bugout bike step by step my way

[Privateer73]

Well I recently bought a used mountain Bike and decided if I'm going to start riding I might as well make it capable of carrying some gear. We are a family of 6 and own one vehicle so any time I get the urge to spend some time out in the woods its a act of congress planning the transportation arrangements. Enter new used bike, I picked up a early 90s Univega Alpina, chromolly frame, new tires and bla bla bla in short good intro bike and cheap like me lol.
First order of business rear cargo platform and panniers. Im a instrumentation tech in the oil and gas industry so I have plenty of 3/8" .035 wall stainless steel tubing laying around the shop. I spent a couple of hours cruising the internet checking out the different designs for racks and decided I wanted more surface area on top with the ability to mount panniers if I chose. Im not planning on riding tight single tracks so I laid out the top frame for a 8" width with a ABS deck plate and a beaver tail style fender.
tonight I was able to get all the tubes bent and ready for welding in the morning. The frame has factory mounts for equipment already welded and machined on it win for me. Pics in the morning its time for bed.

[velojym]

If you're doing the fab yourself, you can look for and emulate racks popular with long distance touring cyclists, particularly the globe trotters. Old Man Mountain is one example.
These tourers tend to use mountain bike
rigs as the parts are available more widely... and many folks figure they're tougher than the average touring bike.
While my Montague has a front suspension, an older fully rigid bike has a few advantages, especially with mounting racks, and they'll have fewer moving parts, too.

As for getting in shape to ride real distance, it'd be a good idea to work your way up to handling a few miles at a time, and hook up with a local cycling club. Usually they'll have rides for different fitness levels, so you can start out with a comfortable group and work your way up as you improve. I don't know what sort of cycling background you have, so I'm assuming you've got some of the basics, like proper bike fit/etc.
Riding longer trips on the weekends with a group will immerse you in the culture, so to speak, and you'll also get more practice helping folks with mechanical issues (and maybe getting some help yourself, when needed) so that when you really need the knowledge and experience, it'll be there. On many a ride, usually centuries, a friend and I would start at the back of the pack, helping folks with flat tires and the like... and by the 20 mile mark, we'd step up the pace and catch up with the lead group by the time we got to the farthest point out. It was good training, physically and mechanically.
On moderate to short club rides, a mountain bike would be acceptable, though I'd run some street or inverted tread tires with higher pressure for club rides. The longer/faster rides are where you'd generally want a more road oriented bike. Not to say I haven't taken my mountain bikes on road rides. It's a great way to ride with slower riders while still getting something resembling a workout.

again, I'm not sure where you are, cycling-wise, so I'll shut up for the moment. If you have any questions, some of us know our way around bikes pretty well, and some of us'll yak so much you'll wish we'd shut up about it.

[jamoni]

PICS!

[Privateer73]

had to build a stand before I started the rack, I got the drawings from the next door niebor. Scrap lumber and some time equals free to me.
So all the tubes are bent and ready for welding just a little more fitting and I'll start the fab work.


Everything so far is free, best of all its all stainless steel but total weight is going to be around 3lbs. More updates soon ...

[velojym]

Cool! But... is that a bit of blood up and to the right?

[Jeriah]

This is going to be sweet, I can tell. I need a new rear rack (cracked mine, finally, after dropping it fully loaded) and a front rack too I think. I've already got a trailer but I don't always feel like hooking it up. Need to do another long distance ride, it's been a while.

[eugene]

As someone else said, keep the dimensions of the top close to store bought racks, that way all the different aftermarket accessories will fit. There are all kids of bags and such that all seem to fit the "standard" sized rack.


I have racks on everything, started my son on a trailer bike (Giant Halfwheeler) around 4 years old and I added a handlebar bag and rear rack.

I had to make custom mounts to lower it down closer to the smaller tire


I found one of the old tandem Trail-A-Bikes on craigslist and mounted a rack on it too. I found an adjustable rack, it had two tubes on it that slid up or down the solid part and had three holes, but it was made for larger tires too so I cut the tubes shorter and drilled new holes to make it sit lower.

[Privateer73]

No lol thats just paint.

I have been looking at bags cases and panniers for several days now and really like a few I have seen just not the price. What can I say im cheap, I'll be using a sheet of rigid ABS for the deck plate so if at some time in the future I want to mount a trunk bag I can.


Looks like the horizontal braces are crooked but its just the camera angle.



Sorry for the poor quality pics its storming out.
I have to add pannier hooks and the deck then clean all the welds but overall I'm happy with it.

[Privateer73]

Deck cut and ready I have to add the rest of the screws later.

