Transporting a bike..
 

I am really close to buying my first road bike (jamis ventura comp or specialized allez triple) and i have some questions about transporting it. Right now to carry my trek mountain bike i just use one of those front fork clamps attached to the front of the bed of my truck (an 01 tacoma if that helps any). Now i am thinking that the fork clamp wouldnt be the greatest thing for a carbon fork. So what should i use? One of those reciever hitch bike carriers? Or is there something i can fit in the bed of my truck?

If I didn't think that the fork would support a 20 pound bike safely I certainly wouldn't trust it with my 195 pound body.

I know it can support itself, i was just worried about the clamping force of the holder....i guess there isnt much to worry about?

Does the holder clamp tighter than the front wheel?

The only weird force is bouncing side to side against the fork, but I wouldn't worry unless you're bombing offroad trails on your way home.

If you clamp the fork and then tie the rear down so it can't shift around, I don't see where you'd have any issues carting it around this way... unless you like to pretend you're driving the General Lee or that you're The Fall Guy.

(a cookie to the first one to get the fall guy reference)

good to hear. guess i wont have to drop even more money on a bike new bike holder.

Hey, I do all my own stunts

No need to get anything other then what you have. I would add a tie down something for the rear wheel. I transport my road bike, with a carbon fork, in a similar fashion in a van.

And a cookie goes out to gmule.

http://www.subway-sg.com/COOKIE.gif

You could always ride the bike to the location you wish to transport it to. I do it all the time, it works well.

Not really seeing how i go to college 2 hours away from home, and my LBS soooo. Or my bike shop is a good 45mins from my house/or i guess 21/2 hours from my apartment in abilene.

By the way, I can highly recommend the Allez ;) I just got one myself :D I did upgrade the wheels on purchase to 36 spoke Velocity Deep V's and Tiagra hubs with a 3 cross pattern on the spokes though rather than the Alex wheels and Specialized hubs it came with stock.

nothing to worry about, clamp away

Something like this?
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31CTtSopLGL.jpg

I don't see how that can damage a bike, other than having the quick release too loose, causing the fork to come loose and fly out of the bed, something highly unlikely, or some side to side force that is so great, it causes the fork to bend.

Just in case, I'd have some other means of securing the bike down such as a steel cable and padlock to keep the bike in the bed, and to keep honest people honest at a rest stop.

Thule makes a few racks specifically for pickup trucks.
http://www.thuleracks.com/product.as..._id=22&sku=501
http://www.thuleracks.com/product.as..._id=22&sku=822

That first one (insta-gator) would probably be best, I think. It says it handles wheels up to 29" which is more or less same as a 700cc.