Author Topic: Carrying wheels on a bike (Read 6736 times)

quixoticgeek · « **on:** 19 January, 2018, 10:18:48 pm »

My tame wheel builder is a 30km round trip by bike from where I am. Given the stable of bikes I'm maintaining, it seems that a trip to the wheel builder is becoming more regular than I had expected, and the issue of how to transport a complete wheel, or pair of wheels by bike is becoming something I need to address.

Has anyone experience of transporting a pair of 622 wheels (possibly with tyres), on a road bike? I'm pondering the idea of trying to make something that will attach to a carradice SQR rack/block.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

J

Kim · « **Reply #1 on:** 19 January, 2018, 10:21:39 pm »

Was a commonly done thing in Ye Olde Days. *googles*

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/spare-wheel-carriers-for-cyclocross/

Brucey · « **Reply #2 on:** 19 January, 2018, 10:22:30 pm »

the traditional solution to this is a set of 'sprint carriers', as used to take your best racing wheels to a TT event in past days. You can knock up a set very easily, with basic metalwork skills.

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/components/sprint-wheel-carriers.html

flat cap optional...

cheers

quixoticgeek · « **Reply #3 on:** 19 January, 2018, 10:31:55 pm »

Quote from: Brucey on 19 January, 2018, 10:22:30 pm

the traditional solution to this is a set of 'sprint carriers', as used to take your best racing wheels to a TT event in past days. You can knock up a set very easily, with basic metalwork skills.

cheers

Do you have a link with more info?

Quote from: Kim on 19 January, 2018, 10:21:39 pm

Was a commonly done thing in Ye Olde Days. *googles*

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/spare-wheel-carriers-for-cyclocross/

I hadn't thought about carrying them on the front! I can see an evening at the hackspace with the metal working supplies coming on!

J

Brucey · « **Reply #4 on:** 19 January, 2018, 10:37:34 pm »

link posted as edit in earlier post.

BTW you can usually improvise something using a couple of those dreadful flat spanners that are often in 'tool kits' that LBSs are ashamed to give their customers along with a new bike.

cheers

quixoticgeek · « **Reply #5 on:** 19 January, 2018, 10:42:55 pm »

Quote from: Brucey on 19 January, 2018, 10:37:34 pm

link posted as edit in earlier post.

BTW you can usually improvise something using a couple of those dreadful flat spanners that are often in 'tool kits' that LBSs are ashamed to give their customers along with a new bike.

cheers

Cool. Shall have a look. Wonder how they interact with the lawyer lips on the front fork. Maybe I can fashion something that fixes to the mudguard mounts or the rack mount half way up the fork.

Cheers for the Inspiration.

J

Brucey · « **Reply #6 on:** 19 January, 2018, 10:48:12 pm »

if you have lawyer's lips then a washer between the bracket and the dropout might do the trick.

As mentioned in the article, it is a good idea to have the wheels being carried mounted slightly forwards of the front wheel, else you may find that your toes/knees clout them at odd times.

cheers

grams · « **Reply #7 on:** 20 January, 2018, 12:09:41 am »

I've ridden across London with a pair bungied* to the back of a backpack. You have to remember not to filter through narrow gaps in traffic.

(* actually I was abusing the helmet carrying hammock on a Rixen Kaul bike-specific backpack. Doing this with a normal backpack may be harder)

jsabine · « **Reply #8 on:** 20 January, 2018, 02:46:22 pm »

I've carried wheels attached to a rucksack, attached to a courier bag, and attached to a rack, both vertically and horizontally. I'm pretty sure I could bodge 'em onto my Carradice, and I quite fancy making a set of sprint carriers just for the rare times I actually need to transport a set.

But if I didn't already build my own wheels, I think a 30km round trip would probably give me enough impetus to learn.

tatanab · « **Reply #9 on:** 20 January, 2018, 07:44:03 pm »

Wheel carriers worked well when you had a solid axle front hub, with Q/R there is not really enough room to take them. A way around this is to use cone spanners. Logically one end trapped under the Q/R and the other to carry the wheel. Angle them forwards at something like 30 degrees from the vertical and use a toestrap to hold the rim to the bottom of your drops, which will be pretty close. I have not done this for many years, but can report it works fine.

