Bicycle For Range or Hunting

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Why don't you just mount it across the handlebars? I love mountain biking. I have a Trek 4500 but I'm looking into getting a specialized. Dunno yet. They get expensive.

As far as using a bike for hunting I wouldn't recommend it. If your all about stealth, get a Electric Golf Cart camouflaged. Very quiet.
 
As far as using a bike for hunting I wouldn't recommend it. If your all about stealth, get a Electric Golf Cart camouflaged. Very quiet.

Well equipped hard-tail mountain bike, under $1000 investment. Requires no batteries, little maintenence, and can be carried on top of a car, legally ridden on most roads, and only requires about 26" of width clearance.
Golf cart suitable for off-road use...$3000 on up. Requires batteries be charged (limiting its range), and are twice as wide as a mountain bike. Legally can't be driven on most roads, sidewalks, trails and in many areas. Requires a trailer for transport...another $500 or more.
A correctly chosen bike could easily be used for other ventures, such as running errands, range trips, commuting, or just staying in shape, making it versatile.
The golf cart is only useful for....golf.

PS:
I have a Surly Crosscheck. I'm thinking about later this year buying a new cyclocross bike, something lighter, and refitting the crosscheck for fishing, etc.
 
Well equipped hard-tail mountain bike, under $1000 investment. Requires no batteries, little maintenence, and can be carried on top of a car, legally ridden on most roads, and only requires about 26" of width clearance.
Golf cart suitable for off-road use...$3000 on up. Requires batteries be charged (limiting its range), and are twice as wide as a mountain bike. Legally can't be driven on most roads, sidewalks, trails and in many areas. Requires a trailer for transport...another $500 or more.
A correctly chosen bike could easily be used for other ventures, such as running errands, range trips, commuting, or just staying in shape, making it versatile.
The golf cart is only useful for....golf.

PS:
I have a Surly Crosscheck. I'm thinking about later this year buying a new cyclocross bike, something lighter, and refitting the crosscheck for fishing, etc.


TRUE,

But unless your hunting from a parking lot :) I can guarantee most bikes won't make it in places most real hunters hunt. It just ain't gonna happen. Especially here where I live where you hunt in some deep south texas brush. You probably wouldn't even make it 5 feet.
 
How 'bout a custom frame?

That's my next step. My plan is to build one off the Surly pugsley frame, with strong enough rims and components to withstand the worst Alaska can dish out. I'm going to call it the Icebike Fram. But I've got to get the money together and ride around some more to figure out exactly what setup will work best for me.

I can guarantee most bikes won't make it in places most real hunters hunt. It just ain't gonna happen.

I think you underestimate bicycles. They run a bike race across the Alaska range over a month BEFORE the dogs take it on. Besides, if a bike can't get there, no 4 wheeler could. You can at least get close in silence, then proceed on foot as needed.
 
Almost every mountain bike maker out there has a steel or aluminum "hard tail" mountain bike.

Even if it's hard tail, the frame is often so compressed it makes carrying anything on it or in it increasingly difficult:

http://www.marinbikes.com/bicycles_2007/html/bikes/bike_specs/specs_nail_trail.html\

Which is why I got the only one they had with a classic diamond frame and some potential for building into a utility bicycle for both street and dirt. The older ones, as you point out, were a lot better.

And then there's this sort of thing, which I'm seeing more and more of. It makes an old geezer to wonder:

mountain%20bike%20M2000.jpg
 
Again, your best bet for not breaking the bank is going to be a good old rigid steel MTB. Most have gussets for racks, and if the spacing is 135 they can be updated with modern gearing and components, or with some TLC maintained as is. I'd bet for under $100 you can end up in something that will expand your range, speed, and capcity over the cruiser.
Pugslys make me horny. Sweet rides.
 
Cos I honestly do not intend to belittle your thread or thoughts , and i do know that bicycles can carry a massive amount of weight if a fella will push it . I just cannot see attaching a rifle to a bike , heck i dont like to attach a rifle to a horse and i ride them all the time . A loop to " button the rifle over the saddle horn works , but that scabbard dont for me even on a horse . I ride a bike around town , and from that can see some true SHTF bugout apps for a bike ( more walking beside it and useing it for transport than riding ) I still cannot see an advantage to " putting a long gun on a bike like you might a horse " If you have a vision that i do not then i apologize . If you can please explain your logic , as to how you need or want a bike for hunting , ect . I am not trying to be difficult , but trying to understand your thoughts .
 
