Board Carrier for Bicycle: To Buy or to Build? Reviews?

[Beasho]

This is the latest board rack design with PVC dimensions.  The total cost for the rack was ~ $40.

It has been constructed from 1 ½” Schedule 40 PVC.  Be sure to use the blue PVC pipe primer.  I have had historical rack failure when some of the lower section came apart but this was a result of a rush job without primer and with smaller 1” PVC tubing.
  
In this design I have replaced the PVC T joints at the bike frame with 1” Copper T’s.  The Copper T fits INSIDE the 1 1/2" PVC and is NOT permanently secured.  The plastic T-joints would break every 12-18 months which wouldn’t necessarily damage the board but would cost me time to replace and/or make me miss a surf session.  I have also added a rope sling to hold the board.  This eliminated the need for padding on the bottom of the rack cross bar.   Regardless of how much padding I used the sand, or pad itself, would eventually abrade the board’s rail.
  
The top of the outer tubing was cut at an angle to allow the board to slide easily into the rack. The 6.5” width accommodates most any SUP with deck pad.   The paddle sits in a cradle on the other side of the upper board pad.  The paddle has been secured with its own line making it independent of the board.  
I also added a connection at the bottom of the rack using a 1 ½” PVC rubber couple.   This sufficiently stiffened the rack without making it rigid and provides for a solid kick stand when lowering the board to the ground.

[Beasho]

In the past 2 years I have recorded 3,000 miles on this electric bicycle with the aforementioned surf rack.   I am clearly a huge advocate.  I no longer use my car to go surfing.  While I am not necessarily ‘Green’ motivated the bicycle with surf rack has allowed me a closer launch and more instantaneous access to my local beaches.  Until further notice I am still the only person to have ever Bicycle surfed Mavericks.  The difficulty parking and 10 minute walk to that point was part of my motivation for this rack.
The benefits of the cantilevered design are many including.

1) Lowest rolling friction – You are relying on the highly efficient bearings and large radius wheels on your bicycle, no additional axles with short radius wheels necessary.

2) Controllability – At speeds up to 20 mph this design is still very maneuverable and I can actually jump down curbs without fear of braking something or the whole rig coming apart.

3) Modularity – When designed properly the rack can be removed in ~ 30 seconds.

Since you asked I thought I would re-post my video of the surf rack in action.  I called it Arbitrage since I leveraged existing technologies to reduce expense and wear on my automobile, reduce my time to the waterline and profit from increased wave count.  Now get yourself to the local hardware store and Enjoy

[Caribsurf]

always loved that video..what a great road trip and thanks for taking us along for the ride

looked into the website and those bikes look really great  pricey initially but I imagine they more than pay for themselves while also helping the environment

[SUPJorge]

Pono, I'm presently using a mule and beach cruiser to travel the three miles from the house to the beach. Trouble is that I've often ridden 60, 80 or more miles on my road bike in the early morning before the afternoon surf session and  after the two-a-day the evening ride home with the board and mule can get tedious.

 I have a vintage scooter and the route is safe, so I'm looking for a suitable trailer. Can you post a picture of what you came up with?

[Area 10]

Beasho - really superb video, thanks. Also nice to see someone else using a waist leash.

[Beasho]

The waist leash can also be a lifesaver.  I had to give a graphical insight into why it works better than ankle leashes.

We all know the phenomena of being dragged by your ankle, face down and disoriented not knowing which way to swim for that gasp of fresh air.

With the waist leash you just arch your back and VOILA you pop to the surface being dragged UPWARD like a fishing lure in reverse.  On a big enough wave you will actually find yourself planing backwards. Despite an enormous amount of violence it can look like this:

[ctuna]

I wouldn't want to have one of those side mounts on a windy day with a
big board.

[PonoBill]

Pono, I'm presently using a mule and beach cruiser to travel the three miles from the house to the beach. Trouble is that I've often ridden 60, 80 or more miles on my road bike in the early morning before the afternoon surf session and  after the two-a-day the evening ride home with the board and mule can get tedious.

 I have a vintage scooter and the route is safe, so I'm looking for a suitable trailer. Can you post a picture of what you came up with?

It was a Ke Nalu article--gone I'm afraid. I'll see what I can recover.

[RATbeachrider]

The waist leash can also be a lifesaver.  I had to give a graphical insight into why it works better than ankle leashes.

We all know the phenomena of being dragged by your ankle, face down and disoriented not knowing which way to swim for that gasp of fresh air.

With the waist leash you just arch your back and VOILA you pop to the surface being dragged UPWARD like a fishing lure in reverse.  On a big enough wave you will actually find yourself planing backwards. Despite an enormous amount of violence it can look like this:

I was taught when surfing big waves is to stay calm and to use the lease "to climb" back to the surface and to the board.  Getting pull backwards to the surface is not a good idea.

[PonoBill]

I've noticed people in the surfing world often reject things on a theoretical basis without ever trying them. Not that long ago "what you've been taught" would have you thinking leashes were a terrible idea. I've had literally hundreds of people tell me tail handles are a bad idea, but not single person who has tried one thinks so.

Out friend Mr. Beasho charges the big stuff, If says they're good, then it's worth a go. Then you can say it sucks.

