i_am_jim

I'm 80 and my lung function has dropped so low I cannot ride without oxygen. Does anybody ride with oxygen? If so, how to you mount the bottle on the bike?

I have a Specailized Globe Carmel 1, comfort bike

Thanks

MinnMan

Maybe there are others on this forum who have solved this problem for themselves, and they would probably be best able to help you. But if there aren't, the rest of us might be able to help better if we had an idea about the size/weight of the bottle. Have you got a picture?

One idea is that it perhaps could go in a backpack?

berner

A backpack is one possible suggestion. Another is a frame bag of which there are many types. https://www.bikebagshop.com/full-bik...?sort=name_asc

VegasTriker

bike rack and a single pannier. It will easily hold a small oxygen tank if your hose is long enough. Or just use the rack and bungee the cylinder to the rack. You could also try one like this $15 rack bag if the tank is small enough. Bicycle Bike Seat Shoulder Bag Rear Tail Rack Pannier Cycling Handbag Pack | eBay

I don't think you would find carrying a metal cylinder in a back pack to be very comfortable.

DiabloScott

I think a rack and trunk bag would work better than a pannier - the hose would be less likely to get tangled on something, and you can put a lot of padding around the bottle for safety. Some of these trunk bags lock very securely to the rack too... not just velcro straps to hold it in place.



Never seen anybody riding with oxygen though... chapeau sir.

leob1

A basket, big enough to fit the o2 bottle, and any other stuff you might need. And it will be quickly at hand. A backpack, trunk bag, or pannier will require you to turn around if you have any issues and need to get to your equipment or other stuff quickly.

And BTW, that you still ride at 80, even though you need oxygen to do so, makes you a bad ass.

Enjoy the ride.

DaveQ24

FullGas

seems like this mounting kit could be adapted to a bike fairly easily...

"A" Tank Oxygen Bottle Holder | Snapit!

KenshiBiker

Nothing to add (I do agree with the trunk bag recommendations). Just wanted to add my props .


KB

canklecat

Good bike. That's what I started with when I resumed cycling last year. It's my errand bike now, fitted with a rear rack and grocery panniers, or a trunk bag or milk crate.

But for managing an oxygen bottle and the hose you'll want a front rack. A handlebar bag might be an option, but only if the bottle/concentrator isn't too large and heavy. For one thing, you don't want the hose getting tangled in the chain or rear wheel, your legs, etc. For another, you need to be able to easily glance at the tank meter.

Fortunately the Globe Carmel frame and fork are fitted with plenty of lugs and eyelets. The fork has heavy duty eyelets for mounting fenders, racks, etc. And the tall adjustable quill stem and riser handlebar offer plenty of room to mount accessories.

The only hindrance is from the brake and shifter cables looped in front of the handlebar. So if you're not comfortable with making adjustments talk with a local bike shop about installing a front rack. They may need to trim the cables or route the cable loops differently. And some of the Carmels routed the cable internally through the top tube while others (like the photo shown in your original post) ran outside the tube.

Good racks range from around $50-$60 for an Origin8 porteur rack to the more elaborate and expensive porteur racks from Soma and Velo Orange.

The tricky bit will be choosing a rack to suit the Carmel suspension fork's eyelets. Some racks come with telescoping legs to adjust to pretty much any fork. My other bike has a rigid fork and eyelets midway on the fork tubes, but not near the ends of the fork by the wheel mount, so my front rack with long fixed legs needs a clamp that wraps around the fork -- a makeshift solution. The Globe Carmel is better suited to supporting a heavy duty rack.

An alternative is a handlebar mounted basket. A wire mesh basket would be easiest, but Wald also offers good wire frame baskets, both fixed and folding. With a handlebar basket you'll definitely need to re-route the cables, which is a job for a bike shop or experienced bike repair friend -- they'll need cable cutters, etc., and some adjustments may be needed to ensure the brakes and shifters work as expected. The cables for the brakes and shifters face inward toward the stem, making it tricky to mount a basket even though the stem and handlebar have plenty of room. In fact, in order to accommodate a front basket on the Globe Carmel, it might be better to install *longer* cables rather than cutting the existing cables. Longer cables could be gently curled and zip-tied to the handlebar or head tube to make room for the basket. If the cables are cut too short the cables might need to be bent to make room, which would interfere with proper braking and shifting. Again, that's a good job for a bike repair tech unless you have the tools and patience to tackle it yourself. Personally, I'd go with a porteur rack.

The oxygen bottle frame holder another person linked to in this thread might work mounted to the handlebar or stem even on the inside facing toward you. Be sure it will clear your knees while pedaling. I do mount small bags on the handlebar facing toward me and even with my long legs on a Globe Carmel frame that's slightly small for me, there's still room without my knees hitting the bags.

