What is the smartest way to attach a gig bag to a bicycle?

[onestring]

Insert punchline here...

I've just started bassing post-apocalyptic BP spill style 100% by bike and it's great being out there under the stars and in the fresh air (and exhaust).

BUT it's not really going to work wearing my gig bag backpack style. It's a drag and I think it's unsafe: it limits my mobility to a certain extent, the weight is too high up, and it catches against my GB Shuttle combo on the rear rack when I am trying to carry that too.

I need some practical input from the cyclists out there. I'm a lifelong bicycle commuter (25 years +) but I am not a gearhead-I wouldn't know lycra from spandex if my life depended on it and I'm not schooled on components. I appreciate people who are but it's just not been an interest. What I do know is that there has to be a smarter way to do this.

Thoughts:
1) Get something like a CETMA and put the Shuttle on the front, and figure some way to attach the gig bag like a pannier to the rear rack. A lot of bike people seem to be against weight on the front but it seems doable to me--I am not racing or doing distance, it's all city riding.

2) Figure some way to attach the gig bag to the front. I have no idea how that could work. Does somebody sell pannier clips that I could sew on a gig bag and clip to a front luggage rack? I've tried bungy-ing to the back to experiment but it does not inspire confidence.

3) Any better ideas? I searched the forums but didn't find much except for the cool thread about turning a trailer into a cab.

Solutions that wont work: trailers and Xtracycles are out (I have a few flights of stairs to climb with this rig, not to mention a lack of the extra room in my apartment that these solutions would require). I've been googling around the bike utility and commuting websites and they are all about trailers and Xtracycles. They're great but aren't going to work for me.

Thanks!

[kumde]

I put the gigbag inside a rucksack, this allows it to ride higher on the back so it won't hit the saddle when standing up to pedal and it also clears any below-saddle-height stuff on the rear rack. The ruck needs to be somewhat large to be able to fit a bass and gigbag, I use an approx. 60 liter semi-frameless one. If you can strap it reasonably tightly to your body, it won't affect bike handling more than a normal backpack with the same weight.

Downsides: the bass will extend above your head, so be careful in doorways and forest trails. It will also annoyingly bounce against the helmet. And of course the drag is there.
I wouldn't do it for longer than 10-15 kilometers, and I'm a reasonably fit daily cycle commuter.

On the other hand, if the gigbag is attached to the bike, your bass will pick up every bump you hit, without your body as a shock absorber.

[onestring]

Thanks kumde, I appreciate the thoughtful input! The crux of my long winded question though is to get the bass off my back entirely, not higher up on it.

I'm glad I'm not the only one doing this--haven't found much on this in the archives which kind of surprised me.

[Spraeg]

I would think that it would stick out too far no matter where you strapped it. You either have the neck hanging off the front or rear rack, or you have it slung sideways and increase the width of your bike to that of your bass (too wide for a bike lane at that point). I know you're trying to get it off your back, but I tried a few things a couple of years ago, and the best solution I ever was able to find was a gig bag with removable straps, which I modified to wear it messenger-bag style crosswise, so the neck stuck up over my right shoulder and the body hung lower.

[elgecko]

I've seen bicycle-mounted surfboard racks you might be able to adapt.

http://www.amazon.com/Side-Ride-Surf.../dp/B001A48TZI

[joehaven]

Hi,

I bike with my bass all the time and really do not find it unsafe or uncomfortable to ride wearing my gig bag with the backpack straps. I have a rockbag crosswalker gig bag (I don't know if they still make them) and it is fairly comfortable to ride with while using the back pack straps. The straps are set low enough on the case that the bass doesn't fall below the saddle. It doesn't catch on my amp (a Minimark combo) that I bungie to a rear rack. The weight isn't really that high up. The neck does stick up, but the bulk of the weight is on my back which is not an issue because it isn't much heavier than a fully loaded backpack. The weight of the amplifier on my rear rack has caused more balance issue for me than having the bass on my back. If anything you've got improved visibility with the neck sticking up, hell throw a blinkie on it and you've got a little warning light...

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by elgecko

I've seen bicycle-mounted surfboard racks you might be able to adapt.

http://www.amazon.com/Side-Ride-Surf.../dp/B001A48TZI

That's what I was thinking. But even better IMO:
http://www.amazon.com/Block-Surf-Hun...ef=pd_sbs_sg_1


There's GOT to be a way to make that work.

[elgecko]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

That's what I was thinking. But even better IMO:
http://www.amazon.com/Block-Surf-Hun...ef=pd_sbs_sg_1


There's GOT to be a way to make that work.

The Huntington?

Huntington Beach is the first place I saw such contraptions.

[Munjibunga]

Velcro and duct tape. It's like belt and suspenders.

[onestring]

The surfboard rack ideas are awesome. My mind has been liberated and I have a bolder vision of what the bicymobassmobile could be now. Thank you!

I get that the backpack way is the most obvious, straightforward solution. It's just not the best one for me.

[MD]

Doing a custom audio gig for years in New York City, we used folding hand trucks to escort tools and A/V gear from one point to another. We'd have them stacked 4'-5' high with gear while ascending/descending the steep service stairs of our clients buildings.
Anyway, a long time friend took it one step further, he modified a hand truck to quickly attach/detach from his bikes rear rack. He loads it up, rides cross town, locks up his bike and wheels onto a job.