Carrying the bike in the back of the car

[tzvia]

I used to have a Subaru wagon and ended up buying one of those plastic carpet savers for office chairs, and cutting it (don't ask, what a pita) to fit so that I could slide my bike in without it messing up the carpet. It worked well and was easy to wipe clean too. I think some companies make pre-molded plastic carpet savers for cars but they were more than I wanted to spend at the time. I would then cover it with a tarp to keep it hidden.

[Sky King]

On the locking the bike up in the car - yes, especially if it is sitting there all day. Our DS had his bike stolen out of the back of his pickup truck - he has a shell and it was locked but they forced the lock and took his bike...
Our bikes have fenders and racks. Due to fenders they won't fit in our bike rack so we load both bikes into the car - Our station wagon is more of a truck now than a car
we have given up on protecting the carpet but we do put a blanket between the bikes and we make sure nothing is rubbing the roof of the car and protect if it is. We also take our bandana's and wrap our leather saddles in case they are rubbing against anything - to protect the saddle.

[Pedal Wench]

"I have fork mounts attached to a piece of wood lying in the back of the Rav. Front wheel off, rear wheel rolls over wood and fork attaches to mount. Easy breezy, and takes less than a minute."

is there any way to attach the board to the seat-cleats in the floor in a van? I would like the bike to be more stable in case of quick stop.

fs

I used to worry about it, but the it really doesn't slide around too much. The board sits right behind the wheel wells, so it can't slide all the way forward. With two bikes, the weight also helps keep it from moving.

[Kubla]

I rarely use the rear seat in my Rav4 for passengers. It's folded flat most of the time between carrying the bike, a dog crate...or cargo from a trip to the grain store. I have a large, heavy-duty tarp in the back that protects the car material and easily shakes off any debris that may accumulate. It's worked out well for me.

[Pedal Wench]

Yup - bikes are upright, and once clamped by the fork, won't/can't tip over, unless the board with the fork mounts is tiny - one that goes across the lenght of the back is impossible to tip.

So, does this mean the bike is upright? If so, how do you keep it from falling over? I can see how the fork mount keeps the front of the bike from tipping, but what about the rear?

[thekarens]

Yup - bikes are upright, and once clamped by the fork, won't/can't tip over, unless the board with the fork mounts is tiny - one that goes across the lenght of the back is impossible to tip.

Thanks for pic. That's very helpful. We bought two fork mounts yesterday. When you take the bike out of the car do you just put it upside down on the ground to tl put the wheel back on?

[Pedal Wench]

Not at all. It's just the front wheel that's off. I take the wheel out first, lean against car. Wheel bike out, holding it up and then just slip the front wheel into the fork and tighten it down. Make sure you know how to properly use and tighten the quick release on your skewer - it's definitely worth having your bike shop guys or an experienced cyclist show you. (Like, make sure you need enough pressure on the quick release lever to leave a mark on your hand, and keep the lever pointing up - even with the fork - to prevent it from getting snagged on anything, and use the fork as leverage to pull the quick release closed - you want it to take some effort to close.)

video!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2k8TrqeS-E

[thekarens]

Not at all. It's just the front wheel that's off. I take the wheel out first, lean against car. Wheel bike out, holding it up and then just slip the front wheel into the fork and tighten it down. Make sure you know how to properly use and tighten the quick release on your skewer - it's definitely worth having your bike shop guys or an experienced cyclist show you. (Like, make sure you need enough pressure on the quick release lever to leave a mark on your hand, and keep the lever pointing up - even with the fork - to prevent it from getting snagged on anything, and use the fork as leverage to pull the quick release closed - you want it to take some effort to close.)

video!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2k8TrqeS-E

It's funny, when we bought the fork mounts yesterday the guy actually took a set out and showed us how to use them on a bike they had in the shop including opening the brakes, taking the wheel off and putting it back on. The knowledge came in handy because when I ate dirt today my front brake came undone. It was nice to know how to put it back together properly.

I appreciate the video. I have no doubt I'll refer back to it the first couple of times.

[Pedal Wench]

Hate to be a nudge/mother hen, but if you're not sure how to put on the front wheel, I'm guessing you're not sure about changing a flat either. That's something everyone should know before they go out. Back to the bike shop and have them show you how to do that too - knowledge is definitely massively powerful!