Bianchigirll 

Hello. while dropping a frame off for a HS and BB installation, I spied this thing hanging from the doorway. I asked what it was and it turned out to a device for checking seat/head tube angles. there is also a 'pitch angle' calculator on the back. I somewhat jokingly told the service tech it was very neat and I needed one for my tool box, where upon he said "take it we haven't used it in years". so as quickly as I could I stuffed it in my purse. *giggle*

it is made by Empire and appears to be called a magnetic polycast protractor, model #36

have any of you ever moved all your bikes cross country? I need to start thinking of a plan to move my bikes out towards the west coast. is making a 'rack' of sorts to lay on the floor of the truck to hold the bikes up by the wheel, back / front alternating (like a bike rack without the vertical part). then strapping the bikes to it going overboard? to save space I could put this on top of a stack of boxes about halfway up the truck.

other than just covering and leaning them against the side is there a better way? if I move myself I do not want to disassemble and box 12 to 15 bikes.

thanks for you help and ideas

Marrock

Moving blankets... lots and lots of moving blankets.

Chris_in_Miami

I believe the protractor has other applications besides bikes, I've seen them before though I don't recall where. That is to say, it's not a bike specific tool. Still cool and useful!

As for the moving, you'll need to do what you can to conserve every inch of space. Removing pedals and turning you handlebars sideways (or better still - removing them) will be a good start.

Marrock

The protractor, since it has a magnet in it, was also used for just about any kind of metal working where precision angles were required,my father used one similar to that in his welding job.

raverson

From my experience moving 40+ bikes from CA. to WA. in '07, in lieu of blankets, cardboard is very effective. We turned all the bars sideways and removed pedals to keep things compact and used plywood, 1x2's and a pneumatic stapler to brace the load. Keep all the truck wheels on the ground and you shouldn't have a problem. Amazing how nice a light load of bikes ride. No kittens were harmed, noda scratch.

EjustE

That's pretty ingenious.
One thing that you have to do is to make sure that you pack boxes tight against them on the back and maybe use a foam thing in the front and the back, so there is not much movement when braking the truck and there is a bit of a cushion there.

Last time I moved (from Boston to PA) I had 6 bikes. All rode with us: 4 on a rear hitch rack, 2 on a top rack. For a cross country trip it might be impractical, since you would have to take them in with you in the hotel room overnight, but I would highly suggest it for the bikes they mean the most to you.

mickey85

As at the moment I"m only moving a max of 3 bikes (2 on a rear rack, one in the back seat), what works for me with bikes on the rack is to get a few cable locks and string them through the spoiler, U lock the bikes together, then run a cable or two under the rear of the car to the tow points down there. IF someone wants those bikes, they'd have to go through five chains just to get them off the rack, then untie the rack straps from the frames (double knotted), THEN haul two bikes away together, as they wouldn't be rolling and they'd be U locked together. BIG PITA. Not perfect, but in a low-crime area like I'm rolling around, I'm OK with it.

randyjawa 

Not nearly as sophisticated as one might hope for but these six high enders travelled over 1,500 miles in the back of my ford Ranger with not the tiniest bit of damage. The trick is to make sure nothing is moving around independently.

After removing pedals, swinging bars and covering leather saddles, I packed padding in between each bike and then secured them together with tie wraps, protecting tie wrapped areas to protect paint. Then I tie wrapped a light piece of board to each of the wheels, front and back, once again to keep the bikes moving as a unit and not against one another.

Works OK for me and I have done this several times. The bikes I find help pay for my trip to visit my mother who lives in Calgary. I should add that Calgary is a real easy place to find high end bikes in. Had I room for one more, there would be a 55cm Poleghi (spelling?) sitting in the bed with the Bianchi, Giani Motta and Miyata 1000. That gray beast in front is my Proctor Townsend and daily rider.

Anyone in Calgary want to know where the Poleghi is? My guess is that it is still there and readily accessible. The fellow also has a mint or darn near mint Zeus track bike mounted in a trainer. He even has some vintage Zeus tools.

EjustE

For safe moving of bikes I acquire in distances I feel I might need a break that I can stop and leave the car parked for a while, I can get up to 4 on my rear hitch rack. Got 3 cable locks; they go like this: 1 through all the front wheels, 1 through all the back wheels, and an extra long through all the top tubes and down through the towing loop in my Jeep's frame. One can't touch this, even in inner city North Philly. And I can pile up to 3 more in the car (with the front wheels removed) if I drop down the back seat. The price I pay is about 17 mpg, but in this case it's worth it

sailorbenjamin

When I moved this summer with 15 bikes, I got really good at boxing them. I was down to an hour a bike for the 10 speeds and less for the single speeds. I'd have packed them better if I were mailing them but I was loading and driving the truck.
I've seen those dial things used to calculate drive shaft angles for engine installations.

jacksbike

Raverson, I need to show this picture to my wife to tell her, that compared to your collection, I really don't have too many bikes !

Bianchigirll 

HI thanks for the tips gentlemen. the 2 teir setup looks a bit ambitious I don't have quite that many bikes. I think the Hbars twisted and the pedals off, then a blanket over each and carboard between might be the way to go.

RobbieTunes

You can make about any truck into a moving bike rack with PVC pipe and fittings and either a cutter or a decent hacksaw. Plus, it's fun.

Mike Mills

I have TWO of the angle gages. They are not at all intended for bikes nor are they intended only for metalworking. Go to any big box hardware store (Home Depot, Lowe's, etc), or any decent hardware store at all, and you will be able to buy one.

RobE30

The protractor looks similar to the one I use on my table saw to check my blade angle. If you need to "thin" your collection....