bikes on trains/fixie touring

[FLoP]

I hopped a lumber car ( I___I )one that looks like that with gear, banjo, dog and bmx bike that i posted in "lets see those bikes". Fixies are a fun, simple, light, mininalist bikes. My dads got 1905 columbia with wooden rims and driveshaft powertrain. So fixies have been around for a long time. Look up the video of edison doing fixie tricks

 

[briancray]

I've traveled on a light-weight Dawes touring bicycle cross-country. It had 21 gears, but most of them didn't work so it was probably much less. I'm curious on how bike/train hopping was? I'm assuming you hung out in the actual box car before departure. Always wanted to bike and hop at the same time, but still have yet to hop freight. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to that department.

As for fixies they are bad ass man. Always borrowed my friends' but I like the speed behind them and fucking off with them doing brake 180s and 360s.

 

[Deleted member 2626]

Hey jungle how are ya man?

 

[ByronMc]

If you are planning on flatish commuting by bicycle then a fixie would be good - I'm a gearhead - I can be in hills within 30 minutes from my house. Rode with a guy in Pittsburgh PA - He was on a fixie - 'bout nearly killed us as we hit some mountains (you know you're in deep when you hit switchbacks) - but he sat and waited for us at times - LOL on the bicycle forum he carried the nickname of lollipop legs - his legs were mammouth!

Anyway something to consider - if you were able to pick up an inexpensive folding bike on craigslist - might be easier to hoist onto train? But hey we all have our favorite bikes - so why not do it! Have fun!!

Rude, Austin Horse, did complete the Dirty Dozen, 2015, came in 16, on a fix i.e.!

 

[Doc Road]

@Matt Derrick just because you've ridden a fixed gear once and were too puss to figure it out doesn't mean it's a bad way to ride a bike...

You sound pretty fucking ignorant in your above rant about how fixed gears are allegedly the worst thing to happen since bike culture.

I stayed on track with the topic but since you seem to know fucking everything as it relates to everything goodness forbid anyone who actually had real life experience with whatever fucking subject be right. Cuz omg this is your website and goodness forbid anyone ha e a different opinion than you because your word is gospel and everything @Matt Derrick says is fucking gospel.

ive ridden fixed and geared thru many different environments and they all have their place. Just cuz you hated fixed gear doesn't mean it's a shitty or stupid way to ride a bike.

Way to sound like an ignorant douchebag. I'm not a hipster and I feel that a fixed gear bike is the best way to ride bike in traffic.

Have you even ridden a bike in Portland or Seattle???

I'm from fucking Portland and not just image centric hipsters ride fixed.
In fact most of the bike punks there ride fixed. Fixed gear tall bikes what? !

In regards to your brake comment. The brake is an emergency brake to save your knee joints.

What the fuck man? You derailed this thread when you went on your long ass diatribe about how your cool cuz hipsters appropriate everything.

Fucking stay at your moms you pussy.

Yeah ban me. Don't give a fuck. Id still beat your ass you pussy. Get a job you fucking bum!

HAHA!!! Get a BUM you JOB!!

 

[Doc Road]

Just picked up a Turn folding bike 2bills on Craig's. Gatta work out a front rack,but plan on hitch and hop out with it soon. I'll post up how it all goes. As far as the fixie debate;bikes are like any other tool,each with a specialty given the task. But seriously track bike are just that;fast on a track, from a dead stop but no way to go faster beyond that,the lack of breaks is cause a track has no stops,it's a circle.. Just my opinion;most fixie riders are just delusional from line of sight and other race films(note that all those crashes are filmed on geared bikes) . Me thinks it's rad but get real,gears are practical use of math and geometry. And I give all bikes some love,just keep peddling..

 

[TheWindAndRain]

53 miniwells, take off your wheels, put your bike in one side, ride on the other.

48 buckets are great.

Viking ships on IM.

Piggyback work. Especially pigs with wings, the ones with the plastic sides.

Boxcars

Gondolas

Alien eye grainers/c-6 grainers are nice

DPUs work, but are honestly annoying. You gotta break your bike down and put it in the bathroom. Unless you're just riding a crew change.

Canadian grainers are tricky, you're bikes exposed.

Standard V grainers work, especially with back to back rideables. It works to your advantage if it's on the brake equipment side.

High wall grainers are golden.

Regarding riding the units have you ever considered bringing a bike into the electricity room [the room in the unit with a bar across the doorway] you can leave it in there as they dont check it in crew changes. Ive measured the doorway its pleny large to get the bike through the door over that bar. My worry would be being electrocuted if the bike touches something in there

 

[Deleted member 11392]

Regarding riding the units have you ever considered bringing a bike into the electricity room [the room in the unit with a bar across the doorway]

Damn that's not a bad idea. Might not even have to break it down.

 

[Doc Road]

Regarding riding the units have you ever considered bringing a bike into the electricity room [the room in the unit with a bar across the doorway] you can leave it in there as they dont check it in crew changes. Ive measured the doorway its pleny large to get the bike through the door over that bar. My worry would be being electrocuted if the bike touches something in there

Thought of that,as long as you are on a familiar rout in between crew changes would be fine,but a bike on top of gear and food would make it hard to bail. Iv stayed out of cuffs doing so from unit,me thinks para cord the bike in and out of say gondola or deep well sounds less hicktic and more enjoyable ride.

 

[TheWindAndRain]

Ok so i brought it on a unit. This was done with gear at a bnsf fueling stop midday. Rode up to the fueling pumps, threw the bike over my shoulder with my pack and wiggled in the door.

As you said Doc, its a familiar route between unit checks, but to test out, i broke it down to see if it would fit in the bathroom.

 

[Wawa]

Love hearing about this.

I sat at the roseville yard for two days, with a foldy bike and trailer, trying to get south, but those colton trains like to pull in at least three strings deep and nothing was staying still... Ended up just helping other tramps find their trains, then hitching because I had an airplane to catch :/


When I get back to the US, and am not needing to get to a specific destination, I'll be all over this!

Might even bring a light packraft along.

 

[TheWindAndRain]

Love hearing about this.

I sat at the roseville yard for two days, with a foldy bike and trailer, trying to get south, but those colton trains like to pull in at least three strings deep and nothing was staying still... Ended up just helping other tramps find their trains, then hitching because I had an airplane to catch :/


When I get back to the US, and am not needing to get to a specific destination, I'll be all over this!

Might even bring a light packraft along.

Hopped this unit to avoid crossing live autoracks (in the rain) and mostly because of this thread hah. 2nd crew found me anyways and gave me the boot near flagstaff. Viking ships seem to provide the best cover followed by winged pigs. A nice 8 pound pack raft could go anywhere; ive just sold my inflatables as they were too heavy