Packing light for cycling

[Paolo Bonello]

Combining two passions like cycling and photography is something a lot of us here have been doing for a while but they do pose certain limitations on each other.

I have been in search of a good light weight and easily accessible camera holder for quite some time and if you like to do longer rides (Distance relative to your ability) then weight and size of your pack and camera gear become a definite issue. I know there's probably some uber fit, ultra athletic guys out there who can carry a 5dmkII and seven lenses on a 4 day mtn bike ride through the Rocky Mountains but here I'm just an average joe who is trying to feel bit less weighted and slowed down by my camera. That Camera being a Panny GF1, 20mm lens or kit 14-45. Alternately 35mm film cameras of the cheap RF variety.

So the other day I was walking through satans creation (The Shopping Mall) and I saw a window display of 6 male manequins, each one wearing a small Man Purse. I remember thinking to myself that, I'd buy one of those if they came in pink.... BUT It struck me the next day that this bag which I had by now labelled the Mangina bag was exactly the bag I had been looking for to try to photo/cycling without the weight and awkward size of my camera bag.

So here's the creation, I added a leftover shoulder strap that I got with my last laptop. You know how laptops come with a cheap and nasty free bag that nobody ever uses, well I pillaged the strap off that to act as a stabilizer strap around my mid section.


Light camera bag for cycling by Paolo Bonello, on Flickr

Light camera bag for cycling by Paolo Bonello, on Flickr

Light weight camera bag for cycling by Paolo Bonello, on Flickr

 

[Vics]

That looks like a good solution! I just ride around town here, but I would like to carry a camera. I saw the movie today about Bill Cunningham, the NYTimes fashion and society photog, who rides all over Manhattan, day and night, with his Nikon camera dangling around his neck! Bill's getting up in years, he's on his 29th bike, and still shooting C-41 film in a Nikon FE(?) This guy has a lot of guts!

 

[mrb]

I frequently carry an olympus stylus in my jersey pocket. It takes great pictures and I can get it out of the pocket, open it, take pictures, and put it back all while keeping one hand on the handlebars. I usually keep it in a plastic zip-lock sandwich bag so as not to get too sweaty. I'm not an advocate of shoulder or waist bags on bikes, so when I want to carry anything bigger than the olympus, I use a handlebar bag.

 

[robklurfield]

I use a Crumpler Two Million Dollar home with one body and lens, sometimes an extra roll of film and a small meter. Works perfect. I try to never hope on my bike without it. Large portion of my shooting happens while riding. I could kick myself for the all many miles I covered when I was far fit and didn't carry a camera. Lot of missed opportunities I need to make up for now. And, I got fat and slow. Glad it's spring now.

 

[keytarjunkie]

that looks like a great solution. usually I ride with my yashica T4 in a tiny seat bag along with my cellphone and an allen wrench, when I get to a place I'd like to take photos of I strap the camera to my hand and hold onto it while I ride on the hoods.

 

[robklurfield]

I don't keep a camera only for biking, so whatever I have goes in the bag ... M8, M2, IIIf. Doesn't make any sense to own if I can't use it. Well, come to think of it, a Rolleicord isn't really made for the bike, nor a Crown Graphic, so those do stay home when I ride.

 

[Ranchu]

Good job, and good review. I have a thinktank bag called a 'trim changer' believe it or not that looks very similar, maybe a bit smaller. I like how you butched it up a bit with the extra strap, very effective.

🙂

 

[Frontman]

I like to use a handlebar bag to hold my camera. It is easy to reach while I am riding, and can be detached quickly when I have to park my bike. Recently I got a Riese and Muller BD-1 (Birdy) folding bicycle. Folded up, I can carry the bike with me on the train or bus, and it allows me to visit, explore, and photograph many more places.

 

[35mmdelux]

What type of bike...beach, race, mountain?

 

[Paolo Bonello]

I've got 4 bikes but I use mostly my 'on-one inbred' fully rigid chromoly 26" with 1x9 gearing. It's an mtb built for rugged urban duty. Dropping off gutters and down stairs is no problem. Also would be at home on the trails. My other city ride is an 'old' mtb chromoly frame with fenders, rigid front forks, road slicks, and swept back On-one handlebars. Its all class.
I also have a Cannondale dual suspension MTB and an alloy Hillbrick road racer which was built to my size. Really it's more than I have time to use but I can't seem to let go of any because I put each one together and considered a specific use for each one although there might be some crossover.

For the purpose of photo/cycling I very seriously considered a handlebar bag but I just can't seem to feel comfortable obscuring the peripheral view of my front wheel especially considering a lot of my riding is on a mountain bike on terrain which you wouldn't exactly call smooth road cycling. I also felt that keeping the camera on my body would impart less vibration to the equipment. I understand though that in the event that I came off the bike there's more chance of damage so it is a trade-off.

If I want to take more camera gear I always have my regular bag which is a Lowepro Slingshot. That works pretty good.

 

[Paolo Bonello]

That looks like a good solution! I just ride around town here, but I would like to carry a camera. I saw the movie today about Bill Cunningham, the NYTimes fashion and society photog, who rides all over Manhattan, day and night, with his Nikon camera dangling around his neck! Bill's getting up in years, he's on his 29th bike, and still shooting C-41 film in a Nikon FE(?) This guy has a lot of guts!

