Bike-Docking out of your Airstream

[Ray Eklund]

This actually is something not covered much on the Boondocking Thread.

It is an adventure to arrive at your camp site, and reassembling your ultra light or ultra heavy bicycles to explore those back roads. When we can fit our bicycles into the back of our pickup truck, it adds a lot to our vacation.

Warning: Content may offend or wander.

Of course, this is not going to be a short essay on how the mechanics work on a modern bicycle. Now is a good time to check out, if this is all the patience you can muster with your free time.

Asphalt and Concrete Bike Docking: Great. (See that was short.)

Off the Grid Bike Docking: Well... many caveats for novices like myself, but it looks like a lot of fun. If you have good medical insurance and keep a list of contacts in the event you are found preserved in a tree along the Grand Canyon.

I just have an issue with the tight nylon shorts and advertising shirt. Just a bit tight where I prefer loose and I have enough trouble with angry dogs chasing me the way it is. With your Dock Biking nylon outfit, cleats that lock your feet onto the peddles and a helmet with turn signals and mirrors... it just looks too expensive and... stand out on a back road.

I have to assume that the racing tire, road tire, bigger tire, fat tires, really fat bike docking tire and so on have specific uses.

Outside Boulder City, Nevada there is Bootleg Canyon... there are Bike Docking Trails for those who want to kill themselves, but in a way that it is painful, all the way down to the bottom of the Canyon. You can bike there day or night. If you thought that during daylight you survived... you go for the helmet lamp to see if that is more challenging in the "Black" aspect of the Canyon.

Anyone done this one? If not, I will take you there. People this Summer came by the hundreds to test out the most.. expensive and fat fat tires to maintain some control from these wild canyons. Motorcycles without the motor, kind of things. They wear BIKE ARMOR on these trails. Many have scarred shin bones to show off. I had a blister on my big toe to show everyone.

For just all around casual Bike Docking, I guess you can do as I do living on the edge.

A ball cap for a bean brain ossified skull.
Denim pants to avoid leg scarring on a gravel fall.
Tee shirt with your name and next of kin.
An appropriate or inappropriate bicycle for appropriate or inappropriate trails.
Using up the 5th and 6th lives on a 10 lives plan for being a good person.

Yes... I am the last person you will find riding Bike Docking fat tire anywhere, but a flat surface. I might bring one this Summer for Wyoming. If it does not work out... a well written sign "Bike For Sale... Cheap. Bless You."

I tried to peddle two five gallon buckets of agates out of the forest once. One bucket on each handle bar.

Do not do this. It does interfere with your control of the bike.

Are you an Airstream BikeDocker? This is a topic that needs some expert advice... or from a living amateur. What works best when Off the Grid and does not cost an arm cast and back brace? Hauling them on the top of your vehicle seems to make sense, as long as you have a trailer to worry about behind you.

[Piggy Bank]

OK I'll bite.

Bike day tripper only here.
Began way before we had the AS.

Are you heading to the south rim of the grand canyon? If you are, and are lucky enough to have your bikes, you are in for a treat.

Passenger vehicles for non-disabled people not allowed on the south rim road. Bus only. Or bicycles.
However buses have nice racks on the front to ferry the bike to the "end of the line". Then ride your bike along the rim road, stop when you please, and work your way back to El Tovar for a cold drink on the porch.

Same if you are in Summit County CO. Free summit stage bus will load your bike on the front. Ride the bike along HW 9 and enjoy lunch at the Breckenridge brewery, and then hop the bus back to Frisco and let you bike take a rest.

Or take the bus up to Copper Mountain with the bike on the bus. Then coast downhill to Frisco and enjoy a cold drink at the Moosejaw.

See a pattern here?

[Ray Eklund]

Thank you Piggy Bank.

Your post is the direction I want this to travel.

Moab, Utah vendor(s) will take you and your bike (or theirs) from Moab and up the asphalt to the top of the Canyon east of town, so you can ride back downhill all the way and enjoy the scenery. I was just pulling our trailer into Moab and noticed a lot of bicycle traffic. When you are in town, inquire. The road is in the shade most of the time and it looked pleasant.

