Jim’s Tech Talk
By Jim Langley
So many of you commented on last week’s car racks story (thanks!), that I was reminded of another rack product I meant to mention. Plus, I spotted an unusual racking job the other day and want to share the photo and ask if you agree with my critique. So let’s keep the rack and traveling with bikes theme going.
First, a lot of you said you don’t use racks and instead bring your bikes inside your vehicle because of these advantages: that they are less likely to be stolen and can’t get crunched in a rear end collision. Plus they’re safe from the weather. Opinions varied on the best vehicle.
I was hoping someone would mention mine, a Volkswagen Westfalia Weekender (camper van). I know they’re older vans now and getting expensive on the used market. But they’re workhorses when it comes to taking bikes along. I’ve brought four friends and their bikes and gear to races, carried a tandem plus four bikes to a bike festival, and packed it full with bicycles and parts to set up at bike swap meets. You can even carry a disassembled bike in the sunken tray on the roof over the cab.
Here’s a family photo in Big Sur. Our van isn’t carrying any bikes here but the photo might give you an idea how spacious these Westys are – plus, with the pop-top they sleep four adults. But I understand that a vintage ride like this isn’t for everyone. And that you might want air conditioning; power steering and brakes; and air bags!
On covering bikes
One tip about carrying bikes inside a vehicle is to cover them up. In our van there are curtains all around. Closing them does a nice job of hiding what’s inside. I’ve had friends who left their bikes in the back of the cab on their pickup or back of a wagon, only to have someone break in and steal them. Maybe if they weren’t visible that wouldn’t have happened. You could also consider locking them inside the car to make it more difficult to take them and possibly discourage anyone thinking of breaking in.
That might be better than covering them up actually. Though a determined thief with the right equipment might not stop at anything. Still if you used the new locks that resist portable cutting tools, such as those from Hiplok and Abus and the thief realized how big a hassle it would be to get the bike, he’d probably look for something easier.
What do you think of this racking job?
Here’s the hitch rack with two bikes I saw the other day. My first concern is that the wheels protrude beyond the shadow of the car. It’s not by much, but still I wouldn’t feel comfortable with them exposed like that.
My main worry is that it appears that the majority of the weight of both bikes is directly on the down tubes of the bike frames. I’m sure just sitting on the rack won’t cause any problems. But, I think that on bumpy roads that the down tubes might get dented or worse. The other thing is that by laying the bikes next to each other in the same direction, the rear derailleur is close to the disc brake rotor. Bikes get jostled a lot on the back of oversize vans like this. I think those components are at risk.
I’ll be interested to hear what you think and if you disagree with me and think it’s fine please let me know.
The product I meant to mention last week
If you do use a rear rack, like I do most of the time on our RV and with our SUV (I use a Hollywood hitch rack), I think using a bike cover is a good idea. If you’re only taking a day trip and you know the weather will cooperate you don’t need one. But, on any longer trip, they’re great to have.
The one I’m using is a Formosa, which I reviewed in 2021 here: Formosa Dual Bike Cover for Hitch-Mount Bike Racks. Since then they’ve changed it a little so use this link if you’re interested in checking the new version out: https://formosacovers.com/collections/sports-outdoors-outdoors-bicycle-covers/products/lightweight-dual-bike-rack-cover-for-transport-fits-1-2-bikes-with-large-translucent-ends.
What I like about this cover is that it zips all around plus seals the hitch opening too. They also use a water resistant fabric. These features ensure that no matter how awful the roads are or how bad the weather becomes your bikes will be safe from it. For example, to get to the amazing ghost town that is Bodie, California https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509, you take a dirt road for 13 miles in and out. While the RV was covered in dust by the end, none of it made it onto our bikes.
The other thing about keeping bikes fully covered is there’s no easy way to know what type of bikes are underneath unless you unzip the cover or cut it to look inside. Like covering bikes inside a vehicle, the bike cover for the rack doesn’t stop thieves. But it might make them more likely to move on to bikes they can recognize as more desirable.
Lastly, because I gave the Formosa cover our highest rating, I’d like to share that it lasted three years, which is about 19,000 miles on the road. The cover itself was starting to get thin in a few places but the failure point was the zipper, which slowly separated and couldn’t be repaired. I actually think the cover performed really well, especially for the relatively low price. So I replaced it with a new one recently. If you have a cover you love, please tell us about it in a comment.
Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.
Hi,
This question is for STAN PURDUM.
Hi Stan,
This question might be a bit to specific to publish but if you could take a moment to answer it would be really appreciated. You mentioned in last week’s newsletter that you can fit two bikes in the back of your Bronco Sport. We have looked at the Bronco Sport for our new vehicle but could not see how to fit bikes standing up in it.
Would it be possible for you to send a picture of your setup, and what you had to do to make it possible?