Great story. I just bought an FE too. perhaps I might inherit some of that 'Bill Cunningham spirit'.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I frequently carry an olympus stylus in my jersey pocket. It takes great pictures and I can get it out of the pocket, open it, take pictures, and put it back all while keeping one hand on the handlebars......................

+1 for the Olympus Stylus Epic. It has two big advantages:

1) it is the only camera I own that can be easily pulled out of a pocket and operated entirely with one hand while riding. You can use any camera while stopped and straddling the top tube. This is one you can use while rolling.

2) the cost is minimal enough that you will not cry if you crash, land on it and break it. (which I have done on a MTB ride)

 

[TaoPhoto]

I ride with the Stylus (DX Zoom) as well, or the XA. If the latter, I also sometimes bungee-cord my gorillapod to the bike. It's adds very little weight, and some great shots can be had with this combination.

 

[Paolo Bonello]

Bob Michaels, thanks. Timely info. I'm considering a P&S for when I hop on the roadie or if I want to carry both digital and film in my bag. On the 'roadie' (racer) I'll probably just do as mentioned by mrb above and put a P&S in a zip lock bag. I do a lot less stopping for pics (if at all) on the roadie cause it's more of fitness trainer for me.

Have a box full of P&S cameras that came in a lowball ebay bid which I won but most have zooms and non descript lenses so I might post up some pics of them in the P&S section to see if any are keepers cause I got no idea which ones to even bother with.

Taophoto, I had the gorillapod in my cart a few times but never hit the buy. there's a few models and swivel head attachments. Can get quite exxy when you add it up. Need more feedback to know if it will stay on the bars or work it's way loose. Also if you can leave it gripped to the stem and use the bike as your tripod.

I do a lot of photocycling at night so a tripod is a must. Currently using a vintage Susis telescopic tripod but it's a bit fragile (don't want to wreck it) and it's very slow to use. The Gorillapod seems like a better idea. I need a push! Pic of the Gorillapod on the bars would do the trick!

 

[Frontman]

If you want a firm way to mount your camera to your bike, Slik makes a rock-solid clamping camera mount. The mount can be clamped to the handlebar or other tubes on your bicycle. I have used this mount to hold a video camera so as to record my street rides in Tokyo. It stays put, even over bumps and jumps, and it only cost about $40.

I can more or less see my front wheel with the handlebar bag mounted, as folding bikes have a small front wheel and a tall handlebar stem. I got the BD-1 bike because it weighs only 20 lbs, folds small, and has front and rear suspension. I don't go curb jumping with it, but it soaks up the worst of the bumps and such, and the suspension allows me to run 125 psi in the tires and not give a harsh ride.

I carry 2 cameras in the bag, an M4/Summilux, and a Yashica CCN. If I feel like digital, I carry a Lumix LX5, which fits in the pocket and can be easily operated with one hand. It records video as well, and the image stabilization works nicely, though I haven't yet tried recording rides with the camera mounted to my bike.

 

[dave lackey]

+1 for the Olympus Stylus Epic. It has two big advantages:

1) it is the only camera I own that can be easily pulled out of a pocket and operated entirely with one hand while riding. You can use any camera while stopped and straddling the top tube. This is one you can use while rolling.

2) the cost is minimal enough that you will not cry if you crash, land on it and break it. (which I have done on a MTB ride)

Great choice. Isn't there a film weather-proof stylus out there somewhere?🙂

Just tried my XA2 for a fit in my Samsonite waist band "money belt", or whatever it is called. Disappears completely as any little P&S will.

 

[TaoPhoto]

Paolo, I’ll try to get a shot of the gorillapod on my bike this weekend for you. I found the handlebars to be an okay mount point, though I ride a road bike and I have drop bars that are less than ideal for the purpose. I usually attach my gorillapod to the seat. Obviously, I can't do that while riding. 🙂

The Stylus is nice as it's weatherproof and, so far, sweatproof. I tend to ride far and hard, especially on the weekends, rain or shine. The Stylus is just about perfect for that, at the expense of losing control over the exposure. The XA is good, too, but heavier, and I have to wrap it in a zip-lock to protect it.

 

[Vics]

Great story. I just bought an FE too. perhaps I might inherit some of that 'Bill Cunningham spirit'.

Well, it opened like an FE, and I never saw him use a meter, (never saw him focus, either). He was very "point-and-shoot", shooting people out on the street and at parties. He uses flash a lot, and damned if he didn't grab a couple of shots WHILE RIDING THE BIKE in all that downtown traffic! I just thought it all added up to FE+35mm.

 

[Steve M.]

Nice. I decided to do myself a favor on this and bought a cheap new electric bike. Weighs about 90 lbs w/ two batteries! But the whole thing was only $500 for everything, it's smooth, and goes about 25-30 miles w/ minimal pedaling on hills. Weight is meaningless on a powered bike, as it pulls you along, not your legs. Now I can bring LF if I wish (I don't). You can buy nicer, lighter bikes for a lot more money, but this one works great for my needs.

 

[dave lackey]

Nice. I decided to do myself a favor on this and bought a cheap new electric bike. Weighs about 90 lbs w/ two batteries! But the whole thing was only $500 for everything, it's smooth, and goes about 25-30 miles w/ minimal pedaling on hills. Weight is meaningless on a powered bike, as it pulls you along, not your legs. Now I can bring LF if I wish (I don't). You can buy nicer, lighter bikes for a lot more money, but this one works great for my needs.l

Cool! My wife could use a powered bike with her heart condition. What brand bike is it?🙂