In town it might have been 104F, so in July get out there early.

[Piggy Bank]

Oh, and here's an outdoor "game".
When my friend and I were in Summit County, the local high school cross country team did this as a Saturday workout. For folks who are in better shape than I am in, for sure. And acclimatized.

Here's the game.
Each team has 2 people, and 1 bike.

You are racing the other teams.

How? one person rides, other runs. Strategy is when to switch off between the runner and the rider. Riding uphill is harder than walking/running uphill. Reverse is true on the downhill.

[cameront120]

Are you trying to describe mountain biking? It's been going on for a while and everyone does their own thing. Don't like lycra? That's okay, don't wear it. There are options. Want to ride at night? Cool. Night riding was one of my favourite things to do. A bright light is all you need. There are as many styles of riding and riders as there is terrain. None are better than the other, unless you've got something to prove. But most outgrow that sort of thing once they leave their teens.

[thorusa]

Bootleg Canyon .. funny you must have been there during September when the annual Bike show is in Vegas, they do have two days for testing bikes up there, only for dealers though. :-)

New to Airstreams somewhat anyhow ( parents ) we plan to take it up to Door County WI and take our two e-folders with us to explore next summer.

[Ray Eklund]

[QUOTE=thorusa;1718546]Bootleg Canyon .. funny you must have been there during September when the annual Bike show is in Vegas, they do have two days for testing bikes up there, only for dealers though. :-)
*****
You are right. But who is checking once you find a parking spot.

This road is a public road to the top of Bootleg Canyon. BC marks the spot to the north side of Highway 93 when coming into Boulder City, Nevada. You can easily drive to the top, have someone drop you off and follow the multitude of trails down with your bicycle.

There are several "tight" turns blasted into the mountain side on the way to the top for the fear of height individuals. At the top, you will see all of Las Vegas in its "evening glory" if you drive up to the top, park, pull out several folding chairs and have a nice glass of Two Buck Chuck Trader Joe's wine at sunset.

We parked at the massive parking area and wandered around the displays. Never imagined so many kinds of Off Road bicycles were being produced. You could watch with binoculars riders coming off the sides of these steep trails cut into the steep, hard and angular volcanics. For those less agile... there is an easier way down. Take the Zip Line down. They give you a class on how, take you to the top... and travel to the next base station on separate cables. ... I think I will watch you do it. More like sky diving in a sitting position.

Most of the extreme bikers were in their 20's and 30's. Some decided to take the gravel road down from the top. There is an RV Park right next to the road to Bootleg Canyon with full hookups. Boulder City does have a hospital, as well.

[biyak269]

I love bike riding, have done it for 60 years, and don't travel with our trailer without at least one; one always mine, a hybrid bike is for my wife.

I take a full suspension Santa Cruz mountain bike with easy-rolling small-knob tires that work very well on the road and dry trails. Mountain biking off road on technically difficult trails requires a quality bike, helmet, regular practice, and good physical conditioning.

The off-road rides described in the original post could ruin the day of someone who is alone and unprepared.

Whether on road or off, I prefer flat pedals rather than the "clipless" variety. I can ride any terrain with them, and also ride to the store, on easy trails, or around the camp with sandals on. These aluminum platforms are about 5" long, and have screwed-in studs to grip the soles of nearly shoes you use, whether 5/10 MTB-specific shoes(my favorite), hiking boots or running shoes.

I have carried bikes in three different places: on top of the tow vehicle, in the bed of the truck, or inside the Airstream using a fork mount that I built. Our current 3/4 ton pickup with a cap is too tall to reach the roof without a ladder, so I usually put the bikes in the bed using the aforementioned fork mount.

[Royce]

My old body much prefers a recumbent trike. like this. Catrike Recumbent Trikes
Folds up small enough to go in the back of the Wrangler.

