2 person | Side by Side | Tandem Rail Bike

[@Suluk46]

First rule of rail biking - don't ride on active railways.

[@royreynolds108]

Unless you have permission.

[@Suluk46]

@@royreynolds108 Fair enough. I just wanted to make sure people know I'm not riding rails with actual trains running on them...seems to be a common comment when I post these videos.

[@paulguillaume2617]

@@royreynolds108permission from who??

[@garygerard4290]

may I suggest some kind of 'rail sweeper' Something mounted at the front of the vehicle, ahead of the first wheel to sweep or knock off anything sitting on the track that might cause a derail? A piece of flat stock mounted at an angle? Just an 1/8" above the rail? Cool, simple design.

[@Xander-m1w]

Would riding on a railway that hasn't been active in your area since 2011 but still claims to be an active railway count as an active railway?

[@EveryTongue]

I’m so glad I found this channel. It’s the best bike train thing I’ve seen.

[@Suluk46]

Glad you like it man!

[@brucewatts6876]

Look Mom.... no hands! Excellent

[@Suluk46]

Lol. Something tells me she wouldn't be impressed.

[@richardrogers229]

Congratulations on your terrific invention! It will take you places!!!

[@Suluk46]

Thank you!

[@mynameisnotcory]

Put a lil front tire rack in there so you can shred or hit a brewery when you go into town…this has some pontential!!

[@Suluk46]

Watch my latest video, it holds a tire.

[@mynameisnotcory]

@@Suluk46 i spoke too soon lol

[@mikethomson6864]

That's pretty cool For the version 2.0 you should add have a rack to carry the front tires so you can hop off the tracks wherever you want.

[@Suluk46]

That's what we do.

[@scottphillips471]

Where’s the build video for the aluminum frame? Design, details, success and failured attempts, creation is half the fun! We need specifics, like which wheels and rollers, width, length and height of the frame, total weight too. Awesome channel, great design creations and amazing drone editing. You opened my eyes to a new world. Thanks

[@Suluk46]

I'm pretty sure I'll do an instructional video once I get it dialed in perfectly. Right now it works very well, but I'm still tinkering with small aspects of the design here and there. It's a ton of fun.

[@moreorless00]

@@Suluk46 I can't wait for your instructional video. I want to make one of these so bad. Thanks so much for your videos.

[@nickbrick21]

@@Suluk46 This looks very well designed and cost effective to build i would think too!

[@brunkbrunkbrunk]

@@Suluk46 Man, please sell kits. Please. For real. I will buy two right now! My kids would love this!

[@davechakh3700]

Best thing since sliced bread. A speed readout next time would be amazing

[@Suluk46]

Radar gun coming up!

[@alwhalen3488]

@@Suluk46 Just get a speedometer app on your phone.

[@JoyOfBike]

Dreaming of building one of these as well 🫡🫡🫡

[@Suluk46]

It's a fun little device.

[@ryangregohara]

The dude that made one in vermont had a dope setup with gear storage and quick removal

[@Suluk46]

I might have seen that one. Very cool.

[@ClearMystic]

Do you have a picture or an ugly sketch of it? Want get one for bikepacking

[@cognac8297]

i like that you made your friend one too , i bought my friend stuff before so we could do stuff together too

[@Suluk46]

Haha. that's what friends are for!

[@ROMPERRR]

Sick railroad toy! I think going with semi-slick rear tires will be a worthwhile move to make it even smoother....Also love your 993 in Speed Yellow!

[@Suluk46]

Might just have to do that. Also need to upgrade the wheels on the frame, a tad bumoy when going over the rail gaps. Also, you know your cars 😀

[@hsjdkebrk]

Wow, I would totally pay for the design, list of materials, and instructions!

[@robertog3875]

Awesome device! There's a set of abandoned tracks from Brampton to Orangeville been meaning to explore..very weedy now but was hoping something like this could just push down the vegetation as you go?

[@Suluk46]

Depends how heavy the overgrowth is. Tracks tend to be easier to ride earlier in the spring after the winter kills off all the weeds.

[@dienstagfpv4248]

im glad you have suspension! 😏

[@royreynolds108]

If the horizontal wheels against the rail heads to guide the frame are 1 1/2 inches in diameter or less, they should go through the flangeways of the frogs and guard rails. Individual wheels from inline skates could be mounted so they are vertical or almost vertical to be the guide wheels to stay on the rails(say about 3/16 inch from each rail to give a 4 ft 8 1/8 in over the wheels to ride inside the gauge for standard which is 4 ft 8 1/2 in. Those bearings are meant to spin fast so the speed you will be traveling should be under their top RPM. With this setup, you could make it for any gauge you desired.

