What's the heaviest load you've carried on a bike?

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Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Me
 

taximan

senex crepitu iuvenis cordi esse
I once walked 3 miles home with an oak ships wheel fitted with a brass hub, balanced precariously on the pedal of my dads old Lenton sports. The wheel was just a little under 6 ft in diameter but I have no idea how much it weighed. At about that time it was quite common to see blokes riding their beat up old work bikes the 6 miles to Seaton Carew where they would gather sea coal off the beach. When they had a couple of sacks full of the stuff they would load it onto their bikes, one sack through the frame, and the other over the crossbar, then they walked home with their booty. I imagine that would have been in the late fifties when I was just a lad Cheeky young bugger.
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
I once walked 3 miles home with an oak ships wheel fitted with a brass hub, balanced precariously on the pedal of my dads old Lenton sports. The wheel was just a little under 6 ft in diameter but I have no idea how much it weighed. At about that time it was quite common to see blokes riding their beat up old work bikes the 6 miles to Seaton Carew where they would gather sea coal off the beach. When they had a couple of sacks full of the stuff they would load it onto their bikes, one sack through the frame, and the other over the crossbar, then they walked home with their booty. I imagine that would have been in the late fifties when I was just a lad Cheeky young bugger.
I remember seeing them do that too. Eventually it became a commercial business with lorries and the drivers fighting for the best location.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
I remember carrying a 10kg bike chain home from work in a rucksack when I was moving offices. I'd driven the chain there when I started there a few year's earlier.
 
I've been carrying a lot of max loads on my trailer but noticed that the Carryfreedom the "lollipop" hitch had cracked on one side of the hitch aperture after a decade of use. I ductaped it together and it survived a few more heavy loads but time for a replacement. The new urathane lolipop from Really Useful Bikes just arrived, Im back in business.
If you use this system on tour or for work or just a lot, keep a spare lollipop on hand.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
I remember carrying a 10kg bike chain home from work in a rucksack when I was moving offices. I'd driven the chain there when I started there a few year's earlier.

10kg bike chain. What kind of bike was that for?😲
 

GeekDadZoid

Über Member
When you weigh around 100kg then anything extra up to about 20kg is not that noticable except when braking. Especially caliper brakes on Chrome rims :-)

I find bulk the biggest issue over weight when carrying stuff. I carried 6 laptops to work the other week and whilst it was only about 15kg worth of kit the bulk make more of a nuisance of its self.
 

Tom B

Guru
Location
Lancashire
When I was about 13 I bought 3 grow bags jammed them in a large backpacking rucksack so they was poking out of the top and rode the 5miles home. Slowly and painfully.

I've had a big shop in the kiddie trailer including 10kg of spuds other veg, beer and a toddler in the seat on the back of the bike. That was slow and tedious, I seem to recall the spring on the trailer hitch wasn't happy.
 
586228

Not heavy but long. A bunch of wooden battens behaved remarkably well on the 3 mile return journey. I lashed them to a 2.5m plank of wood to ensure no bouncing or flexing.
 

CharleyFarley

Senior Member
Location
Japan
I used to carry 70 newspapers on the crossbar every morning. I don't know how much it weighed but it was too heavy to have it hanging on my shoulder. On Sunday, with the much fatter newspapers, I had to do 35 at a time. Ride back to the shop for another 35 then ride back to where I left off. All for ten bob a week.

I went down on the ice, one winter morning, and I don't know what caused it, but the saddle was pointing sideways.
 
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