Floating Bike?
 

Hey, I'm not sure if this is the right sub forum for this question, as I wasn't sure where to put it. Anyway, as I was biking along the river today watching people floating down the river on inner tubes and whatnot I realized that it would be fun to have a floating bike that I could bike upstream for a few miles and then throw it in the river and float back.

A quick google image search gave me some ideas, but is seems like most floating bikes are attempting to keep most of the bike above water. I don't care if the bike is mostly submerged as long as I can float on it or with it in relative comfort. While I can compromise a lot on ride quality, the bike still has to be able to be ridden on paths shared with other bikes, so whatever I do can't be too bulky. I also understand that some fat bikes will float by themselves due to the big tires, so that might be an idea although I am not planning on buying a brand new bike for this purpose. I'm hoping I can build something from a cheap craigslist bike.

Any ideas or experience with floating bikes?

Race Results ? Kinetic Universe these all guys/gals race around Humboldt bay on road water and mudflats & sand..

Corvallis Oregon home of the state university with an Engineering department has their own fun memorial day weekend too..

so get out your creativity


.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/c...g?format=1500w

several more are run around the country https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_sculpture_race

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...n2010Water.jpg

lots of them out there

https://hydrobikes.com/

https://www.austinkayak.com/Hobie-Mi...IaAqDVEALw_wcB

https://schillerbikes.com/

hydrofoil https://manta5.com/

I while back, probably in the 80's, in the magazine Small Boat Journal someone posted a design for a simple rowing catamaran. I like the design and built a scale model of it. Construction was mostly plywood. It had a square cross-section through the hulls. It would be possible to mount a bike on there to drive a paddle wheel or propeller and then I would think that perhaps you can devise a way to trailer the catamaran back on the land.

This will be an engineering challenge, however, it should be do-able.

You could also get a folding bike and a folding boat.

A folding bike with a kayak might even work. You would have to tow the kayak on land.

I think years and YEARS ago, I saw a pedal-powered boat.

Then there is this guy in Latvia ..

https://bikerumor.com/2020/08/03/van...of-this-world/

Great idea! There is this guy who quit his job to float along rivers with his bicycle and fish out plastic. His design has 2 pontoons - maybe you could design something similar which could be unfolded and inflated on the go?

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/m...-plastic-trash

There are a few designs and production models for backpack frame and inflatable pontoons that can be attached to your bicycle. I have looked into
​into pedal bike/boat combinations as I live in the city. I even saw the Schillar prototype bike boat on the Hudson once. All interesting but too complicated. Unless you have a dedicated paddle boat, I think the efficiency might be too low and it's rather cumbersome to carry around all the material. I had an inflatable boat that I biked to the Harlem River to paddle in but had to return to my bike and trailer to get back home.

Thx for sharing

Looks great

Interesting

Sure... Or maybe a submersible Mountain Bike with a Hooka air supply... No...

Small pontoons that can be transported in a small trailer behind the bike when the bike is used on land.

If a lot of the bike is underwater you run t he risk of striking underwater debris/obstacles and of having water get into places you don't want it - crank, pedal and wheel bearings for starters.

Cheers

Most visions of the future include floating devices/vehicles. How exactly would a floating bike or hospital bed work without fans, rockets, or magnetism?