[eugene]

Standardize all your hardware too. I ordered 100 packs of stainless steel bolts (M5 IIRC) to make sure all on the bike are identical so I can carry one size spare and one size wrench.

[Privateer73]

Already changed everything I can over to SS and put together a little oops kit of hardware, patches, wrenches, and bead bars and there is a small pump mounted on the lower tube.

[TacAir]

Well, there racks, and then, there are RACKS!

Not everyone has a Pug, but talk about all terrain....

[txKingfisher]

*FAPFAPFAP*
Well done sir!

[jamoni]

Very nice! You could strap a backpack to that thing lickety split.

[velojym]

Haven't tried it myself, but I saw a really neat rig made up of a couple military backpacks rigged up as panniers. Just gotta watch that heel clearance, and there'd be plenty of room up top for the light, bulky stuff.
I'm liking what I'm seeing here!

[Privateer73]

Yep already picked up a couple of hardback map cases. I had to get the digigrade camo because of the price but they are cotton so Ill dye them black.

[Privateer73]

Well Im off to a good start I finished off the rack this morning and sprayed it with a coat of textured matte black. This evening I mounted it up hung the panniers and loaded it with nearly all my bob gear about 35lbs minus water and food. Everything felt solid and secure so I decided to give it a test run, the route I take when I exercise carrying my bob is just over 5 miles of concrete path and hard pack. I rode the same route but added a half mile or so by swinging by the corner store for some juice for the kids. I cannot be happier with the performance and there was almost no difference in handling besides the front being a little light. Next on the project a headlight and tiedowns for my bedroll on the bars.

Before I set out.



The finished rack.

[Paladin1]

Very nice work!

[Privateer73]

Thanks! I'll be using this during my WMBO entry 30+ miles round trip and probably around 36 hours out should be a good trial for me.

I picked up a bottle cage and better tie downs today still havent found anything in the way of a headlight I like yet. Now to trim the fat off my bob gear and get the weight down some.

[88sport]

have you looked at adding a second water bottle holder that attaches to the frame? I know lots of people do that for regular bike riding. Also, were you planning on using some kind of water bladder for extra water capacity while riding?

[velojym]

We have 4 bottle cages on our tandem, but if I think I may be riding at night, one is occupied by my headlight battery. Cages are so handy for different stuff.
I also have a Camelbak fanny pack, though I forget the capacity, it's a bit more than the average water bottle, and it'll fit beneath any backpack I may wear.

Also, I've seen stems with a bottle cage mount built-in. If you don't have anything bulky right in front of the steer tube, that'd be another way to carry water... heck, put in a long straw and you don't even have to pull it out to drink!
I bet you could easily hack something like that together, though.

I would also *highly* recommend a hybrid floor/frame pump. Lots faster and more stable than a frame or mini pump, and I used my Topeak Morph for a couple years before I broke down and bought a real fullsized floor pump. It's that good, and the foot peg, grip, and hose all stow to about the size of a large mini anyway.
Nashbar and some other discount shops have their own versions now, I believe.

[Privateer73]

Im getting another cage tomorrow but I will have to add some nylon shims because the mounting holes in the tube are on either side of the derailer clamp. I already plan on using my camelbak two 700 ml naglenes a couple bottles stowed in my panniers and my big platypus to fill with purified water at my BOL.
I did pick up a cheap single sleeper scout tent today that will be reviewed while I'm out. This will be a big test of the setup and myself as I havent rode more than 5 miles on a bike since I rode the MS 150 many years and a lot of cigarettes ago. I thankfully have a really knowledgeable friend and neighbor with a few century rides under his belt who is helping me learn the inns and outs of mountain bikes.

[PackLemming]

Have you considered balancing the weight load of your gear onto a forward pannier system? As you have the skill and tools to make one set of racks fabricating a set that work with the suspension forks should be a doddle. I will also be undertaking this project at some time in the new year, specifically for a set of front suspension forks, my current bike frame has a swing arm rear suspension system which makes mounting pannier racks at a single point (that being the seat post) unsuitable for heavy loads.(the saddle bag stabilizing beams have tendency to sway dangerously close to the rear wheel rim and spoke works).

Congratulations on your work, it looks perfectly serviceable kit.

[Privateer73]

Since the forks have a massive chunk of aluminum as a brake mount I'm working out how to do just that, and keep it seperated from the section of the forks that cycle with the suspension. Im thinking of using a tube mount clamp below and a standoff bracket across the brake mount. Already looking at using that area for my bedroll and tent to keep the longer items out of harms way similar to a rifle scabbard.