pgs

we just bought two road bikes and really would rather haul them inside a vehicle rather than on a bike rack. does it hurt a bike to be hauled around on the outside of a car? we found a couple of vehicles that would accomodate a bike if we take off the front wheel. what are new at traveling with our bikes and need some input as to what is best for the bikes and easy to do. if anyone has any ideas, i sure would appreciate it.

ruirui

check my sig for the xport bike rack. it's sooo secure that even when i corner hard on my civic.. it's still in same place. drove it up to 80mph and bike is fine. i have track tuned tanabe race suspensions.. so it's pretty stiff and the bike is still in the same place. it's a very very good rack!

LordOpie

wait, are you saying you'd buy a new vehicle to carry your bikes?

pgs

we will probably be looking for a new vehicle sometime next year...not for the bikes, but just because the suv we have now is getting older

Revenig

I just got back from a 2000 mile trip and used the Performance® XPORT™ Expedition Trunk Rack to transport my two bikes. I was originally going to purchase a Thule roof rack from a coworker, but he never came through so I bought this trunk rack. It worked exceptionally well. I used those stretch straps to secure the bikes together and they never touched my car once even with the strong winds through Nebraska and Colorado.

I rarely transport my bikes, but if I did I would go with a hitch mount. I learned from the trunk rack that I liked the fact that I could see my bikes during my drive.

legitimate user

Just a quick question to make sure I'm not doing something ******** or damaging to my bikes

Is there anything wrong with taking the front tire off and laying the bike in the trunk of a car on its side?

khuon

I have a Hollywood Teamrider hitch rack and I use it to carry bikes externally. It's very secure as it holds the bikes by three points (each wheel in trays and a third clamp point that's usually the seatpost or seattube). It will even accomodate odd frame shapes...





I also carry my bikes internally in my Jeep by simply removing the front wheel and folding down a seat.

Revenig

khuon, do you leave your rack on your vehicle all the time? Is it easy to take off the hitch mount when not in use?

By the way, nice looking bikes.

khuon

I normally leave the rack on unless I know for sure that I won't be needing to haul my bike(s) around. The rack folds up but will block access to the liftgate. My liftgate's glass is seperately hinged so I can still gain access to the cargo area that way. The hinge on the rack which allows me to fold the it up is secured via a linchpin that when pulled out also allows me to tilt the rack down to fully open the liftgate even with the bikes attached. It's still a bit awkward though because the rack is in the way of my feet and I risk tripping over it. If I know I won't be needing it, I just simply remove it. For instance, my in-laws are currently in town. Since I'm not going to be spending much time driving to riding spots and it's more important to have easy access to the cargo area, I just take the rack off. It takes about a minute to remove the rack from the hitch. I have a locking hitch-pin so the first step is to unlock that. The rack also has a stabilizer wedge to keep the unit from swaying around inside the hitch. This is basically like a quill stem whereby a screw is tightened to cause a wedge to force an interference fit against the inside of the hitch. There's a handle I need to turn to loosen the wedge. Then I pull the hitch-pin out and slide the rack out.


Thanks. The two bikes on the rack in the second shot aren't mine. They belong to my two riding partners and since I have the most capable bike carrying vehicle, I volunteer to do the driving. One's a Specialized Dolce and the other is a Softride Solo 700. I put that shot in there to illustrate that frames of almost any size and shape can be accomodated with the right kind of hitch-rack.

zensuit

I have a Thule rack with big mouth bike carriers, the kind you don't need to take the front wheel off to use..on a Honda Civic SI hatchback...and they work just great...over 80 MPH with no problem.

Corsaire

I have a problem with bike racks because of the exposure: easy to steal. That's why I find myself transporting my bike inside my car by just removing the front wheel, making sure not to lean it against the transmition, that avoids me the rear rack set-up which can be a bit time consuming.

Corsaire

Grasschopper

This is a topic I have been thinking about lately. What would the prefered car/truck be for a roadie? I have been thinking of looking at the Subaru Baja for my next car (car?), anyone have one? How well does a bike (actually 2) fit in the back (front wheel removed) with the cab closed?

Doyle

I have a Forester and got the roof rack from Subaru. Just took it on a trip and it works great. It does lock, but I suppose you could break it open if you were determined.

larue

If you are looking into a new car and want one that will fit your bikes inside then check out the Scion XB. Do us all a favor and never buy another SUV.