Basil · « **Reply #10 on:** 20 January, 2018, 07:53:30 pm »

Ive always carried flat on top of the rear rack. Toestrap round the seat post. Skewer fitting neatly into the rack for stability. Also done the backpack thing. Low slung onto rack. Be careful sitting back down if you honk.

hubner · « **Reply #11 on:** 20 January, 2018, 08:16:53 pm »

Quote from: tatanab on 20 January, 2018, 07:44:03 pm

Wheel carriers worked well when you had a solid axle front hub, with Q/R there is not really enough room to take them. A way around this is to use cone spanners. Logically one end trapped under the Q/R and the other to carry the wheel. Angle them forwards at something like 30 degrees from the vertical and use a toestrap to hold the rim to the bottom of your drops, which will be pretty close. I have not done this for many years, but can report it works fine.

I use a rear qr, but needs washers and spacers as it's too long.

You might find you have to angle the carriers forward anyway to clear the bottom of the fork blades.

Brucey · « **Reply #12 on:** 20 January, 2018, 08:47:38 pm »

with any sprint carriers it is important to note that the bulk of the wheel weight is taken by the straps to the handlebar, not the brackets per se; especially with a QR axle, the brackets can slip round if they are asked to support too much of the weight; really they are mainly there to stabilise the wheel laterally and stop it from moving around.

I have carried wheels short distances by only strapping them to outside of the ramps of the handlebars; the wheels can swing around but do not swing into the front wheel because the drops obstruct them. I can report that this is not a very good arrangement, because it wrecks your bar tape and you cannot reach the brakes that well....

cheers

hubner · « **Reply #13 on:** 20 January, 2018, 09:15:12 pm »

Quote from: Brucey on 20 January, 2018, 08:47:38 pm

with any sprint carriers it is important to note that the bulk of the wheel weight is taken by the straps to the handlebar, not the brackets per se; especially with a QR axle, the brackets can slip round if they are asked to support too much of the weight; really they are mainly there to stabilise the wheel laterally and stop it from moving around.

Re how much weight is carried by the strap and by the carrier, wouldn't that depend on how tight the strap is?

In the drawing upthread, there is one cord/strap holding both wheels, if you make it tighter it will just pull the 2 wheels together without taking much weight off the carriers.

Of course having one strap for each wheel is better, pulled fairly tight, if only to stop to wheel wobbling sideways. And that will take weight off the carrier.

And I would think if the qr is done up properly, the carriers won't slip, at least in my experience.

faster · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 January, 2018, 11:47:00 pm »

I did LEJOG last summer, and coming through Herefordshire, my rear wheel failed completely as the brake track had worn through.

I thought I was screwed - no bike shops for miles, and it was late evening anyway. Out of desperation we were knocking on peoples doors to see if they had any wheels knocking about - the trouble was, there wasn't even many houses around. I eventually managed to buy a wheel off the caretaker at a school for £20 - basically off a dumped bike. He definitely saw me coming - it was a cheap and nasty wheel and both the axle and freewheel were initially seized solid, but eventually freed off quite nicely once forced.

We fitted the wheel and it made it from Herefordshire to Leigh in Lancashire, where I was able to stop by home to pick up a spare wheel. Suprisingly, the wheel off the caretaker worked really well, despite being a 5 speed freewheel fitted to a 7 speed bike. All the gears worked silently and it shifted well - I just had to press the shifter twice for most of the shifts.

The problem was, I needed to carry my broken wheel with me, as once I got home, I'd need the cassette off it to fit to the spare wheel.

What Carradice have you got? I just lashed the wheel to the top of mine with a belt. Looked odd, but was no bother at all. I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to lash another wheel on top of the first.

I'm not too good at posting photos, but hopefully this one will work

IMAG0493 by Stuart Hamilton, on Flickr

drossall · « **Reply #15 on:** 21 January, 2018, 12:42:59 am »

Previous thread on this topic. Follow the link at the top of thread to another, and scroll down, for a photo of a time triallist actually riding out to an event with these fitted.

I still have, and use occasionally, the sprint carriers I bought to take racing wheels out to time trials in the late 1970s. I agree about placing the carried wheels forward, and that straps are essential. Apart from somewhat heavy steering, I've never had a problem otherwise.

This is the normal QR, although that bike has never had lawyers' lips. Don't recall ever having an issue with the QRs being short - I'd mostly have used Campag Tipo ones when I was using these often.

Who knows, maybe they'll make a comeback? Although I wouldn't like to carry a disc wheel like that!

Brucey · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 January, 2018, 02:04:36 am »

Quote from: hubner on 20 January, 2018, 09:15:12 pm

Quote from: Brucey on 20 January, 2018, 08:47:38 pm
with any sprint carriers it is important to note that the bulk of the wheel weight is taken by the straps to the handlebar, not the brackets per se; especially with a QR axle, the brackets can slip round if they are asked to support too much of the weight; really they are mainly there to stabilise the wheel laterally and stop it from moving around.

