http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Can a bike float with Ortliebs? en Wed, 13 May 2026 05:37:32 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154393 Thu, 22 May 2014 22:19:51 +0000 DaveC 154393@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The canal at Hermiston gait has Cowboys? I new it was west of Edinburgh but never thought it was that wild west! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154373 Thu, 22 May 2014 19:26:03 +0000 Darkerside 154373@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've taken the Fuego through more-than-front-axle deep water with no issues for the dynamo. Although I was cackling too hard at the time to ensure rigorous scientific testing. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154367 Thu, 22 May 2014 18:31:24 +0000 Uberuce 154367@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I am negatively buoyant in swimming pool water unless I take as deep a breath as I can manage. When fully exhaled I hit the bottom at a rate such that I prefer to land on my feet to avoid an uncomfortable beauttocks thump.</p> <p>Wingpig is quite correct in referring to me as dense. Unless he meant in the metaphorical sense, in which case: Wingpig is quite correct in referring to me as dense.</p> <p>The last time I swam in the sea was in my chunky and denser days, and I really can't remember if I tried to sink then, let alone the outcome. </p> <p>Amusing bone mineral density aside: what about a fatbike? Instinct tells me the extra air won't offset the relative heft of the rest of the beast.</p> <p>The canal is so shallow that I suspect a bike in this predicament would bob around with the front wheel resting on the bed. If a cowboy happens to be walking past, he could easily lassoo the saddle and rescue the device without anyone else getting wet.</p> <p>For the record, I located wee blue floofy thanks to the waterproofing of my lights, which at the time were battery powered. I dunno if dynamo devices would cope with immersion as well. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154332 Thu, 22 May 2014 14:19:22 +0000 acsimpson 154332@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'd love to take credit for finding it but that should go to SRD: <a href="http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11356&amp;page=6#post-154248">http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11356&amp;page=6#post-154248</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154328 Thu, 22 May 2014 13:55:45 +0000 I were right about that saddle 154328@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The depth of the canal is exactly the depth of a shopping trolley.</p> <p>Thanks to @acsimpson for the Highland Trail and the fond memories brought back by the photo of the Melgarve bothy - a welcome sight for anyone who's cycled the Corrieyarrick under the inevitable rain.</p> <p>I can confirm that a fully loaded 60l roll-top bag on a trailer does not float. Which is good, otherwise it would take off in the current rather than rolling on the bottom. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154324 Thu, 22 May 2014 13:41:43 +0000 DaveC 154324@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Diving down? I'm led to beleive the depth in the canal is only waist height of a 6ft person? Again I'm sure Canalubruce will be along shortly to explain all. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154315 Thu, 22 May 2014 13:05:42 +0000 Greenroofer 154315@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I have Ortlieb City Rollers, and actually a similar question has crossed my mind before (although I wasn't me that did the search).</p> <p>My question was a bit more specific:<br /> "If I fall into the canal at the aqueduct, will my panniers keep my bike on the surface long enough that I won't have to go diving down to get it?" </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154313 Thu, 22 May 2014 13:01:10 +0000 Roibeard 154313@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yes and proved to be yes, by my eldest son, abandoning his bike in the middle of fording a flood.</p> <p>His bike was prevented from sinking by a single front roller filled, as it was, with waterproofs and lunch.</p> <p>The size of the bike and the desired <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeboard_(nautical)">freeboard</a> will determine how many panniers are required, as will their contents...</p> <p>A fit male cyclist will be probably close to neutrally buoyant (i.e. floating very low in the water), so they may well require taking a deep breath and maintaining full lungs. I know my Edinburgh thighs are negatively buoyant, and will sink me in fresh water if my lungs aren't full enough.</p> <p>The audaxers of this forum should wear lifejackets!</p> <p>Robert </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154305 Thu, 22 May 2014 12:19:02 +0000 slowcoach 154305@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"Roll them tightly enough and you can ford rivers" <a href="http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/luggage/product/review-ortlieb-classic-pannier-ultimate-bar-bag-12-46531/" rel="nofollow">http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/luggage/product/review-ortlieb-classic-pannier-ultimate-bar-bag-12-46531/</a></p> <p>but excessively buoyant panniers would have made this cycling impossible: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=U-3o-V535Hg" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=U-3o-V535Hg</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154304 Thu, 22 May 2014 12:13:59 +0000 kaputnik 154304@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>where's uberuce when we need him?