Mountain Bikes

[Ducknut97]

Anybody here ride their mountain bike out hunting? I would like to this year, because you can cover more ground than on foot, but you are quieter than a jeep. Thanks for the input!

[pope]

The big advantage is getting behind gates where motorized traffic is not allowed. You can quickly pedal beyond where most are willing to walk. It's frustrating to find how many people are driving in these "no-motorized-vehicle" areas. This season I'm supposed to pay $75 to ride/walk behind the local gates. I'd sure like to know that the rules on vehicles will be enforced before I pay.

[kentrek]

keep the psi low for super silent ride,disc brakes and a kid cart trailer are a must as well.
also spend some time on how your going to cary your weapon so you can get to it those critical seconds.. id advise from having the mounting system be super solid as the damage will be much greater for when you get into a wrek compared to if it just comes off.

one last thing is only use the speed benefits of a bike when your not in kill  mode. i would hate to know how many monster bucks and bulls have watched me go wizzing by

[Jason]

Anybody here ride their mountain bike out hunting? I would like to this year, because you can cover more ground than on foot, but you are quieter than a jeep. Thanks for the input!

Actually if you do a search for "bikes" or "mountain bikes" we have a lot of topics started with tons good info

[BullMagnet76]

You can't go wrong with a mountain bike, you can hit all the spots that the lazy road hunters cannot get too.  I have been doing it for a few years now with alot of success!

[TheHunt]

I agree with Jason...  Lots of topics. 

Just make sure you think carefully and fully on how to get the animal out based on the conditions outside.  Last year the archery season started out with 95 degree days. 

[BowBender87]

anyone know of any good websites or info on a trailer to pull behind a bike....something that can withstand the weight of quartered elk and all of ones camping gear?

[adam]

B.O.B or Burly make some pretty beefy bike trailers.  Not sure, but I think that B.O.B is specifically made for a little more rugged terrain.

[oldleclercrd]

anyone know of any good websites or info on a trailer to pull behind a bike....something that can withstand the weight of quartered elk and all of ones camping gear?

 

[deerslyr]

anyone know of any good websites or info on a trailer to pull behind a bike....something that can withstand the weight of quartered elk and all of ones camping gear?

 

I know some guys down in oregon used to make them. Hawkeye I believe was the name. Ill see if they are still around. Think they may of been members on this site a while back.

[deerslyr]

http://www.hawkeyebilt.com/

[Andrew]

Check out "Wike Trailers" they make some pretty cool stuff for bikes.  Also, I came across this while researching wilderness areas and prohibited uses...no motorized or mechanized vehicles are allowed...they consider a mountain bike mechanized.  Always assumed that it was geared towards motocross, ATV, etc.

[BowBender87]

thanks for the info..those hawkeye trailers look pretty good..although 495 bucks seems pretty steep...

[JPhelps]

We hunt off of our bikes a ton.  Here is a trailer that I designed.  Me and the Primetime Crew had 3 built.  The bottom picture has Tyson's mature Roosevelt bull on them in half.  These trailers are ultralightweight (<20 lbs and the frame can handle over 1000 lbs, but the wheels and tires will fail first).

Corbin, you can come check them out if you are out in the area.

If there is enough interest I would be willing to help some guys' out on this site facilitating having them built.  We got a good deal on the welding but I we only have about $170 in material/welding + whatever wheels/tires needed to be used.

[kentrek]

while there not nearly as beefy as the hawk-eye style trailers,i really like the kid carts.mine weighs less than ten pounds and can easily hold half an elk.another advantage is the trailer attaches to the axle of the bike compared to the bike seat, this gives you a lower center of gravity. i also have no interest in putting a full elk on the back of my bike..with the hills it would be impossible to go up.the biggest issue is trying to stop on the down hill stretches as all breaks get over heated due to extra weight fairly quickly..this can be kinda scary unless you have trailer breaks..

[JPhelps]

Here is my thought when building the trailer (professional engineer in me).

