Howto take a DSLR setup on a cycling tour?

[twan]

Anyone here who has experience with a cycling tour of multiple days? If yes, how did you take your DSLR gear with you? In a backpack or in a bag which is attached to your bycicle?

I'm a bit concerned if a photobackpack is comfortable enough or a bicycle bag is save enough for the gear due to roadconditions expecialy on bad roads like gravel, dust etc.

Anyone?

 

[mosswings]

Anyone here who has experience with a cycling tour of multiple days? If yes, how did you take your DSLR gear with you? In a backpack or in a bag which is attached to your bycicle?

I'm a bit concerned if a photobackpack is comfortable enough or a bicycle bag is save enough for the gear due to roadconditions expecialy on bad roads like gravel, dust etc.

Anyone?

if you are travelling self-supported with panniers and such, then taking a DSLR with you is feasible, though not particularly comfortable. Because of the extreme vibration that anything hard-mounted to the bicycle frame is subject to, I always carry my camera on my body to isolate it from road shocks. So your desire to use a body pack is sensible.

Given that you should keep as much weight as possible off your shoulders and back for efficient cycling, and that often cyclists will use shoulder-strap type hydration packs, the optimal way to carry any camera is in a waist pack. Up to a 3-lens setup can be carried in this way (though you won't appreciate the weight), and if you have a shoulder strap you can hook it in while off your bike to make an excellent hybrid carry system that is easy to work from; swing the back to the back and tighten the belt for long carries, loosen the belt and swing the bag to the front on the shoulder strap to work. Consider these packs if you have a small-to-medum body + 1-2 extra lenses - they all offer hybrid carry:

ThinkTankPhoto ChangeUp, WiredUp10, Speed Demon 2; LowePro Inverse series; Tamrac Adventure series.

I would personally stay away from photobackpacks (like for example the ClickElite probody sport, LowePro Fastpack, etc. other than the DSLR Video Fastpack), because they are not designed to give you proper ventilation and load distribution in the hunched-over position assumed by all cyclists (though mountain bikers have some advantage over road cyclists in this regard, but not really all that much). These bags work well for walking and hiking. I have found that the trampoline-style internal frame backpacks (always with a waistbelt - do NOT forget this!) made by Deuter and some other manufacturers work acceptably well for cycling as the frame has a large standoff from your back and a strong curvature that fits the cycling position better. However, these companies don't make photo-specific backpacks, so you will have to fuss with something non optimal.

Bottom line, though, I think that DSLRs, unless the small body type with small lenses, are really too big for cycling. You are carrying a minimum of 4-7 lbs. around your waist for a body, 2 lenses, and bag, which is a lot. If you are not pursuing the absolute maximum in image quality, a u4/3 kit or, even better, a Nikon J1 or V1, are much more convenient to carry and give excellent results. Many photographing cyclists, like myself, carry nothing much more than an enthusiast compact like a Canon S90/S100, Oly XZ-1, Panasonic LX-5, Nikon P7100, or similar simple, rugged, RAW shooting cameras. Unless you are on a trip with a specific mission to shoot top quality photos while getting there via bike, any one of these DSLR alternatives will probably be as satisfying to you and would be far more convenient to use.

 

[Bryan Murahashi]

I like to ride with my D300 in a small padded fanny bag.
Just the camera and lens. Nothing else.

It's always with me and available for a picture at the many rest stops.

Bryan

 

[calson]

I used a front handlebar mounted bag. It is large enough for the camera with a 16-85mm or comparable lens, small flash, batteries, CF cards, etc.

The advantage of the front mounted bag is that you can stop and take a picture without even having to get off the bike and you do not have to dig through your panniers. The type of bag that quickly comes off the mounting bracket makes it easy to keep the camera with you at all times.

Weight on the front handlebars has a disproportionately great affect on the bike's handling and it can cause oscillation of the front fork on fast descents so having something light like a DSLR carried in this location helps. The weighty objects I keep in the panniers where they have little or no impact on bike handling and control.

 

[mosswings]

I used a front handlebar mounted bag. It is large enough for the camera with a 16-85mm or comparable lens, small flash, batteries, CF cards, etc.