[outcast]

I use a homebuilt made from a Cabela's canoe trailer.
I like it's low center of gravity, easy pull, no wind.  Up to 3 boards

Here behind a Cross-bike with dirt road capability..and pulling windsurf gear    Pre-positioned on a Block near you

Had posted this in some windsurf forums...now I see it's commercially avail at:
 http://www.baileysonline.com/Outdoor-Recreation/Watersports/Paddles-Transport-Accessories/Seattle-Sports-063205-Paddleboy-Go-Cart-Grey.axd

Canoe carrier alone about $100 so price of $230 reasonable to avoid the build

Want the e-bike for the après sesh ride home!

[Beasho]

I've noticed people in the surfing world often reject things on a theoretical basis without ever trying them. . . .

My favorite is "I would rather duck dive than wear float and be at the mercy of the wave."  Yeah Right!!!

I would suggest you wear float and wear a waist leash.  I learned this watching my mentors Haley Fiske and Ian Wallace.  These guys are a font of insight with regards to the beatings and failures that they have experienced.  Haley for example likes to wear double float.

To give you an idea of why I listen it is because they are willing to go deeper than me and either take a beating, bounce off a reef or merely survive with a smile.

The first photo is of me taking notes from the shoulder, Haley inside and Ian making the drop.  The second is Haley making a huge drop . . . WOOAAAA!   And the 3rd is the cover shot of Ian for Stand Up Journal 2014 at Nelscott reef.  (If someone has a better scan please pass it along.)  

For what its worth Jeff Clark does NOT wear a waist leash but these guys do.  And while Jeff is bad-ass these two have combined to push the envelope of big wave SUP surfing than anyone in the mainland US.

I have nothing to gain from this other than wondering if Kirk Passmore was wearing float and was using a waist leash whether or not he would have survived Alligators last month.  Either way I can not see any advantage to NOT wearing float or using an Ankle leash VS. a Waist leash.  So if you plan to surf big waves please take this into consideration.

PS:  Merry Christmas and ALOHA!

[SteamboatBORN]

This is the latest board rack design with PVC dimensions.  The total cost for the rack was ~ $40.

It has been constructed from 1 ½” Schedule 40 PVC.  Be sure to use the blue PVC pipe primer.  I have had historical rack failure when some of the lower section came apart but this was a result of a rush job without primer and with smaller 1” PVC tubing.
 
In this design I have replaced the PVC T joints at the bike frame with 1” Copper T’s.  The Copper T fits INSIDE the 1 1/2" PVC and is NOT permanently secured.  The plastic T-joints would break every 12-18 months which wouldn’t necessarily damage the board but would cost me time to replace and/or make me miss a surf session.  I have also added a rope sling to hold the board.  This eliminated the need for padding on the bottom of the rack cross bar.   Regardless of how much padding I used the sand, or pad itself, would eventually abrade the board’s rail.
 
The top of the outer tubing was cut at an angle to allow the board to slide easily into the rack. The 6.5” width accommodates most any SUP with deck pad.   The paddle sits in a cradle on the other side of the upper board pad.  The paddle has been secured with its own line making it independent of the board. 
I also added a connection at the bottom of the rack using a 1 ½” PVC rubber couple.   This sufficiently stiffened the rack without making it rigid and provides for a solid kick stand when lowering the board to the ground.

You need to get some of these clamps for rack:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Degree-Angle-Connector-Clamp/dp/B00843VFFY
or
http://www.amazon.com/Amico-Hole-Shape-Connector-Clamp/dp/B00843VDUQ

I am thinking of making a rack for my river run with these clamps.

[SteamboatBORN]

This is the latest board rack design with PVC dimensions.  The total cost for the rack was ~ $40.

It has been constructed from 1 ½” Schedule 40 PVC.  Be sure to use the blue PVC pipe primer.  I have had historical rack failure when some of the lower section came apart but this was a result of a rush job without primer and with smaller 1” PVC tubing.
 
In this design I have replaced the PVC T joints at the bike frame with 1” Copper T’s.  The Copper T fits INSIDE the 1 1/2" PVC and is NOT permanently secured.  The plastic T-joints would break every 12-18 months which wouldn’t necessarily damage the board but would cost me time to replace and/or make me miss a surf session.  I have also added a rope sling to hold the board.  This eliminated the need for padding on the bottom of the rack cross bar.   Regardless of how much padding I used the sand, or pad itself, would eventually abrade the board’s rail.
 
The top of the outer tubing was cut at an angle to allow the board to slide easily into the rack. The 6.5” width accommodates most any SUP with deck pad.   The paddle sits in a cradle on the other side of the upper board pad.  The paddle has been secured with its own line making it independent of the board. 
I also added a connection at the bottom of the rack using a 1 ½” PVC rubber couple.   This sufficiently stiffened the rack without making it rigid and provides for a solid kick stand when lowering the board to the ground.

These might work better because they would fit the 1.315 O.D. Dimension for 1" pvc:
http://www.amazon.com/Quik-Klamp-Clamp-On-Tees-1-315/dp/B00911U5KE/ref=pd_cp_hi_1

These many only work for something more ridged then PVC, thus making it too heavy.

[SteamboatBORN]

Interesting Board rack for a bike:
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-removable-PVC-tubing-bike-surfrack/step2/Building-the-surfboard-cradle/