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

[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!

[SadieKate]

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

[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 ) 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!

[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