Bicycle Mod.? Can you make a shade structure on a Bicycle?

[HappE]

I have a normal Mountain bike I bring to Bman. I was thinking about the possibilities of making a detachable shade structure I can attach to my bike while I ride around.
Has anyone done this? What would I use that is light enough, and airy enough so I wont be a kite? Also when my bike gets dropped it wont fall apart.

Any ideas?

Thanks
:)

[Token]

[Boijoy]

[theCryptofishist]

You run the risk of having it become a sail or a parachute.

[Boijoy]

[DhammaSeeker]

You run the risk of having it become a sail or a parachute.

A good set of flight control surfaces should solve for this issue. The bike is its own landing gear, no?

[dinks]

PVC pipe on all 4 corners + home depot shade screen. Be prepared for an interesting ride during a dust storm.

[LittleJack]

Great idea! Or at least, that's what I thought as a birgin. I came up with a fairly sophisticated system of 10-foot lengths of 3/4" pvc hooked into the frame just behind the handlebars, and running in an arch up and over, securing to the rack on the back of my bike. Covered it with EL-Wire, plastic flowers and beautiful light fabric. Worked great for about 15 minutes. Forget a dust storm, even just average afternoon winds made the bike a huge challenge to ride, and forget about it staying on the kickstand.

Needless to say I dismantled it before sundown on day 1, and just wrapped the EL-Wire around the bike frame.

I'm bringing a tricycle this year, but even with all that stability I'm not planning on a shade canopy. I'll just wear a hat.

[Bounce530]

I think plastic flowers are on the top ten list of MOOP.

[LittleJack]

I think plastic flowers are on the top ten list of MOOP.

I concur. Spent a significant amount of time chasing the bloomin' things around the playa. I'm fairly sure I got all of them.

[mudpuppy000]

There's this really cool shade structure that works even when you're OFF your bike!

[Captain Goddammit]

There's no reason you couldn't make a removable bike sun shade. Maybe something like those bendable dome tent poles would work for a frame, or possibly electrical conduit tubing. You could fab up some little tube mounting brackets by cutting appropriately sized pipe and welding it to the bike frame, or to clamp-on brackets of your own design.

It does get windy, so you wanna make it easily removable and stash-able whatever you do.

[hollywallydoodle]

i admire these often…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92194767@N00/3932206528/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92194767@N00/1351570352/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturalturn/2857616467/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/monoscope/41540223/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27047646@N00/3897307618/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loupiote/1359749752/

[Zhust]

My bet is that Aluminet will be low enough in the wind-drag department to allow it to be used on a bike. It's light and wind-porous so it doesn't "sail".

[HappE]

Ahh yes of course, Duct tape, lol.

Thank you all, for some real suggestions (laughs) and actual stories and what totally doesn't work. Oh and thank you so much for pictures of working structures too.

So far a hat is sounding the best. Long adventures in deep open playa with shit flopping on my bike might not be what this burn is about for me. And I'm not really into waiting for clear "wind free" days to bike ride.

You all rock my stripe socks!!

Thanks again

[sputnik12]

check this one out
the color is a bit dull but you could probably paint it, decorate it
Dont think it will get blown off, but haven't tried it
http://theshadetogo.com/

[Lonesomebri]

Use old fiberglass tent poles as the frame, looks to be the type of thing used in half the included linked pictures here.