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So the neighborhood kids always seem to make it look easy...riding your bike around with another person somehow on there with you. But in my experience it's really not so easy, so I thought I'd see what the community thinks.

I feel like I've seen kids riding along standing up on their peddles, while their friend sits on the seat, legs spread out wide. This technique has always been pretty unsuccessful for me, never getting me and my would be hitchhiker more than five feet before we fall over awkwardly. (Could also be that we've usually been drinking)

Another option could be to sit on the seat, and have your passenger sit on the crossbar? Although this seems pretty painful for your passenger. And your knees might bump their back.

Recently I actually had success riding my friend around with them sitting on my handlebars, although keeping the bike from swerving all over the street was a bit of a challenge.

I recently installed axle pegs from my old bmx bike on my rear wheel, and I'm excited about experimenting with a hitch hiker next time the opportunity arises.

Of course there's always the challenge of toting around another full grown human on a bike with only one gear, but I figure if you're going mostly on flat ground or downhill you're all set.

What y'all think?

Google "Amsterdam bicycles". The natives make it look soooo easy.

thats all i did as a kid. it's kinda fun. it makes riding way more challenging.

i rode some 6' tall girl around on my bars when i was in philly for my first time. i had no idea where we were going, which streets were one way, where the pot holes were, so it was a challenge. we made it safely to our destination though. about a mile and a half probably.

i still try to lure people onto the bars but i have few takers. this girl was brave for sure.

Ahhh, Amsterdam. One of the very few places you can pick up a dinner date on your bicycle. There are even 50/50 odds your date will do the pedalling.

Chris Horner has no problem doing it...

-Joe

I rode all over a city in Germany on my friend's handlebars. He had straight across mountain bike bars, so that made it easier. If the rider leans forward, the handlebar-sitter can lean back against him/her. It makes it more stable if you lean against each other. It's my favorite way to travel.

Ha! Where's that Chris Horner photo from?

my first day in santiago, chile i was riding people on the back of my rack, something that was pretty common there. luckily i have a really strong axiom rear rack. here's a short fun video of me riding the streets of santiago with my passenger filming.

Erok with a girl on his bike. Who would have thought?

much better than carrying the boxes

Absolutely. You made a wise choice.

Nothing beats the Ute for carrying a passenger though...

we did this on the time(handlebar ride) when I was a kid

of course the wheels were made of stone so there was less wobbling around

i like the handlebar ride, though the bike i used to do that with all the time has the giant wald basket on it, i guess i'd need to find a very small person. that's good fun as you can have the person lean back into your arms/chest (as long as it's someone you want doing that...)

i've done the chris horner approach as well - it works ok as long as the person can balance.

actually, i think overall having a calm passenger is the biggest requirement... buggin' out does not help the cruise...

i tried to ride with a friend who swore by a guatemalan method of on person sits on the seat and pedals, while the other sits on the top tube and steers while the pedaler holds the steerer's shoulders.

it freaked me out, but as you know, i am not a fan of riding the bike with a friend on it!! i think the pegs probably will help a LOT

Wow, Respect to Chris Horner. And to Erok..That video's rad dude.

I have yet to really put the pegs to the test, but at least when I ride around I get to hear all the neighborhood kids say "Oh DAMN, he's got POGOS on his bike!"

pogos are best for double pumping (the out-of-saddle technique w/someone else sitting on your saddle). nice riser/cruiser bars seem to be necessary for riding someone on your bars, or a comfy rack for the person-as-cargo scenario. there was a hip looking dude in my neighborhood who used to ride his diminutive gf around on his rack (side-saddle) for months until she got her own bike.

brad's new bike seems to be best all around for passengers. it would be sweet if xtra cycle made a special attachment with an adjustable back support (and maybe a pad) so the passenger can just lean back, stay comfy and enjoy the ride. the extra set of bars that brad attached to his seat post was brilliant.

i think one of the best terms that i've ever heard for pegs was "homie haulers"

I guess I can't send URL's on here, I'll send you a PM erok

Holy old thread. It was really common on campuses I visited in Beijing, the guy would bike around with his lady friend sitting in front of him on the top tube, sideways with legs dangling on one side. He would have one arm on each side of the girl holding the handlebars. I think you need a very upright posture to swing this though.

When I was in my twenties, a young woman gave me a ride home from a party with me sitting in the seat and her sitting on my lap and pedalling.

It was exciting.

I used to regularly pick up a lady friend from the Carnegie Library Main and ride to her Bloomfield on my handle bars. It really didn't impede my capabilities much, but I had a hybrid mountain/road bike at the time.

Didn't we have another thread about this, titled "the young and the reckless," or something like that?