Bike Camper « Spoke Fiend

Bad bad Madsen

I believe I have found the bicycle equipped to haul the bike camper that's dancing in my head. I give you the MADSEN. I've got my eye on the kg271/Rack. The key feature for me is its load capacity. The Madsen claims to be able to carry 600lbs. If I build this camper the way I am envisioning, and not like the self proclaimed contraption that Kevin Cyr built, I think it'll work without any additional modifications. Here is the run down on the remaining specs. Now....I just need to find a dealer close enough so that I can take a test run.

kg271/RACK

Frame. OST Hi-ten steel. Step-through frame.
Derailleur. SRAM X5 8-speed
Shifter. SRAM X5 trigger shifters
Disk Brake. Promax 160mm
Stem. Promax adjustable 1 1/8''
Colors. Black, Cream, Blue
Size. Adjustable for a variety of body types including 5'- 6'6'' builds.
Rack. Oversized steel tubing with 12 threaded brazons for accessory attachment. 7.5'' x 36''
MSRP. $1099

MADSEN1

For my own dignity, a top bar will need to be added. I'm not riding a girls bike!

Filed under: Awesomeness, Bike Camper No Comments

The Big Dummy

When I returned from my vacation in Puerto Rico I was happy to find this interesting machine from SURLY in my inbox. Not quite strong enough for my camper bike plan...but, it's an interesting bike none the less.

On a side note. I love the name...and it would certainly be appropriate for me.

surly-big-dummy bd_comp1 bikegal_bigdummy_1

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The Camper Bike vs. My Feet.

Got a really funny response today from Kevin Cyr, the guy responsible for the sweet camper bike. I had inquired about possibly building one of those bikes myself and pedaling it across country.

Hi Christian,

If you do bike across country, I wouldn't recommend this type of contraption. I built it as a functional sculptural piece, but it doesn't function to efficiently. Its 9 feet tall, three feet wide therefore it quite prone to tipping, and it's extremely slow. It might be faster to walk cross country.

Best, Kevin

So, if my math is correct....and it probably won't be. The average person walks at 3mph. If I subtract 8 hours for sleeping and eating. That leaves me with 16hours per day to walk. (3mph x 16hrs = 48 miles/day) Now...divide that by the approx. 3000miles to go across the country. Essientialy, it would take 62.5 days to get there. Funny thing is, I had calculated 40 miles per day on the bike if I was lucky. Damn...Kevin may be right.