In or out?
 

I still cannot get used to the idea of mounting my bike on a car roof rack and strapping it down with plastic straps.

I was going to get a hitch rack. But, it'd have to be one with a platform where the bike sits and is fastened in from the top. Those where the bike is hung by it's toptube freak me out.

I'm sure some of you have driven for thousands of miles with your bikes on these racks, but damn...I couldn't do it. I did it a couple of times and it gave me the willies! :lol:

I have an Expedition. I love it. I can put my bike in the back INSIDE where it belongs IMO! I fully appreciate the benefits of mounting a bike on a rack and how it protects the bike itself (components, wheels, etc...), but I'm going to rig the back of my SUV to safely carry my bike when I need to transport it (especially since my bike costs more than twice what my truck costs!).

Anybody carry their bikes in the cargo area of their SUVs?
Know of any products for transporting bikes back there by any chance?

More than one bike or just one? I have a station wagon but I only carry one bike in it. I take off the front wheel and put the bike in the back in its side with the DR facing up. It has worked fine for me. If I needed to carry two bikes, I would probably buy a roof rack. Both my wife and I have been rear ended before so hitch racks make me nervous.

When I do get a roof rack it will probably be a Thule Big Mouth since I trust it more than fork mounted racks. My bike doesn't have lawyer tabs so fork mounted racks are probably not a good idea.

I dont know what size your frame is, or how often you use the your truck for cargo, but I mounted a couple Yakima blockheads http://www.yakima.com/shop/bike/truck-bed/blockhead on the back of my back seats. When I fold the seats down I can haul the bikes inside.

I only use this system now when I am not going to be near my truck and bikes at any time or overnight storage when camping. The rest of the time I have a hitch mounted tray rack like you mentioned earlier.

I have a Mini Cooper and I put my bike INSIDE all the time, but I'm paranoid too.

My bike is very pampered:p...I put a fiberglass camper shell on my truck so the bike rides inside/covered to different locations for rides. I have a moving blanket as the base with outdoor furniture cushions...my wife:love: gave me last year's outdoor furniture cushions to cushion the bikes ride in the back of the truck, of course that means I have to buy her some new cushions:rolleyes:...LOL...I didn't know that outdoor furniture had fashion season like ladies clothing:eek:....LOL...my bike rides comfortably with no chance of anyone taking my bike.:D

1 bike always for me.
I currently transport my bike the same way.
And yeah, getting rear ended makes me wary too.

Excellent! Thanks for that. I was thinking of making my own fork mount out of angle
iron and a bolt. Nice to see I can pick one up ready-made for so cheap too. I ride a 56.

Once again, thanks.

:thumb:

I do that too. Matter of fact, when I travel back to WV on weekends from NY and take my
cycling gear, I carry it in a suitcase. Meanwhile, my personal gear goes in a large trash bag!

My shoes/sneakers are on the floor. My work boots get tossed across the room.
My Sidis are mounted high on a shelf and covered (sometimes, bagged).

:lol:

Pics or it didn't happen! :D

My bike is very pampered:p...I put a fiberglass camper shell on my truck so the bike rides inside/covered to different locations for rides. I have a moving blanket as the base with outdoor furniture cushions...my wife:love: gave me last year's outdoor furniture cushions to cushion the bikes ride in the back of the truck, of course that means I have to buy her some new cushions:rolleyes:...LOL...I didn't know that outdoor furniture had fashion season like ladies clothing:eek:....LOL...my bike rides comfortably with no chance of anyone taking my bike.:D

I have a suzuki aerio and I always have my roadbike with me in the summer, XC bike in the winter. We can actually fit 2 roadbikes and still have room for my wife/son in the car... and my sub :)

The only problem with leaving your bike in the car in the summer (especially mine, black on black) is busted tires. I carry a pump and often deflate my tires and need to pump them back up to riding pressure.

Roby!

Our bicycles travel in the back of our van. We can fit the tandem and two singles back there ... plus some luggage if necessary. We've got an adjustable rod that stretches across and it has fork mount spots.

I don't have photos of that one, but I do have of an earlier version we tried. Unfortunately that earlier version just wasn't stable enough.

I think it's really nice of you to allow your wife & kid along too! :thumb:

Mine 61cm rides in the back of my Toyota Sequoia. Don't have to remove any wheels and have plenty of room for my gear. I pull the front wheels if I have to squeeze in two bikes. Otherwise, I use a Thule hitch mount. I worry more about people backing into me in a parking lot than about getting rear ended.

No way I would put my Parlee on a rear mounted rack. It goes inside my XC60 unless I have the family, then on the top.

out - mounted receiver hitches on both my vehicles and use a tray system rack that secures bikes with a top padded hook that slides down onto top bar - kids bikes, mtb bikes, road bikes all work fine with it. Fast, reliable, easy on and off no threat of scratching paint. If I get rear ended I will get that carbon upgrade I've always wanted.

Yeah! :thumb:

fixed.

:p

You set your bikes in diagonally?

It's a Discovery, so not as long as your Expedition (or my previous Explorer). Wife's bike on the inside and my 56 on the outside.

The CAAD goes on the back seat of my Corolla always.

I like the way a rack looks on top of a VW wagon but I just throw mine in the back and it fits nicely back there.

Saris Bone and Thule should have some options for you.

I pull off both wheels and stick my bike in the trunk of my Sentra SE-R Spec-V (no fold down seats for the frame bracing).

Actually, I thought that might make better sense in that you can let a rear wheel rest
against the SUV's wheelwell hump possibly making the bike a little more stable.

When I had my cargo van, I used to hang my Trek 1.5 from the roof (inside).
Maybe the my Ex might have enough room to do the same.

A) Even though my GF has bike racks on the Civic she's using, I prefer to put my CAAD in the back seat too.

B) You brought back memories of The Corolla Car Club of Arecibo. :thumb:


When I was heavily into MTBing, I was dead set on getting a Subaru wagon and tossing my bike(s) in the back too.


"If" I did go with a rack system, I've settled on going with Thule for sure.
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Right now, I'm thinking about either a board like SBXX's set up or possibly using the space in my truck to devise some sort of stand up system (I HATE having to remove my front wheel).