Bike Side Car

It wasn't until I was watching a BBC Childrens show one day the notion of a sidecar on a bicycle even crossed my mind. In the show was a villainous old geezer of a handyman who had a bicycle with a long tool box side car with a step ladder secured on top of. That was the first time I had even seen such a setup and he seemed to be able to ride it quite well in his advanced years.

I believe the old guy was basically a "handy helper" or as we in the USA say a "Jack of All Trades". The notion stuck with me over the years and as the project I'm embarking on now comes together the thought of building a "Side Hack" to go with it makes me drool.

My original thought was to take one of those plastic shopping carts they scrap when the wheels get messed up and salvage the plastic top to mount to the base carriage. I've only seen a few examples since in photos. Most seem to come from the UK. I know here in Ahio a motorized bike has to be a two wheeler, but if you're only peddling it....then you're not under way with gasoline assist.

Here's a couple photos I've found. One from eBay and the other on a site in the UK.





It seemed like I had some others stored on disc....so if I can find them I'll post.

So, anyone else here ever entertain the idea of a sidecar on their bicycle ?

Would it not be the ultimate run down to the store and pick up some stuff motor bike ?

Re: Bicycle Sidecars

Oh yes, anything I'd build would be "quick release" so within a minute I could hitch or unhitch. I'm figuring about 3 clevis pins would keep everything secure considering the light load nature of it.

Ahio....in it's BMV.gov site says this, it has to have pedals, no greater than 50cc displacement motor, and not excede 20mph. But I've found other sites where it says it has to have a brake light, headlight, and rear view mirror.

4865 The Ohio Revised Code defines a moped, or motorized bicycle, as any vehicle with two tandem wheels or one front and two rear wheels which is capable of being pedaled and is also equipped with a helper motor.

So, It looks like a motorized trike could be legal in Ahio. (I had originally thought it was a two wheeled motorized bike only.....but as it says two rear wheels) So, Once I get the Ross running....the side hack is the next project.
I already own motorcycles so I have the "M" stamp on my operators License.
(It means I passed the motorcycle operations test and am legal to drive a
motorcycle of over 50cc displacement)

Some time ago I was in Columbus, Ohio over on the east side and stopped by a bicycle shop. They had mopeds there and some French Solex bikes. What caught my eye was a bicycle built for two with the helper motor on the front. The owners wife was telling me it wasn't legal in Ohio because a Moped can only carry one person.

Re: Bicycle Sidecars

Oh my heart my heart. A beautiful vintage American bike and sidecar.

I just gotta print the Vespa with the VW Buss for my old German friend who was the service director at VW for years in my town. His wife had a Vespa and was the talk of all the women in the town as she would ride the thing to work each day. Any good snow fall she's be out early on her ski's getting some expecise to keep in shape. Many of the locals here aren't used to anything out of the normal and her on the Vespa or her ski's just about had the telephones tied up all day.

Re: Bicycle Sidecars

Fairracing31, I want to thank you for posting that gallery of photos. I really appreciate the reception you guys have extended me here.

When the subject comes around to Sidehack racing I'm always left thinking about the Germans and those cut down BMW's with their dustbin farings and
acrobatic "monkey" who manned the side hack. Those guys were true dare devils.

But it was photos in bike magazines like this one that I was looking at as a kid
dreaming of motorizing my bike.



I'd spend all kinds of time interrogating Dad and Grandad with questions that were way beyond my knowledge base as to how I could motorize a bike with either electric or gas. Make a clutch for it. More often than not I drew pictures of what I was envisioning. When I interviewed to study Industrial Design at Art School I had an envelope of many of these old drawings that I showed for my evaluation. The fact I had those from my boyhood to even present made quite an impression. That's why I posted the Cuban motor bikes thread as here were kids who were doing what I'd wanted to do back then.

Re: Bicycle Sidecars

I found this link recently. It's huge and Mopeds that go way back. Even a big section on Side Car data:

Index to the Moped Archive

It's from the UK. Perhaps it may be of use.

Try this link if the other doesn't work:

Index to the Moped Archive

Yes, we were talking about this in another thread a few weeks back.

I know alot of people who would love to have such. I've advocated using the top of a grocery shopping cart myself or even just a ply wood box. Over the weekend I was at a pizza/spaghetti shop that had WIFI and a couple poor guys who come there every couple weeks on foot were looking at the photos I showed them on my laptop of sidecars mounted to bicycles. They flipped when they saw the photos and wished they could find one they could buy.

These guys (one the older brother and the younger is with lower IQ but both are darn good workers) mow lawns, rake leaves, and just "handy helper" in general. They saw the potential for being able to ride bikes to more easily get around and for work....hook up the side car and place their brooms, rakes, mops and buckets pruning sheers and misc tools inside and riding to their regular work sites. They could even lash a 6 ft step ladder on the top of the side car as well.

They were telling me about the social workers telling them that they could get them free bicycles if they wanted them from the Police Dept that are were abandoned on the street. The Police used to have monthly auctions but decided that there were low income folks who could get to work on a bicycle
if they had one. So far they had just been content to walk. But the sidecar
on a bike was a whole new world of possibilities to them.

There may be some of us here who can remember when boys drove Ice Cream
bicycles thru the parks, public swimming pools & neighborhoods. Often they had bells attached to the handle bar they rang to announce themselves coming. Many called them "Jingle Bikes".



The insulated box was cooled with dry ice and a poster on each side showed what they sold. I could just imagine these with electric motor eBike wheels for motor assist for older sales people to vend with. The only Co emmisions would be from the dry ice melting in the cooler.