Cycling UK Forum

ChrisP100 wrote: ↑21 Jul 2022, 8:36am I place my feet shoulder width apart, brace my core muscles. I then bend my arm so my hand is by my shoulder and tuck my elbow into my side. Then I'll squat down keeping my back straight, place my hand under the crossbar in front of the downtube and then stand up using my free hand to stop the front wheel from turning.

This keeps the weight close to your body and as long as you keep your core muscles engaged it shouldn't put too much compression on your spine.

That's with your hand staying vertically above the elbow when you're carrying?

Thanks

Jonathan

Jdsk wrote: ↑21 Jul 2022, 10:06am

ChrisP100 wrote: ↑21 Jul 2022, 8:36am I place my feet shoulder width apart, brace my core muscles. I then bend my arm so my hand is by my shoulder and tuck my elbow into my side. Then I'll squat down keeping my back straight, place my hand under the crossbar in front of the downtube and then stand up using my free hand to stop the front wheel from turning.

This keeps the weight close to your body and as long as you keep your core muscles engaged it shouldn't put too much compression on your spine.

That's with your hand staying vertically above the elbow when you're carrying?

Thanks

Jonathan

Yes. Hand and elbow in line held close against the side of the body. You can almost just rest the bike in your palm. The weight of the bike is supported by the forearm, not the bicep muscle. The legs do all the work.

Obviously you can't hold that position for too long as is does restrict blood flow in your arm a little, but it's more than enough to get you up and down a flight of stairs.

Thanks

Jonathan

Cyclo2022 wrote: ↑17 Jul 2022, 10:06am As a CX rider it's always over the shoulder for me but that should apply to any type of bike. Its the best way to carry your bike up steps.

I must say it's my preferred carry method.
For one thing with the bike on my shoulder I can hold the bars to prevent the front wheel swinging.
Secondly it leaves me a free hand to hold a rail - I don't like going down steps with no free hand.
I haven't indulged in CX for several decades - usually on a "hack iron" and I can remember using a length of an old tyre between top tube and seat tube to form a sling.
I put my luggage in a large stuff sack carried on my back so that I'm carrying an unladen bike.

The advertised "luxurious" leather sling looks nice but with one hand on the sling and another on the bars what happens if you trip going down the steps?

I’m a great fan of the “right arm over the crossbar and grip low down near the BB”, and I keep my other hand free, always holding the hand-rail, both in case of a stumble and because going up it provides a bit of extra traction. This seems to work even with (fairly lightly loaded) panniers on. The front wheel seems to happily stay turned to the left of its own devices, possible because I’m unconsciously leaning slightly to the left.

(All of which makes me think this must be more awkward for someone who is naturally stronger on their left, because stairs are always configured for walking on the left)

Those wheel-track things fitted to some stairs are worse than useless IMO and the one time I nearly ‘lost it’ was when trying to use one (Woking Station public underpass)!