Bike Transport Issue



Status
Not open for further replies.
G

Glaucman

Guest
My family and I make an annual trip to Seaside Fla. and last year I took a bike on the roof rack
(Thule) of my sedan. From my home in Tennessee it is an 8 hour drive. Having a bike makes all the
difference on these trips because where we stay is near an excellent road that is good for a 37 mile
ride at sunrise. I'm concerned about taking my bike through what can be a potientially be a rainy
high speed wash on the roof of my car. However the thought of being there without a bike is
disturbing. What do you folks do regarding this issue.

Thanks in advance,

Henry
 
Put it in a bike suitcase. Thule, Yakima, Performance has them...

--
- Zilla (Remove XSPAM)

"GlaucMan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My family and I make an annual trip to Seaside Fla. and last year I took a bike on the roof rack
> (Thule) of my sedan. From my home in Tennessee it is an 8 hour drive. Having a bike makes all the
> difference on these trips because where we stay is near an excellent road that is good for a 37
> mile ride at sunrise. I'm concerned about taking my bike through what can be a potientially be a
> rainy high speed wash on the roof of my car. However the thought of being there without a bike is
> disturbing. What do you folks do regarding this issue.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Henry
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>
>
>My family and I make an annual trip to Seaside Fla. and last year I took a bike on the roof rack
>(Thule) of my sedan. From my home in Tennessee it is an 8 hour drive. Having a bike makes all the
>difference on these trips because where we stay is near an excellent road that is good for a 37
>mile ride at sunrise. I'm concerned about taking my bike through what can be a potientially be a
>rainy high speed wash on the roof of my car. However the thought of being there without a bike is
>disturbing. What do you folks do regarding this issue.

Throw it in the trunk or back seat.
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)
 
I find that having bikes on the outside takes about 5 mpg off of my mileage, not to mention the
theft fear when you stop for meals, or the need to remove the bikes if you stay overnight enroute.

My solution when just my wife are I are traveling: I have a Chrysler 300M with a back seat which
folds forward. The bikes fit in just fine with the front wheel removed -- no problem with QR axles.
When putting two bikes in the car, I also remove the pedals, and put foam pads between them -- some
inexpensive sleeping bag pads from Kmart work just fine. However, this means that only the two front
seats are available for use.

GlaucMan wrote:
> My family and I make an annual trip to Seaside Fla. and last year I took a bike on the roof rack
> (Thule) of my sedan. From my home in Tennessee it is an 8 hour drive. Having a bike makes all the
> difference on these trips because where we stay is near an excellent road that is good for a 37
> mile ride at sunrise. I'm concerned about taking my bike through what can be a potientially be a
> rainy high speed wash on the roof of my car. However the thought of being there without a bike is
> disturbing. What do you folks do regarding this issue.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Henry

--
Cheers! OliverS When replying personally, remove "_removespam_"

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race." HG Wells
 
I am having the same dilemma. I have always transported my bike in the back of a pickup which kept
it well protected, however I am now without a truck. I have never liked those external bike racks
that seem to offer little protection from the elements. I was thinking of maybe a small trailer with
sides for transport. Does anyone know of a good bicycle trailer? Does anyone use a trailer for
transport? How about a website?

Thanks, Michael

On Sun, 26 Jan 2003, OliverS wrote:

> I find that having bikes on the outside takes about 5 mpg off of my mileage, not to mention the
> theft fear when you stop for meals, or the need to remove the bikes if you stay overnight enroute.
>
> My solution when just my wife are I are traveling: I have a Chrysler 300M with a back seat which
> folds forward. The bikes fit in just fine with the front wheel removed -- no problem with QR
> axles. When putting two bikes in the car, I also remove the pedals, and put foam pads between them
> -- some inexpensive sleeping bag pads from Kmart work just fine. However, this means that only the
> two front seats are available for use.
>
> GlaucMan wrote:
> > My family and I make an annual trip to Seaside Fla. and last year I took a bike on the roof rack
> > (Thule) of my sedan. From my home in Tennessee it is an 8 hour drive. Having a bike makes all
> > the difference on these trips because where we stay is near an excellent road that is good for a
> > 37 mile ride at sunrise. I'm concerned about taking my bike through what can be a potientially
> > be a rainy high speed wash on the roof of my car. However the thought of being there without a
> > bike is disturbing. What do you folks do regarding this issue.
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> >
> > Henry
>
>
> --
> Cheers! OliverS When replying personally, remove "_removespam_"
>
> "When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race." HG Wells
 
I can fit my bike in the trunk of my car, with both wheels off. Protected from the elements and
minimal risk for theft. That doesn't work so well with luggage competing for the space, however. I
have a folding bike for those times. My folder (a riese und mueller Birdy) is a decent enough bike
but not exactly a high performance ride. It's fine for casual rides up to 20-22 mph, but I couldn't
race on it or even do a hard club ride.

If I travelled a lot by car and wanted to have a "high-performance" bike with me on my travels, I'd
get a Bike Friday. A good friend of mine raced his all over the country to keep in shape while
travelling for work.
 
Michael James Anderson wrote:
> I am having the same dilemma. I have always transported my bike in the back of a pickup which kept
> it well protected, however I am now without a truck. I have never liked those external bike racks
> that seem to offer little protection from the elements. I was thinking of maybe a small trailer
> with sides for transport. Does anyone know of a good bicycle trailer? Does anyone use a trailer
> for transport? How about a website?

Try this previous thread on r.b.t.: http://tinyurl.com/51x3. They look like they might protect a
bike from some of the general yuckiness associated with riding on a car.

I've never owned one, but a member of my club has a similar device on his station wagon. For short
trips, he doesn't even attach the back wheel -- just hang it from the front fork.

Dave dvt at psu dot edu
 
RE/
>I am having the same dilemma. I have always transported my bike in the back of a pickup which kept
>it well protected, however I am now without a truck. I have never liked those external bike racks
>that seem to offer little protection from the elements. I was thinking of maybe a small trailer
>with sides for transport. Does anyone know of a good bicycle trailer? Does anyone use a trailer for
>transport? How about a website?

I just got a frame made up with the S*R couplings.

With wheels off and frame broken down it fits in some pretty modest spaces.

If you have an old steel frame, the couplings can be retrofitted.
-----------------------
Pete Cresswell
 
Status
Not open for further replies.