[@Suluk46]

I had vertical and angled inside guide wheel on some of the previous versions but the end up causing the device to "climb" up the rails and eventually pop off. That's why these are in full horizontal position. I also had smaller guide wheels, which I could go back to, these are skateboard wheels and are about 2 inches in diameter. The rails in the video are wide gauge ~65.5" inside distance, but the aluminum extrusions is adjustable to match whichever gauge you are on. Still some work to get it perfect, but so far so good. Thanks for the input, sounds lie you know your railway dimensions well.

[@timennis2803]

This is awesome guys. Would love to see an instructional on how you built it. How do you keep the rear wheel from slipping off the rail line?

[@Suluk46]

The rear wheel just follows the front wheel. Like riding a really long skinny.

[@dabitzz]

those bikes are too nice for that lol

[@Suluk46]

Not really. We ride the trails once we get off the rails.

[@saxyphone3896]

Can you make a up close video maybe of how it is pieced together and what material you used? My friends and I have always wanted to build a rail vehicle as a side project!!

[@Suluk46]

I'm still tinkering with the geometry but I will definitely release the plans on my website. They are super fun.

[@YourLovingAuntie]

Awesome! What happens if one person pedals faster than the other though, would the frame twist ? 🤔 Also wondering if there's anything to keep the back wheels from staying on the tracks. I feel like it could slip off the rails. Great idea though, I love it !

[@Suluk46]

It might. We broke one of the fork mounts when we hit some thick brush, so I've upgraded that part of it. It's pretty rigid but best if you ride at a manageable speed.

[@Suluk46]

And the rear tire just follows the front forks.

[@allanohlsen7729]

Im sure its been asked before, what keeps the back wheel on the track?

[@Suluk46]

It just follows the front forks.

[@allanohlsen7729]

@@Suluk46 Great, thanks.

[@farrier53]

​@@Suluk46there is no front wheel...

[@cjc6063]

Concept is very cool, kinda like an amusement park luge track. Didn't look like you really tried to break it / stress test though. Weird how the bike wheels just follow. Maybe you could sync your brakes mechanically. Also wonder if you could get away with baldy mtb if not slick road tires, reduce that resistance. Good amount of luggage space though 😂

[@Suluk46]

We were out on it for a while, this was more of a demonstration. We ended up breaking the fork mount so I've made new ones myself that are much stronger. Have to go out and test them to see what the weak point is now.

[@pex3]

Awesome. Do you have a plan for overgrown vegetation?

[@Suluk46]

Honestly, not really. The 2 trips I have planned have been scouted extensively to ensure both the tracks are in descent shape (and are still there) so them being overgrown really isn't an issue.

[@oldyeller9849]

Would be interested in seeing drawings or close up photos of the rail cart.

[@Suluk46]

Once I get it finalized I'll post the plans.

[@andrewvautour1795]

Would you consider releasing the plans for this version? A no weld build using aluminum is exactly what I was looking for.

[@stevenwolfe2279]

I got some cheap rubber wheels with bearings on sale at Princess auto. They will probably ride nice and smooth, and quiet on the steel rails. I would like to build a very similar contraption to what you’ve engineered. That looks like 8020 aluminum extrusions, is that right? How much do you think the aluminum would cost that you used, and where did you source it? That looks like about the best set up. I’ve seen so far. I am planning on getting some old plastic cutting boards to make a a bigger inside guide wheel on the same axles, to keep my big rubber wheels on the rails. It should avoid the problem of hitting most stuff, because it would more or less mimic a train wheel.

[@Suluk46]

The entire device cost me around $500. I bought the 8020 from McMaster Carr. It's 30mm and the width is around 5 feet, and about 2 feet long. Hope that helps.

[@dougblasco1135]

Which class and series of extruded aluminum are you using in this design?

[@Suluk46]

This is 30mm

[@3bdalr7mn00]

Imagine if it was a motorbike, that would be really fun 😂

[@Suluk46]

Coming soon!

[@ClearMystic]

Great job, most legit railbiking kit I have seen so far. Any chance to opensource the plans of the project on your website for community improvements?

[@Suluk46]

I will as soon as I get it to where I want it to be. I'm still making minor improvements, but it's easy to build so should be sometime soon.

[@lrharrisonjr]

I would like to build one of those for my wife and I do you have any diagrams or plan drawings or material lists that you would be willing to share? I love your design great job.

[@UserName-q4i5d]

The first thing that came to my mind is that the tails of the bikes should be connected together with a rod to prevent torsion on the front forks.