[DavidIowa]

Our bikes go along with us everywhere. Did "Cade's Cove" in the Smokies this fall. Have done RAGBRAI twice and again this summer. You can ride anything and wear anything or nothing on RAGBRAI. Have ridden all over the west, especially Colorado. We try to camp with the Airstream in coordination with bike paths or trails. Wisconsin and Minnesota have some great trails and rides. Going to Oregon, Washington, BC, Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming this spring and summer. Biking and camping go together.

We wear whatever fits the occasion, from spandex on long road rides to shorts and flip flops to the local brewpub.

[Amsterdamer]

If you were at the Ice Man mountain bike race near Traverse City MI in November, you might have noticed my Airstream parked near the finish line.

Biking and aluminum abodes just go together.

[Dingo Girl]

Originally Posted by Amsterdamer

If you were at the Ice Man mountain bike race near Traverse City MI in November, you might have noticed my Airstream parked near the finish line.

Biking and aluminum abodes just go together.

Did you ride in the Iceman?

I have an old but trusty polished aluminum, Cannondale Super V that I plan to take on every adventure in the Caravel.
Guess my aluminitus has been going on for a very long time. :-)

[3wd67rg]

We have an AS motorhome and our tow behind is a jeep with 4WD. The mtn bikes are on the jeep. I'm looking forward to next summer when we actually get to travel to some parks and ride and kayak all over. This last summer some things came up that wiped out our money and had us stuck in one place in San Antonio the whole time. Jeans are not really comfortable, he mostly wears shorts and takes his chances, yes he gets scraped and cut and picks thorns out. I don't do the fast downhill single track technical rides, my adult kids do that. Chris can do it, but prefers single track technical trails that have ups and downs, (his favorite is McCallister Park in San Antonio, TX. I'm just a trail rider.

During the winter we park at our home in San Diego, CA. His bike is AFU presently and we need money to fix it up. *sigh* But I have three kids working in Bike stores who can get us deals, so as soon as I can get some money together it will at least be less expensive for the good stuff.

[Longboard6]

Ok, here goes my $0.02... We are new to ASing but 10 yr with SOBs and we always take our bikes (on top 0f TV). Every other year we travel to an Ironman Triathlon site where I do an extremely long workout. On these trips we not only take our mountain bikes, but my aerobike. Just this year we traded up to a 23'FB Flying Cloud just in time for the trip to Whistler, BC. On the subject of Lycra, I will only offer in defense of sporting this look, after living in Northern Italy for 3 years, that I can't imagine not wearing L. Each to his/her own because the true thread here is "just get out there and do it.

[Trailbob]

I've been an active bike rider for around 35 years, and currently own a road bike, touring bike, a fixed suspension 29er mountain bike and a couple of mid 80's Rockhopper mountain bikes. I've brought bikes along on camping trips for nearly as long as I've been camping. I almost always take mountain bikes; one specific trip illustrates why.

My wife and I took our Airstream to Texas a couple of years ago, and brought our road bikes so we could do a week long supported tour of the Texas Hill Country with Adventure Cycling. We transported the bikes in the cap of our truck. We have a factory rack on the back of the Airstream, Yakima bars on our cap, and a rack that can go on the front hitch of our truck, but we prefer to put the bikes in the cap for long trips with variable weather.

After the Texas tour, we continued towing the Airstream to the east coast, camping at various state parks and campgrounds along the way. The road bikes were fine on paved roads, but were poor choices on gravel or dirt roads and trails.

I've owned and ridden a lot of bikes, and my favorite "bring along" camping bike is a mountain bike. Road bikes are great on the road, hybrid bikes are good on the road, and decent on gravel/dirt. Mountain bikes work fine for most of our camping related road riding, and excel at any dirt exploring we want to do. My current mountain bike (Surly Ogre) is cro moly, with a fixed fork and rear. It is quite comfortable on or off the road, and equally happy with a rack for groceries.

