Riding a Bike with a Leica M8

I think the problem starts with the bike Lee. If its a hybrid crossover type that is typical in the UK it will have thinner tyres than a mountain bike, and no suspension. So its rigid, and a Leica M rangefinder mechanism is delicate (so ignore all the 'I've never had a problem' when they aren't talking Leica M).

Your best suspension in that case is your body but there is no ideal place to carry a camera even of the weight of an M, which gets much heavier when bouncing around. Out of all on offer I'd go for a well padded back pack as the one least likely to cripple you if you come off, but ideally I'd just get another camera for cycling with, perhaps an m4/3 where you can use your M lenses, or even better, the dedicated lenses, and a bar bag.

Steve
 
Ming Rider said:
By `bike` do you mean one of those silly, out-dated pedal devices, or a REAL bike, as in brum brum? :D
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Hello, Brum-Brum —

By bike I mean what has been called the most efficient device ever devised by the mind of man. I mean a human-powered vehicle that does not pollute, does not squander resources, does not emit crazy-loud sounds to boost the virility of its rider. By bike I mean a carbon fiber vehicle costing $10,000 or a $50 steel city bike affording mobility to an otherwise powerless inner city dweller. By bicycle I mean a vehicle that helps people and their environs in almost every conceivable way while conferring the benefits of health and long life to its rider. A nice photographic platform, too.

That's about it, Brum-Brum. Enjoy your brum-brum.
 
I once dropped a nice pentax LX and the car behind clipped it, despite all that it still worked but would definately not win any beauty contest. After that whenever I cycled anywhere I always carried everything in a back pack
 
lxmike said:
I once dropped a nice pentax LX and the car behind clipped it, despite all that it still worked but would definately not win any beauty contest. After that whenever I cycled anywhere I always carried everything in a back pack
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and that "nice Pentax LX" is so valuable - that you will risk spending the rest of your days in a wheelchair, when you land on it and damage your spine? :rolleyes:
 
I just rode one yesterday! Leica M8 in a lenswrap with a 35mm C-Biogon in my Brooklyn Industries backpack. Shot that one with it as soon as I got back from the repair shop. My bike got a little sick but they had it all fixed up in a week.
 

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I just got a new/used crumpler 3 million dollar bag and took it and my M2 for a 21-mile spin on my bike. for this bag to become detached from me, with the kind of riding I now do (not so fast or so far I used to go), I am sure I would be in far more trouble than my camera. so, no worries here about my gear. however, the other people on the road scare the sh*t out of me, not only when I'm on my bike, but when I'm in a car, too.

today a woman in an SUV in front of me spun around to make a U-turn across an intersection without looking and almost took me out (imagine some loud cursing). last week, while pedaling uphill and making a left turn through a semi-rural twisty intersection a half mile from my house, my left crank arm detached from the bottom bracket spindle on the downstroke (picture a fat guy chugging up a hill with a crank arm clipped to his shoe). needless to say, the spindle made a nasty gash on my ankle. no spill however. seems the binding bolt on the crank got stripped. my trusty local bike shop mechanic told me he had the same thing happen a week early (different brand of crank).

I like my camera gear and my bikes, but my life and health are far important than my stuff.

since I can't go as fast as I once did, I made promise to myself to try to have a camera on every ride. I alternate between the M2 and my M8 kind of randomly when I ride. with this bag, I've got room for a 2nd lens and a meter. If I were doing long overnight tours, I'd find another solution, but for one to five hour long day trips, this bag is perfect so far.
 
4870153405_c58cff8be7_b.jpg
 
Bike Tourist said:
Hello, Brum-Brum —

By bike I mean what has been called the most efficient device ever devised by the mind of man. I mean a human-powered vehicle that does not pollute, does not squander resources, does not emit crazy-loud sounds to boost the virility of its rider. By bike I mean a carbon fiber vehicle costing $10,000 or a $50 steel city bike affording mobility to an otherwise powerless inner city dweller. By bicycle I mean a vehicle that helps people and their environs in almost every conceivable way while conferring the benefits of health and long life to its rider. A nice photographic platform, too.

That's about it, Brum-Brum. Enjoy your brum-brum.
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I would agree that the bicycle is one of mans greatest inventions as far as efficiency goes, but it's sure going to be funny when the truth goes mainstream about carbon emissions from fossil fuels and their real (read: negligible) effects on the climate/environment.
 
fdigital said:
I would agree that the bicycle is one of mans greatest inventions as far as efficiency goes, but it's sure going to be funny when the truth goes mainstream about carbon emissions from fossil fuels and their real (read: negligible) effects on the climate/environment.
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You're one of the first climatologists/environmental-scientists I've seen on camera forums, where did you study?

P.s. the MET and every other respected climate monitoring group disagree with you - and provide evidence. I suppose it's convenient to think your way.

I ride a bike as often as I can, when I do, I don't take my camera equipment, but do sometimes carry clothes and soft items in a backpack.
 
thrice said:
You're one of the first climatologists/environmental-scientists I've seen on camera forums, where did you study?

P.s. the MET and every other respected climate monitoring group disagree with you - and provide evidence. I suppose it's convenient to think your way.

I ride a bike as often as I can, when I do, I don't take my camera equipment, but do sometimes carry clothes and soft items in a backpack.
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I take it you're not a climatologist or an environmental scientist either?

Take a look at - http://www.petitionproject.org/
30,000 Scientists in North American alone, 9000 with PhD's, who have gone out of their way to sign a petition urging the US government to not react to climate alarmism caused by CO2 due to insufficient evidence of it doing what they say it does.

If you're genuinely interested in hearing out the other side, please go ahead and watch 'The great global warming swindle' here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5576670191369613647#

The way the media treats it, you would think that there isn't a scientist in the world that doubts the CO2 warming theory - when in actual fact there are many. The media is uninterested in good news - only bad. Especially if it can send the world into a frenzy and sell their papers.
 
I have not brought my photo gear with me on my bicycle so far, but I ride it every day to and from work (10 kilometers each way). I chose a Biomega Copenhagen because of the cardan drive, because that would relieve me of chain, gear-wheel and chain-wheel changes. It has soon lasted long enough, so I´ll soon be on the lookout for a new bicycle. It probably won´t be with cardan drive again, since the hub unit combining transmission, gear and break is not working as good as I expected it to.
http://www.biomega.dk/PictureViewer.aspx?imageid=290&gid=576
 
DISCLAIMER: I *am* affiliated with the company making the following product, but seeing as I originally developed it for cycling and photography, I thought it might be of interest here.

http://www.diagnl.jp

Again, I *am* affiliated, but I'm not here to tell anyone to buy one. Just want to make it clear I'm not pushing it. :)
 
fdigital said:
I take it you're not a climatologist or an environmental scientist either?

Take a look at - http://www.petitionproject.org/
30,000 Scientists in North American alone, 9000 with PhD's, who have gone out of their way to sign a petition urging the US government to not react to climate alarmism caused by CO2 due to insufficient evidence of it doing what they say it does.

If you're genuinely interested in hearing out the other side, please go ahead and watch 'The great global warming swindle' here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5576670191369613647#

The way the media treats it, you would think that there isn't a scientist in the world that doubts the CO2 warming theory - when in actual fact there are many. The media is uninterested in good news - only bad. Especially if it can send the world into a frenzy and sell their papers.
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Oh god help us. Not another global warming disaster (sorry, debate). :bang:
 
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