Grasschopper

Oh god the XB is U-G-L-Y!! Maybe a Honda Element but I want to be able to carry 2 abults and a child plus 2 adult bikes and maybe a smaller one. Maybe I have to look at the Avalanche but I don't want something that big or gas guzzeling.

ImprezaDrvr

My Yakima roof rack has been with me through two cars and 6 bikes so far. With four bikes loaded on top, including wheels on wheel forks, we did a 7000 mile road trip over the summer a few years back and all was well. I put bike bras on my road bike and Wifey's MTB, but other than that they're all exposed to the elements. We carry bikes like this pretty often with no problems. Just be aware of the height of your vehicle and you'll be fine.

cycleprincess

Bikes are pretty sturdy. I don't think you're gonna wreck it by strapping it to the back of your car, or suv. Besides, if it's inside, how is everybody gonna see your sweet ride? I would lock your bikes though, just in case someone decides they like your bike more than you do!

khuon

/* sigh */

Must we turn this into yet another anti-SUV argument? To the original poster, I would suggest you do yourself a favour and consider what's best for you personally. If you think you need/want an SUV then go ahead and get one, if you don't then don't. Not everyone is the same. Not all SUVs are the same. Not all vehicles are the same. Figure out what's best for you and not for someone else.

fitmiss

I have an Acura CL and am interested in a bike rack that won't scratch my car. I do not have a hitch. In case you are unfamiliar with this car, it is a 2 door sedan. I assume I would be looking for a trunk mount rack that is easily put on when needed and taken off when not needed. Most importantly, I do not want to scratch my car or my new road bike.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Doctor Who

I stuff my bicycle into the trunk of my 2001 Honda Prelude. I remove the seat, front wheel and fold the car's back seat down, and the bicycle glides right in.

Easy.

Jeprox

It is often a tight fit to put two bikes (less wheels) in the trunk of a mid-size car. One would need foam to separate the two. Putting bikes inside a vehicle where one might be able to view them from the outside is inviting a break-in. The best, IMO, would be to use a delivery-van-type, no windows. Inside, bolt down the bikes to the floor using the same mounting/locking techniques available for pick-up truck beds. Next best thing is the THULE Big Mouth. Bike locks to the clamp, clamp and tray locked down to the roof rack, and roof rack is locked to the car. Not fool-proof but better than most external bike transport types.

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cycling-discussion/65511-bikes-stolen-giro-di-san-francisco.html

zensuit

Rule number one is to never leave the bikes out of sight for long even locked on top of the car...that's asking for trouble. It takes a while to pull loose a big mouth unit, but it can be done...however, I've never used a better, more effective, easier to operate system.

Markedoc

https://www.thuleracks.com/thule/prod...t_id=8&sku=996

Solid, has a locking cable, keeps the bikes off of the roof so you don't slam them into the garage ...

If I am solo though, I fold down the seats in the back of my Acura MDX and just put the bike back there.

rogue9607

I don't think it would count as being inside the vehicle (not on a rack either...), but the bed of a truck works great for bike transport. My Camaro is a real pain for bikes (no hitch, rear hatch with a glass edge) and I would resort to putting a single bike in the back. When we started looking at new vehicles I didn't think our lifestyle would really fit well with a truck (DC area), but my wife really wanted a Ram. I've been amazed how well suited it really is for us. I've found it so much more useful than our friends' SUVs and we have the same passenger room with the quad cab. And as an added bonus, i can just toss our bikes in the back with zero fuss and even pick up a friend! Just thought i'd throw it out there to consider if you're looking for something new.

rwg

If you are concerned about the safety of the bikes and the car, your best bet, imo, is a quality roof rack. Many of them lock in various ways and there is nothing as solid for your bike as a fork mount long tray rack. As an added bonus, a lot of cars have the racks attach directly to the frame of the car these days. Plus, you can move the rack from car to car with little expense and a bike bra keeps them in good shape.

I have had terrible experiences with trunk mounts. Not damage to the bikes in my case (although I have seen that happen too), but damage to the car. Black shows everything - even slight imperfections caused by rubber mount spots.

My dad used to transport up to three bikes in the back of his Yukon without the front wheel. He made a triple fork mount attached to a piece of wood. That worked great, but the truck was so ridiculously huge for him that he eventually went back to a car and a roof rack.