marshmella
Guru
- Location
- Telford, Shropshire
Ok thanks for clearing that up
Your car as transport
- Thread starter Joey Shabadoo
- Start date
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slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
Take the front wheel off and put bike in rear footwell
or
put it in the van unmolested
or
put it in the van unmolested
From a safety and ease perspective, a tow bar carrier is the best option.
Roof racks are the second most secure - but a pain to load if you have a heavy bike and are less than 6foot tall!
Rear mounted carriers vary, the cheaper ones rely on two secure mounting points under the car -not the bumper!! - lots of cars don't actually have metal fix points you can use.
Taking off wheels and folding down seats is the cheapest option, but limits your ability to take passengers.
With car mounted carriers you have to factor in the weight of the bikes against the capacity of the carrier and also of the car.
Personally we've done wheels off /seats down but it's a pain, especially when your bikes are dirty at the end.
We can't successfully mount a rear carrier without marking the car, and we're too short for a roof rack. We can't afford a tow bar, so we ride our bikes to where we're going or take them by train.
Roof racks are the second most secure - but a pain to load if you have a heavy bike and are less than 6foot tall!
Rear mounted carriers vary, the cheaper ones rely on two secure mounting points under the car -not the bumper!! - lots of cars don't actually have metal fix points you can use.
Taking off wheels and folding down seats is the cheapest option, but limits your ability to take passengers.
With car mounted carriers you have to factor in the weight of the bikes against the capacity of the carrier and also of the car.
Personally we've done wheels off /seats down but it's a pain, especially when your bikes are dirty at the end.
We can't successfully mount a rear carrier without marking the car, and we're too short for a roof rack. We can't afford a tow bar, so we ride our bikes to where we're going or take them by train.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
This is what I'm hoping to emulate this week, screws on to the 2 x rear towing points.
If I don't put my bike in the car it goes on the roof on Thule 591 and some older versions. I've always opted for this method. I can get 4 bikes on or two bikes and a long roofbox. I would consider a tow bar system but it works out much more expensive and I'm always slightly concerned, probably unreasonably so, that any gentle rear end shunt will write off a bike or two and from years of driving high vehicles, I have no issues remembering my bikes are on top. Also there is a technique for putting them on, which works even for those of us not 6ft.
youngoldbloke
The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
Enlighten us please. I have to use a folding stool, or chair if available, if I have to use a Thule roof carrier.
firstly, open the backdoor. Undo the wheel straps and slot them out the way (591 has loops for this). Roughly position the holding arm (591). Lift up bike above head and slot wheels into wheel holders with bike between horizontal and vertical. Hold with one arm and use the other to hold the car as you step up onto the rear footwell. Once steady, push the bike up into the vertical and place in loading arm. If you want, you can just rest the wheels next to the carrier on the roof before stepping up. I generally do that when I'm taking them down. Towels can be used if you're worried about marking the roof.
PaulSB
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
My bike goes in the back of the car. My preferred option for outside is a tow bar mounted rack which we had when the kids were young.
A Renault Espace with roof box, one bike on the roof as well and four on a rack on the back was quite a sight!!!
A Renault Espace with roof box, one bike on the roof as well and four on a rack on the back was quite a sight!!!
- Location
- Manchester
It depends why you are transporting your bike by car.
I've taken mine inside with the back seat down and the front wheel off. I've done this many times when it's just me in the car, for getting to events or to the bike shop, but I need help to lift it in and out. I collected various cushions and towels to put under the mudguards, over the chain, stop movement etc. The bike stayed protected from the weather too.
We've just brought my bike on holiday with us for the first time, on a rear mounted cycle carrier. Attaching the carrier and then the bike took longer than taking the wheel off and putting the rear seat down. But we could still bring all our usual luggage with us.
I've taken mine inside with the back seat down and the front wheel off. I've done this many times when it's just me in the car, for getting to events or to the bike shop, but I need help to lift it in and out. I collected various cushions and towels to put under the mudguards, over the chain, stop movement etc. The bike stayed protected from the weather too.
We've just brought my bike on holiday with us for the first time, on a rear mounted cycle carrier. Attaching the carrier and then the bike took longer than taking the wheel off and putting the rear seat down. But we could still bring all our usual luggage with us.
KneesUp
Guru
I’ve had the kids bike in a roof bag. I’ve had 3 and 4 bikes on rear row bar carriers. I’ve had 2 on a strap on carrier on a hire car. And as a kid my dad used to put them flat on a normal roof rack with the pedals off. Tow bar is the best option in my opinion but a of the above worked.
derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
Inside the car. Much safer. Normally throw a sheet over them to keep them covered. Then i can park anywhere and not have to worry.
Richard A Thackeray
Legendary Member
I've used all three external racks at various points, over the years
Granted, I've not used any of them for about 15 years, so fittings may have got better
Whilst a 'strap-on' rack is easy (if the cars rear allows fitment), they're not the most secure & can slacken off, and sway about
Roof-racks can be a stretch, particularly if you're a short-ass (I'm only about 5'9"), or it's a tall car..... MPV, etc...
