Fitting a Friday into an overpacked car

[Hwy 40 Blue]

I'm heading into the mountains on a ski/snowshoe trip tomorrow, but I'll be riding my Bike Friday one of those days. The weather's looking good. We have four adults, each with skis and snowshoes and boots and clothing and food etc. We're in a Subaru Forester. The skis go on the roof rack. The other stuff goes in the cargo area in back.

Where can I put the Friday? The Samsonite case it fits into when folded is enormous, too big to fit in the back with all this other stuff. I have a bike rack, but of course without a diamond frame I'm not sure how to get the bike on it. I thought of doing a quick-fold with straps and bungees and wrapping the bike in a blanket and laying it gently on top of all the stuff in back once we get it all in there. If it'll fit.

Any ideas? Any way to secure a BF on a regular bike rack, or just go with the blanket thing, or what? It's a Pocket Crusoe, by the way.

[spambait11]

Depending on the bike rack (I'm thinking of a traditional one with two extened arms), I've installed a Bike Friday upside down. I tied a plastic bag over the seat and handle bars for protection. No problems for me, but I didn't take mine to the snow either.

[Hwy 40 Blue]

Quite possibly a brilliant solution! Never thought of that. (My brain doesn't work that way, which is often the problem.) Yes, my rack fits on the back of the car with anchoring straps, then two arms come out and the bike's crossbar lies on two rubber cradles. Too bad I just came in to work. I want to go home and try this.

[igor455]

a THOUGHT CAN YOU PUT THE FRIDAY IN THE SUITCASE AND TIE IT TO THE ROOF RACK AND if it is going to get wet put plastic around that?

[caotropheus]

The car rack is a solution, I use the same solution as SB11 for small bicycles and folding bicycles, but for short distances like 20 km, 30 km from home. If you and to travel longer distances, put the bicycle on the roof, remove the pedals and tie it well. The pedals go inside the car, of course. If the bicycle scratch the skis, pack the folded bicycle inside an old blanket and tie it over the skis. If you have a big plastic bag to pack bicycle+blanket it will be even better.

And please, don't forget the bicycle packing and bicycle trip pictures.

[Hwy 40 Blue]

Well, I'm back and here's what we did. Didn't take it, and that was okay because it was 3 degrees or thereabouts each morning. Sunny and 15-20 by midday. We snowshoed and skied. But I did try it upside down on my car rack before we left, and couldn't get it to be balanced enough to really work, and the skis on the roof rack took up too much room to add the Samsonite. In the future, if I decide to take it the bike will come first and everything else will have to work around it!