bike carriers vs bikes in cars

[solveig]

A couple questions about bike carriers and transporting bikes in general:

1. Right now we use our minivan and carry the bikes inside the van. It's good because they don't get wet, etc, but they're not fastened in very securely. Anyone have a way (or a rack or something) that keeps bikes in place inside a vehicle?

2. If we decide to go for an exterior carrier, would you suggest car top or rear mount? Is putting something on top of a van just asking for trouble for those of us who shop in the petite section? (Or would if we ever went shopping?)

Thanks for any ideas - and thanks for the motivation you all give me! It got chilly & rainy here this weekend, and it was your good energy that got me out the door for a fabulous, if chilly, ride yesterday.

[Bikingmomof3]

We have a hitch and a rear mounted rack (securely holds 5 bikes). We cannot put our bikes in the minivan due to the kids being in there and there are 5 of us and 5 bikes. I know there are several on here who are ble to securely carry their bikes inside their cars. If we did not need the seats, I would opt for that. As for a top carrier, I am too short, I would never be able to get them on and off.

[7rider]

I posted this very same question recently on roadbikereview.com forums.
DH and I carry our bikes inside our Escape and wanted to move them outside. We have kayak carriers on the roof and are hesitant to keep swapping rack accessories back and forth for our various toys. We were debating roof vs. hitch mounted carries and opted to get a Thule hitch-mounted carrrier (the T2, I think it's called - holds the bikes upright, attached at the wheels, not hung from the top tube) for our 1.25" receiver hitch.
Some benes for the hitch:
It's lower and easier to mount vs. roof racks with tall vehicles.
It allows you to keep the roof clear for (a) other sport accessories, or (b) air flow and better gas mileage.
They are - or can be - super easy and fast to load and go.
Frees up the interior of your vehicle for passengers (imagine that!) or luggage.
Some cons with the hitch:
It uses your bikes as a bumper. If you get rear-ended, your bikes (and maybe your vehicle) are toast. But....a rear end hit is usually someone else's fault, so their insurance would pay to replace your rides. A small consolation when you are ride-less as you settle up with insurance.
Although they can lock, I'm leery of the safety of the bikes on there. Would they be easier to steal? I don't know. You could always back the vehicle up to a wall or something if you need to park for an extended period of time. That would be true for any rear-mounted rack.
Hope this helps.

[HillSlugger]

I use a trunk mounted carrier for my Subaru Outback, but I can put my bike upright inside of DP's Rav4. I bought an XPORT Universal Bike mount at Performance Bike and mounted it on a board. I lock the front fork to it and then I hold the bike upright using a strap around the handle bars, secured to the loops in the storage area. We used this setup for the first time this weekend and it worked great.

[SouthernBelle]

I bought an XPORT Universal Bike mount at Performance Bike and mounted it on a board. I lock the front fork to it and then I hold the bike upright using a strap around the handle bars, secured to the loops in the storage area. We used this setup for the first time this weekend and it worked great.

I have a similar setup in the back of my pickup truck. I use bungee cords with plastic (non-scratching) hooks hooked to the bars to keep the top of the bike stable. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the back or bed of my truck to hook or attach this setup to.

[mimitabby]

my husband made a very simple wooden structure for the bed of our pickup truck. It's a piece of plywood with bike mounting gizmos on it.
S you can just clip the bikes in (take front wheels off) and stand 3 bikes up in a row inthere (4? can't remember) he's a complete bone head when it comes to
building stuff and mechanics, so if he can do it, anyone can.

having said that; we get better gas mileage with our buick regal so we usually don't use the truck anymore, we have racks on the top of our car. It's pretty yucky if it rains though.
and when it's just me, i put my bike inside my honda civic, there's not much
room for it to slide around in there :D

[caligurl]

we used to carry our bikes on a hitch rack with our truck.... that is until someone tried to steal my ruby when we stopped to pick up some groceries on the way home from a ride... now they are carried safely and securely INSIDE an suv (with tinted windows so they can't see in!) we use the saris "traps" system... holds the bike by it's fork and holds the tire... nice and neat!

http://www.acuramdx.org/gallery//500/14142img_0211__medium_-med.jpg

[SadieKate]

Very easy to build your own inside bike rack with fork mounts.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b310/SadieKate/BubbaBoard.jpg

[mimitabby]

yes, yes! that's what DH did!!

[caligurl]

hubby was going to do either the piece of wood thing... or just attach the fork holders to the "floor" of the "X"... but then you are stuck with a set spot for the bikes (or with the wood... you have to unscrew it and more it to new holes if you need to move the bikes)

with the traps... the black base piece (which matches my black interior :rolleyes: ) is attached to the floor... but the other pieces can be moved along the track if needed (i.e. they need to be moved in for the mountain bike... but can go back out for the road bikes!) we can also remove any of the pieces (i.e. when we brought brie along when i did the grand tour.... we took out the wheel holder on her side in case of an accident, god forbid, and just left the othe pieces for my bike!

it all boils down to asthetics (spelling?).... i had a brand new car! i wasn't letting hubby put a bare piece of wood in there! lol! :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[solveig]

Thanks for all the input and especially the photos! I think I'm leaning toward an inside-vehicle arrangement, and I think we could rig up some kind of bike stand pretty easily. DP is pretty handy with construction - although he's been into welding lately, so said bike stand will probably be made of old cattle stanchions and weigh a hundred pounds!

:)
solveig

[Pedal Wench]

After hearing numerous stories of bikes falling off racks, cars being rear-ended with bikes on the back, or garage-door mishaps with roof-racks, my bikes only go inside of vehicles. I can fit one bike easily in my hatchback - just remove front wheel and lay the bike down with the rear seats folded down. I can also get one upright behind the the seats - again, remove front wheel, fork rests on the folded rear seat and it slides right in. This is in a pretty small (old!) Acura Integra - a small sporty car.