Sorry, redneck, but it's easy to do. http://www.kayewade.com/montana/montana_scabbards.htm
My solution would be to mount a front pannier rack, and then mount a scabbard to one side.


TRUE,

But unless your hunting from a parking lot I can guarantee most bikes won't make it in places most real hunters hunt. It just ain't gonna happen. Especially here where I live where you hunt in some deep south texas brush. You probably wouldn't even make it 5 feet.

If the brush is that damn thick you're going to have to walk anyways.
If there is a cowpath, trail, game path, or creek bottom and the gradient is less than 15% you bet your ass I can get there.

Ok so you bicycle in to your hunting location and bag a deer. How exactly do you plan to strap that to the bicycle and pedal out?

Um, think trailer. And deer arent the only thing worth hunting.
 
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If the brush is that damn thick you're going to have to walk anyways.
If there is a cowpath, trail, game path, or creek bottom and the gradient is less than 15% you bet your ass I can get there.

That I will agree with.
 
My plan is to build one off the Surly pugsley frame, with strong enough rims and components to withstand the worst Alaska can dish out. I'm going to call it the Icebike Fram.


Now you're talkin'! You'll have to post a photo of The Cosmoline Deerslayer when you're done. With a big buck on the back, of course.

check out some tandem wheels. I bet a 48-spoke set ought to be absolutely bombproof.
 
Well guys I guess i will have to respectufully disagree with the bikers here , i have not the skill , wind or motovation to replace my horse with a bike .. not to mention no desire . If you guys can hunt from the seat of a mountain bike ect .. more power to you , for myself it would be in the way . Understand i am not saying it cannot or has not been done I am saying it is not for me and the folks i know .
 
Washington State Fish & Wildlife has established a system where many roads are off limits to motorized access during deer season so a bike would make perfect sense. Maybe this is the year I mountain bike in. I think a trailer is mandatory (which I don't have). Carrying the rifle is a different problem.
Why don't you just mount it across the handlebars?
I too thought this would be an ideal solution so I ordered handlebar racks. However after testing it on the street it became apparent that it would only be a matter of time before I went down and drove the muzzle into the ground or worse; totally impractical. I think carrying accross the back or in some sort of scabbard like Cosmoline experimented with would work well.
 
I don't do much hunting and such, but I do occasionally cycle to the range with a scabbard to hold a rifle to the bicycle. Its only 8 miles and takes me all of 15-20 minutes with a rack to fasten down ammuniation and cleaning supplies too. Its just as quick as going by car and saves alot on petrol though helps if your state has open carry allowed.
 
If it weren't for the fact that the only places to shoot around here are half to a full day's bike ride away (talk about 'a day at the range'!), this would be appealing to me. I particularly like the two-wheel pull behind trailers. And, of course, if gas ever becomes prohibitive enough to obsolete motorized vehicles or in the event of SHTF, the carrying capacity would indeed be welcome.

A bike might also be useful for hunting, if one hunts somewhere that there isn't a lot of deadfall trees and branches, or grass which is too high to drag or push much of anything through (ie more effort than it'd be worth). There are certainly such places, but not here. Not much utility, really, when there's a road every mile... a pole stretcher would have more overall utility for pulling gear and a carcass, I think.

A golf cart would be useful for hunting if you hunt on a golf course, or maybe somewhere like a desert. But, only if you've got more money than sense in the former case.

Me, I like riding my mountain bike wherever I can. It's an aluminum-framed Raleigh M400 - about 4 or 5 years old "top of the line" technology, I'd guess It's in great condition (after a little maintenance on my part), and I got it for $135 after tax a year ago, used from Scheel's All Sports. A far sight better than a generic Huffy (or what have you) at a similar cost.

I'll take it on bike trails. I've also taken it "off road" - on deer trails or human foot paths through wooded walking areas. But if you run into low tree branches, rocks (anything larger than the small ones), mud (not a problem when the ground is frozen, but the rest of the year, yeah, it's a problem) or even soft ground, sand, fallen trees and branches, or even tall grass and shrubbery, you're going to have to get off the bike. You then have to walk the bike, and even pick it up over your shoulders to get it through the swampy (ie cattails and similar reeds) area. Not fun.