If you couldn't guess, I like bikes, and could go on an on. A good read for those of us who might shy away from lycra shorts (riders that Grant Pederson affectionately calls "Unracers") is "Just Ride" by Grant Pedersen. For me, I prefer standard shorts or loose pants, but will wear lycra when it is the best choice for a specific ride. I agree with the previous post: "Just get out there and ride."


-Bob

ps- Someone recently commented about one of Ray Eklund's posts being too long. My 2 cts: There are times when I prefer to read short, concise ("Just the facts ma'am") posts. At those times I simply pass on the ones that are longer. However, other times I am in the mood for an in-depth, more reflective post. On those occasions, I enjoy reading Ray's posts and his insight. Please keep them coming...

[LBelle]

When we got our AS last year we decided our focus would be biking as many "rails to trails", or similar routes as possible - and it has been great. So far we have not left the Pacific NW but look forward to seeing, riding and camping elsewhere. These posts have spurred me on even more! 2016 - N Idaho, Montana, British Columbia, Utah...
We have touring/hybrid/commuting style bikes and carry them on the AS installed Fiamma rack. It is a nice & secure method though it does make it a bit challenging to access the rear storage locker but that is a small price to pay for our fun.

[paulken]

I have done a lot of bike tours in Colorado. mostly on pavement. One year we did one called the Dirt Ride. Almost all of the passes we went over were dirt. The worst was the pass from Leadville to the Diamond J at Meredith. You can call this one Rock Bike Docking. And the pass was Hagerman pass.

Also never ride a bike down into the Grand Canyon unless you want to go to jail.

[Too tall]

New to the forum and reading alot in anticipation of purchasing an AS 19' for Bikedocking No kidding, I'm planning on a number of destination trips. I'll drive to State Park Campgrounds, setup shop and use that for multi-day out and back riding. Looking forward to this. Tent camping after a long day of riding is not always my first choice!

[Wingeezer]

Well, we are no lycra wearing, advertising shirt wearing, bicycle aficionados, but have been taking a couple of 25 year old, (250 dollar when new) mountain bikes, with us on every RV trip that we have made over the years, and despite our advancing years, continue to enjoy them very much.

Had virtually no problem with them in all these years and the great thing about such old bikes is that I stick 'em out front of the truck and don't care how mucky or rusty they get on the trip - just clean them up with WD-40 when we arrive!

If they get stolen ..... "Meh!"

We've sure had our money's worth out of them, sometimes just to ride up to the campground washroom or office, or to tour around the RVpark and look at other folks RV's.

Other times to ride trails, or even in smaller towns for ease of parking wherever we fancy to stop to look in an antiques mall or other point of interest.

Probably we never do more than maybe 50 - 60 km on a day's ride at most.

As long as we have enough strength and coordination to be moderately safe on them, we'll be taking them - in fact I'd better get them out of the garden shed before they get snowed in so as to be ready to take them to Florida next month!

They sure have a lot of miles on them now - albeit mostly on the front of the truck!

I do recall once - at Pennwood Airstream park in Pa. as I recall - meeting a couple of guys at happy hour who invitedme to come on a Rail Trail ride with them next morning.

I probably had had too many gin and tonics to ask enough questions and gladly agreed to meet up with them.

When I did meet bright and early with my old clunker ready to roll, and me wearing sneakers, cut-off jeans and a tee shirt - there they were with all their full kit on with bikes that probably weighed about as much as one of my handgrips.

That was a challenging ride - but I managed to keep up better than I (and I would like to think they) expected. Next time I'll ask more questions though at a happy hour meet up!

Brian

[JVfromGrnBay]

New to the forum and Airstreaming as well... We have a 30' Classic on order and intend to be "Cyclists with an Airstream" as opposed to be "Airstreamers with bikes"! We are hoping to take both our fat bikes and our cyclocross bikes along, but are concerned with the space required for the fatties. As an alternate plan, we have 2 sets of wheels for our cross bikes- both road tires and knobbies, so we will have some options for gravel, road, and double track.