From Upstate NY to FL
 

For the first time we will be traveling from Upstate NY to FL for two months with our bikes. We have a Subaru Outback, with a trunk carrier. My question to to the group is, has anyone done this before in the winter? Since it's a trunk carrier, I can't find any kind of cover for the bikes. Do you leave yours uncovered? I did find seat covers on Amazon, or are you better removing the seat? Do you bring your bikes into your hotel at night? Thanks for any and all help!

If it were me, I'd remove the seats from the seatposts, and unless it's too difficult, take the chains off too. Bringing them into the room at night would be a good idea from a security standpoint if the motels don't have a secure area. Bikes don't care about the cold or snow, but salt water does Bad Things(tm) to them.

I've never tried this, but I still have some comments.

You have to bring the bikes in! Have a plastic sheet to set the bikes on, in case they are still wet. Have a few clean rags so you can lean the bikes against the wall and not leave marks. I tend to find motels that have other entrances besides the lobby, just to avoid any clerk interactions.

Don't try to wrap the bike with a tarp, or tie a plastic bag around anything, it'll just flap and shred. I'd consider wrapping the shifters with layers of saran wrap, pulled tight and taped with packing tape. And the same with the saddle, too.

Leave the saddle on, it'll help keep water out of the frame.

Salt spray in the north
When I ride in the winter with melted snow and salt on the road, I rinse the bike when I get home, with a few sprinkler cans full of water. No pressure spray, just pour the water over the drive train, wheels, and frame (if there's salt on the frame).

You could bring an empty gallon jug or two, and rinse the bikes while they are still on the rack. It would be good if the roads are dry with no salt residue before you reach the motel, so you can rinse then keep driving to dry the bikes. Otherwise, they'll dry fast in the room after wiping much of the water off before bringing them in.

Lube the chains before you leave. Lube the derailleur pivots.
My LBS recommended a little grease around the seatpost--frame junction, to keep water out of the seat tube, as a normal maintenance item. That would be very good on this trip. I'd wipe some grease at the headset juctions too. Tape any vent holes in the chain stays near the back wheel. Is there a vent hole under the bottom bracket?

Removing the pedals would be good to keep them dry. And a little easier to move the bikes into the room without pedals hitting anything.


If it's just rain with no salt at all: let them get wet, they'll be okay.

Water in the rims?

Water might get into the rims through the spoke holes. I really don't know how likely this is. But riders that ride through deep water have gotten water in there.

Maybe some grease at the base of each spoke nipple would be a good idea. Then wipe off with paper towels in FL. I would do this.


Exhaust pipe

Make sure the tires are away from the car exhaust. It can be very hot.

Since it's an Outback, you can easily get a hitch + carrier installed, which I would find a much better solution than a trunk rack for that kind of mileage. Plus, with a hitch carrier, you can wrap the bikes up in tarps while transporting them to keep the salt spray off.

And yes, absolutely bring the bikes into the hotel ( and make sure you lock them to the racks for when you've stopped for lunch, etc. ) Some hotels won't allow you to bring them into the rooms, but there's invariably a storage room inside where they can be parked for the evening.

Is there absolutely no way you can carry the bikes in the car? What is a "trunk carrier"? I'm only aware of the Outback being a crossover/station wagon. Is there a sedan with a trunk? If you have the crossover-style car that I'm picturing, can you take off the front wheel (and probably seat/post for height issues) and secure the bikes with these:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=497139

...mounted to a 2x6? I use them in the back of my Excursion mounted to a single 2x6 or one each on shorter 2x6's when I put the bikes cross-wise in the folded down back seat of my Chevy crew cab pickup. Your car isn't wide enough for the cross-wise approach, however, I would be surprised if you couldn't get two bikes, side by side in the back.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=497140

This would keep them clean, dry and secure at lunch stops.

Or, maybe I'm not picturing the right car, at which time you should just ignore my entire post!

A trunk carrier is a temporary bike rack that straps to a trunk or hatchback.

The Outback is a crossover wagon/SUV. We have a 2005 version, and it would be well nigh impossible to get a pair of bikes into it, even with the front wheels removed. Plus, if they're going on a 1200 mile trip it's a reasonable expectation that they'll have a fair amount of luggage--so even if the bikes could be squeezed in, there wouldn't be any room left for the other necessities.

