TromboneChat

Hi All,

Looking for feedback on the best gig bag for Motorcycle commuting?

A hard case with backpack straps.

BGuttman wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 10:49 am A hard case with backpack straps.

Definitely THIS. You want something with ZERO chance of shifting on you when you are riding, especially going into a turn. A cross strap definitely won't cut it.

Sounds risky for both you and the trombone. Why not get a small, lightweight trailer to hold a hard protective case?

Definitely hard case. Definitely.

When I used to ride with one i used a pretty heavy duty cross strap with a Bam case then had second strap to stabilize it. I preferred a cross strap to the backpack straps cause I could more easily move my head side to side. I always found the backpack straps interfered with side to side head motion.

Whatever you do, don’t trust bungee cords…no horns lost, but did lose a frozen turkey once, fortunately the vehicle behind my bike had enough ground clearance to not damage the bird as it drove over it. Still tasted good at Thanksgiving!

Following my few and dangerous attempts at just riding a bike with a trombone case on my back, I'd say that I do not recommend riding a motorized bike with a trombone case.

It catches wind gusts, it restricts movement (micro movement to adjust balance, or head movements f.ex.) and it micro moves itself, no matter how much you strap it up.

I just don't see it as a good idea, for many reasons.

I know a guy that freelanced here in LA for years on motorcycle with trombone. For the life of me I can't remember what bag he used...

Our Bass Trombonist here rides a motorcycle (weather permitting!). He usually uses an MB case, but I think he has started using his Cronkite bag when he rides with a trombone on his back. He said something about the length of the Cronkite vs. the Bonna, and being able to adjust the straps so nothing shifts on corners.

I can ask him tonight if I remember.

Jim Scott

Obviously this bag that has a motorcycle in its picture. What could possibly go wrong by attaching a giant sail to your back on a motorcycle?

The bag in the picture is an Altieri. Protection for the slide is good, hut heaven help the bell section if you dump.

Anything with decent backpack straps will work, though some of the longer cases (like Bonna) may be less comfortable depending on your exact posture on the motorcycle.

Digidog wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:00 pm Following my few and dangerous attempts at just riding a bike with a trombone case on my back, I'd say that I do not recommend riding a motorized bike with a trombone case.

It catches wind gusts, it restricts movement (micro movement to adjust balance, or head movements f.ex.) and it micro moves itself, no matter how much you strap it up.

I just don't see it as a good idea, for many reasons.

This is a bit overdramatic. I bike commute multiple times every week with trombone, euphonium, even tuba cases on my back. It's fine, and only "dangerous" if you're already unsteady on your bike without the trombone.

spencercarran wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 9:51 pm This is a bit overdramatic. I bike commute multiple times every week with trombone, euphonium, even tuba cases on my back. It's fine, and only "dangerous" if you're already unsteady on your bike without the trombone.

Be that dramatic or not; from long runs on the roads with my racer I do not like the restrictions, the weight redistribution and the wind catch a trombone backpack imposes on me when I ride my city bike - and I would not recommend anyone to take that on, unless there were absolutely no other options. Much less so on a motorbike.

The basic thing with taking goods on a two-wheel vehicle is to NOT raise the center of gravity above the sum level of the wheel hubs, where you (gradually) loose the effect of the gyroscopic force the wheels provide. Even if the added weight of a trombone case may not do that when mounting the bike, a gust of wind (the shock wave in front of a meeting, passing or overtaken larger vehicle f.e.x.) or increased wind resistance with speed could easily add momentous force enough to in an instant make the bike dangerously and unpredictably unstable. A rider caught unawares could instantaneously loose control, from in the first place seemingly harmless conditions.

A long time ago I also regularly biked with my BAM case on my back, firmly strapped tight with extra straps over my chest and shoulders. I traversed long and steep, windy bridges (in Stockholm there are some of them) with no more troubles than countering the incoming sea winds, until one afternoon the frontal shock wave from a bus overtaking me at a narrow city street totally unexpectedly took hold of the case and pushed me sideways forward, towards a parked car and then, when I parried that push, almost sucked me into its rear wheels from the turbulence following. I'd estimate I was riding at no more than, like, 10 mph and the bus maybe between 18-22 mph, but the forces were strong and I was caught unaware.

