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Z-Drag Bike Recovery

Unread postPosted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 7:51 am
by LeeDavis
Riding alone in the boonies on the DRZ has the unfortunate possibility of getting the bike too stuck for one person, or at least me, to retrieve - wedged in a gully, stuck in mud, down a bank...

I made a z-drag for bike recovery last week with with stuff from Lowes Building Supply for $35. It gives a 3 to 1 mechanical advantage and the entire bundle with 100 ft of rope only weighs 2 1/2 lbs. There are commercial z-drag outfits you can buy but they're based on mountain climber rescue gear and start at around $200 - too much for something I hope to never use.

Here's the rig hooked up to the back of Jeff's bike in my garage (it was sitting there goofing off). I effortlessly dragged it backwards on the kickstand with one hand...cool!

Z-Drag 1.JPG


Knots are big with mountain climber types. Pulley at bike secured with bowline knot. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowline

Z-Drag 3.JPG


2nd Pulley secured with prusik knot to pull the rope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prusik

Z-Drag 2.JPG


Here's a possible place to get stuck from last month. This was my third and finally successful attempt to video all of Old House Gap Rd from Yancey Ridge to Roseboro. https://vimeo.com/140735016

Re: Z-Drag Bike Recovery

Unread postPosted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 8:39 am
by Bob
Neat idea! Looks kinda muddy. I saw several roads coming from the right--have you investigated any of the spur roads?

Re: Z-Drag Bike Recovery

Unread postPosted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:37 am
by LeeDavis
beemerbob wrote:I saw several roads coming from the right--have you investigated any of the spur roads?


Not yet but they're on the list for future exploration. In the past I've discovered that quite a few of the rough side trails lead to clearings created and maintained by the forest service for wildlife habitat. Respect for those guys because getting equipment in has got to be tough. You can see a couple typical clearings in this Google satellite view. https://www.google.com/maps/@36.0627388 ... a=!3m1!1e3

Re: Z-Drag Bike Recovery

Unread postPosted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 4:33 pm
by Broz
I'm just praying I don't get stuck. The younger me would say, "it's only 320lbs." But I have seen some of those trails you would only be able to go down and not back up. Probably a smart move.
Broz