I have a Carver bike rack which is great, but I need the ability to carry more boards for the rest of the family. I have looked at a bunch online and they range anywhere from 200 to 800$. What are you guys using to carry multiple boards? I'm tempted to canibalize old bike parts and weld together something to avoid cost.
I would like to hold longboards and shortboards. I was looking at this idea too. I would even go as far as extending the hitch to give me more length between the cart and the bike for longer boards.
I saw a tutorial on building your own a few years back, if your interested I could look for it again.
I have been using a Mule for several years with my hybrid bike to tow 2 boards (usually my 9'6" tanker and a 7' fish). I stuff both boards into a 9'6" Da Kine board bag first, then strap the Mule onto the board bag, then hook the Mule up to my bike. I live and surf on Delmarva, so the biggest bike challenges are wind and summer traffic. My 2 most common routes were from North OC to IRI up and back on Coastal Hwy / Rt 1 (~12 mi each way) and from east of Berlin to Assateague along a couple of Worcester County country roads then Rt 611 (~6 mi each way). I've never had any problem with the Mule itself. I actually own 2 now, one I keep at the farm where I work with a couple boards for my spring/summer/fall Assateague sessions. I used to live in North OC, and would use the other one for my rides to IRI. I moved to West O last August, so I don't do the ride to IRI anymore. I also have a Carver for a used mountain bike I got cheap on craigslist. I use this for the shorter rides across the OC bridge to the inlet or midtown, and since I never use my longboard in town, no need for the trailer.
I looked at the mule and I wasn't crazy about how the whole thing is tied together and I'm afraid of it not being able to hold 3-4 boards. However, it looks light, easy to tow on the beach, and would take up a ton less space in the shed. What's the max amount of boards that thing can hold? Btw I give you props for riding that far. I live 1/2 mile from beach so for me it's not as important for it to be a proper road worthy carrier.
I see them right now on Craigslist for 50$. We already have one that my wife hauls the kids and beach crap. It's loaded to the gills. It can carry 2 beach chairs, 2 boogie boards, soft cooler, towel bag, shovel, 1kid, and on occasion when I'm not around one foam top surfboard 6'6". The beach chairs hang from two 8 inch galvanized bolts which go through holes that i drilled through the jogging handlebar. My youngest daughter isn't cleared for full bike riding to the beach yet so I can't cannibalize the trailer we have now.
I've only had 2 boards on my Mule, again a longboard and shortboard, both stuffed into a single Da Kine boardbag. For a 1/2 mi trip with 3-4 boards, I think it could work. You'd probably want to use one or more boardbags depending on how many boards you will be transporting. The Mule would attach to the boardbag on the bottom (which would hold the longest board you are carrying that day). The second boardbag could be bungied or strapped on top of the bottom boardbag. I bungie my wetsuit, towel, and backpack to the top of the boardbag when I use my mule. Also, it would probably work best if you are transporting at least one board 8' or longer (instead of say something like 4 6' boards). The one longer board serves as the trailer "floor" and the rest of the boards stack on top of that. The Mule was one of the cheaper retail options. And when you get it and see the components and how it works, you'll be like "I can't believe I paid $80 for this." But it works. If you are handy or crafty you could probably build one yourself. I would start by trying to upgrade a solid boardbag - adding a sleeve for the axle and a strap at the top to secure the boardbag to your bike's seat or seatpost.
At 100$ its hard not to really consider this as an option. What about strapping plywood to it as your base and adding whatever you wanted on top of it with bungee?
What is a mule? Can you post pics of your setup? My primary hobby is really cycling, I've ridden to AI from the Pines many times but never did anything to set up a way to bring a board. I have a 9 foot longboard but I want to get a shorter board soon too. I just assumed there was no realistic way to haul that big board around long distance on a bike.
The thing with the Mule is that the surfboard(s) serve as the base/floor/frame of the trailer. The Mule itself consists of a padded axle, 6" bike wheels, canvas nose piece to fit over the top of the board and that has a strap to secure it to the axle, and another strap on the nose piece to secure it to your bike's seat or seat post. The surfboard(s) provide the rigidity and structure to the setup. Not to sound too zen, but the board becomes the trailer. Since people sound like they are showing interest, I am going to share the few negative experiences I've had. I've had my setup flip over on me twice, neither time causing me to crash on my bike; I ended up just dragging my boards along the street (in a da kine board bag luckily) until I quickly stopped the bike. The first time, I only had a 7'6" fun board and there were strong crosswinds on OC's coastal hwy, like at least 25mph, and the wind flipped the setup over. I slowed down after getting going again and it didn't happen again. My lesson from that experience is that you need some weight. I always pull at least a longboard, usually a longboard and a shortboard. (If I am just going to use my shortboard, I ride my mountain bike with the Carver.) The second time, I was trying to make a left from OC's coastal hwy onto the street where I lived, I was going pretty fast and trying to beat oncoming traffic, so I ended up taking the turn fast and sharp and the setup flipped. Having my boards in a board bag prevented damage. My lesson from that is ride easy and don't be in a rush. The other problem is that it can be hard to pump up the 6" bike tires. There is not a lot of room within the plastic wheel rims to get your pump attached to the schrader valve. I have a small hand pump with a short hose that I use, but my other pumps are impossible to use.
I read reviews on it and one review complained about the inflating issue you describe. I get how the whole thing works-board and trailer become one. Instead of the Mule they shoulda named it Zen something or yin yang lol. But, I'm asking if it's possible or even a good idea to make a cutout of plywood or out of planks to substitute for a surfboard, which fits into the canvas strapping to become a trailer bed/platform. Then I can plop boards down and bungee it all up. About the wheels, can they be replaced? Can I put on kids 12" bicycle wheels instead?
Not sure if this is good idea. It might work. I would only do this if you're not transporting a board longer than 8 or 9 ft. The canvas nose piece fits pretty snug around a longboard nose, so you might have problems getting it to fit tight on a piece of plywood. Yes, this should be possible. It comes disassembled with the 6" wheels not on the axle. They are secured to the axle with a cotter pin. I am not a bike mechanic but I read somewhere that the mule wheels are standard 6" bike wheels.
Check this LINK. Mule is on there as well as something called the "wheelie" (bottom of the page)...seems like a better alternative given what your looking for...