That incident left me in cold sweat, and when I did some looking into the physical mechanics of loading a bike, I found that I had made all the main mistakes in carrying loads on a bike, to make it dangerously unstable in certain conditions.

Congrats to making safe trips on a bike with your instruments carried on your back! I really hope you can continue to do so safely.

From everything I know of the physics of loading bikes and riding them in traffic conditions, I'd still not recommend anyone to ride any bike, motorized or not, with a larger instrument case strapped on the back.

But that's me.

I’d change the title to: Best Trombone for Motorcycle Commuting?

Answer: the pBone!

I rode around NYC on my Kawasaki LTD454 for years with a cheap gig bag that allowed for good shoulder movement. If you dump, I don’t think it matters how expensive your gig bag is.

Herb Besson rode around NYC with a double bone bag for years. He also had a machete in the bag in case someone wanted his trombone!

Best story… he was crossing the dance floor in his rain suit at a gig he was just making it in time, and the machete fell out of the gig bag onto the middle of the dance floor.

Great entrance!

Kbiggs wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:44 am I’d change the title to: Best Trombone for Motorcycle Commuting?

Answer: the pBone!

Ehh, in event of a crash my shoulder mechanic charges way more than my trombone mechanic does.

Another idea......
We don't know what kind of bike you have.
Some will accept a luggage rack that bolts on over the rear wheel. The trombone can be strapped to the luggage rack either in line with or transverse to the wheels. Both ways work well.

I travel frequently with a Rath R9 by motorbike. This is typically in and around London so I don't get any faster than 50mph. The Fusion bass trombone bag works very well - and is designed for two wheel travel. Perfectly comfortable, perfectly stable. High speeds and high winds I have not tried. Yes, the trombone is vulnerable if there's an incident, but that's a calculated risk. I'd be more worried about my bikes, probably. Besides, what's insurance for?

Cmillar wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:25 pm Herb Besson rode around NYC with a double bone bag for years. He also had a machete in the bag in case someone wanted his trombone!

Ah, but what's the best machete for commuting?

ithinknot wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:48 pm

Cmillar wrote: ↑Wed Mar 22, 2023 7:25 pm Herb Besson rode around NYC with a double bone bag for years. He also had a machete in the bag in case someone wanted his trombone!

Ah, but what's the best machete for commuting?

One that won’t slice your bag open! FWIW… Herb was defending a Bach 16M that was given to him personally from Carl Fontana

I rode my BMW /2 motorcycle for 30+ years with my horn on a luggage rack directly behind me. Bungee cords secured it just fine [if replaced occasionally]. One Easter morning, on the way to play at the local cathedral services, I hit a short stretch of cobblestones and my horn popped out of position and landed in the roadway behind me. Luckily, alert drivers swerved around it and I made the gig without further incident. To my good fortune It was 6AM so traffic was sparse. Even though the case opened and the horn fell out I could find no damage other than to my ego. I bought new bungees on Easter Monday !

2bobone wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:10 pm I rode my BMW /2 motorcycle for 30+ years with my horn on a luggage rack directly behind me.

I wondered when you would chime in.

My vote would be for a hard bag. Don't use bungee cords as they have too much flex. Get 3 or 4 ROK straps and secure it properly.

I spent about 3 years in my late teens riding everywhere with my trombone on a vespa 150 sportique. Which is a scooter for the uninitiated. It was flat out at 55MPH! There were no gig bags or indeed any post purchase cases around in those days (at least not in the UK). Fortunately at that time Bossey and Hawkes were not into big coffin cases but had the much narrower 'French' style cases with a bell flare at the end. I had a short strap at either end of the case - ensuring the latches never let it open but more importantly they were what the much longer strap was attached to at either end and the whole thing carried cross strap wise over my right shoulder and across my chest. Did hundreds of miles this way - never fell off (well not with a trombone attached). I now have a 1200cc BMW cruiser motorbike and wouldnt dream of putting a trombone on my shoulder - I'll take the care every time!!