How To Carry A Bike Up Stairs And Downstairs?
Carrying your bicycle upstairs is one of the most challenging things to do. There are several ways of carrying a bike upstairs, but not all of them may be suitable for you.
People who live on the second or third floor without any elevator tend to avoid heavy bikes because they’re harder to carry. However, using the right method can make carrying even the heaviest bicycle easy.
In this article, we’ll discuss multiple methods in detail. Hopefully, you’ll be able to pick a suitable method for yourself once you go through this. So, let’s get started!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you.
Contents
How to Carry Bike Upstairs and Downstairs?
It’s possible to carry your bike upstairs and downstairs without even using any accessories. Although an accessory can make things much easier for you, you can always do without one if you want.
Even though carrying your bicycle upstairs and downstairs may sound simple at first, this is quite complicated. You can’t carry your bike upstairs in the same manner as you carry it downstairs, because, in the two situations, the bike will react differently to your motion and gravity.
In this section, we’ll discuss how you should carry your bike upstairs and downstairs when you aren’t using any accessories.
Before you get started, you should find out the center of mass of your bicycle. This is where gravity will have the most effect. So, you can balance the bike in the best manner if you place your hand on this portion.
In most cases, you shall find the center of mass on the down tube. Note that the following methods will work best when used on a bike without any accessories or add-ons.
Carrying Bicycle Downstairs
To carry your bike downstairs, take one of your hands over the top tube and hold the bicycle by the downtube. Make sure you hold the bike by the center of mass and keep the front tire facing away from you from your front.
Once you’ve lifted the bike off the ground, lean it slightly forward so that the seat rests on your shoulder. The angle of the bicycle should align perfectly with the angle of the stairs.
Doing so will ensure that your shoulder is carrying most of the weight of the bicycle, allowing your hand to rest a bit. Plus, it’ll also prevent the bike from hitting the stairs.
You’ll have to hold the bike firmly with one hand, and you can use the free hand to interact with other objects or to balance the bicycle properly.
Carrying Upstairs
To do so, you need to follow the previous method, but you need to do the complete inverse. Unlike the previous method, hold the bike by the center of mass, but this time keep the front tire facing away from you from your back.
Unlike the previous method, where you angled the bicycle slightly forward, this time you need to angle it backward. This will allow you to align the bike with the angle of elevation of the stairs, so you’ll be able to carry the bike up the stairs without any damage.
You need to rest the seat of the bike on your shoulder in this method too. Otherwise, you’ll end up putting too much pressure on your hands, and it’ll make things tougher for you.
Bike Shoulder Carry Pad
One of the easiest ways of carrying your bike upstairs and downstairs is using a bicycle shoulder carry pad. A lot of cyclists find it relatively easier to carry the bike on their shoulders.
In this method, you need to rest the top tube on your shoulder, while you hold the bike with one hand on the lower frame. However, this can also bruise your shoulders, causing acute pain over time.
This is where the shoulder carry pad comes in. These are to be put on the top tube that you’ll rest on your shoulder. Most of these shoulder carry pads need to be installed on the junction where the seat tube meets the top tube.
Sometimes it can be challenging to find these pads as they are selling out quickly. The alternative is a barbel pad that can be put around the top frame tube.
These will protect your shoulders by absorbing some of the pressure. With these, carrying bicycles should be easier for you.
However, it must be mentioned that these are good for you only if you’re used to carrying bikes on your shoulder. If it’s a light bicycle, then you shouldn’t face any problems with it. If it’s heavy, however, you will require a lot of strength to carry it upstairs. Even carrying it downstairs will pose some level of risk.
So, we don’t recommend buying one of these unless you can carry a bike easily up and down the stairs.
Bicycle Frame Handle
If you have the strength to carry the bike with your hands, then the bicycle frame handle may be one of the most viable products for you. This accessory is designed to provide a grip that’ll help you carry a bike much more easily.
These are to be attached to the seat tube and the bottom tube in such a way that it creates a suitable handle so that you can hold it with ease. These are designed to provide quality grip so they don’t slip even if your hand is sweaty. Plus, they won’t break or snap even under immense pressure.
To use these, you need to bend over to hold the strap in one hand, pull the bicycle upwards, and balance it between your body and the inner side of your hand. This is a great method as it leaves one of your hands free. You can use that hand to balance the tires or interact with other objects.
Bike Carrying Strap
Finally, we have the bike carrying straps. If you don’t have much strength to use bicycle frame handles, and if you don’t want to go with the shoulder strap method, then you’ll be left with this one. The carrying straps are designed to be ergonomic so you that can carry your bicycle easily.
One end of these straps is tied to the seat tube and the other end is tied to the handlebar. You need to rest the strap on your shoulders to carry the bike. What’s amazing about this method is that it leaves almost both of your hands free so that you can balance the bicycle in a better manner.
We recommend getting a high-quality strap because you don’t want them to snap when you’re carrying them.
Conclusion
To learn how to carry a bike up and down the stairs, you must find the center of mass of your bike before carrying it, and hold it firmly in the right position. I have explained how you could carry a bike upstairs and downstairs without using any accessories. You can also use a bike shoulder carry pad and a bicycle frame handle.
I recommend using the bicycle frame handle, such as the Hide & Drink Rustic Leather Bicycle Frame Handle, as it is great at providing a better grip when you hold the bicycle. But only get this if you have the strength to carry the bike with your hands. Also, if you have a weak shoulder, do not attempt this.
