Mountain bike gun rack?

[alphapygmy]

Hi guys-I'm using my mountain bike more and more to scout further in than I can by walking. Does anyone know if there are gun racks for mountain bikes? I'm trying to find some that carry the rifle across in front of the handle bars but I'm not seeing anything but racks for ATVs or racks to hang your bike for storage. Anyone else go through this? Thanks

Read More

 

[Tom S.]

Follow the link, then scroll about halfway down the page.

http://mountainbikemilitia.com/gungolf.html

 

[husker]

Would this work for you?

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/49406-1.html

 

[ZachS]

If you wanted to drop some coin, you could get a seriously nice one custom made to your specs...

<broken link removed>
(there are quite a few others in town who also do that kind of work)

 

[landcbeitner]

I'd try to mount a scabbard or something. My dad made a custom scabbard for his bow when he was archery hunting in an are he had to bike into.

 

[tionico]

My thougths.. across the bike, and in front of the bars, isn't a very good place to carry it. I'd go for something mounting it to the frame and parallel to it. Maybe the muzzle down by the bottom bracket, the stock up somewhere near the head tube..... or get a good (Tubus make the best, lightweight, and strong) rear mount bike rack and attach a scabbard to that, muzzle down.

Do you want quick access to it whilst astride the bike, or just have it with you for when you stop?

Find a western leather supply place, one that does saddles and tack for horses. Maybe there is a cheap ready made scabbard with some promise.

I'd suggest slinging it across your back, but I know that's something I'd work very hard NOT to do... I HATE anything on my back whilst I am riding.

 

[the4thshake]

I have a handlebar rack on my mountain bike for hunting. The rack is designed for ATVs but fit just fine. There are little rubber straps that hold the gun tight....VERY important...Riding around in the woods can get real bumpy....especialy going downhill.

 

[PDXGS]

Keep it off of the bike....look for a biathlon sling.... <broken link removed>

 

[Tom S.]

If you wanted to drop some coin, you could get a seriously nice one custom made to your specs...

<broken link removed>
(there are quite a few others in town who also do that kind of work)

That's some lovely bike hardware.

 

[ZachS]

That's some lovely bike hardware.

It looks even better up close. I used to live right by his shop...

Anywayf you ever get word of one of the custom bicycle shows in Portland, they're highly worth checking out - the bikes are as nice as the best custom cars and motorcycles. Best part is that you can buy one for a LOT less...

couple of other important custom builders in town - both world-famous:
<broken link removed>
http://www.pereiracycles.com/

 

[alphapygmy]

I almost always have a pack on so strapping on my back is ruled out. I would like to have the rifle fairly easy to get to, maybe less than 10 seconds to pull it out and shoulder it. At first I thought that was too fast but sitting on my bike and giving a ten count- that's quite a bit of time. I think before I try putting a handlebar unit on I'll do some simulating of the weigh and balance first. My hunting rifles are all light and compact so I'm hoping it won't throw things off too much. Thanks for all the ideas.

 

[tionico]

Good point you raise about weight on the bars. It DOES throw off steering "feel" and response. On a mountain bike, overall balance is nowhere near as important as on a road bike, but getting something as heavy as even a lightweight rifle out in front adds a lot of intertia to steering. Another reason I'd work hard at putting it elsewhere.

The folks at Vanilla, and Pereira, are both excellent.... but having something customm built would be rather dear. From what I've seen of his work, Vanilla is certainly more than capable... he is a very innnovative designer, thinks outside the box rather well, and has a sense of design and class few other builders do. Amazing, for such a young chap. He's got a well-deserved and very solid reputation, and a good following.

Maybe stop by and chat him up, though.... ya never know, he LOVES a challenge, and (unless he's rabid anti-gun, which is possible given his environment) he just might develop something to market elsewhere..... that's how some of his cool stuff has been developed. IF he takes it on, it will be first class, look good, and function as desired. AND be lightweight, solid, and...... expensive.