<br /> </em></p> <p>Already in the canal?</p> <p>(Again) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154303 Thu, 22 May 2014 12:12:38 +0000 wingpig 154303@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>No! He's still too dense. Even if he sealed his 84-litre plastic jobby he'd still sink. If he added another he'd just dangle head-first bike-downwards below the Carry Freedom. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154298 Thu, 22 May 2014 12:03:26 +0000 SRD 154298@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>where's uberuce when we need him? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154297 Thu, 22 May 2014 11:58:40 +0000 Darkerside 154297@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Three days and two hours is a stunning time for that route...</p> <p>Sadly I'm not aware of the location of the searcher, so it might be somewhere exotic. Although the fact they specified Ortliebs rather than just a pannier makes me think 'Europe'. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154292 Thu, 22 May 2014 11:45:10 +0000 acsimpson 154292@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I wonder if the original searcher is considering <a href="http://www.highlandtrail.net/">the highland trail</a> and its optional river crossing. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154291 Thu, 22 May 2014 11:44:47 +0000 wingpig 154291@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>My old bike weighed about 12kg, including all bits of the bike but excluding loaded panniers. Assuming (unloaded, inflated, watertight) panniers weigh no more than 2kg they'd only need to displace 14l (assuming normal water density) to allow the rear of the rear wheel to bob fitfully above the surface, without a person on board. Adding front panniers would probably result in an inverted bike-pannier bobbing-system. Loaded panniers would be quite unlikely to result in an overall positively buoyant bike-pannier system, unless they were loaded with packets of crisps or something equally air-filled and positively buoyant - perhaps enormous boxes from online cycle equipment retailers containing two packets of brake blocks and twenty air-filled padding bags. Adding a person would cause sinking, unless the panniers were each the size of a full-size hiking rucksack, similarly watertight and packed with nothing but air. Perhaps with front-and-back panniers (including an over-the-top central rear pannier, totalling maybe 50l) and a fully-expanded air-filled sealed 90l rucksack on the rider the buoyancy (and distribution thereof relative to the masses requiring support) would be sufficient to allow breathing without a snorkel, albeit without the ability to move through the water without modifications. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154289 Thu, 22 May 2014 11:43:15 +0000 bruce_mcadam 154289@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If 90kg of bike+rider+bags has a total volume of more than 90l, then it will float (90l of the volume will be below the water-line, and the rest will be above).</p> <p>Front and back panniers have a volume of about 65l, add on the volume of your body and your head and shoulders should be above the water if you can stay upright.</p> <p>But beware, the panniers will float more than your head, so maybe you will flip over and drown. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154286 Thu, 22 May 2014 11:38:04 +0000 sallyhinch 154286@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Humans are more or less neutrally buoyant on their own - that's why you can float lying on your back without moving a muscle and need weights to get you underwater when you're diving. An examination of the bottom of a canal suggests bikes are not, so it's only the bike you'd need to support, surely? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154285 Thu, 22 May 2014 11:28:49 +0000 kaputnik 154285@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Let's say you weigh 75kg and your bike is 15kg. so you're trying to make 90kg float.</p> <p>To complete the calculation I believe you would need to know the volume of you and your bike so you can establish how much water you are displacing, and therefore how much bouyancy you need.</p> <p>One of our resident divers probably has more insight into this. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=12850#post-154284 Thu, 22 May 2014 11:10:48 +0000 Darkerside 154284@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>A search term that brought someone to DarkerSide.org.</p> <p>I have so many questions, not limited to:</p> <p> - Why on earth would someone want to?<br /> - <em>Can</em> a bike float with Ortliebs?<br /> - Could a bike float with me on top, with Ortliebs?<br /> - Who wants to volunteer front and back rollers to try out the theory? </p>