canal bike
 

My father is retired and through the doldrums of winter we have discussed setting up a couple canal cruisers. I know women's bikes are preferred due to waders and what not. Could you guys throw me a few pointers on how to set them up and what is necessary to carry along side rods and lures? Also my dad's a bigger guy and had mentioned possibly a trike ....long story short I want to surprise him and put together a canal bike for him. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

If you go with a trike make sure it is a multispeed (6 works fine) not a single speed. Also make sure it has a parking brake and it is adjusted properly. If you can find one with a decent backrest the comfort makes up for not having the speed of the bicycle. Also keep in mind trikes are not light and require a little more effort to transport.
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If he is a bigger guy a trike might be the answer. Set up? Easy ,baskets on back , pvc rod holders etc. Front basket holds sunglasses/sunblock/bugspray and a million misc plugs/jigs not put away from the last time. Also very convenient to mount a coffee holder in the fronot basket.
Get in touch with Gregg at Canal Cruisers (774) 404-1118 , he does a ton of bikes for canal fishing guys he'll know or have in stock what you need.

Gregg is a good guy, and his prices are fair. Better to get a bike set up properly and spend a little more, than get a dump special and spend hours trying to sort it out.

And yes, you want a multi-speed bike. Look for one that has at least 6 cogs on the back, and a big/small chain ring combo up front. The Canal is one of the windiest places on the entire East Coast, and even experienced, serious road cyclists struggle riding into the wind. 11' surf rods and 30 lbs. of tackle don't help cut the wind any. ;)

Wow guys great advice thank you so much. I don't mind spending the money God knows he's spent alot on rods /reels over the years ! I'm the lure guy so now I'm hoping to be the bike guy too. I'll get in contact with greg, he's right near the maritime academy if I'm not mistaken? Thanks alot again, I can probably get away with a second hand bike and fix a flat lol but I want to get something really nice for my dad
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Benny's carries a Shimano 7 speed trike with a back rest on the seat for like $299, goes on sale often.

Grab that, 2-3 rod holders and your done.
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I got that trike for my mom and the backrest is a joke it bends easily and offers little support. It is a nice trike though.
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a little off topic but while i was getting some gas one day
i saw this unreal cruiser on the back of a car
that had MASSIVE tires like i've never seen before
they were as big as a cantaloupe but obviously in
the shape of a circle... you couldn't wrap both hands around them
seemed like once you got these big tires rolling they'd
want to go forever....

My neighbor has one pretty heavy I would think for an older gent this might be a lil more work loading and unloading.
Just my .02.

Yard sales,redemption center or store bought you'll succeed I'm sure it was mentioned earlier but if you guys go with a two wheeler get the double kick stands/ or modified stick you don't want that bike to tip over with rods in it,been there done that.....

Good luck out there!
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Its the 50 pound striper that really slows you down! LOL! :rotf3:

Don't forget a tire repair kit,spare tube, a bike tool-most bike shops have them and a couple water bottle holders. A neat trick is to put it all in a water bottle so its all together and easy to keep track of. The hiking nalgene one with a retaining strap for the cap work great. You just unscrew the cap ,slide the cap through the basket and screw it back on.The cap retainer strap is rugged and you can put it anywhere you want. I 've done a lot of backpackin and climbing. those water bottles are some rugged.

much agreed!

would be so cool tho
to have a single huge tire on the front
for an adult size tricycle :jester:

Don't necessarily need a women's bike. Just one that has a frame that dips down instead of going straight across. There are a lot of men's cruisers that feature that kind of frame now. Oh also look into making an additional kick stand that holds up the back basket. nothing worse than seeing (or hearing) your bike crash as it falls over with all your expensive gear in it. Now that I mention it I need one of those lol Good luck post some pictures when you get it!

He's a little farther down Main Street now, in the same building as United Insurance Agency--kind of diagonally across from the bowling alley.

A standard kickstand won't even keep a 15 lb carbon fiber frame racing bike from being blown over in that wind. You need the double kickstand, or a support pole that you can hook onto the rear basket.

Guys thanks so much for all the feedback. Looking forward to getting this project underway!
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