 

[ZachS]

Maybe stop by and chat him up, though.... ya never know, he LOVES a challenge, and (unless he's rabid anti-gun, which is possible given his environment) he just might develop something to market elsewhere..... that's how some of his cool stuff has been developed. IF he takes it on, it will be first class, look good, and function as desired. AND be lightweight, solid, and...... expensive.

Yep, it would be all of those things.

You'd be surprised how few rabid anti-gunners there are in the under-35 crowd, even in the most liberal areas of Portland. Most folks I know, in fact, are (at worst) neutral on gun politics, and very curious about shooting. This isn't California or Massachusetts.

 

[alphapygmy]

Part of the year an SPR AR-15 for coyotes and then during deer season a compact .308 bolt gun. Both are about the same weight and less than 40" long, so nothing huge like a 300WM with a 26" barrel. Otherwise just a 1911 in a holster on my back pack. I'm still leaning toward a handlebar mount, a scabbard on the frame will tilt the weight distribution to one side so I think I'd rather have it up front. Plus I'm thinking about a rear cargo mount over the back tire. I've got an adjustable front suspension so I could turn up the preload a little, and disc brakes so it stops pretty good. The ride back to my truck has a mile and a half down slope and I didn't think old style brakes would cut it-especially in the rain. I think this week I'll try and strap some weight on front and just get a feeling for how it would handle. I don't do any crazy off road trail stuff so I think that would help too.

 

[ZachS]

Part of the year an SPR AR-15 for coyotes and then during deer season a compact .308 bolt gun. Both are about the same weight and less than 40" long, so nothing huge like a 300WM with a 26" barrel. Otherwise just a 1911 in a holster on my back pack. I'm still leaning toward a handlebar mount, a scabbard on the frame will tilt the weight distribution to one side so I think I'd rather have it up front. Plus I'm thinking about a rear cargo mount over the back tire. I've got an adjustable front suspension so I could turn up the preload a little, and disc brakes so it stops pretty good. The ride back to my truck has a mile and a half down slope and I didn't think old style brakes would cut it-especially in the rain. I think this week I'll try and strap some weight on front and just get a feeling for how it would handle. I don't do any crazy off road trail stuff so I think that would help too.

I ride with a 15-20 lb bag on one side of my rear rack almost every day - weight distribution is not a big deal at all. I also have a front basket that I load up pretty heavily when I run errands. The conventional wisdom is that extra weight on a bike should be as low and as far forward as possible. Smart bike tourers put as much weight over their front axles as they can, and reserve their larger rear bags for less-dense items like tents and sleeping bags. Front suspension changes this equation a bit, though... In ways I don't understand or want to research.

The problem with the most simple type of handlebar mount, one where the rifle is more or less parallel with your handlebars, is that it will not only increase the effective width of your bike but put the muzzle and stock of your rifle into locations where they could be easily damaged if you run into a tree or take a fall. On an unsuspended bike, I think a vertical scabbard running between the front fork/hub area and the handlebars would be perfect. That would be impractical to fabricate/use in your case.

I'd suggest that you give a rear scabbard a little more thought. Even an inexpensive rear rack will hold 40 or 50 pounds, and you'll easily (and securely) be able to attach any type of hard scabbard to it - at almost any angle - with zip ties and/or hose clamps.

 

[ZachS]

Another option is a telo-stick and scoped magnum pistol. You can start up a whole new variation of hunting with the combo of bike and pistol hunting. Sounds kind of fun actually

Some kind of bike-athalon? That would be awesome!

 

[tionico]

The points about mounting cross-bar are well made and valid. MY objection to putting much weight on the front/bars/fork is that the added weight adds momentum to every steering movement, and can surprisingly upset your reactions, particularly critical when in the rough. I ride almost exclusively on the hard, and I work at keeping weight OFF the front bars. It is surprising how much difference a few pounds can make to stability and steering response. On a mountain bike, weight balance between front and rear isn't nearly as critical as on a fast road bike, where such weight distribution is critical for accurate handling at speed on descents. (I've frequently topped 60 mph on descents, and a few times over 70.... stability gets rather important at that speed, and a couple centimetres change on center of gravity can get serious in a hurry. The lower speeds on a mountian bike are far more forgiving).