Re how much weight is carried by the strap and by the carrier, wouldn't that depend on how tight the strap is?

In the drawing upthread, there is one cord/strap holding both wheels, if you make it tighter it will just pull the 2 wheels together without taking much weight off the carriers....

it isn't entirely clear in the picture, but I'd imagine that the cord is bound several times around the handlebar and the wheel rim where the two meet. I recommend that if you choose to use a single piece of cord, that you lash it thusly, anyway; it will be far more secure. In fact it surprises me that anyone would even think to do it any other way

Most people just use a toe straps (the more the merrier), which will each go at least twice round a sprint rim and handlebar.

Note that these brackets were designed primarily for carrying best quality sprint wheels, fitted with a tiny (or non-existent) freewheel. Such wheels typically weigh stuff-all. Modern wheels may easily be at least double the weight, so it is much more important that they are lashed securely, lest they overstress the brackets.

BTW I have also carried wheels on top of a saddlebag (but not far).

If you trash a wheel rim on tour, and have to use a replacement wheel, there is no need to carry the old wheel (provided you have a spoke key); just remove the rim and carry the hub and spokes in a (much smaller) bundle. If you rebuild using a rim with a similar ERD, removing a freewheel from the hub can wait until the wheel is back together (although a cassette can still be removed from a loose hub of course). If you plan to use a different ERD rim and intend to use different spokes, you will have to at least put 1/4 or 1/2 the spokes into some kind of rim to get the freewheel off.

cheers

zigzag · « **Reply #17 on:** 21 January, 2018, 11:42:45 am »

i carried the wheels tied to a top handle of a rucksack many times, they lay flat and stable

mzjo · « **Reply #18 on:** 21 January, 2018, 05:07:53 pm »

I wish that I still had my Cyclo sprint carriers. I was given them by an Ystwyth clubmate in the mid 70's so that I could carry my sprints to evening club trials. Very useful and the only way I would consider carrying wheels on a bike. It wasn't difficult or clumsy at all. For me any other way is a bodge at best. (Of course I still have bikes without lawyers lips and a couple of nutted hubs, but even if I didn't I don't think that that would stop me).

Making a pair wouldn't be too difficult. AFAIR I used toe-clip straps around the bottom of the drops to attach the wheels. The drops that I used at the time had a rounded form like a shallow track bar which might have made this a bit easier to do (and the bike easier to control).

fruitcake · « **Reply #19 on:** 02 March, 2018, 01:30:56 pm »

Tied to the top of a rear rack is the easiest way I've found of carrying a single wheel. Works a bit better If there are panniers on the rack sides because the wheel can rest on top of the bags. Reusable zip ties are good for tying it as they don't slip. Wheel rim tied to saddle rails. At least two spokes tied to the rack top.

A pair of wheels can go each side of the rack, no bags. Spokes tied to the top of the rack, where the spokes cross. The two rims can be tied together at the top.

quixoticgeek · « **Reply #20 on:** 21 March, 2018, 06:41:50 pm »

Well today I took the rims over to my LBS along with the hubs so my tame wheel builder can assemble them. I strapped them to my backpack. Riding with them, no problem. Trying to walk through the door of the bike shop... less so...

J

Jurek · « **Reply #21 on:** 21 March, 2018, 06:45:26 pm »

Clannnnggg!
I've done the same

quixoticgeek · « **Reply #22 on:** 17 April, 2018, 01:39:06 pm »

I got a call from my wheel builder this morning saying he was ready to deliver my wheels. I was expecting him to turn up in the van, but instead he turned up with the wheels on a bike as:

Looks pretty much like the sprint wheel carriers as mentioned in this thread.

I've asked an engineer to make me up a set.

J

fruitcake · « **Reply #23 on:** 19 April, 2018, 05:05:50 pm »

That's quite good isn't it. Looks like a normal low rider rack and a pair of rubber rim tapes each side wrapped around the hubs of the cargo wheels. Are the hubs fastened to the rack using the QR?

quixoticgeek · « **Reply #24 on:** 19 April, 2018, 05:34:37 pm »

Quote from: fruitcake on 19 April, 2018, 05:05:50 pm

That's quite good isn't it. Looks like a normal low rider rack and a pair of rubber rim tapes each side wrapped around the hubs of the cargo wheels. Are the hubs fastened to the rack using the QR?

There are actual brackets on the axle of the wheel on the bike, to which the extra wheels are attached. They looked very similar to the sprint wheel carriers shown earlier in this thread.

The rack is then used with rim tape to hold the wheel steady.

J