DiabloScott

If you go with a trunk bag, you'd have the hose running up your back of course, and there wouldn't be much for it to get snagged on, but dealing with the bottle itself would require you to dismount, and dismounting while managing the hose would be a little tricky.

If you go with a front rack, you'd have the bottle close at hand, and mounting and dismounting would be simpler, but there's a lot more stuff for your hose to get snagged on while you're riding.

i_am_jim

Wow! So many good suggestions.

Of the suggestions this one sounds the most promising. I have a bottle backpack, but I'm concerned about it being on my back if I fall. I've only fallen twice since I began riding in about 2010 but one was a pretty bad spill. Though the bottle only weight about 3 1/2 pounds, I also like keeping the center of gravity as low as practical.

FullGas' suggestion is worth looking into too. I might be able to strap it to the down tube or the seat tube which would lower the weight even more.

canklecat

There's very little up front on the Globe Carmel to snag a hose. Brake levers. That's it. The shifters are Shimano RevoShift twisters.

And there's plenty of clearance between the handlebar and wheel. Long headtube and suspension fork. Upright bars. And a long quill stem that can be raised and lowered via a single bolt.

With all that clearance an oxygen hose can be curled up to take up the slack, zip-tied or clamped to the front rack, basket or handlebar, and still leave enough slack to reach the rider's face with relatively little risk of dangling into the front wheel.

DiabloScott

Wow, look what I found: Tom Stormcrowe riding with oxygen. Looks like he's using a backpack.

i_am_jim

The bottles are about 15" tall and about 3.5 inches diameter. They weigh roughly 3 1/2 pounds.

Camilo

I'd go with the rear trunk bag or front bag or basket whichever would work, if it were me. I wouldn't like to have that much weight on my back, plus you'd need something to make the bottle lay against your back comfortably. So a fairly substantial backpack, adding more weight.

Anything heavy at all belongs on the bike frame, not on the back, at least for me.

wphamilton

That is what I'd do. I'm worried that without the trunk, the cylinder can slip around under the bungee cords. So a trunk bag or even a box on the rack.

DiabloScott

With something like this, you can pack your bottle and the padding before you leave the house, carry the pack to your bike while using the oxygen, snap it on to ride, when you're done snap it off and carry the whole thing back inside. To me that just sounds so much more convenient. But I confess a general dislike for front racks and handlebar bags anyway.

nycphotography

That's only 3/4" bigger around than a standard water bottle.

I wouldn't be surprised if a local fabricator could make a bottle cage mount for that, maybe with a buckle straps ala the old fire extinguisher wall brackets.

Considering what you're trying to do you may find someone local willing to put something together on the cheap.

I'm thinking basically a 1" stainless strap w/ a 1/2" bent lip at the bottom and two counter sunk holes for the bottle cage screws and two band clamps welded to it. The hose can be routed up the stem and back, or up the seat post and between your legs, being careful to avoid tangle spots..


And kudos for you for not giving up when the going gets tough.

nycphotography

a little googling... you can probably just drill mounting holes in one of these and use it as is.

Single Strap Fire Extinguisher Vehicle Bracket

MinnMan

That is kind of heavy for a backpack, though I have seen advertised hiking backpacks designed for O bottles.

https://www.anactivelife.com/The-Bel...5_ZBoCaWDw_wcB

https://www.amazon.com/Cramer-Decker.../dp/B0019QPLXU

Is there a need for the bottle to be upright? That could be a problem with some of the frame-mounted suggestions.

fietsbob

Using Klick Fix bar bag Mount You can Fit a Quickly removable Basket or Even a Back Pack* hanging off the handlebars
to Keep the O2 bottle in ,. then take it off and carry it off the Bike..

* They have several Models of packs .. Rixen & Kaul, KLICKfix Adaptersysteme Fahrradzubehör, Solingen, Taschen, Körbe, Werkzeug

i_am_jim

The rear rack and trunk bag that sounded good at first doesn't look promising after searching racks. In general the flat part seems to only be about 12-13 inches, and trunk bags are made to fit on this area.

fietsbob

FWIW a friend's Mother (Ex-smoker) was on Oxygen in Colorado , moved Below sealevel to the basin around Salton Sea
in southernmost California and the atmospheric air density increase was enough to replace the Bottled O2.

79pmooney

My thought is using a WB-like holder on the toptube with extra elastic or toelip straps for security. You could have a simple clip on the stem to keep the hose in place. Then maybe a loose, elastic necklace so if you drop the mouthpiece there is no chance of it getting caught up in the bike running gear.

Edit: this could work IF the 3 1/2" bottle will fit between your pedaling legs. For some, no issue at all. It wouldn't work for knoch-knee'd me.

And another chapeau! Good for you!

Ben