Weight off-center, surprisinly enough, matters but little. Even asymmetrically. I've ridden with thirty pounds of green coffee in a rear pannier, on one side, and once I find the balance point, (takes half a mile or so) its like nothing is different.... except that the bike goes a LOT slower uphill.... duhhhhhh. So, a six pound rifle mounted close into the frame would hardly be noticed.

Perhaps one of the best ways to mount it would be a hard scabbard, bottom end in some sort of bracket tied to a fender eye at the hub on the front fork, aligned as closely as possible with the front fork and head tube. That way, its out of YOUR way, can''t catch on overhanging growth, and is so close in to the axis of the fork/steer tube there will be minimal moment of inertia, because it is so close to the axis as the fork turns. The stock could even be tucked in behind the bars, right close in to the stem. If you have threadless headset, I'd think about some sort of standoff from the stem itself for the upper end. If an old style threaded set, find a second front brake cable-stop bracket, place that under the headset stopnut, turned to the side, and use that as your standoff. Mount the upper end of the scabbard to the standoff, however you engineer that. Set the muzzle end well below the axle height, but not low enough to hit anything as you ride. Another advantage is that it would be right close to hand and quick to access when the need arises, much like a range rider would have it on a scabbard ahead of his saddle, right where he can grab it quickly whenever a threat or varmint (two or four legged) came into view.

The thought of a long-barrelled scoped handgun, perhaps with quidk-detach stock, is something to consider.... then it can travel in a holster at your side, or perhaps in one mounted to the top tube/head tube junction, perhaps in a Kydex holster with a finger-release catch, so it can't escape until you release it. It would be fully inboard of everything, totally safe in any unplanned excursions into the rough, yet instantly available, even whilst mounted on your steel steed.

 

[ZachS]

Perhaps one of the best ways to mount it would be a hard scabbard, bottom end in some sort of bracket tied to a fender eye at the hub on the front fork, aligned as closely as possible with the front fork and head tube...

That was my thought, but I don't see it working too well with his suspension fork...

 

[tionico]

That was my thought, but I don't see it working too well with his suspension fork...

Depends on what kind of fork, travel, all sorts of things... but right, many would have a problem with that. Maybe standoffs from stem, and brake bridge above the shocks...... I'd have to see it to figure it out. Just tossing ideas and principles out. Things to check on.

If the stem is long, as is often the case with a MB, it could go behind the bars and not interfere with the steering except in real tight, almost stopped, maneouvring. You are right, though, if the stem is short there could well be an issue. Again, tossing out things to explore further. I've seen stems of close to 200 mm on mountain bikes...... I've also seen them down to about 40. Steering clearance is definitely something to take care for.

 

[ZachS]

Depends on what kind of fork, travel, all sorts of things... but right, many would have a problem with that. Maybe standoffs from stem, and brake bridge above the shocks...... I'd have to see it to figure it out. Just tossing ideas and principles out. Things to check on.

If the stem is long, as is often the case with a MB, it could go behind the bars and not interfere with the steering except in real tight, almost stopped, maneouvring. You are right, though, if the stem is short there could well be an issue. Again, tossing out things to explore further. I've seen stems of close to 200 mm on mountain bikes...... I've also seen them down to about 40. Steering clearance is definitely something to take care for.

Oh yeah, there are a ton of possibilities - but it complicates the situation a great deal.

I still think the easiest and best start would involve one of these,

something like this,



one of these,



And a whole lot of these:



Depending on the size of the scabbard, bike, and rider, a rack might not even be necessary - potentially, it could be mounted just to the bicycle frame... too lazy to make a photochop, but I'm sure you can imagine the possibilities.