Personally, I always take my bike(s) in to the motel room. Just brush the tires off, or as said above, a sheet of poly will keep any crud off of the floors. I look at having nice bikes in an untended car as an encouragement to break in the car. Just more to pay for when they shatter a car window, or jimmy a lock mechanism, and neither ain't cheap:eek:, at all. But, neither are bikes.:notamused:

If you come in the NW corner, Pensacola, drop me a note. Maybe we can ride a bit, and a meal would be offered, too.

Bill

You're right, the car will be packed tight! I'm mainly worried about the salt and slush getting into the gears. We're not very mechanical, just casual riders, so taking the chains off would be a little out of our technical skills, lol.

Thanks for the kind offer, but we're heading down to the Bonita Springs area, between Ft. Myers and Naples.

I checked into getting a hitch and carrier, but it would probably cost about $1,000 for the install if Subaru does it and $700 if Uhaul does it. Subaru will also vacate your warranty if you have someone else do an install. Since the car has been nothing but headaches, I don't want to do anything that would give Subaru an out. Chances are we'll probably trade the car in next year anyway.

I wouldn't obsess over the bikes. You'll be driving interstates so it's not likely that they'll see much slush. Covering an entire bike can be mistake because of the added windage. However you may want to cover the saddles, especially ones that have any leather. Nothing fancy is needed, a trash bag tied tightly around it is fine. Double bag if you're paranoid.

Yes, definitely bring the bikes inside your room at every overnight, no reason to tempt fate.

Have a great trip, and if you encounter rough weather on the way down, rinse the bikes with fresh water immadiately when you reach your destination. If really bad you might do a normal lubrication.

Thank you so much for all the useful tips! I especially like the idea of rinsing them off while still on the rack before bringing into the hotel. I was thinking of rinsing them off in the shower, lol. I'll have to get my directions out to check all the parts you suggested I grease. We're casual bike rider, who just tool around on our bikes and every year take them into the shop for maintenance. I did see a Groupon for the Trek store near us, which I might buy, and have them clean up the bikes when we get down to FL.

$1000? That's way, way more than it should cost. We had U-Hail install a hitch on our Outback, and the total cost was something like $150.00 for parts and labor. A hitch rack for two bikes could be picked up for $200, depending on the model, plus of course it's usable on the next car.

The warranty thing is a red-herring too; sure, they don't have to cover a third-party hitch, but it's literally something like 10 minutes of work to install a couple of bolts through pre-existing holes. It doesn't affect the warranty on any other part of the car.

You only need to worry about rinsing off salty spray. Once you are out of the snow zone, it's just water, which won't be a problem.

Yeah, it's interesting to think of how salty water might get inside the frame, where it could corrode over time.

...

In detail:
Use chain oil on the chain as usual. If you normally let the bike shop do this: Wipe dirt off the chain with paper towels (wipe a section, then turn the crank backward to move the chain, and repeat). Cover the floor if you don't want oil spots. Put a drop of oil on each pivot point of the chain. Turn the crank a few times to move the chain around in circles to help distribute the oil. Wipe off any excess oil with paper towels so it won't drip. Easy.

Put a drop of chain oil on each of the derailleur pivot points for both front and rear derailleurs. (The derailleur is the thing that pushes the chain between cogs, of course.) It's good to do this a few times a year anyway! Wipe off any dirt before oiling.

Vent holes: in the frame tubes that hold the back wheel, you might see a small hole to the interior of the frame tube. Tape it shut.

Get a tube of bike grease at the bike store, or maybe at an auto parts store (cheaper).
The seatpost slides into the frame. Put a little grease on your fingertip, and pack it into the line where the seatpost disappears into the frame so water won't wick down in there.

Each spoke has the metal nipple where it's attached to the metal wheel rim. Use a fingertip again, and put some grease around the base, between the nipple and the rim.

In Florida, just wipe the grease off with paper towels. A little left behind won't hurt anything.

i pulled up a quote from our local Uhaul on the Internet, and it was $396.91. If we took our bikes out more often it might be worth, but we aren't serious riders. The quote from Subaru came from their forum. The info about the warranty being voided too.

