Success! My Wheel Dolly for Transporting a Bike Box

May 14, 2023

A 'skateboard' for a cardboard box

Here is the gadget I used to roll my boxed bike around when navigating the Metro then streets to my Madrid hotel, then from my Lisbon hotel via metro to the airport. I have three nylon straps around the box to hold it closed and loosen the centre one to slip this gadget under the box lengthwise, kind of like a mini skateboard. Then I retighten the strap. With the bolts digging into the bottom of the box and the strap holding it there, it doesn't slip out of place. The first attempt was near one end but the box was tricky to manoeuvre. Centred worked quite well.

The wheels are hard plastic so they roll pretty well and are light. They wear somewhat but I should get one more trip out of this set.

The plastic, though with some flex, is very durable, but I still used washers to strengthen things. I used Nyloc nuts to make sure nothing jiggled apart as I bumped over tiles, cobblestones or rough asphalt.

The casters are full 360 degree swivel casters. They came from our old dehumidifier that had died and I scavenged useful bits from it. The bolt heads have to be shallow enough to allow the casters to fully rotate.

The teaspoon gives an idea of size. I ran the 'skateboard' long side to long side of box so the strap could straddle it between both wheels.

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Kelly IniguezDo you take it off when you get to the ticket counter?
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1 year ago

Brent IrvineTo Kelly IniguezYes. The nylon straps have nylon clips that allow me to easily loosen the centre strap so I can slip the skateboard in /out and then retighten the straps. The gadget is really light so I just buried it at the bottom of a pannier until the end of the tour.
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1 year ago

jonathan sampsonthis is a great idea although i am trying to picture the orientation of the skateboard in relation to the box - does it run front to back? and the strap runs round the middle? do you have any pictures?
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4 months ago

Brent IrvineTo jonathan sampsonYes, runs and front to back and is centred. Yes, the strap runs around the middle. The strap keeps it from falling off if I have to life the box. The bolts bore in to the bottom of the box which prevents the device from slipping around. Once installed, the box kind of balances on the wheels and i just guide it along. Nice for metro concourses, along smoothish sidewalks/roads. In the airport I just use their trolleys.
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4 months ago

Brent IrvineTo Brent IrvineAnd sorry, no other photos.
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4 months ago

jonathan sampsonthat's so helpful and such an ingenious solution - thanks v much
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4 months ago

jonathan sampsonTo jonathan sampsoni quite liked this solution https://youtu.be/IG8Dq-WuUYE

but it does not appear to be on sale anywhere and might be a bit more tricky to manufacture at home
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4 months ago

Brent IrvineTo jonathan sampsonThat video was my starting point. I initially had my gadget at one end of the box but with all the weight of the box and contents it was tricky to use that way. I tried it in different spots til I found balancing in the centre worked best for me.
I have always used three nylon straps around the box to hold it closed so I thought to loosen the centre one, slip the gadget into place, and subsequently re-tighten the strap so everything was tight. It worked.
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4 months ago

jonathan sampsonTo Brent Irvinei am definitely going to have a go this w/e
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4 months ago