I want the weight as close to the center of mass as possible.  On a bike that is close to the rider (the bike might weigh 20 lbs while I weigh 230).  The further you attach the weight from the center of mass the more the overturning moment is.   The weight being attached at the axle has a higher chance of pushing the tire out from underneath the rider. Besides I don't like all the weight being transferred through a 5/8" bolt.

As far as trailer brakes they are nice but an expensive option.  I have biked out over 10 elk and never needed trailer brakes.  All of our bikes have large disc brakes for this reason.

[kentrek]

this would have made for nice project in my eng class this spring.while im still a year or so away from geting my CE deg, i  do understand what your saying jphelps, but after using both types over the past six years i have just had better stability with the axle mount style than the seat post style. i think if a guy were to load a trailer to its potential breaking point the benefits of having the weight attached to the seat would reveal them selves. but like i said im only a half an elk kinda guy

also even with disc breaks you gota admit with at least one of those ten elk, trailer(disc) breaks would have been the cats meow  

still really expensive tho

[TheHunt]

I have personally seen and followed out of the woods a full elk on a Hawkeye built trailer.  Those things are bullet proof and extremely light.  I think that is how Philps got his design.  The comments on disk breaks is a great idea when going down steep grades with a full load. 

It was fun watching him go down the steep hills walking down the bike. 

I also saw a guy come out of a trail with only one brake on his trailer.  I watched for a while it was a matter of time before that idea was realized and categorized as a bad one. 

[cem3434]

I have personally seen and followed out of the woods a full elk on a Hawkeye built trailer.  Those things are bullet proof and extreamly light.

Pricey, but well worth the money and way better than childrens carrier that a lot of guys use. I guess its all about how much money you are willing to spend.

[JPhelps]

TheHunt, I have never seen a hawkeye game cart.  My family has been using modified aluminum game carts for as long as I can remember (the push type).  I then decided I wanted to cut some weight so I designed my own.

I went and performed all the structural calculations to optimize the weight to strength of the aluminum section.  I also checked all of the joints to see what the strength was.  The only problem is there is only so many ways to build a frame and attach wheels, so incidentally it looks like the hawkeye cart.   

[KFhunter]

http://www.bicyclecart.com/

[Humptulips]

I built a hitch for a cabelas game cart on the back of my bike. It attaches under the seat. Used one of the carts for years by just tieing it to the seat post.
I honestly can't imagine using anything else. It works fine and it is pretty inexpensive. I can haul an entire elk unboned. Can't do that uphill but on the flat or downhill. My legs are the limiting factor.
No brakes on the trailer but it has not been a problem. I'm just careful on hills to keep my speed down at the top.
Only time I ever got into trouble was because I got going to fast and the cart was empty at the time so totally my fault, 4 stitches.

[BowBender87]

Jason i really like that trailer you use...that would solve all of my problems.  You should consider making/selling them?     Im sure you have plenty of time on your hands in between making calls, editing video and work.   

[Prime Time]

They work pretty slick Corbin, you'll have to come and check them out one of these days. We hauled out both of our bulls this year on them with no problems. Wanting to try them out on a deer as I'm sure they wouldn't have any problem fitting a whole deer on there.

[Humptulips]

Took some pictures of my hitch that I use with a cabelas game cart. Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures but I think you can see well enough to get the drift.



This one actually was a store bought hitch built like a receiver hitch. I added a  piece of 3/4 x 3/4 square tubing with a cut out in it to fit the part on the trailer. The company won't sell them seperate from their cart which is a kids cart. It was a fluke that I was able to buy it.
I made another just like it and it wasn't hard. I cut a piece of steel tubing slightly smaller then the seat post lengthwise and brazed on the nuts to tighten it on the seat post. Then I welded some square tubing on for the receiver.




This is the part on the trailer. Pretty simple, just an eye bolt attached in the middle  of the frame.

