Cycling with camera

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rasmusrok1

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Jonny
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Hi

Basically my problem is that i dont drive and i get around by bike. I need to know if it is safe to put my camera and lens in my case and put that into a backpack to bike around? If it isn't safe to do so is there a safer way?

Thanks for the help

Jonny
 
I've wondered about this exact same question and came to the conclusion that if your camera is more important to you than your own life, skull and limbs, then its not safe. If you intend to not fall off your bike, then its safe.

So long as you pack it into a padded camera bag which then goes inside your rucksack/pannier then it should be as protected from vibrations/scuffing and so on as it would be in the boot of a car. But you need to make sure that your bag(s) are waterproof - and I mean waterproof not shower proof or any other moisture resistant description. If they aren't, then buy a waterproof stuff sack from a hiking store.

And finally (and a bit of last resort if you can afford it) - consider taking out an accidental damage insurance.
 
I use an Ortlieb Aqua Zoom for my dslr on my mountain bike most weekends along with the strap system to carry it on my chest. Fully waterproof, padded and pretty comfy. Also very easy to access without taking anything off.
 
You want to have as little as possible on you when cycling. Even more important when motorcycling.

The heavier the backpack, the less control you have of yourself if you come off. My brother often goes motorcycle touring and everything he wants to take is somehow strapped to the bike. He will not carry anything himself after having an accident whilst carrying a back pack a few years ago.

So a bag strapped to a rear rack or something similar would be better.



Steve.
 
tlr said:
I use an Ortlieb Aqua Zoom for my dslr on my mountain bike most weekends along with the strap system to carry it on my chest. Fully waterproof, padded and pretty comfy. Also very easy to access without taking anything off.
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As a matter of interest - how secure does it fit to your chest? Does it not bounce around a bit off road? I've wondered about using a bag on the chest (Lowepro do something similar) but thought it might be a tad uncomfortable.
 
Steve Smith said:
So a bag strapped to a rear rack or something similar would be better. Steve.
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Generally I would agree with this - but I think cameras are an exception to the rule. Bikes with full suspension (mountain bikes) can't be fitted with racks for panniers. All other bikes don't have suspension, so the worry is that a bag in a pannier on a rack will be subject to a lot of vibration and knocks and bumps. So unless it's really well protected with padding, I reckon a camera is probably best carried on the body in a decent water proof bag, which brings its own comfort/accessibility problems.
 
aberal said:
As a matter of interest - how secure does it fit to your chest? Does it not bounce around a bit off road? I've wondered about using a bag on the chest (Lowepro do something similar) but thought it might be a tad uncomfortable.
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Its absolutely fine, I tend not really to notice it once riding. The only 'issue' is that on really steep 'arse on the back wheel' descents it limits how low you can get before it hits the saddle.

My mate has a Lowepro thing that is similar and that looks good too. Its a bit less bulky, but not waterproof.
 
I used to be a keen cycle tourist and have toured all over the UK and bits of Europe carrying camera gear. I found a bar bag to offer the best protection, here it contains a Canon T-90, 28mm, 50mm, 85mm and 200mm lenses. The rest of the bags are clothes and camping gear.

cycletour.jpg


The head gear is optional ;)
 
aberal said:
Generally I would agree with this - but I think cameras are an exception to the rule. Bikes with full suspension (mountain bikes) can't be fitted with racks for panniers.
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Think about it like this:

If you come off of the bike when going downhill at speed, would you rather land with the full surface area of your body on the ground or would you prefer a solid lump of a camera between you and the ground?

The smaller surface area of the camera would multiply the force and concentrate it locally with the potential to cause more damage such as broken ribs, etc.

The handlebar mounted bag in Richard's post looks like a good idea if you can't mount panniers or racks.

Another problem with carrying bags on your body is the lack of air flow around them making sweating more of a problem.



Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
Think about it like this:

If you come off of the bike when going downhill at speed, would you rather land with the full surface area of your body on the ground or would you prefer a solid lump of a camera between you and the ground?

The smaller surface area of the camera would multiply the force and concentrate it locally with the potential to cause more damage such as broken ribs, etc.
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Yup - fair point there.

Steve Smith said:
The handlebar mounted bag in Richard's post looks like a good idea if you can't mount panniers or racks.
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It does doesn't it? It doesn't resolve the vibration/knocks/bumps issue and would need to be kitted out with extra padding (mine doesn't have any at all) but on the plus side would be easily accessible. Bottom line is though, I don't think that there is a easy all round answer.
 
aberal said:
...It doesn't resolve the vibration/knocks/bumps issue and would need to be kitted out with extra padding (mine doesn't have any at all) but on the plus side would be easily accessible.
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I doubt this model is still available, the photo is from '92, but the bag was very well dampened. Initially I used lens cases inside to add further protection but swapped to using a removable padded insert from a camera bag, this was much better.

I'd never ride with a rucksack or camera case on my body, too uncomfortable and dangerous in an accident.
 
Steve Smith said:
Think about it like this:

If you come off of the bike when going downhill at speed, would you rather land with the full surface area of your body on the ground or would you prefer a solid lump of a camera between you and the ground?

