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How Do You Transport Your Bike?

How do you transport your bike?

  • Roof Trays

    Votes: 11 27.5%
  • Hitch Mount

    Votes: 19 47.5%
  • Strap Rack

    Votes: 3 7.5%
  • In vehicle (bed, trunk, cargo area)

    Votes: 23 57.5%
  • Other

    Votes: 1 2.5%

  • Total voters
    40

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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Reno, eNVy
There are many types of racks, roof, hitch and strap ons. What do you use and how do you get yout bike to the trail head or to where you might be going for your group ride? All have their pluses and minuses. With vehicles getting bigger and more utilitarian, are you still putting them on trays on roof? Can you still reach the roof? If you have a truck/wagon/SUV are you putting your bike in the back? Trailer hitch mounts have many more choices now a days too. Strap on racks are still around but with some composite tailgates & trunks these less expensive alternatives are being less and less of an option.
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
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The Bull City
Depends on how many bikes, how far, and # of passengers and other gear.
 

AmyPJ

Skiing the powder
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I picked up a Iow-end Yakima hitch mount rack last summer for $100 used. It's not the greatest, but it does the trick. I do look forward to ski season so I can take it off and access the back of my CX-5 more easily ;) (Well, I look forward to ski season for way better reasons than this, but...)
 

crgildart

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The Bull City
Ya, if I had a hitch, the hitch mount looks like the best all around way to go. Every time I get behind a vehicle with one I think.. ":If we biked fairly often I'd add a hitch just so we could use one of those things.."
 
Last edited:

scott43

So much better than a pro
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Nov 12, 2015
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Great White North
I usually throw it in the trunk/hatch if it's a one day ride. If I'm travelling and don't have space for the bike I have a hitch rack. Works well. I prefer bikes on the roof generally with the wheel off but that's more work.
 

GregMerz

Booting up
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
38
Location
Twin Cities
I use both a hitch mount, Yakima Hold-up is the product (pictured below) and an "in the bed" rack that I built out of PVC in my truck. I've had the hitch rack for three years now and surprisingly the bikes are not really impacted by road spray on wet days.

2012-09-11_1643.jpg
 

Erik Timmerman

So much better than a pro
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Nov 12, 2015
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6,304
I use roof mount, both wheels on. It's astonishing how bad it kills the mileage though. I also have a 4-biek Kuat for the wife's car which is nice for longer trips. If you could put that on an allroad I'd seriously consider trading my S4.
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
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When(IF) we have the Yukon on the road, we can easily put both bikes in the back and not have to mess with the rack, but since we've been putting the Yukon on storage insurance during the summer months(going on 3rd summer doing this), we take the Jetta with the hitch rack.
 

ErikL

AKA Bro12
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Joined
Jan 6, 2016
Posts
214
Location
Reno, NV
I ride it to where I need to go. :) But if riding is out of the question, I just throw it in the back of the car. GMC Safari, a bike fits easily with the first bench seat installed. If I want to move multiple bikes without taking wheels off, they'll all fit if I uninstall the bench seat and flip it flat against the front bucket seats.
 

cantunamunch

Meh
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Nov 17, 2015
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Behavioral sink
None of you use the Rental Car System (RCS)? AKA 'How to shift a 58cm bike in a Yaris with no rack'*?

1) Open passenger door
2) Passenger seat fully reclined
2) front wheel off
3) hold bike upside down, back wheel towards passenger door, chain away from you
4) bring bike into car, turning so that chain is upwards
5) turn handlebars to clear shift lever and adjust so fork ends do not slam into door (may require services of folded up newspaper)

*We** managed a 61cm but the seatpost and bars had to come off
**Passenger rides behind driver
 

AmyPJ

Skiing the powder
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Nov 12, 2015
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Location
Ogden, UT
None of you use the Rental Car System (RCS)? AKA 'How to shift a 58cm bike in a Yaris with no rack'*?

1) Open passenger door
2) Passenger seat fully reclined
2) front wheel off
3) hold bike upside down, back wheel towards passenger door, chain away from you
4) bring bike into car, turning so that chain is upwards
5) turn handlebars to clear shift lever and adjust so fork ends do not slam into door (may require services of folded up newspaper)

*We** managed a 61cm but the seatpost and bars had to come off
**Passenger rides behind driver
Pictures?
 

bbinder

Making fresh tracks
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Nov 12, 2015
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2,224
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Massachusetts
I would love a hitch mount, but I have no hitch.
 

skibob

Skiing the powder
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Joined
Jan 5, 2016
Posts
4,268
Location
Santa Rosa Fire Belt
I've got one like GregMerz, but with the extension piece that you can add to make it carry 4 bikes. Works great, but does get the weight pretty far back. So if you have the cargo area also heavily loaded, you can get a little bit of a wheelie effect.
 

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