The advantage of the front mounted bag is that you can stop and take a picture without even having to get off the bike and you do not have to dig through your panniers. The type of bag that quickly comes off the mounting bracket makes it easy to keep the camera with you at all times.

Weight on the front handlebars has a disproportionately great affect on the bike's handling and it can cause oscillation of the front fork on fast descents so having something light like a DSLR carried in this location helps. The weighty objects I keep in the panniers where they have little or no impact on bike handling and control.

I'm glad to hear that this works for you, but it's kinda scary to me. This area of the bike is subject to extremely high amplitude/high frequency vibrations and road shocks and is not kind to delicate camera equipment. Hanging a weight off the front of the handlebars amplifies the effect (think road buzz). The bag needs to be well padded and highly damped. I agree with you that from a safety standpoint, the weight in this location needs to be as small as possible so as to not throw off the handling of the bike. This is the reason that lowrider front panniers were invented; traditional high-mount front panniers are very destabilizing.

In my experience, the only advantage of the handlebar mount position is access convenience, as you have mentioned. A waistpack is nearly as convenient, far kinder on the equipment. and is always with you.

 

[fcallington]

You can buy an Olympus EPL-1 with 14-42 lens for about $300. It is small, light and takes great photographs.

 

[Sante Patate]

Another advantage of a handlebar mounted bag is that when you give in to urge to get a close look at the tarmac the camera is protected, either by the bars or the front wheel, which is not the case if you use a waist-pack or panniers. I have only done this with a D7000 + 16-85, but that weight was OK.

 

[PSCL1]

Use the principle 'less is more.' Buy some m43 gear.

 

[Hani7up]

What about the Cotton Carrier system? The camera may be carried on the chest or holster style.

Did any of you guys try this? Or a similar system for that matter?

 

[mosswings]

What about the Cotton Carrier system? The camera may be carried on the chest or holster style.

Did any of you guys try this? Or a similar system for that matter?

Again, it's a question of where the weight is carried. Carrying a camera on the chest more quickly fatigues the shoulders and lower back, and restricts breathing. A holster position interferes with proper leg action - the hip region is extremely active during cycling and a holster tends to fall down in front of the leg and back against the thigh. People don't often realize that the leg and the chest come fairly close to each other during the cycling motion, forming less than a 90 degree angle even for mountain bikers and closer to 30 degrees for racers.

You will notice that over the last 100 years bicyclists have fairly well standarized on the pocket-on-the-lower-back position (with the exception of touring mountain bikers, who will use leg cargo pockets for smaller items if they're not traveling through brush that can snag). This is the only place on the body that, during cycling, remains relatively still, is out of the way of the major moving parts of the body and allows easy rotation of the upper body for maneuvering and traffic checks, and places the additional weight where it is the least noticeable and over the strongest muscles in the body - the upper legs.

You could use a holster system if you could swing it around to the lower back from the side, but then you'd effectively have a waistpack without the storage capacity.
Chest or holster mounts are designed for an upright body position.

 

[John Szeto]

I'll second the fanny pack use. I diid a two week cycling tour of Austria, which was often mountinous, with a D5000 + 18-105 lens in a fanny pack and had the camera always available when I stopped to shoot. Because of the sometimes bumpy roads, I never felt safe having the camera in a pack on the bike.

This July I'll cycle in France with the same setup.

 

[AlexBakerPhotoz]

I have done some significant long distance cycling and I hate carrying anything I can't drink. So this is a great opportunity to buy the compact backup and travel camera you know you deserve, Like maybe the new Canon GX 1. I actually always have an all-weather camera with me, currently I have a little Nikon AW100 which is handy and waterproof. True it's no DSLR thou.
--
Alex

 

[joaquin100]

I used a Tamrac waist-belted for it. the Belt is around the luggage and the Bag hanging from the top in order to avoid major shaking. i think my Camera was well protected.

hope you can see the blue Bag in the back seating on nothing.



and here you can see the Belt better.

http://www.pbase.com/highlights/image/125524746

or the Tamrac in the front basket

http://www.pbase.com/highlights/image/135172766

have a nice trip

joaquin

 

[OM mani padme hum]

I rode across the USA once with a handlebar bag containing an SLR plus three lenses. Never again!!! The stuff is heavy, bulky, expensive, potentially fragile and needs to be guarded against theft at all times. Unless you are going to be earning $ by carrying it, then IME it's too much effort and hassle.