It works good for me but it is important to load it right. The load needs to be ahead a little to put weight on the rear wheel of the bike. Also the cart needs a piece of fiber board added along the wheel to keep from rubbing the load.

[Humptulips]

Forgot to add, depending on how your cart sits in relation to the wheel you may have to remove the front cross piece on the cart.

[pope]

My deer rig MAY be elk worthy. This is just a 2-seater kids trailer modified slightly. Got it off the inet for $100. Anyway, since I didn't get a deer this year, after late buck I went up with a friend to fetch it out of the woods. My friend, a 55-year-old college professor, walked up while I pedaled. We shared a few beers and watched a storm approach. When it was time to go, he suggested that we put the trailer to the test. Foolishly, I agreed that he could climb in the trailer. Riding in a sort of chariot position, since he was too tall to sit in the damn thing, and with my fingers clinched firmly around the brake levers, we began the 1000-ft descent, which included some steep sections and some less steep areas. On one of the gentle hills, I decided to save my brake pads by making gentle slalom turns. This caused the professor to pitch out of his "chariot"! After a few 4-letter condemnations and minor first aid, he foolishly climbed back in (was it the beer?) and we completed the descent without further complications.

[TheHunt]

TheHunt, I have never seen a hawkeye game cart.  My family has been using modified aluminum game carts for as long as I can remember (the push type).  I then decided I wanted to cut some weight so I designed my own.

I went and performed all the structural calculations to optimize the weight to strength of the aluminum section.  I also checked all of the joints to see what the strength was.  The only problem is there is only so many ways to build a frame and attach wheels, so incidentally it looks like the hawkeye cart.

Here was a thread that discussed this at length in August last year.   
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=81944.0

[flinger]

Couple of mods to a cabelas cart,Need to attach some web or netting to keep meat bags from oozing between the bars

[JPhelps]

Here is a picture of my old cart (aka the meat wagon).  That thing has hauled some serious elk meat and performed flawlessly.  We put 25 psi solid tires in it and it has been bulletproof.  Only downfall is it weighs about 40 lbs.

[huntnphool]

 Mountain bikes are awesome, just get used to riding long before your hunt or you could be in some pain the next morning

[JPhelps]

Mountain bikes are awesome, just get used to riding long before your hunt or you could be in some pain the next morning

Isn't that the truth!

[WapitiFreak]

anyone know of any good websites or info on a trailer to pull behind a bike....something that can withstand the weight of quartered elk and all of ones camping gear?

http://www.bikesatwork.com/

[AKBowman]

Flinger- It looks like JPhelps zip tied some type of strong netting to the frame of his. My initial thought would be to create a web using some sort of nylon 1/4"-1/2" wide material but zip tying netting to the frame would probably be easier, lighter and just as durable.

I've been looking at the Burley flat bed for some time now. I'll probably pull the trigger on it before season starts.

[saylean]

Flinger, I like what you did with that cart...I have the same one.  Think I will steal your idea. I know of a few spots I would love to take my bike up to.

Cheers~

[washelkhunter]

Im not keen on using handle bar gun mounts. Has anyone built or found a decent scabard to mount on their bike?

[TheHunt]

That is a great question...  There are good packs with rifle scabard built in to the pack.

[washelkhunter]

I know, but i want something to bolt to the bike to protect the rifle when i crash.

[jbeaumont21]

Don't listen to these guys, biking in sucks and there is no advantage to it.  Better of road hunting.  Whatever you do do not get into biking or hunting at all. If you must hunt then go modern rifle hunting, set up a huge camp, drink lots of alcohol and don't waste your time! Common people don't fill his mind with fools gold

[washelkhunter]

Just got my ride tuned up and ready to roll.     Just need to find or build a rifle scabard.  will be scouting end of month.

[FC]

How about a saddle scabbard?

[Wea300mag]

There are lots of gated roads around here, this is how I roll:

[washelkhunter]

Right on! Im really looking forward to trying this out, esp now since the DP doesnt apply to people riding bikes on state/dnr land. Go figure eh.