How to Carry a Pistol on a Bicycle


Carrying a pistol on a bicycle is a tricky thing to do. I did some research and learned all of the
ways a pistol can be carried on a bicycle. This is what I learned.

A pistol can be carried on a bicycle on-body or off-body. A pistol can be carried in a jersey
back pocket or inside a waistband holster. A bag on a bicycle or on person can stow a pistol.
Mounting a holster on a bicycle is another off-body option.

T.Rex Arms Sidecar holster and cz p10c mounted on a bicycle.

On-Body Bicycle Carry

A pistol can be carried on-body while cycling. I don’t recommend this. This seems like it would
get very uncomfortable on long sweaty bike rides. Go ahead and give it a try if you have a
jersey with a pocket or an inside the waistband holster.

Pocket Carry in a Cycling Jersey

Option 1 is to keep a subcompact or micro pistol in the cycling jersey back pocket. A pocket
carry holster will make this less rough on the back. Give this a try if you have the jersey and a
pistol to put in it. If this doesn’t work for you, then inside the waistband carry is another option.

Inside the Waistband at 4 O’clock

T.Rex arms sidecar holster at strong side inside the waistband on a bicycle
Andrew on his bicycle with a strong side iwb holster

Option 2 for carrying a pistol on a bicycle is to use a strong side inside the waistband holster.
The pistol should be a striker fire. Revolvers and pistols with hammers should be avoided. A
hammer or revolver can mix with sweaty clothing. Also, falling off a bicycle can jam the
hammer into the side if the pistol is fallen on. Furthermore, dust and debris can stop a hammer
or cylinder from functioning.

The holster should have some type of retention. The retention can be push button lock, a strap
over the grip, or friction kydex retention. It should not rely only on gravity to keep the pistol in
the holster. A pistol in a gravity only holster might fall out while cycling.

If you already have a compact or full size pistol and a strong side holster, then cycle with them
and see if it’s comfortable for you. If not, the small size and lower weight of a subcompact
pistol might improve comfort. If strong side carrying a subcompact does not work for you, then
you can go with off-body pistol carry.

Off-Body Bicycle Carry

Off-body pistol carry is always more comfortable and better concealing than on-body carry.
This is especially true when cycling mile after sweaty mile. That on-body pistol might get
heavier and more noticeable after each mile. The downside is that off-body drawing is slower than waistband drawing. There are two ways to carry off-body on a bicycle: in a bag or mounting a holster to the bike.

To learn more about off-body concealed carry, read this article on off-body carry pros and cons.

Carrying a Pistol in a Bicycle Bag

bicycle with front and rear storage

There are many options for biking bags. If you already have one, then just put your pistol in
there and ride around. When you are in a private area, draw that pistol. A 2 to 3 second draw is
acceptable. That is about 1 second slower than waistband drawing. A more than 3 second draw
stroke is not fast enough. I could not find a cycling bag with an internal holster. A concealed
carry fanny pack is an option. I personally would not like to carry a bag while cycling.

Mounting a Pistol Holster on a Bicycle

I recommend doing this only if you can open carry legally. It is possible to conceal or mostly
conceal a bicycle mounted pistol. However, you should not risk doing something illegal if
something reduces that concealment.

Mounting Equipment

things needed to mount holster on bicycle

In addition to a holster and pistol, these are the needed items. You could skip the rope and only
use zip ties. Because the rope does not depend on locks like the zip ties, I added rope for extra
redundancy. You don’t want your $500+ pistol disappearing.

Rope and Zip Tie Loops

bike holster zip ties and cord loops

These are the loops that will connect the holster to the zip ties on the bicycle. The loops need
to be just large enough so the holster clips can go through. You can substitute rope loops for
more zip tie loops.

I burned the rope knots with a torch. This makes it impossible for the knots to open.

Connecting the Loops to the Frame

placing the ties and rope on the bike

Connect the loops to the horizontal part of the frame in front of the seat. I used two ties per
loop pair. You could use more than two for redundancy.

Hanging the Holster From the Loops

Holster on bike from the top

The frame ties should be as tight as possible. After tightening the frame ties, it’s time to put
the loops through the holster clips.

The pistol should hang close the frame, but not too close. There should be space to put a hand
between the pistol grip and frame to draw.

Remove the extra length after the zip tie locks.

Duct Tape the Frame Zip Ties and Locks

Duct tape to cover edges and stop tie movement

I duct taped the locks to dull their sharp edges. I also taped the sides of the frame ties to
reduce any possible movement.

Covering the Holster and Pistol

covering pistol mounted on bicycle

Two pieces of cardboard can be bent and duct taped to form a cover. Because it’s cardboard, it
can be ripped off fast. Taping two food container lids to a cardboard top might be a better way
to do this. The cardboard will get worn out where the sides connect.

Connecting with cheap carabiners does keep the lid on. However, they were a bit difficult to
put on. Also, the carabiner holes will get worn out from putting the carabiners on and taking
them off.

Carabiner the cover sides

I also used some string to connect the sides in the middle. The string went through the holes
easy than the carabiners.

Tying pistol cover with string

Checkout my other articles below.

Andrew Jordan

I’m a lifelong native of Memphis, TN. Shooting drills especially with 22LR are one of my passions. My concealed carry permit application was submitted on my 21st birthday. The P10C is my EDC pistol. I invented the patented 15 round 5.56 stripper clip. You can also find me on the “Concealed Carry Andrew” Youtube channel.

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