How to Move House By Bicycle (with photos by Ryan)

At the end of January, some of the TBAG board members and supporters helped board member Jeremy move house by bicycle. This was our first attempt at something of this nature, and the move was pretty far (6 miles, plus additional miles transporting the trailers), so we used a combination of bicycles plus a pickup truck and a mini-van to get things from one place to another. For this move, we were able to gather up a total of four trailer-type devices, two trailers and a pedicab from the Bike Saviours and one personal trailer.

We brought one of the trailers on the pedicab so Jeremy could hitch it up to his bike when we reached his house.

Jeremy had a loveseat that needed to be moved, which was heavy and bulky, so we loaded it onto the pedicab. Pedicabs are typically designed to hold up to 600 pounds, so the loveseat wasn’t too much of a problem.

The two other heavy-duty trailers from the Bike Saviours carried shelves, cabinets, and a dresser, all filled with belongings.

The remaining trailer was originally designed to carry children, with a weight limit of 60 pounds, so Scott filled it with (relatively) light, but bulky items, including a Christmas tree.

We also loaded up a Wurlitzer electric piano onto the back of the pedicab. Amazingly, it fit perfectly between the cab’s wheel guards.

After packing everything up, and making sure everything was well-secured with tie-downs, we were ready to hit the road.

We received a lot of attention as we rode down Indian School Road. It was a beautiful day to be out on a bicycle.

The loveseat was wide enough that it occupied an entire lane.

At last, we reached our destination.

The only real hitch we experienced was a flat tire for the pedicab. Although I would not generally recommend continuing to ride on a flat tire, the pedicab was already fully loaded by the time we discovered the flat. We figured the wheel would survive the trip anyway, so we carried on despite the flat. That might explain why I was tired by the time we finished.

If you ever want to try moving house by bicycle, get in touch, and we’ll see what we can do to help.