General Cycling Discussion - DIY Bike Carrier for SUV

I recently bought an 09 Ford Escape that replaced a pick-up truck. I was kinda nervous about how I was going to transport my bike. However, I came up with a DIY interior bike carrier that works great.

1) I bought a cheap fork mount from my LBS, usually for attaching to a truck bed. I paid $18 because I was in a hurry, but you can find them from $13-15 online.

2)Next I bought a pine board from Lowes, 2x6x1 ($4.97) and industrial strength velcro tabs ($3.97). I attached the velcro tabs to the bottom of the board, and attached the fork mount to the other side.
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/Board%20with%20mount%202.JPG
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/Board%20with%20velcro.JPG

3) The velcro sticks to the carpeted seat back when the seats are folded down, which puts the back wheel and cranks in the rubberized trunk where they can't get anything dirty while leaving room for someone in the back seat.
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/mount%20in%20car.JPG
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/Trunk.JPG

My $23 solution (less if you have some off-cuts of wood laying around) transports my bike as well as a $70 carrier. Get a longer board and two mounts to keep two bikes in the back. It's very easy and quite cheap. Please feel free to share your ideas for different bike mount designs.
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/mount%20with%20bike.JPG

Link for fork mount: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ACAM9C/ref=s9_sdps_c2_s3_p200_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=02VSJX4FH24K6ECPETN6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

Interesting. I have a Honda CRV similar to the Ford small SUV's and I just put both back seats down and put the bike on its side with the front wheel in first. No need to take the wheels off. I got a cardboard bike box (free) either for my bike to lay atop or to put between bikes if I stack two of them in there. The derailleur side faces up.

I recently bought an 09 Ford Escape that replaced a pick-up truck. I was kinda nervous about how I was going to transport my bike. However, I came up with a DIY interior bike carrier that works great.

1) I bought a cheap fork mount from my LBS, usually for attaching to a truck bed. I paid $18 because I was in a hurry, but you can find them from $13-15 online.

2)Next I bought a pine board from Lowes, 2x6x1 ($4.97) and industrial strength velcro tabs ($3.97). I attached the velcro tabs to the bottom of the board, and attached the fork mount to the other side.
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/Board%20with%20mount%202.JPG
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/Board%20with%20velcro.JPG

3) The velcro sticks to the carpeted seat back when the seats are folded down, which puts the back wheel and cranks in the rubberized trunk where they can't get anything dirty while leaving room for someone in the back seat.
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/mount%20in%20car.JPG
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/Trunk.JPG

My $23 solution (less if you have some off-cuts of wood laying around) transports my bike as well as a $70 carrier. Get a longer board and two mounts to keep two bikes in the back. It's very easy and quite cheap. Please feel free to share your ideas for different bike mount designs.
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/168335/mount%20with%20bike.JPG

Link for fork mount: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ACAM9C/ref=s9_sdps_c2_s3_p200_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=02VSJX4FH24K6ECPETN6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

A friend of mine did something like that for his minivan. He uses it to haul 2 bikes and it keeps him from having to stack and chance scratching. I can do something like that with my Tahoe without putting the seat down. But I have decided on a Cycle on Pro with extension for 4 bikes. That way I can haul five club members and their bikes to events. Still I like your DIY and may do that for when I don’t feel like mounting the rack.

Interesting. I have a Honda CRV similar to the Ford small SUV's and I just put both back seats down and put the bike on its side with the front wheel in first. No need to take the wheels off. I got a cardboard bike box (free) either for my bike to lay atop or to put between bikes if I stack two of them in there. The derailleur side faces up.

I can fit it in with the wheel on, but it's a tight fit and the bike tends to slide side to side. This way is nice because I can keep one or two seats up for passengers, and the bike doesn't tear up the upholstery. Thanks for the reply.

@Robert Foster:

I'm probably going to get a roof or hitch rack for when I need the trunk space, but it's great for just me and my bike. Plus, the bike is locked up away from sticky fingers.

@Robert Foster:

I'm probably going to get a roof or hitch rack for when I need the trunk space, but it's great for just me and my bike. Plus, the bike is locked up away from sticky fingers.

Just remember with a Roof rack sometimes things are lower than you think. And garage doors are always too low.

I've done that for years. First with my Honda Odyssey, now with an Oldsmobile Silhouette, but backwards, with the rear wheel in first. I can transport my tandem in the Olds that way.

I bought a nifty steel-frame bike rack based on this idea for my Saturn VUE. It's hinged so that the frame can fold flat, and it has two fork mounts, with somewhat adjustable positions. It worked well to hold two traditional geometry bikes inside the cargo area, with the rear seats down.

Unfortunately the VUE died, but I still have the rack - until I get around to selling it somewhere. The hatch on my CR-V slopes forward more than the VUE, and the way the fork and headset are angled on my new bike, there's no way to position it without having the handlbars smash through the hatch glass. I may try one more time, by flipping it around to put the bike in with the handlbars towards the front, but I think an eBay listing and hitch mount are in my future.