Now, I CAN see the utility of a bike if you need some extra carrying capacity along side the ability to potentially move fast at a time of need. At best, a bike for off-road is a compromise in carriage ability for that speed. Off-road, (and I'm using the term lightly) the narrow wheels and low clearance (when the pedal is extended downwards), makes a bike a bit of a liability in rough terrain. If your boots are likely to get scratched and muddied, your clothing snagged or your face scratched, the terrain is not suitable for a bike.

If you're using your bike to access back roads unavailable to vehicles, though, go for it. Sounds like a great idea to me. I've got enough spare bike parts (wheels, etc.) at this point in time that, when I get an arc welder, I'll be making my own trailer for that purpose (if I move to a different area suitable for such things, at least).
 
Again, your best bet for not breaking the bank is going to be a good old rigid steel MTB. Most have gussets for racks, and if the spacing is 135 they can be updated with modern gearing and components, or with some TLC maintained as is. I'd bet for under $100 you can end up in something that will expand your range, speed, and capcity over the cruiser.

If you look around (drug store free-for-all posting boards at the entrance, some sporting goods stores, yard sales etc.), you can find bikes in ready-to-use condition, no servicing needed, for under $30 without a problem. As I posted in my previous (and long) rant, I got my (probably when new) $400+ bike for under $150; it's all aluminum (definitely spring for the aluminum or other lighter frame! it makes carrying stuff a LOT easier, nevermind pushing or carrying the bike) and has nice features like quick-release lugs (very useful if you'll be transporting it in a car).
 
I still cannot see an advantage to " putting a long gun on a bike like you might a horse "

Well you've got to put it somewhere. Slung on the back is OK, but catches wind and snags. On the back rack it tends to leverage too much and makes the bike overlong. Vertically or horizontally on the front it throws off balance and again can catch snags. If you wipe out, the rifle can take a real pounding out there. My new method centers it low on the frame and gives it lots of protection.

Caimlas is right, you can get a fine bike used off craigslist or garage sales. The main reason I bought mine new was the warranty. I've been known to break unbreakable parts, though so far this one is holding up well.
 
Forgive if someone suggested this, but why not a cavalry type holster?
 
don't do much hunting and such, but I do occasionally cycle to the range with a scabbard to hold a rifle to the bicycle. Its only 8 miles and takes me all of 15-20 minutes with a rack to fasten down ammuniation and cleaning supplies too. Its just as quick as going by car and saves alot on petrol though helps if your state has open carry allowed.

Not to thread hijack, but your timing is off. 8 miles with gear probably takes you about half an hour, which would be a 16mph average, if you're in pretty good shape over flat terrain.
 
Hasn't anyone here ver heard of an ATV or a Jeep? Lots more storage room and much easier to pilot.

Well, from a tracker/trapper and someone who hunts every once is awhile, the jeep/ATV idea is not always best. They have positives, but #1 they use gas, which doesn't grow on trees. #2 they create noise, they are limited in travel avenues, you can't hear over them to pickup on animal or other engine noises and thereby avoid the other traveller if desired. Also animals often let me ride right by on a bike somehow mistaking me for some other non predatory animal. (?) Also, they are easy to conceal, and can go places where listed vehicle are prohibited not just by terrain but by law. Also the signature left behind by a bicycle is much more subtle, even coverable with a little effort, than said heavy vehicles.

Good on ya Cosmoline, cool thread. I guess the only thing I'd want to consider is grabbing some extras of whatever you decide on so you have spare parts etc.

take care
ST

ps - the immediately above post seems weird...you are arguing about a 10 minutes difference with someone who obviously has done what he is describing, there are many factors we may not be aware of. Just seems silly to me, IMO
 
I don't think anyone here is suggesting that bikes are for everyone and that you should use one. I notice some people being defensive. . .it's a tool and for some a useful one. Used correctly any tool can be worthwhile.

ST
 
They've still compacted the diamond on that Trek. I really don't understand why they do that. It must be some trend in mountain biking. The frames keep getting more squished and the seat posts keep getting longer and longer. I suppose the smaller your frame is, the less you have to spend on it in manufacturing. Eventually we'll be riding bikes that are just a single bar with wheels on either end. Or maybe just one huge wheel.
 
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