill), there are the dubious odds as to whether one will be able to keep the beasty from trying to escape backwards down the hill once you stop.

Applying a light pressure to the pedals on the steeper inclines lent to the phenomena of the front wheel separating from the ground—the front wheel evidently seeking to elevate its station in life. Of course, once the front wheel becomes airborne, all control of the nasty vehicle is lost and it tends to want to head off in directions unknown. As soon as the now unicycle starts in one direction, the luggage resists the course change by swinging around in the other direction, lending to the bike turning sideways whilst the front wheel is still in the air. The combination of the decreased stability associated with one-wheeled vehicles and the luggage weight swinging about results in a rather abrupt meeting of the vehicle and ground. I managed to mostly gently set the beast down (in an attempt to save damage to firearm and luggage). However, lacking a desire to end up lying down on, under, or near it, I generally released the bike as it settled on the ground with a one-legged hop off to the side. One hop invariably become more as I sideways danced my momentum away, seeking to find the sweet spot somewhere between ending up flat on the ground and wrapped around a tree at the side of the road.

Many expressive words were shared about and directed toward the bike, the road, the luggage, the laws of physics…

It may be there is a reason why touring and cargo bikes have racks in the front and back to evenly distribute weight. Racks securely mounted and denied the exhilaration of pivoting. There may also be a reason the luggage is hung lower to the ground. These are things one thinks of while unicycling and sideways hopping away down logging roads.

In the end, I made it back to my spot, enjoyed the hunt, and rode out a day and a half later. Going out was much better. The pack was on my back (biking is much more enjoyable when you can steer) and a bundle of clothing and light stuff were bungeed to the rack. A little two point by the road was sure he had no idea what I was, but after I stopped and we observed each other for awhile, he did appear to conclude that whatever I was, he was sure I was up to no good and he bound off.

As with all things, a little preseason practice of new things can save some grief at moments of truth. I present that wisdom as theory, as I have no personal experience with advanced prep and practice; rather favoring going into battle solely with a plan and no testing of the equipment.

At last, camp!
camp.jpg


From about nine years ago. The pack out.
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"As with all things, a little preseason practice of new things can save some grief at moments of truth. I present that wisdom as theory, as I have no personal experience with advanced prep and practice; rather favoring going into battle solely with a plan and no testing of the equipment."

This is how I live my life, it makes the miles a little rougher and the tales a little taller, but I wouldn't change it.
 
I missed a really nice buck last Saturday, but connected with a young'un this morning. Been out of red meat for awhile so feeling grateful. Broke him down, packed to a closed logging road and used the bike and trailer (I fabricated the trailer this year) to get down to the truck. Worked pretty well. 2 yr. old.
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Broken down to pack.
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Loaded in the trailer.
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Back at the truck.
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I like that, care to share how you made it nd what you might change if you were to build it again?
 
I like that, care to share how you made it nd what you might change if you were to build it again?
I built around the body, a repurposed aluminum truck tool box. I figured how many cubic feet the meat of a boned out elk would take and made the box to size for that. There has been limited metal available here with the covid nonsense the past months, so I mostly had to make do with what I had. The frame is welded up of angle iron. Axel mounts are ¼” plate. The wheels are garden cart wheels rated for 150 lbs each. The U-joint on the hitch is from the steering column from a junked Kia. The hitch and receiver are high pressure air fittings. The receiver mount was fabricated to fit the frame of my bike. I decided on a below the axel connection for the trailer rather than a seat post connect as I was afraid the trailer weight would cause the bike’s front end to rise when going up a steep hill if pulling on the bike up higher.



What I would do different? I’d use smaller square stock instead of angle iron. It would be stiffer and probably weigh less when complete. It’s a little wide, so I’d rather go a little narrower and longer. You want it to be stable enough to not tip in uneven terrain, but not so wide it hangs up. I would also go with bike wheels. Bigger wheels ride better in the rough stuff. I wanted the weight capacity of the cart wheels, but most bike wheels would handle a couple hundred pounds fine and I intend to put brakes on the trailer. With bike wheels one can have hydraulic disk brakes vs. the cable operated caliper type I’m going to have to put on. It was fine for this section with the deer, this time, but there are some steep areas where it is a challenge to keep the bike’s speed down without a trailer pushing it. Going to need brakes. The cart wheels were cheap, so that also informed the decision.



While the enclosed box design is nice, I’m not sure it is necessary. The idea was to protect cargo from the elements. It locks as well. The whole trailer is about 50 lbs. (though the aluminum box is only a fraction of that). Anything to lighten it would be good. I’m not set up to weld aluminum or I’d go that route for the frame.
 
" as I have no personal experience with advanced prep and practice; rather favoring going into battle solely with a plan and no testing of the equipment."

You and I roll the same way, I like your style!!
 
Great read and very informative.
I've been contemplating getting the "Rambo" bike, your pioneering experiment answers questions i wouldn't have discovered until I was in a hands on situation.

This is like using a trail cam.....I can see it from the comfort of my couch ?
 
$65.00 ksl special mongoose to be exact!
1” square tubing frame on the cart!
3/4” axle
500 lb utility wheels!
24 speed! Have to couple two bikes together with rope on hills to split load!
Have to couple two bikes together on slopes as a drag brake!
Found that out the hard way!
Rim got so hot my tube almost melted!
 
Can you show a close up of how you attached that to the bike. Was it a factory add on or did you make it yourself, either way I am interested as I have one of those bikes and would like to convert it like yours
 
Can you show a close up of how you attached that to the bike. Was it a factory add on or did you make it yourself, either way I am interested as I have one of those bikes and would like to convert it like yours
I'll try to get some pictures this weekend. I drilled and tapped the swingarm, threaded 10mm bolts from the inside out, and put their hub adaptors on the bolts.
 
I ride 10-20 miles every day on my hunts and have for several years. Get a good bike, put the pack on your back with the gun lashed to it, and use a trailer after you kill something.
 
Very cool post!
I got a mountain bike to do this but I'm way green. Tried it once going down hill with my pack on was scary, and I realized I had the worst seat in the world. I'm 6'2", decided I need an XL so I'm giving my bike to the wife and I'm gonna get another. Can't wait to get a badass setup like you guys got.
 
Definitely keep all the weight you haul low. I use the milk crate off my seat post rack and 20-30 pounds makes a big difference in how the bike handles. I ride where it's flat too.
 
Very cool post!
I got a mountain bike to do this but I'm way green. Tried it once going down hill with my pack on was scary, and I realized I had the worst seat in the world. I'm 6'2", decided I need an XL so I'm giving my bike to the wife and I'm gonna get another. Can't wait to get a badass setup like you guys got.
A drop post for your seat that you can adjust as you ride can make a difference. Going downhill, being able to drop yourself back and down, getting the center of gravity down and back, can help.
 
Can you show a close up of how you attached that to the bike. Was it a factory add on or did you make it yourself, either way I am interested as I have one of those bikes and would like to convert it like yours
Trying to figure out how to attach my duck cart to a mountain bike as well...

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buy a Burley trailer coupler and the rubber grommet for square tubing, then get some 1" aluminum tubing. Google will show you how it all goes together.
 

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