Thanks rm-rf for the tutorial!!! It really eases my mind having this information.

That quote probably included an electrical harness which you won't need since bike racks don't have lights. Should be well under $200 for just a hitch installation.I've seen racks for under $100, but like anything else you get what you pay for. I love my Saris Thelma rack, but it was over $300.

An old girlfriend and I did a four-month adventure trip many years ago, with our bikes strapped to the back of a mini-van (on a rack designed for a sedan.) The bikes saw rain and snow and sun and many thousands of miles on the van, and many miles in the dirt on trails, with absolutely no ill effects.

ot's of good advice; the one thing no one has said yet seems to be, "It will be fine and will be easier than you think--and very worth it."

It will be fine and will be easier than you think-and very worth it.

Subarus have a MontBlanc roof rack system which locks. Thule makes bike carriers for the said roof rack (and they lock). Remove from the bikes anything movable (saddles etc.) and you will be fine, it will be easier than you thing and of course very worth it!

A big factor is whether the car is already "hitch ready" or not. many SUVs and larger cars where the maker offers tow packages of factory hitches are sold hitch ready whether you buy the hitch option or not. Hitch ready means drilled and tapped holes in the frame to which the optional factory hitch would have bolted.

The best way to know is to slide underneath with a flashlight and look for the mounting holes. If the car is hitch ready, no welding will be needed. There are various aftermarket kits made to fit these cars, and all you'll need is a wrench, and maybe a buddy to help as you mount the hitch.

Here's a seller with a fit chart for many cars. I don't know anything about them, and linked only because they had a fit guide.

A quickie Google search on outback.org and forester.org had the same opinion that adding an aftermarket hitch will not void a Subaru factory warranty. Since this is an '05 it's not under warranty anyway.

Ive transported bikes across country as well as packing on the roof rack and on a trunk rack. If this were me, I'd be taking off all wheels, lay the frames down, put a thick padded blanket over them, put the wheels L&R in the rear, then pack all else in soft bags and pile on. Maybe set up some overnight bags with stuff you need for the long drive and have that in the front, but bury the rest. The Outback carries a ton of stuff, it's just two of you correct ?. I owned an '03 for 10 years. Having the bikes in the car means never worrying about crud or getting them into the motel at night.

OTOH, having a trunk or hitch rack while in FL might be useful for carrying bikes when you do a ride not starting from wherever you're staying, so maybe this is a good time to invest in a hitch rack.

My wife and take our bike from NJ to VT a couple times a year. If we expect rain along the route, I'll cover the seats with a plastic bag or two. When we get to our hotel we bring the bikes in to our room. We have never had a problem with that. I will look the bike while on the car, it lessens stress at rest stops. It makes it much harder for somebody to just walk, or ride, off with it.
I'd clean and wax the frame before you leave, and lube the chain. Then clean and lube the chain when you get where you are going. Clean lube again when you get home.
Or if you really don't want to do it yourself, take them to a LBS for a tune up. But, you really don't have a lot to worry about. Just make sure the rack is on the car securely.

Back when I was young, I drove my VW bug from NJ to Florida, to Texas, then to California and back to NJ with my Centurion Super Elite on the back. I still have the bike, but the car is long gone.
Enjoy your vacation.

Mine is the one that was mentioned as being an '05; I don't think the OP ever said.

Either way though, it's been a long established legal precept that manufacturers cannot void warranties based on third-party work--otherwise, you'd be unable to get your car serviced by non-dealer mechanics. Occasionally you'll hear about dealers that try to claim that if you get an oil change/etc done elsewhere it voids the warranty, but that is in no way, shape, or form true. Obviously if you go to a quick-fill kind of place and they forget to reinstall the drain plug they're on the hook for the direct an indirect damages, but that's a different situation.

We haul our tandem bicycle + my racing bike INSIDE a 1997 Honda Accord Station wagon + all our other stuff.
Creative bit of disassembly (remove wheels/pedals/ stoker's handlebars) keeps bikes in the vehicle and a blanket thrown over the whole lot.
Sure that 2 singles can be fitted inside and Outback.
Try it!