The smaller surface area of the camera would multiply the force and concentrate it locally with the potential to cause more damage such as broken ribs, etc.

The handlebar mounted bag in Richard's post looks like a good idea if you can't mount panniers or racks.

Steve.
Click to expand...

Whilst the theory is correct (same force, smaller area = more pressure) in practice this doesn't happen. You put your hands out, land on your side etc. I always carry my camera on my chest, regularly go flying and have never had a problem.

A bag on the handlebars will really affect the steering and is more likely to cause you to crash.

On a motorbike I can see the logic of keeping it on the bike but on a mountain bike it's far better to have it on your body.

For simple road cycling with no need to react quickly I guess a handlebar bag would work.
 
+1 for the "nothing attached to the body" brigade. Either the cameras/lenses etc are hard or the case they're in is hard and you really don't want to get that between you and whatever you hit. OK, so you're not planning on hitting anything - well, neither have any of the friends I (and many others) have lost in bike crashes.

IIRC, there are racks made for fully sussed MTBs - they clamp onto the seat stem. I'm sure it's relatively easy to come up with some sort of rig to adapt a rack like that to accept panniers - or even a small Peli type case.
 
I carry the SLR in a Tamrac chest pack. It uses 2 carrabinas in the strap holes and the chest strap from the camelback runs through the belt harness on the back of it. It has the advantage of a buckle for very very quick access to the bag, but there are zips underneath for more security. I tend to just use the buckle. The main downside is the fact it isn't waterproof. The Lowepro does have that AW cover, but access is slower. That ortleib posted above looks great.

3357153775_d32fec5877.jpg
 
It really depends what type of riding you're doing. If it's road commuting/touring type stuff handlebar bag would be fine.

For mountain biking on anything vaguely technical a rack and/or handlebars is just a bad idea! More rotating mass on the handlebars will slow the steering and a rack on the back will get shaken to bits. I ride a lot and everyone I know who takes their cameras out off road uses a chest pack or puts it in a back pack.
 
vchaney said:
It really depends what type of riding you're doing. If it's road commuting/touring type stuff handlebar bag would be fine.

For mountain biking on anything vaguely technical a rack and/or handlebars is just a bad idea! More rotating mass on the handlebars will slow the steering and a rack on the back will get shaken to bits. I ride a lot and everyone I know who takes their cameras out off road uses a chest pack or puts it in a back pack.
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I think that's just about right, although I think if I still did off-road stuff I'd carry a backpack rather than something on the chest.
 
Best bet here is on your back or strapped to your chest.Trouble with having it attatched to the bike,every little knock & bump will rattle the bag,whereas if its attatched to your body,your arms & legs take alot of the shock.
Personally,i just dump my camera in a few woolie hats & stick it in a backpack :lol:.Only problem with it being on your back is that its a bit of a pain if you want to get to your camera quickly.
 
Whenever I go out cylcing with my camera I usually use my Tamrac bag that came with my camera and just have it around my shoulder and I don't worry about it at all. I also cycled around bavaria a few weeks ago with my camera in the Tamrac bag and then put in a rucksack and on one day it rained quite a lot and it barely got wet :) Needless to say though, I did :p
 
vchaney said:
It really depends what type of riding you're doing. If it's road commuting/touring type stuff handlebar bag would be fine.

For mountain biking on anything vaguely technical a rack and/or handlebars is just a bad idea! More rotating mass on the handlebars will slow the steering and a rack on the back will get shaken to bits. I ride a lot and everyone I know who takes their cameras out off road uses a chest pack or puts it in a back pack.
Click to expand...
Off-road riding didn't even occur to me.:bonk:
 
OneTen said:
I used to be a keen cycle tourist and have toured all over the UK and bits of Europe carrying camera gear. I found a bar bag to offer the best protection, here it contains a Canon T-90, 28mm, 50mm, 85mm and 200mm lenses. The rest of the bags are clothes and camping gear.
Click to expand...

I also cycle tour with mt dSLR and like OneTen I usually use a bar bag to carry my 350d (I never take my 40d with me - too heavy) and one or two lenses. I also sometimes put a lens in my rear panier. A bar bag is handy because you can get your camera our quick.
 
I do loads of mountain bike photography. If I'm just taking one camera, I'll strap it to my rucksack which looks like P20 's pic above. If I'm doing a shoot, I'll carry cameras, flash, tripod etc. in my Lowepro, which weighs a ton, but enables me to ride my bike properly.

I've crashed several times, and have neither damaged my equipment, or amplified the injuries to myself through carrying stuff on my person.

Having said that, if I was touring on the road, I'd use a bar bag for a camera to hand, and panniers for the rest of the junk.
 
like p20 i have a small lowe pro karabineered across my chest to my camelback straps..can ride anything on my mtb with this combo..easy access to camera to without taking off a rucksack.
 
I would personally get a Tamrac 3x Expedition and put it on my back. When I am out and about on my scooter, if I have run out of room in the top box I simply put the backpack on my back and away I go.

If you pad it well, it should be ok.
 
Look what I found! A camera insert for an Ortlieb waterproof bar bag - wey hey! Clicky:
 
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