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photographer interested in a bike

5K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  Duntov1967 
#1 ·
Im a landscape photographer in Cave Creek, Arizona. I hike alot of local trails and was thinking it would be really beneficial and fun. Im going to drop by some bike shops this weekend, but thought I would get some input here first. My dad has a little mountain bike in his garage, but he is 5' 8". Im 6' 1" and 170 and it seems little to me. What brands should I look at and would any bike suffice?
 
#4 ·
I'm a photo hobbyist getting more and more into it. I recently started getting into landscape and location photography after I had begun biking.
Any brand of bike from a good bike shop should work but if you plan on carrying any of your photo equipment attached to the bike keep in mind that bigger wheels smooth the ride. I use cargo racks and bags for carrying my camera's and lenses and I have noticed more bounce reduction for the equipment in my cargo racks and bags on my 29er hard tail than in a full suspension 26 inch bike I tried. I couldn't afford a FS 29er.

As a note I ride a Trek Marlin 29er with Topeak cargo rack and bags. I usually keep my camera (Canon Rebel XS for now) in the front bag for quick access and my others lens and flash equipment in padded cases in the cargo trunk on the back rack.


My 29er and accessories by Firehand10k, on Flickr
 
#8 ·
If you mean do I trust it to carry that $5000 worth of gear. YES that's easy. Do I trust it to protect it? That's up to me to pack correctly. Making sure everything is correctly padded and secured. I have carried computers and other shock sensitive equipment without damage many times. I only use those though when riding mostly road or light trails though. For my harder riding I use a utility belt setup with a camera holster and padded holders for my other parts and a backpack for the computers if i need them, so that I can absorb alot of the shock. My bike is a Trek Gary Fisher collection Marlin and its right in the middle of your price range. I love it for everything I want to do but I have upgraded it quite a bit.

You really should go to your local bike shop and try out a few things to see what fits best and will meet your needs/wants. There are so many good ones everyone has an opinion what you should get but the best thing you can do is try out a few and see what works or at least get an idea the sizes you need and then look online of your prefer to order one.

My camera holder and utility bag. I usually have a flash in the bag but didn't need it today so I had a bike lock and snacks in that bag. My other lens is behind me more.


IMG_8029 by Firehand10k, on Flickr
 
#9 ·
davidl26 said:
My price range is between 500 and 700. Thats pretty convenient firehand. Would you trust it with $5,000 worth of equipment?
I too am a photographer looking for a new bike at around $500-$600. I am going to repeat what I read earlier in another thread... In our price range the Diamondback Overdrive 29er seems like an excellent value due to it's components.

http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/29er/diamondback/overdrive/PRD_420881_1548crx.aspx

I would like to recommend the camera backpack I use, a Think Tank Street Walker Pro. It's a great,well built, sturdy bag. All of Think Tank's bags are high quality. Compared to Lowpro, there is no contest as far as quality is concerned. I would carry my gripped 40D + 4-5 lens + accessories + a Manfrotto 055XPROB hanging off the back of the bag. So I was carrying a lot of weight and that bag works wonderfully. Just thought I would mention what I use in case you are interested in a sturdy photographic backpack.

BTW here is a video of the Streetwalker Pro
 
#10 ·
David.....check out craigslist here in the valley and find someone more knowledgeable about bikes to show you the ropes and look out for your interest until you get up to speed. I think you can find something on the high end of what you are looking for with a bit of patience. Right now, there are two Hi-Fi's within that price range.
 
#12 ·
my advice is to try craigslist. for the price of a brand new piece of crap bike from a department store, you can get a nice used quality bike. other than that, brand preference is exactly that, all preference. read up a little bit and figure out what size you need, figure out the type of riding you will be doing, and learn which components are quality and which ones are crap. good luck!
 
#19 ·
As a professional photographer and very amateur mountain biker looking to combine the two, I'm about to order a Surly Ogre frame. It's a steel, rigid 29er and you can rack it to your heart's content. One of the few bikes that you can have racks front and back, a trailer, fenders, and disc brakes. I'm buying the frame and setting it up as a single speed.

I think the two most important things you should look at are fit and the ability to put racks and panniers on it. I think a backpack like the ThinkTank Street Walker someone mentioned above, loaded with gear (especially something heavy like a 300 or 400/2.8) would feel awkward.

Duntov1967 has a pretty good setup up there, and you could find a solid used hardtail for $500 and use the rest toward racks etc.
 
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