On 5 Aug 2003, Brian wrote:

I'm planning a short 4 day canoe trip down the Wabash River and would
like to carry a bike with me to ride back to my starting point. Does
anyone know if you can fit a standard bike in a standard 16 foot canoe
safely, perhaps by removing one or both wheels? It will be a rented
canoe so I can't experiment before hand. Looks like there's some room
between the rear seat and the first bar across but don't know if you
can fit a bike frame under it.

My canoe is about 35" wide inside, and has 11" clearance between
the bottom of the canoe and the middle thwart. That should be
more than enough room for a bicycle if you remove its wheels,
saddle/seatpost, handlbars and possibly one pedal. Whether it
leaves enough room for all the other stuff you want to carry, and
what would happen if you were to capsize is another question.

I regular kayak the Wabash's various tributaries in east central
Illinois and west Indiana. My standard procedure has always
been to lock my bicycle to a tree at the take out point before
starting the trip.

Richard.

Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans, U of Illinois, Champaign, Illinois
email: ; (217) 333-1088