Thanks in advance,
George
You have to buy an option rack for the inside called an Interior Bike Rack by Yakima, then you have to remove the front wheels, and then the forks connect to the crossbar.
Before you do Please look into how the Bronco hold when getting rear ended. Not good
It looks like the Winnebago in the picture has already been rear ended once. There’s a dent in the left rear door, and the ladder looks out of kilter. Don’t know if that impacts how the bikes are racked.
Do they make a ZIPPERED bike cover for recumbent road bikes?
It’s not just outside the car when a bike cover is useful as a theft deterrent.
I use a three-step process to carry my bike inside the hatchback
-I cover my bike with some black fabric I bought at the fabric store.
-Rear windows are tinted dark so bike covered with black fabric is nearly invisible.
-bike is locked with a quality u-lock and has a cable to a hard point attachment.
Would like a stronger cable, but it’s a pretty solid setup to hide & secure the bike.
I have a humble 2018 Honda Civic hatchback. I can easily fit either my 58 cm Canyon or my 60 cm De Rosa in the back without removing a wheel. I can also put my Catrike 700 in without removing a wheel or anything else. Another advantage is driving around getting 34-36 MPG in the suburbs whare I live. If the ride is farther away, I’ll get at least 40 MPG while my bike/trike is nestled safe & warm inside the car. I carry a blanket to cover them.
I loved our VW Westfalia for carrying capacity, camping for 2, and “out front” view, But our Toyota Sienna minivan is more comfortable, will carry several bikes inside, and (not least of all) safer..
A piece of pvc pipe strapped across to the rear overhead grab handles makes a good securing point for our dog’s leash/harness or fastening handlebars. We keep a selection of toe straps (remember those?) and twisty wire thingies to secure the bikes.
How about roof bike racks for road bikes? These are “roof” racks where you typically remove the front wheel and attach the front forks to the rack. I’ve seen where a nylon or plastic cover / bra is used to protect the bike from oncoming wind hitting the front of the bike straight on. Any experience with these? Also, are there full bike bags out there for transporting bikes on roof racks? I’m planning to use a roof bike rack to transport my road bike from SF Bay Area to northeastern Oregon in September. Wondering if this scenario is not recommended especially over longer distances. Thank you.
Thanks for the question Phil. I’ll write about roof racks next week. Please stay tuned!
Jim Langley
The only drawback to roof racks is low overhangs and trees. People have destroyed a good many bikes by forgetting the bike is on the roof and driving into the garage, or into a fast food place with those low-hanging bars, or the overhang at the fast food window, or hit tree branches, just to list a few. I personally would not own one.
A cover for security is not going to deter a thief. Even an opportunist will slice a window triangle to take a look at what it hides. If it’s well locked and locks are visible it might deter.
Keeping your pride and joy clean with dust and road salt spray protection must be worth it though.
I had looked into bike covers for driving through the Midwest in the winter, but I eliminated that option when I realized I would need also to add wired lights (rear & brake) on the bike cover. More expense and more work. (I eventually decided on carrying the bike inside my SUV.)
The other day I saw a woman who had a really ingenious way of holding her bike on her vehicle. I pointed it out to my wife, saying “That woman has a really impressive rack.”. She smacked me.
When I had Pick-up trucks, I always had hard shell over the cargo area I had a couple strips of wood that were just a little bit wider to guide the rear wheel towards the rear of the cap and to keep the the bike from floating side to side.
For the front, I had the front wheel removed and a wheel axle clamp to hold the bike upright, front of the bike facing to the rear. Easy to hold and direct the front fork to the clamp(never did like my bikes laying down).
I can’t figure out others that have their bikes clamped towards the front of the bed. you have to climb the bed to get to the front of the bed to clamp them and then jump back down, or you handle the bike from the side.
Nowadays I have an SUV that I removed the third row seats, 1 rear seat removed . I should have mentioned that I ride a recumbent today and adapted to currant circumstances .
Thanks for letting share
Have nice day
Does the Formosa cover work when only carrying 1 bike?
Thanks for the question Rick. The answer is that it works but it sure looks funny because it sags way down and you need to use the 2 extra long bungee cords to secure the loose fabric. But on my last trip to Texas and back to California that’s the way I used it with just one bike beneath.
Thanks,
Jim
Thanks for the great comments everyone!
Jim Langley
As a victim of two 4-car pileups, I am a little paranoid with tailgaters, esp. with the bike vulnerable. My factory 1.25″ hitch for my Outback offered the opportunity to add a simple red LED hitch light for more warning. I McIver’ed a second light’s mounting so it fits in my OneUp. I had to forgo OneUps security lock, but in most questionable situations I have a cable through the hitch safety chain loops, the rack and the bike. Both lights work in tail/stop mode, and one evens flashes when brakes and turn signal used. Covers and multiple bikes can reduce or obscure rear lights, Lots of add-ons out there.
Can provide two pics for illustrations if you let me know how…