25
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
→Cons: Those bags are called panniers.
<!-- [[Image:Foldable hitchbike.jpg|300px|thumb|right|HitchBiking at Swiss alps]]'''Hitchbiking''' is a mixture between hitchhiking and biking.-->
Instead of waiting on on single spot for someone to [[Picking up hitchhikers|pick you up]] you are sitting on a bike, already heading for your destination. Once a Pickup Truck or a big truck shows up you rise your thumb and smile. (Or use a sign.) Some prefer to park the bike at a good [[Where to hitchhike|hitchhiking spot]] and wait there for a ride. A bright bycicle (yellow or even better would be the unusual pink colour) is advisable, it will make drivers see you, and will make things easier, even when cycling it will make cycling easier drivers more reactive etc.
For countries that are illegal to hitchhike, you can hitchhike with your bicycle with less problems with the police, because people will think you have a flat tire and need help to get somewhere, rather than associate you as a hitchhiker. This works especially well if you have full biking spandex clothing and a helmet.
* It's harder to find someone who has room for you and your bike resp. who believes in being able to fit you in. It also takes more time to get in their car, making it difficult in busy roads. You might consider getting yourself a fold-up bike, which uses significantly less space.
* Hitchbiking with 2 people or more can be very difficult together.
* You need good bags panniers which should be easy to remove from the bike.
* It's not that obvious for the driver that you want a ride. (It makes it easy to have the bike in a big bag -- that will also help on not making cars dirty with chain oil.)
* In countries with tiny cars and few trucks it's really hard.
== Hitchhiking with another kind of bycicle ==
*To remove a bycicle you typically need a size 15 wrench, or a size 15 to remove the wheel bolts. An l-shaped angled wrench of the same size can also do the job.
*If you have a regular bycicle, then you can remove either one, or both wheels.
*Multiple speed bycicles have a back wheel wheels that is are really complicated to remove.
*Dutch bycicles [city bikes] (those with an "open frame") are rather cumbersome, to carry, for those removing both wheels can be really complicated, the first one is somewhat hard to remove but not that much, but be careful and take pictures or you may not be able to set again the front brake (fortunately, the rear brake is the most powerful).
*Fixies are really simple, and all you need is to use a classic wrench.
*If there is very few space you may remove the handlebar, there are two common types of handle bars, one comes of with an allen wrench (L-shape hexagonal small ones), the other has typically two caps clinged over clingged around the handlebarremoved with a flat screwdriver.
== Tips to make hitchbiking easier ==
