People bike, and people kayak, but putting them together is not something most people do. For that, two key components are required. The wheels and the linkage between the bike and the kayak. Both parts were available online, which means waiting for delivery… Ugh!
The wheels came in the mail first, so we’ll start there. I looked at several options and ended up with a Shoreline Marine Aluminum Canoe Carrier [$70] from Amazon. Its aluminum collapsible frame with pneumatic wheels were the top selling points. The wheels are small enough to fit inside the kayak easily, and they have the softer ride of air filled tires. I misplaced the straps that came with it, but a couple of 4′ bungee cords seem to work even better. I decided to remove the kick stand – I’m not sure that was a good idea, and I may put it back on.
The wheels come off quickly with some pins…
…and the whole thing folds up nicely.
The Linkage is called a Dumb Stick [$60]. It’s actually a pretty smart and simple device. It’s just a plastic tube with a couple holes for your seat post, a swivel, a carabiner, and a cap on each end.
For $60, I would have expected better quality. The holes are intentionally offset so you can put your seat post through it while having the appropriate angle for the Dumb Stick to be flat, but they were misaligned to the point that I couldn’t put a seat post through it.
Close, and nothing that I couldn’t fix with Dremel tool, but again… Quality control.
In the end, I’d still recommend it.
Put it all together and here’s what you get:
I had to take it out for a spin try it out, so I took it for a 2 mile ride around the neighborhood. Plenty of stares from the neighbors, but if I didn’t want people looking, I wouldn’t be posting this.. It rides impressively smoothly. Going downhill around corners is a bit of a challenge since the Dumb Stick can swivel on the seat post and allow the kayak to attempt to pass. It ends up looking a bit like a side car, but it all straightens out again easily. Uphill is a completely different challenge with the added weight. I thought I was a strong biker, but pulling this thing uphill made me question that. I can’t wait to try it out while it’s loaded down with water, food, and camping gear for 2 days.
I’m getting excited!
2 Comments
Esteban · 2019-07-21 at 5:44 am
Hi, Thank you for sharing your experiences. I'm going to start doing something similar step by step. I have a question concerning the DumbStick. What keeps it from rotating at the seatpost?
Thanks
Knoj · 2020-06-29 at 4:09 pm
Hello! Looks like I'm about a year late to respond, for that I apologise.
The DumbStick does actually rotate around the seatpost if you're breaking too hard, or going downhill slowly. Certainly not ideal, and very frustrating at times. Some sort of remote breaking would be nice, but I haven't worked that out yet.
I have found that I'm able to manage it though, by controlling my speed, which takes practice. In extreme downhills that I don't trust, I dismount and take the bike and kayak down separately.