chimivee

But, that's what's so great about these fancy things. There is a way to change it... You take that screwdriver and turn the screws in the opposite direction, and it's like turning back time.

tprevost

HEY!!! watch what your saying about peeps not thinkin' mister!

... of course, I only have one bike in there and it had to go in the middle of the second seat section... so I guess I have an excuse!

mateo44

We're past the scuff stage. But does the wood slide back and forth on the carpet during fast, evasive driving?

I'm getting all these design hints after I'm done. I should have consulted with the experts first. I'm glad I'm not an ancient Egyptian.

I guess the rags can be "installed" post-construction....

chimivee

That anti-skid perforated rubber sheeting works well for this and keeps the rack from sliding around. They sell the stuff at HD - comes in a roll.

Tiffanie

mateo44

Yeah, if you have one bike, it's moot. I'm not sure the space savings will be worth monkeying with the angles anyway. I think we'll have room between the bikes for our junk.

tprevost

post-construction installation actually works best ... I'm gonna have to get some of that stuff James recommended... Mine does slid a bit if I drive like a maniac but I have a mat in the very back... and it only moves around an inch or two ....

mateo44

How come every time I go to HD I have to head back later that day?

I think we have some of that rubbery shelf liner stuff around somewhere. I think that would work. And it saves me from going back to HD.

tprevost

who are you evading??? or just trying to keep up w/Chris en route to burritos...

mateo44

Sometimes "they" are after me (puts on tin foil hat). You never know when you gotta step on it.

chimivee

It's funny, cause it's true!

GP

Why don't you just spray Rhino Liner all over the inside of your car? Might want to tape off the windows first.

GP

Me too. Obviously you guys stole my idea.

chimivee

Yep, same stuff.

Although I can't vouch for its effectiveness under "fast and evasive" driving. My van didn't come with that.

mateo44

I don't think sliding is going to be a problem. There's only a little bit of room between the side of the car and the edge of the rack. So, a rag wedged in there will be fine.

The bigger problem, clearly, is vertical clearance. No problem for Mel's bike. But it turns out I'm going to have to lower my seat each time, so it clears the freakin' ceiling.

Clearly, each racking system has distinct advantages and disadvantages. Now instead of spending X minutes racking, I spend X+1 minutes lowering and raising my seat. But at least now the bikes are locked inside. But then again, now we have a lot less space inside the car. Now we just need an exterior rack for the luggage! Mabye I can build one out of my bike rack. Hmmmm.

jschen

Get yourself a rear reflector. (I can give you one if you need.) Place your seatpost exactly where you want it. Position your rear reflector so that its mount is snug against the seatpost collar. Then you can just remove the entire seatpost each time, and immediately know exactly where it was before.

mateo44

I opted for marking the seat position with a (you'd better sit down....) small scratch on the seatpost. It's only visible to me.

chimivee

But now we all know... so we'll be looking for it. And making fun of you, Scratching Post.

mateo44

LOL!

jschen

That works too, but your positioning will be a bit less precise. With reasonable care, though, I imagine you should still be able to reproduce the same height every time to well within a millimeter, though, so I don't see it being a problem. (After all, my different cycling shorts probably vary in thickness by more than that.)

Tiffanie

Geez this thread is entertaining!

mateo44

Not as entertaining as me trying to cram my bike into the back of my car, in order to test my new rack. Damn thing.

kb5ql

Hmm,

I'm potentially interested. Is this a member's only gig? Any special protocol as this would be only my second overall semi-organized ride.

Just did the Rosarito-Ensenada Ride in approx 3:15 for comparison's sake.

caligurl

we have the same problem! mine fits fine.... hubby's seat has to be lowered each and every time! "funny" thing is we bought the vehicle specifically for carrying the bikes.... took tons of measurements in other vehicles... NEVER thought vertical clearance would be a problem in the mdx!

mateo44

Hi and welcome, kb5ql.

Although I'm not riding this one, I can tell you that it will be a fun, moderately paced, social ride.

I'll let the organizers describe it further -- just wanted to give my $0.02.