Bike cover to recommend ?

[Kiwi Stoker]

Actually I had rim damage from gravel (resealing a road) that sand blasted the rim with stipple and made a nasty noise when braking so now we take the wheels off our bikes and put them in the car (in wheel bags).

The only damage I have had to the frame was paint on my Al bike rubbing off when we didn't seperate the two bikes good enough but with one bike that shouldn't be an issue.

[Tuckervill]

Other than getting wet in the rain, I've never had any kind of damage to my bike from the road. I've driven to New Mexico and Vermont from Arkansas with bikes on the back of my Beetle. I thought about a cover, too, but I figured that would cut into my gas mileage so bad that I just didn't pursue it.

Covering the drive train seems like a solution. If you're worried about the rims like someone else said, you could put a wheel cover on with a hole poked through it for the skewer, I guess?

Karen

[Fontinalis]

I bought a lightweight but relatively tough plastic transparent drop cloth for painters. Found that in the hardware store. It fits in my pocket when it is folded. But opened, it is immense, so I can sort of wrap my bike in it. A couple bungee cords, and off I go. I know that the chances of having scratches and all on a unprotected bike are slim, but when you just bought a brand new bike, you get a little irrational about it, don't you ? lol
So, for now it will have to do. Thanks for all the tips and tricks.

[tulip]

I put pipe insulation around the tubes to protect the paint for long trips. You can get it at home improvement stores for cheap, and tape it on.