Hi all,

I haven't been posting for about 2 years now, but I'll try to get back on the bike this summer. Anyway, I need your help. I have a small SUV which is able to fit my bike in the rear with the seats down. But the problem is it can't fit two bikes.

I have a few solutions:
Roof rack
Hitch rack

But I'm not too comfortable with either of those.

The only way I can fit both bikes in the back of the SUV is with the front wheels removed from both bikes. Now, with the front wheels removed, I need a "TRAP" to secure the front forks. I'm not sure if "trap" is the correct term, but this is the device that I'm thinking of

I'm thinking, if I mount that "trap" to a 2x4 that goes along the width of the car, it should work. Now, with the traps mounted on the 2x4, would I have to secure the rear of the bikes? Or should the trap do the trick?

Thanks
Cadd

I have been doing exactly as you propose for the last 15 years. It works great.

I have a bike-tite (like you show) bolted to a 1" X 6" x 3'. I previously had a Ford Explorer with loopy pile carpet, so I attached hook velcro to the bottom of the board to hold it in place.

Now I have a Toyota Sequoia and the carpet isn't as loopy. I just take out the third row passenger seat, tumble the rear passenger seat forward and stick one end of the 1 X 6 under a basket of emergency stuff I have to carry. It holds everything in place just great.

I usually just carry one bike, so I had to deal with the problem in a slightly different way than you have to. If I have to carry more bikes, I use my hitch rack.

Just be careful of the roof liner. My bike in the Explorer was a tight fit, and eventually the roof liner got torn up.

Enjoy!

Here's another picture I found


Once I mount the front fork on it, do I have to do anything to the rear tires? Will this be secure enough? Will this put too much stress on the forks in any way?

If you go that route, I'd suggest securing the rear of the bike otherwise it'll just flop around. What you might want to do is buy something like this and some pipe brackets to anchor it down to a 2x4 running perpendicular to the one for the fork mount. Just make a "T" out of two 2x4s be securing them at the intersection with a metal joining plate.



BTW, here's how I secure my bike inside my SUV when the hitch rack fills up.

doing the bike hitch on a board will work. As for securing the rear wheels, it depends on what size SUV you got.

My wife has a Mazda Tribute (aka ford escape). I just have to drop the seat down. This gives me the clearance,and I don't have a hungry seat tube eating headliner. As for securing the tires, I have had a thought of using some rope. As I am folding the back seat down, I stretch it across. Put the bikes in, and then lace the rope through the wheels and tie off.

As for a hitch rack, you will never see me using one.... personal preference that I'd rather just replace bumper when/if I ever get rearended.

I lock between the rear triangle of my bike and the seat mount of my truck with a coiled cable lock. It holds the rear tire against the rear seat, tumbled forward. My truck is big enough so that I don't have to remove the rear tire of the bike.

The bike really can't move from side to side too much once it's locked to the board. The side of the interior wall is on one side and the other passenger seats are on the other. Besides, the forks are made to handle much higher lateral forces than you will see while transporting the bike.

I just lean my front wheel against one of the passenger seats. It doesn't move.

My hitch rack has an endcap that you're supposed to remove so you can slide in the +2 extension to accomodate 4 bikes.



I don't have the extension but I am considering building a big metal bumper that I can slide into place. Delta used to make such a bumper for their now discontinued Bikehaul rack. I'd make mine bigger of course...

And maybe mount some rearward facing reactive armour to it.

Once you guys hook the front fork to the track/trap, do you do anything to the rear wheels (that are still on the bike)? Do you somehow tie them down?

I would advise having them tied down somehow. I would further advise that you find a way to keep the bike vertically secure. You can't see it in my picture but I have a cargo liner that has movable "book-ends" which fit into slots laterally. I use these "bookends" to keep boxes from sliding around or groceries bags from tipping over or potted plants from falling over and spilling dirt all over the place. They're as high as the vertical members of that free-standing floor bikestand I posted a picture of and I use them to keep the rear end secure both laterally and vertically. Notice I also use bungie cords to secure the bike against the inside wall tiedowns.

Hey I recognize that arm

Should I post that picture of you looking like you fell asleep?

I don't. I used to own a mini van. Today I have a pick up truck. Either way I just clamp the front fork and let the rear of the bike fend for itself. It bounces around a bit but it doesn't harm anything.

Does anyone know if this topic has already been discussed? I tried using the search option to search for a similar topic, but I didn't find anything.

Anyone good with the search button? I would appreciate it if somone can find some previous discussions on this topic.

Thanks again.

Guys, I just wanted to thank you for your help and information. I ended up purchasing this


and got a few pieces of 2x4s together and put one together myself. I know the pics aren't clear, but here they are.....

Thanks again!