what do you do with your bikes on your car when you're out?

[dizze98765]

This may be a really stupid question, but is there anything to do with your bikes when you're out and about with it on your bike rack? I have a trunk mounted bike rack. My trails are 1/2 hr away from my house so it's not easy to just run over there and I always have errands to do, but my bike is on the back of my car! I've ran into stores real quick but it would be so easy to steal if someone knows what they're doing. I put my bike lock on it to make it look like it's secured to someone who doesn't realize that they can just take the bike rack off! Any suggestions on what anyone does? Thanks, Danielle

[Irulan]

I either use a locking rack, take the bike home, or take in with me. The only exception is the video store.

Irulan

[Adventure Girl]

My bikes get locked on my rack. And my rack is locked on my car. ALWAYS. I was surprised that both locks were optional. To me that's like having the lock on your front door optional. I would never leave any of my bikes unlocked. I know you can't stop all thieves, but at least you have to make it tougher for them!

[dizze98765]

well, it would've been nice if the bike store people would've informed me of this. I understand why you all would not leave your bikes unlocked, but then there's the folks like me who just spent 100 on a bike rack and cannot just say oh well and go and buy one that locks... i guess i'm just stuck with never leaving my cars sight

[Irulan]

I don't know of ANY strap on racks that lock.. even if you lock the bike to the rack, someone can just undo it.

Irulan

[Adventure Girl]

Just a thought... Do you remove your front wheel to put the bike on your car rack? Even if you don't have to, you might consider popping it off and putting it in the trunk or taking it with you. That way if a thief takes your bike, he can't just ride away.

I have a friend who had bikes stolen out of his garage. He had about 6 or 8 bikes in the garage, and they stole 2. I asked him how they decided which bikes to take and which bikes to leave. He said they took the only bikes that had both wheels on them.

Like I said before, at least you have to make it tough for the thief!

[fasteryet]

You could get a long chain, and put it through the bike wheels and through something under your car - like the brackets that hold on the bumpers. I used to do that before I got a hitch rack. Now I lock my rack to the hitch reciever(with a spare chain), and lock the bikes to the rack.

[aka_kim]

Several years ago one of my bikes was stolen from off the strap-on rack on the back of my car. They lifted both bike and rack off the car, destroying the trunk lid and the rack, tossed the bike in a truck bed, and off they went, all in say 15 seconds. I unfortunately know all this because I heard the commotion and ran out in time to see the b**tards peeling out of the parking lot. I switched to a locking rack after that.

Definitely find a way of locking the bike and rack to the car.

Kim

[kimba]

I have a trunk mounted rack-
It's by Yakima...
but I was able to get a cool little cable lock device for it that actually locks the rack onto the back of the van - or the trunk.
It's better than no lock at all!


Otherwise- I festoon my bikes with locks- heavy duty- and I mean HEAVY DUTY shackle locks ( U lock- whatever) lock the front wheel to the frame. Then a super thick 6 foot Kryptonite lock figure 8's through the frame and wheels.

I figure they'll look to the unlocked bikes first.

Kimba

[Trek420]

I have (had?) a trunk mounted Yakima rack but yesterday was rear ended in a parking lot.

I'm ok, thank G** my bike was not on the rack, the gal who hit me took out one tail light, put a dent in the bumper. The Yakima trunk rack has a scrape but I have not fully assesed it. Regardless I am not about to trust it with my bike.

So, I have just bitten the bullet (gulp) and ordered a roof rack, chose the Yakima Cobra, hope y'all approve. My LBS says they will do the install free. I shopped around, their price (though a hard bullet to swallow) beat the others. It's much more than replacing the trunk rack but unless I can get my body shop to remove the magnet that seems to be on my car's rear bumper I should put Menace (my bike) up on the roof.

Oops I'm getting off subject. The only difference between the King Cobra and the Cobra (besides price) is that the King Cobra has a lock built in. We figured there is plenty of room to affix a standard lock or locks onto the Cobra and that saved me another 20-30 bucks.

[kpc]

Yeah, I have a strapped on rack too. I lock the bike to it, but as my LBS guy and aka_kim pointed out, that only adds a step to being ripped off. So I rarely leave the car w rack and bike at all or for more than a few minutes. Luckily I'm still w entry level bike. I'd be PO'd if it was stolen but might have recourse to buy a better bike. Of course that would leave me w/o a decent bike for weeks.
Does anyone feel weird too a bike rides just laynig your bike down and walking away to use the porta john?

[Trek420]

kpc "Does anyone feel weird too a bike rides just laying your bike down and walking away to use the porta john?"

yeah, I do, but what I do is this.

Your best option if riding with a group is to prop your bikes up like an A frame. Like horses lounge about head to tail each switching the others face of flies...you line your handlebar up with your friends seat/rear wheel and they lean on eachother, both bikes stand up! To further keep them together use your gloves and or helmet straps to loop together at some point.

Second best is there is nearly always something to lean the bike on, tree, fence, rock...you can use a curb, pedal at 3 o'clock and sometimes that's enough to lean the bike on. It's worth the extra few yards to find a clear space vs hours of cleaning the chain etc

If you have to have to lay the bike down make sure the derailure side is is up

[kpc]

Never even thought about the derallieur, thanks. The A frame idea is easy too.

[Trek420]

nothing spoils a long ride like getting dirt in the deraileur, and once the dirt gets in there and gets circulating through the whole works everything wears out quickly.

on most bikes besides your frame it's the single most expensive item to replace.

a clean power train is a happy power train

[Susan126]

My husband's truck has a topper/canopy and we have floor racks for the bikes inside. We take the front wheels off the bikes secure them to the floor stands and lock them in.