How To Carry A Kayak On A Bike?
Cycling and kayaking are at the top of the list of outdoor adventures you can have. If you do both, you’ll need to transport your kayak on your bike. Carrying your kayak on your bicycle is a relatively new challenge that adventurers have to deal with.
It may seem like there are many ways to transport your kayak on your bicycle using accessories and equipment such as bike trailers, tow bars, and portage carts. You can even build your own cart if you’ve some handyman skills. Nowadays, you can transport anything you want comfortably if you know what to look for.
Today we’ll go over the different ways to transport your kayak and what you should look out for.
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Contents
Challenges of Transporting A Kayak On A Bicycle
Carrying a kayak on a bicycle can be challenging. Although bringing your kayak on your bike trip adds an extra dimension to your trip, there are some challenges to overcome.
Additional Costs
Cost is a significant challenge when transporting your kayak on a bicycle. Many solutions cost anywhere from several dozen up to several hundred dollars. That’s a lot of money for adventurers on a budget.
Extra Weight on Your Bike
On average, a kayak weighs 20-80 pounds. And a bicycle weighs about the same. When you ride a bicycle, that double weight slows you down and makes you tired faster. Therefore, if you’re carrying a kayak on a bicycle, you should not plan to travel long distances.
Aspects of Safety
The safety of your bicycle and other equipment while kayaking is important. Imagine you’re enjoying your time in your kayak, but you didn’t secure your bicycle and trailer. That’s not a good idea, is it? Before jumping in your boat, you should secure your equipment with bike locks and cables so it doesn’t get stolen while offshore.
How to Transport a Kayak on a Bike?
It turns out there is only one good way to transport your kayak on a bicycle – towing it with a bicycle trailer for a kayak. Just put your kayak on the trailer and tow your boat to your beautiful destination.
Bike Trailer For Kayak
Cruising the shores in a kayak is a great way to see new sights, with unique scenery popping up around every bend. However, there’s one big nightmare: how are you going to transport your kayak to the river by bicycle? With a kayak bike trailer, you can transport your kayak all the way on your bicycle. These trailers are specifically designed for transporting kayaks on bicycle.
They have a kayak-friendly attachment system and provide the perfect strength to transport your kayak to the river. We recommend you our personal favorite among bike trailers for kayaks – WIKE Kayak & Surf + Sailboard Trailer.
The super lightweight WIKE Kayak & Surf + Sailboard Trailer features a folding aluminum body and 16-inch alloy wheels that quickly detach for easy storage. It can be used to tow your canoe, surfboard, kayak, or sailboard behind your cycle. Thanks to the precision-machined wheels, you can pull your kayak behind you.
The Wike Smart Stick attaches to your bicycle frame and extends beyond the rear wheel. Your boat should have a stern handle, bow strap, or bowline to use the Smart Stick. Getting to the river has never been easier!
Can You Use A Bike Cargo Trailer to Carry A Kayak?
No, you cannot transport your kayak with a regular bicycle cargo trailer. Even though many people suggest transporting your kayak and surfboard with a bike cargo trailer, you should think before you do.
Ask yourself this question: is a cargo trailer strong enough and long enough to transport a kayak? The answer is NO!
A Kayak is Too Long
Typically, a kayak is around ten feet long. This isn’t only a huge item to transport, but also a weighty one. Bike cargo trailers are designed for transporting medium-sized items. Not a whole kayak itself.
The attachment Arm is Too Short
Cargo trailers come with attachments. However, these aren’t designed to attach something as large and long as a kayak. Therefore, it’s not possible to attach your kayak to the trailer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it’s convenient to transport your kayak on a bicycle if you know how to use these tools properly. However, the cost, weight, and tying of complicated knots can be challenging for beginners.
Even though there are a few challenges, you can easily transport a kayak using a bicycle trailer for kayaks. There are no limits to what you can do with your bike and kayak in this day and age.