I'm in search of the ultimate vehicle to replace this car. It's gotta be comfy, get good mileage, fit two bikes inside, be able to do some off-roading to get to some hiking trailheads, and be cute!

[HillSlugger]

I'm in search of the ultimate vehicle to replace this car. It's gotta be comfy, get good mileage, fit two bikes inside, be able to do some off-roading to get to some hiking trailheads, and be cute!
Try the Toyota Rav4, 4-wheel drive model.

[susiej]

Although they can lock, I'm leery of the safety of the bikes on there. Would they be easier to steal? I don't know. You could always back the vehicle up to a wall or something if you need to park for an extended period of time. That would be true for any rear-mounted rack.
Hope this helps.

Some idiot stole the empty, hitch-mounted rack off my husband's car while parked overnight in our driveway. Not a problem if you have a garage that you can park in. Next Spring he's buying a roof rack.

I'm still ticked off, can you tell?

SJ

[sarahkonamojo]

I've had done it all. Roof rack, trunk rack, inside, and now a hitch rack. We will always have racks on our vehicles, but putting a bike on it is a problem for me because I am short... The trunk rack worked for my little honda and sometimes it is still employed for the subaru.

The hitch rack is for a truck that will be loaded with gear (no bed space.) I purchased a Thule Hitching Post Pro 2 biker. I liked the T2 but it won't work for clearance issues (4wd roads).

Of course, if you have the room, putting bikes in the car is a nice option. Although, you could also end up with car damage (broken window) as well as a missing bike if the thief really wants your bike.

Whichever rack I am using I don't leave them unattended.

Traveling WITH bikes isn't as easy as travel BY bike...

sarah

[caligurl]

Of course, if you have the room, putting bikes in the car is a nice option. Although, you could also end up with car damage (broken window) as well as a missing bike if the thief really wants your bike.



that's why we have DARK tinted windows!!!!

[Sgritn]

I do not have dark tints on my Subaru{putting the bike without wheel removal inside is a pain} so I opted for the hitch carrier vs. the roof carrier...I cannot imagine lifting my bike onto the roof! I am returning the carrier to the dealer because it's like having a mail box with post on the rear of my car. The carrier is hard to remove, requires banging with a rubber mallet to attach and to remove. Second time usage I was driving out of the driveway..saw the bike wiggle..I could not believe the darned carrier rubber pad had come off! I was so angry. I tried to remove the bike by unscrewing it...the screw was stuck so I used a plier to release it. I drove immediately to the dealership but of course on Saturday the parts dept. was already closed. For goodness sakes..stay away from the Subie bike carrier.
Now, who can help me choose a new carrier which is easy to remove as I only want the carrier on my car during weekends.
Thanks

[kenyonchris]

I have a roof rack, a hitch rack, a trunk rack, and a bed mounting thing as well (we have a lot of vehicles). Of all of them, the hitch is the easiest. It is supposed to hold four bikes, but we are never comfortable with putting more than two and a kid bike on it, as my husband is very tall and has big guy bikes. So we usually put two on the hitch, two on the roof. I am 5'5 and can't get my bike on the roof of the Sequoia...but I can get it on the roof of my mini...which is my next roof rack purchase (I tested out whether I could get it up there)...I use a trunk rack on the mini at the moment, but it gives me the willies. It is secure as houses, but too much room for human error for me. I always think "DID I strap that thing down?"
FWIW, I can fit a bike in my mini cooper....but nothing else!

[spindizzy]

My bike goes inside car. Front wheel off with back seats down. Skis are the only thing that I will put outside. I would never put bikes on top...very long story about going camping with a rooftop carrier..husband drives through a covered parking garage...argh :eek: ..that could be my bike!

[BikeDutchess]

I have the Thule Ridgeline 4 (http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept_id=8&sku=954) hitch rack on my Subaru. I can easily mount it on the car or remove it from the car by myself. It also locks to the hitch, and has an integrated cable to lock the bikes to the rack (although I've had to replace the cable twice now - if you don't secure it properly when the bikes are not on the rack, the cable will drag on the ground and the locking mechanism is shot). We've managed to get 4 bikes on there on occasion but it can be a puzzle depending on the types of bikes.

When I'm by myself I'll often just put the seats down and slide the bike in the car.

[tc1]

I have a thule hitch rack. Holds two bikes. My vehicle is only rated for the smallest hitch, so I could only get the two-bike rack. Never even considered a roof rack, I didn't want to scratch up the roof of the car. The downside to the hitch rack is the bikes will bang together and scratch the paint unless you put towels or padding in between them. I have seen reference to a hitch rack with a third post on the bottom to steady the bikes, but I have been told that is a Europe only model.


Boyfriend's pickup has the rack that has arms that fit over the front of the bike with cradles for the wheels. Works great, only problem is it squashes the front fender and I have to readjust it.

I'm about ready to say screw it and buy a full size van, which of course means the bike will fit inside. Turns out the new dog has to be crated in the car because he is a heavy drooler. With the crate in the back there isn't room for anything else, and I have to swing the bike rack down to load the dog in crate by the back door. Small cars are nice, and I love mine, but I might have to go bigger.

[chicago]

inside always. do not like racks... i like to keep my bike uber clean and safe... inside always:D

[Crankin]

I have the Saris Thelma hitch rack. It is easy to use and I am short, so on top of the car is not an option. I don't leave my bike on the rack, though, to go shopping, etc. It's just to transport it to rides, vacations, etc. I can fit it inside of my car if I put the back seat down, but my husband's bike doesn't fit in my car. If I have to leave the bike, I put it in the car.