Re carrying solutions:

1. Backpacks: too much hassle to stop, take off pack, take photos, repack, put pack back on, etc. Result - photos often do not happen. Also sweaty and better not to carry weight on your back if it can be avoided.

2. Handlebar bags: Convenient and easy to get to, resonably well protected in the event of crashes or bike falling over. Doesn't have to affect handling if bike is designed with a barbag in mind (rare), but otherwise can be a pain especially if you have lots of heavy stuff. Bag also blocks vision of front wheel, which can be a hassle if drafing someone or riding singletrack.

3. In top of front panniers: Please note that low mounted bags generally make the biike more stable, whilst "normal" height bags have minimal affect on handling - they DO NOT make the bike unstable unless something else is wrong. Can be reasonably well protected as the bars will hit the ground first in the event of a fall, plus the pannier contents below (i.e., clothing or similar) can protect from vibration.

4. Anywhere at the rear of the bike = too inconvenient.

5. Chest harnesses: I tried one of these for skiiing and hated it. The straps can be annoying, the bag gets in the way of zippers and thus impedes heat regulation, and if you fall on it there's a good chance of a broken rib or three. And the camera is always on view, thus attracting thieves.

If it was me, I'd take either the smallest possible kit, perhaps in a handlebar bag, or else a decent compact - in a front shirt/jacket pocket if small enough. The easier the camera is to get to the more photos will get taken, and carrying less weight when cyclie touring is always a good idea.

 

[David Grabowski]

A well padded handlebar bag is the way to go for me. But I don't travel far, I need to get out to the marshes on the trails here with a camera. The bag just hangs off the bars. If you think about the vibration your hands get, the camera will be getting quite a bit less in a well padded bag suspended off the bars. I ride a road bike and also a crosstrail. if it's a rough ride I take the crosstrail with suspended front end. The road of course is not suspended anyplace, except it has zerts in the fork.. So the front is the softer end of the road bike too in terms of vibration.
David

 

[dkoor]

I used a front handlebar mounted bag. It is large enough for the camera with a 16-85mm or comparable lens, small flash, batteries, CF cards, etc.

The advantage of the front mounted bag is that you can stop and take a picture without even having to get off the bike and you do not have to dig through your panniers. The type of bag that quickly comes off the mounting bracket makes it easy to keep the camera with you at all times.

Weight on the front handlebars has a disproportionately great affect on the bike's handling and it can cause oscillation of the front fork on fast descents so having something light like a DSLR carried in this location helps. The weighty objects I keep in the panniers where they have little or no impact on bike handling and control.

I think this just may be the best option or at least very high among best ideas how to do this.

Access is easy enough and TBH if we are talking about classic touring handlebars - dropbar, I think it may be among best places in case of rider falling off the bike. The second "best" spot could be in main frame triangle but it isn't as convenient (access).

 

[KENTGA]

If you're still around and not taking a backpack on the bike ride, I'd use a slignbag that you can put on your back most of the time and pull it around when you need the camera. My slignbag has a single shoulder strap and a strap to fit around your waist to keep it stationary.

Kent

 

[grcolts]

I recently bought me an Olympus EPL-7 specially to take with me on my bicycle rides.

My DSLR was just too awkward to haul along. I keep my camera in a padded weather resistant bag where I can grab it quickly if I want to take a picture. This has worked out well for me. And, the EPL-7 delivers great images to boot!

GR

 

[calson]

What has worked the best for me is a handlebar mounted bag. It is readily accessible so I can pull over and take a shot without even dismounting from the bike. I never want anything on my back for multiple reasons.

Be sure the handlebar bag is mounted so that it does not move. Nothing worse than having an oscillating front wheel and forks while going downhill at speed. Helps if it has a bracket or other means to quickly take the bag off your bag and inside with you at rest stops.

 

[AlexBakerPhotoz]

A Sony a6000 will fit in your back jersey pocket very nicely. I love mine.