[@danishmeatcutter]

Where can I buy one!! And have you thought about adding a passenger seat for 2 people between the two bikes on the rail? Could be a cool bike business to give people shuttle rides along abandoned rail sections...

[@IntuitiveAzzy]

now you need to make 3 or 4 little carts to pull behind you in order to carry supplies and stuff lol

[@Suluk46]

The cart as it is can hold alot of gear. Check out the trip videos with it, that's how we bring out stuff

[@19Railfan95]

Awesome video! This version of the railbike seems to be very easy to build and carry. I've created one steel version, but it is weighing around 30kgs without the bikes :)) Did you use 30mm VSlot profiles? Do you have some plans / drawings of the construction? Thanks a lot!

[@Suluk46]

I don't have plans but yes, I did use 30mm aluminum extrusion. Mine weighs 22 lbs, which is about 10kg and can break down for storage fairly quick and easily.

[@19Railfan95]

@@Suluk46 Thanks a lot for the details! Wish you all the best! Looking forward to see the next improved version!

[@patrikmarcan]

Will you be selling these?

[@Suluk46]

No plans to sell at this point.

[@sci_N_travel-Tim]

How fast can u stop, when there is less grip than on the road.

[@Suluk46]

Need about twice the distance to stop on the rail then the road. So if you need 5 feet to stop from 15kph on the road, then you would need 10 feet on the rail. Good thing is that it stops faster on the rail, then on dirt, which is what I usually ride on.

[@rpmclean]

Do you think there is a way to make it quieter over the track joints? It seems extremely annoying as is.

[@Suluk46]

Maybe. It's not as bad in person as it is on the camera. If you watch the long trip video you can hear how quiet it is.

[@maxwagner9371]

Did you decide to not go beyond a certain speed? Whats the top speed you get get?

[@Suluk46]

This was the first time riding the device so we took it very easy.

[@bsaylorjr]

why not use skate board wheels ?

[@Suluk46]

They basically are. Roller skate wheels.

[@farrier53]

What about brakes ?

[@Suluk46]

We use the back brakes

[@dejacibert4707]

Can you please make a tutorial on how you made this??!!

[@henderthing]

"rear follows front" is fair.... But I would be worried about my derailleur getting smashed on the rail. Falling off still seems a little too possible with nothing to specifically prevent it.

[@GoodTrails]

Are you going into Agawa?

[@Suluk46]

Not this time but I was there last year, walked from Fraser to the Canyon stop and it is certainly a candidate for future trips.

[@kylesmith8464]

can you do an instructional on how to build? i understand if not cause this can be marketed but it would be nice to make myself

[@timp7447]

If the rattling is jarring at all maybe a suspension seat post could help

[@Suluk46]

It sounds worse in the video than it actually is, but definitely need to upgrade the wheels. Bigger and softer.

[@jahoo2k]

What stops the rear wheels from slipping off the rail? Does it just track so reliably behind the front? I kind of want to see a version with an e-bike motor and luggage platform and some solar panels in the middle : )

[@Suluk46]

The rear follows the front. I haven't had the back wheel come off. E-bikes are definitely on the horizon, just need some protective gear.

[@stuntmanwill]

I was wondering this, it amazes me that they just don’t slip off the track 🤯

[@Tomdogful]

@@Suluk46I did 212klm on narrow gauge. Initially the rear wheel was falling off the rail on tight corners (inside) with lots of camber. Discovered tyre pressure was too low. Pumped to 30+ psi and no problem. Did have load over the rear wheel with camping gear etc in panniers. Love your work 👌

[@mrsmith846]

Try it with e bikes

[@ourfunhousekids]

Ever thought about having bigger wheels…maybe kids bike tires…so it doesn’t go cluck clunk over the joints?

[@Suluk46]

I have lots of different wheels, all kinds of sizes. They all go clunk, even the bigger ones. These are about 3" but probably 5" is ideal. Any bigger and it's too much rotating mass.

[@ourfunhousekids]

@@Suluk46 I was thinking about putting your front bike wheels as the front rollers. Just a thought.

[@Suluk46]

Not a bad idea. I have a concept designed with that in mind. We'll see what comes next.

[@sawyerpac9878]

Hi guys can you help me to uesd my Gold Rush to Untouchable rail bike? I hope you can.i'm Jerry from Santa Cruz ca,

[@cbpuzzle]

Probably want tall stem extenders and riser bars or your backs, shoulders and necks will ache after about 10 mins. Mountain bikes are optimized to be balanced over, leaning forward, going downhill, not ridden for hours on flats. Nice front rack idea though.