We had a (manky, nasty) Ford C-Max, before getting the (sensible, logical, economical) Octavia estate, & that was a pain getting the bike (when it went up there) onto it, as was filling a roofbox
Plus, there's the weight of the bike to consider, that you're trying to lift to shoulder/head height
What may be forgotten about, if it's a MTB/CX bike that's going on the roof is the soil/grit/mud that will fall off it
Some soils may be more acidic than others, & attack the paint, or the same detritus will blow in slipstream/wash there if it's wet, into the rear hatch surroundings & can damage the rubber seal
Yes, you need a tow-bar, & 12N electrics (or maybe a 13-pin socket nowadays), but you can also use a trailer if you need to (cheaper than hiring a skip!!)
- bike's out of the way (fuel economy/'wind noise')
- car-park height barriers aren't a problem
- bike's are visible, at all times, through rear-view mirrors
- modern light-units (LEDs) may be offered, by rack manufacturers (ie; Pendle) or can be added, as can forward facing marker-lights (if you want them??)
I had another couple of racks after this, but don't believe I have photos, this dates back quite a way, as that's a 1989 Marin Pine Mountain (which was px'd in late 1990/early 1991 for an RC100!)
The other factor is what type of ball your car has
A 'Swan-Neck' will require a totally different fitting to a two-bolt (if a 'clamp-on', to the ball, it may need degreasing, to stop movement)
Mine were all two-bolters, one even had a wide enough mounting plate to act as a mount for the 12N & 12S sockets
I even had a Bedford Rascal at one point, that acted as a bike-carrier, and a mobile changing-room
Scary as hell, on the m-way though, when a National Express coach overtook, or on a diesel covered roundabout
NB; even a 'strap-on' rack may obscure the lights, & registration plate, so may need a lighting board
Edit @ 17:15
If it really boils down to it, here. the car we bought for daughter has fittings for a 'built-in' carrier, if I remember the TV adverts correctly
However it does appear that it was a factory fit option
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/vauxhall/adam/59804/vauxhall-adam-gets-flexfix-bike-carrier
Granted, I've not used any of them for about 15 years, so fittings may have got better
Whilst a 'strap-on' rack is easy (if the cars rear allows fitment), they're not the most secure & can slacken off, and sway about
Roof-racks can be a stretch, particularly if you're a short-ass (I'm only about 5'9"), or it's a tall car..... MPV, etc...
We had a (manky, nasty) Ford C-Max, before getting the (sensible, logical, economical) Octavia estate, & that was a pain getting the bike (when it went up there) onto it, as was filling a roofbox
Plus, there's the weight of the bike to consider, that you're trying to lift to shoulder/head height
What may be forgotten about, if it's a MTB/CX bike that's going on the roof is the soil/grit/mud that will fall off it
Some soils may be more acidic than others, & attack the paint, or the same detritus will blow in slipstream/wash there if it's wet, into the rear hatch surroundings & can damage the rubber seal
Yes, you need a tow-bar, & 12N electrics (or maybe a 13-pin socket nowadays), but you can also use a trailer if you need to (cheaper than hiring a skip!!)
- bike's out of the way (fuel economy/'wind noise')
- car-park height barriers aren't a problem
- bike's are visible, at all times, through rear-view mirrors
- modern light-units (LEDs) may be offered, by rack manufacturers (ie; Pendle) or can be added, as can forward facing marker-lights (if you want them??)
I had another couple of racks after this, but don't believe I have photos, this dates back quite a way, as that's a 1989 Marin Pine Mountain (which was px'd in late 1990/early 1991 for an RC100!)
The other factor is what type of ball your car has
A 'Swan-Neck' will require a totally different fitting to a two-bolt (if a 'clamp-on', to the ball, it may need degreasing, to stop movement)
Mine were all two-bolters, one even had a wide enough mounting plate to act as a mount for the 12N & 12S sockets
I even had a Bedford Rascal at one point, that acted as a bike-carrier, and a mobile changing-room
Scary as hell, on the m-way though, when a National Express coach overtook, or on a diesel covered roundabout
NB; even a 'strap-on' rack may obscure the lights, & registration plate, so may need a lighting board
Edit @ 17:15
If it really boils down to it, here. the car we bought for daughter has fittings for a 'built-in' carrier, if I remember the TV adverts correctly
However it does appear that it was a factory fit option
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/vauxhall/adam/59804/vauxhall-adam-gets-flexfix-bike-carrier
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Tin Pot
Guru
As per the other thread, I either dismantle it into the Boxster (wheels in frunk, frame in trunfk) or whole bike in wife’s car., but always entirely within a vehicle.
The only time my bike is outdoors is when I’m sitting on it, unless I have absolutely no option. Rear tailgate or roof rack would be like being water boarded for me.
The only time my bike is outdoors is when I’m sitting on it, unless I have absolutely no option. Rear tailgate or roof rack would be like being water boarded for me.
Biker Joe
Über Member
- Location
- Nr Harlow, Essex.
My bike goes into the boot of my Ford Fiesta with the back seats pushed forward. I have to take the bike's front wheel off but it is quick and easy to reassemble.
Salty seadog
Space Cadet...(3rd Class...)
It irks me if I need to have more than 1 other person in the car as I then have to produce a rear seat for them as mine are permanently down. I put my bike in the car 4 fit as they are, the whyte mtb I have to take wheels off at least the front.
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