Carrying a Guitar on a Bike

Posted by Dottie at 22:17 How To:, random rides Add comments
Jan 062010

I embarked on a new adventure this year by enrolling in a guitar class. I was worried about transporting the guitar for two miles, but turns out it’s easy peasy.

Cycling with a guitar on your back is the kind of simple trick that only looks difficult. The case fits on like a backpack and the guitar is pretty light. The bottom of the guitar stops at the top of my saddle, so there’s no interference. The top of the guitar is slim, so it does not obstruct my view looking back.

I already get looks simply for being a woman, on a Dutch bike, in a dress, in extremely cold temperatures.  Add a guitar on top of that and I feel like a regular circus freak.   Life on two wheels: always an adventure.

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  • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

    How awesome! This means I may be able to carry my skis in the same fashion. Just need to get a case with straps, or a regular case and rig up the straps myself. Hmmm.

    Oh and you don’t look like a circus freak! It looks surprisingly “natural” actually. Good luck with the lessons!

  • http://Twitter.com/ksuyin Su Yin

    Nicely done! Real circus dudes and dudettes play the guitar while riding ;-) Hope you live up to it and post a video sometime.

    I, on the other hand, have a ukulele …

  • http://amsterdamize.com Amsterdamize

    lol, really, circus freak? The drama :) . To make you feel a bit more relaxed about it all…Amsterdammers (or Dutchies) wouldn’t stare, ridicule, cry laughing or otherwise…the biggest compliment is that they wouldn’t even blink once…it’s just THAT normal! :-p

    Speaking of dudes and dudettes playing the guitar while riding (sorry, only link to that post on Facebook, as Amsterdamize is down at the moment)

  • dukiebiddle

    I get a hoot out of the bass players from the conservatory in my neighborhood. They have the same type of cases, but are so huge that when you walk behind them they look like animatronic musical instruments walking down the street

  • http://cyclingisgoodforyou.blogspot.com anna

    Long time back a friend of mine got stopped by the police because he was cycling with a cello on his back. They obviously thought that this can’t be legal. But, well, luckily it is no problem!

    Have fun with your guitar lessons. I never got that far, although I once bought an E-guitar :) .

  • Cherilyn

    @Lovely Bicycle! – I live in Bozeman, MT and have seen several people bike commuting with their skis, though I have yet to try it. It can be done!

  • Cherilyn

    Dottie–How are the new boots working? They look great, of course!

  • http://imaginarybicycle.wordpress.com/ Imaginary Bicycle

    Never a circus freak! They’re probably just looking on in envy because you look like you’re having such fun.

    I am wondering though if your legs get cold biking in a skirt in the Chicago winter – though maybe you’re working hard enough to keep yourself warm?

  • bonified

    @Cherilyn – Yes Dottie, tell us more about the shoes! I am on a hunt for good winter shoes that won’t make my feet freeze on the bike.

  • delores

    I have been afraid to bike with my guitar…that I’ll get in that first ever accident. So I walk a mile to my lessons. I might try biking though because it’d be so much faster! I do bike with yoga stuff on my back. Sometimes people give me weird looks for that! Seems that anything that can be strapped on to you or the bike is good for carrying!

  • Scott

    @Lovely Bicycle! – Hey I rode with skis once. They are much heavier than a guitar. I ended up with the strap over my shoulder and holding the skis by my side like a lance.

  • http://www.bikebythesea.com/ Christa

    Sounds fun!

    I’ve seen it only once in Santa Barbara.

    My most awkward and fun cycling task was transporting delicate plants.

  • http://www.pedalandcoast.blogspot.com Sox

    Those looks are ones of amazement and jealousy.

  • http://letsgorideabike.com Dottie

    @Cherilyn and bonified – the boots are really good. Not perfect because after my first ride (about 40 minutes in 7 degrees F) my toes were cold by the end, but nothing extreme. All rides since then in the teens F have been toasty warm. Also, good tread when walking. I wanted something inexpensive, knee high, lined with fluffy stuff, at least a little cute, waterproof and warm. Instead of researching it to death, I went to DSW and tried on all the snowboots. The ones I bought are called Bare Traps.

  • http://letsgorideabike.com Dottie

    @Imaginary Bicycle – My legs usually are not cold because I almost always put on a pair of thin wool leggings under my skirts or sometimes double up with two pairs of tights. On the ride pictured my legs were cold because I forgot to put on my leggings and was wearing non-wool, regular tights. The ride was only 2 miles each way, though, and I find that I don’t mind cold legs so much. As long as my toes, fingers and ears are warm, I’m okay. I could never stop wearing skirts and dresses just to bike commute, because they make up most of my wardrobe.

  • Melissa Hope S

    You looks so hard core!

  • David

    I was riding after a big snow storm this winter in the icy trails. And a guy went zooming past me with a big old horn of some type. Not a tuba, but close. I was surprised at his speed on the ice, and with a big Brass Horn on his back.

    I have one of those backpack type guitar cases as well. But never used it for anything yet. Been playing 25+ years, so I don’t take lessons.

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  • http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com sara

    Fun! Good for you for taking guitar lessons. One of my twins take guitar lessons & the other, violin. We have a bunch of snaps of their instruments on/in our bikes & they always make me smile.

  • http://www.portlandize.com Dave

    I’ve thought about getting a case like that for my cello as well, though these days I carry it around little enough it doesn’t really matter. If I ever start playing in a group again though, I’ll definitely have to look into it.

  • http://www.revolutionarymama.blogspot.com Revolutionary Mama

    I have just begun to tackle the take a guitar on a bike ride issue. I’ve tried strapping it to my back, but it’s a bit uncomfortable. I have bungee’d it to my bike’s rear rack on top of my panniers, but then I’m a bit wide for riding in traffic. My next idea is to screw two hooks into my hardshell guitar case and a bungee with a hook so that I can attach my guitar case directly to my rear rack the same way my panniers hook on. Anyone tried this yet?

  • http://ijo-ijo.co.cc caktho

    guitar and bike, that’s very cool

  • browse .

    I’ve got a soft guitar case with backpack like straps, but the neck of the guitar sticks straight up behind my head, which makes wearing a helmet impossible. Have you found a solution to this problem?

    • http://letsgorideabike.com LGRAB

      I wear a helmet and just lean my head forward a bit. Not the most comfortable, but not impossible.

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