Some musicians have a tour bus...

[Matt DeBlass]

Since the truck has been acting up, and gas prices are going through the roof, I've been biking everywhere lately. I tool around town with the mandolin in a gig bag across my back, but as the weather has gotten warmer, I decided to add a basket for the front (and yes, for ACTUAL travel to practices and jams I'm putting it in its gig bag and using a bungee cord so it doesn't bounce out).

[Mike Snyder]

When I figure out how to put a John Deere seat on one, I'm gonna get a trike.

[Nonprophet]

Nice! Stick it to the man.........!

NP

[Elliot Luber]

That photo makes me sooooo nervous!

[Fretbear]

Good for you....after they took all George Jones' keys and vehicles away from him, to stop him from both drinking and driving, he was known to drive his riding mower to the liquor store.......!

[JEStanek]

I like the old truck hood in the woods behind the bike. Getting in better shape from biking may help with your singing too! Way to go.

Jamie

[journeybear]

I applaud efforts to adapt that display our innate ability, especially when ingenuity triumphs over obstacles and limitations. You are off to a good start there, but as good a solution to your situation as that is, you can do better. :disbelief: Of course, if that's all you need for your gigs, that's fine; what I mean is ...

I have figured out how to fit my whole rig in full regalia onto my bike - mike shaft bungeed to the top bar of the frame, base in the milk crate cum cargo carrier over the rear wheel, tip bucket with cables and EQ/gain pedal also in crate, wah-wah pedal and effects unit slide around the bucket in the milk crate, Pignose Hog 30 watt amp bungeed over that, aluminum stool on top of that, mandolin in gig bag strapped on my back, MandoBird in gig bag in front basket (slimmer profile permits this) - and off I go. I must look a sight, very Third World, but most gigs are not very far, and this way I get to roll right up to the stage or favorite busking spot without fussing over a parking space, usually hard to find. The amp weighs about 25 pounds/11 kilos, and makes travel a little tricky - I avoid tilting when making turns - but it's manageable.

Since lately I have been playing in a band that is more geared toward electric playing, my load-up has adapted again. I don't use the tip bucket, and am carrying too many gizmos and cables for it anyway, so I pack all that into a canvas tote bag - I am talking about my Korg multi-effects unit with wah-wah pedal, backup gear (the Korg was my backup at first but currently roles are reversed, and I still don't trust it), mike and cable and other cables. This fits snugly into the milk crate along with my pedal board stood on end. The mike stand still gets bungeed as above, and the instruments are carried as above as well.

Someday I should load up my bike and snap a few shots so I can share, and also for posterity. :mandosmiley:

PS: I thought that famous story about George Jones and his lawnmower happened just once, and he was stopped en route to a liquor store or bar, but already snockered ... :grin:

[Chip Booth]

I notice the title of the images are "Banjo bike n stuff" :disbelief:

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

I notice the title of the images are "Banjo bike n stuff" :disbelief:

Ha - just noticed it myself. And I was about to applaud the OP for his part in saving our environment.... :)

Seriously - good stuff. It does make me nervous to see the mandolin in the basket but with a gig bag and bungee cords, I'm sure it'll be fine. Keep it up!

[Jill McAuley]

My Eastman has a rectangular case so it's not too bike friendly, but with my previous mandolins that were all in shaped cases they all fit quite nicely into a bike messenger backpack so I was able to cycle to the various spots where I busk.

Cheers,
Jill

[Ben Milne]

Phone home?

[Paul Busman]

Very cute! I was especially glad to see the pic of your IV kit with an oval hole, since I just received my kit and plan on building it the same way. How did you decide how big to make the hole, and where to put it? Where did you locate the tone bars? My kit came with NO instructions whatsoever and my copy of the Siminoff book (earlier edition) does not address A style mandolins at all.

[Willie Poole]

I would have a tough time loading all of my sound equipment onto a bike...I could get a small trailer and maybe pull it with a bike, but I wouldn`t be able to play a gig if I did that...It would take me two days to get my breath back....I`ll stick to my van....

Willie

[TonyP]

bravo Matt. I applaud your solution.

I got my old mt. bike out of mothballs, and after finding out there had been a class action suit against and recall of the outfit that made my forks, I replaced them. Serviced all the bearings, new shifters, seat etc. About $150 later was back in biz. Only to find, even with good gloves, and special padded handlebar grips, my hands go very numb in no time. No bueno at all. I tried to get more of a seating posture like you probably have on your bike. Not so much pressure on my hands. But the frame and the whole setup on this thing is made to get you balanced out over the bars. Guess the next step is find a different bike. I've been looking at the recumbents, but, once again, being a bluegrasser, it would seem the return would not help with the investment :)

[joshtree]

Very classy. and as a bike lover that is a beautiful set-up all around.

