Used to have my bikes on top of my previous van, but now with my current minivan load up to 3 bikes in the back (folding the rear seats flat and the middle seats forward takes about 15 seconds). The wheels stay on. Much faster to load/unload, don't have to worry about going highway speeds, rain, or pulling into my garage . . .

This. You don't need the carpet cover on the wood but it is a nice touch! I fit 2 bikes in a Jeep Liberty with the seats down. I also have a Thule 4 bike hitch carrier but only use that when I am the bike mule for our riding group.

In this order:

1. In (I simply put it in on its side but a fork mount is in the works..) - security and safety.
2. hitch rack
3. dissemble and in carry case and put in trunk
4. and then very reluctantly - the top. (wind noise, gas, dust, debris, .. the worst solution).

Honda Odyssey - can put four bikes in back and still carry the four riders (me, wife, kids). But I have no issues putting stuff on top either. Last summer we loaded up with four kayaks and two bikes on top, two bikes inside, and two weeks worth of camping gear, clothing, and food and went on a long road trip up the coast of Maine to Acadia, then back through NH and VT. The gear on top used up every inch of those 78" crossbars!

I'm getting too darn old to be lifting all that up on a minivan though, so we're thinking of getting a sport trailer like the Yakima Rack N Roll.

If you're absent minded, do not carry bikes on top!

http://http://www.jensonusa.com/stor...ple+Track.aspx

I use the Saris triple track in my SUV. A 2x4 with the fork mounts accomplishes the same thing, but this is a very neat option, although a bit pricey. The saris is pretty heavy and stays put even on my carpeted SUV floor.

I put my bike inside, in the trunk on an old blanket, and careful with the rear derailleur.

I used to haul two bikes to and from college in Santa Barbara from the Bay Area on top of my old 325e with a Thule fork mount rack on it, plus the front wheel holders. I could shake the car by grabbing the bikes forks and moving it. Doesn't get much sturdier than that IMO. My boss has the Thule rack that clamps down on the front wheel, and we haven't had any issues with that either. Just be aware that bikes on top = bugs if you decided to go that route without a cover.

Now I have an old Jeep with a VERY hold hitch mount bike rack that was behind the garage at my Grandparents house that they had forgotten about. Its tacky, kinda loose (shimmed with carboard its a lot better), but assuming I'm not traveling very far, I have no issues with it at all. Before the hitch mount rack materialized, I fit everything in the back seat, which worked, but left zero room for cargo.

Before ALL of that, I used an old, and I mean old, Hollywood trunk rack with just those few metal brackets holding on, and never had any problems there.

I'm not afraid of racks, either roof or rear mounted, and I have had zero problems. If you get rear ended... well sadly there isn't too much you can do there. Apparently I'm not prone to having that happen. If you forget how tall your rig becomes and drive into a parking garage (like a coworker with his Tarmac on his MINI... Tarmac = dead, MINI roof = dead...) then you will have problems. I personally never have.

YMMV

On top, on a lockable tray. The thing practically lives up there in good weather. One of the major requirements for my latest car purchase was factory mount points for a roof rack.

I just lean my bike slightly in the back of my jeep bracing the saddle against the roof and then use a bungy cord to hold it there. Plus a couple of old rugs to keep grease off the carpet
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_4738.jpg

Depending on how tall the inside car is/how high your saddle is, fork mounts work great
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_5484.jpg

Back in the 80's I put my bike inside a CRX! Nowadays I mostly ride from home or the office but if I do drive the bike somewhere, it's in the back of a pickup mounted to a Yakima and the front wheel rides up in the cab.

I just roll my bikes right into my Element. The rear seatbelts are good for holding them in place, too.

I also have a Performance rear hitch rack where the bikes sit in a rail and have a foam rubber covered hook holding them snug on the top tube. They don't move at all and there's no wind noise, reduction in mileage, and I don't need a ladder to get them off the roof.

Inside. I can fit both my son's and my bikes in the back of my Expedition (now my daughters) and our Volvo XC 90 with rear seats folded down and without removing the front wheels. When traveling solo I can also fit either of my bikes in the back of my Mazda 3 with the rear seats folded without removing the front wheel.

I have no qualms with putting my bike on my roof, in fact, I do it several times a week.

Do NOT put your bike on a rack that uses the top tube, you'll kill your paint job and wear out the carbon over time.
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._6019776_n.jpg

A. Inside lying on its non-drive side. For two bikes, I throw a moving pad over the first and put the second one on top facing the other direction.

B. Hitch rack that holds the bikes only by the wheels and tires.

The show stopper for roof racks is they won't fit under the local Taco Bell drivethru.

which is why I made the switch to Del Taco. Seriously. You think I'm joking, but I'm not.

Damn VL.

Why'd you have to remind me of what I'm missing from the West Coast.

Del Taco.

Mmm!

http://www.99w.com/evilsam/ff/deltaco.jpg

For the two or three times I carry a bike during the year, I just use my Saris Bones trunk rack. It has been worse for the car than the bikes.

I have a saris bones 3 that I use for the parents and little brothers bikes, my bike goes in the back seat.