[jim simpson]

Here's a poster with a fantasy bus we used for a poster, not the Partidge Family by any stretch!

[Jake Wildwood]

My little Alrite would do fine on a bike... but my darn heavy brass-rimmed tenor banjo would be a brute! It's near as heavy as my amp.

[journeybear]

And now as promised (or threatened), a picture of my rig, all ready to go to the gig. In case you're looking at the bike, it's a Cannondale. Please note: this is not what I look like - this is one of my neighbors being nice enough to help out. Believe me, she is much easier on the eyes - IMO, YMMV, and if any ladies think otherwise please PM or email me! ;)

So - I start with putting the mike stand base in the bottom of the milk crate and sliding the gooseneck of the shaft trough the gaps, crooking it down to hold it in place and wrapping a small bungee around it and the bike frame. The tote bag with all my gizmos and wires (there's a Korg AX-1 multi-effects unit with attached pedal (former backup now main unit), Yamaha Rex50 multi-effects unit and Morley Volume/Wah (former main units now backup), Shure SM58 mike with clip, power supply for the Korg, and plenty of cables plus a 6-foot AC cord in there) butts up against the Arion pedal board (currently using Arion EQ/Gain, Arion Compressor (hardly ever but in the loop), Rocktek Metal Worker, and MXR Phase 90). The MandoBird in soft gig bag goes in the front basket, with the neck slid under the brake cables to keep it in place, with enough room left over for my snazzy hat and also Little League bat (in case a car veers into the bike lane). The 1917 A pumpkin in soft gig bag (came with my MandoCaster but this fits in perfectly, and the Fender logo is a theft deterrent :disbelief:) gets slung over my shoulder, and away I go! The whole rig is a bit cumbersome, but having the weight in the back keeps it from affecting the steering, and once I am rolling it doesn't affect the balance much, even on turns.

For the seasonal Cajun/country/bluegrass band, I don't use the electric, so it's a much simpler load. All the gear for this - the mike, EQ/Gain pedal, and a few cables, fit into the tip bucket, a standard issue Samuel Adams beer bucket, which fits snugly in the milk crate against the pumpkin. So imagine the bucket where the bag is, the pumpkin where the pedal board is, big old me where the blonde is, and there you go. And if you don't have the imagination to handle that, what in the world are you doing playing the mandolin and thinking playing it is going to help you make a living, meet girls (or guys), and wow audiences anyway? :))

[disguiseglasses]

LOVE it. Well done, sir. It reminds me of a local weekend-warrior drummer who welded a small trailer that attaches to his bicycle so that he can haul his drums, etc. via bicycle to gigs.

[Mike Snyder]

It's a worthy rig, no doubt. Only problem; the big festival At Winfield is a sprawling county fairgrounds with cool jams all over and the performance/concession/contest area fairly central to the various campgrounds and golfcarts/bicycles are not allowed in the inner sanctum. So we cobble together various wheeled devices to haul multiple instruments out of.........stuff. Like a golf bag hauler or the dohicky that the mailman uses or a baby buggy. The gate attendants don't mind, as long as they can inspect for contraband. Me, heck, a mandolin and a tenor banjo I just grab and go, but an accordion, not so much. One buddy hauls a mandolin and two open back fives EVERYWHERE. Your bike is a nice street machine, but my butt can't take it.

[journeybear]

Yes, I've seen all kinds of transportation contraptions similar to those at festivals - hand trucks, garden carts, leaf haulers, even Radio Flyer wagons with side rails - especially at places like Winterhawk/Grey Fox and Philly, where the campgrounds are up hills. And the last time I played with the reggae band, a different bass player was there, who trumped me in the transportation apparatus area. He had a trailer that hitched to his bike - like what disguiseglasses described - on which he loaded his gear including full size amp. Personally, I prefer the compactness and relative ease and maneuverability of my rig, but this was pretty nice. These are all testaments to human ingenuity. And proof that a bit of industrious endeavor can create something which enables a whole lot of - well, I don't want to say laziness ... um, comfort, yeah that's it - later, and for a long time, too. I mean, once the work is done and you've got your thingy made and ready to go, then you just have to pack, haul, and unpack and set up. I swear, some people seem to have as much fun with this stuff as with the music that got them there in the first place. ;)

[dcoventry]

JB,

You look really good in that pic up above with your bike. Jeez, I guess palying and pedaling can change a person!!