# Transporting a bike in an SUV???



## wheedler123 (May 18, 2004)

What options does one have to transport a road bike with a SUV? I don't like the idea of an exterior hitch and rather utilize my cargo space inside my Jeep. Any suggestions? What kind of internal latches or hooks are available or recommended?


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

wheedler123 said:


> What options does one have to transport a road bike with a SUV? I don't like the idea of an exterior hitch and rather utilize my cargo space inside my Jeep. Any suggestions? What kind of internal latches or hooks are available or recommended?


I took a piece of 3/4" board and attached a fork mount bought from my LBS. I then took an old fork and drilled a hole in the board and mounted the fork upside down glued in place with JB Weld. The frame and front wheel are secured. It works like a charm... total cost is about $25.00...

I'm driving a Mitsubishi Endeavor and my 51cm bike fits perfect. If I were taller, the saddle would hit the roof


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## djg (Nov 27, 2001)

*One bike?*



wheedler123 said:


> What options does one have to transport a road bike with a SUV? I don't like the idea of an exterior hitch and rather utilize my cargo space inside my Jeep. Any suggestions? What kind of internal latches or hooks are available or recommended?


If it's just one bike . . . well, not to be facetious but can't you just pop off the front wheel and stick the thing in the back? It's not clear why you'd need special straps or hooks.

Don't have an SUV myself, but I've been able to get one road bike inside the last two sedans I've had without any hassles and I cannot imagine that an SUV would do worse. Two ought to be reasonably easy--especially if you take both wheels off (maybe an old towel in between them).


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## T-Doc (Apr 4, 2002)

*Fork trap mounted to board.*



wheedler123 said:


> What options does one have to transport a road bike with a SUV? I don't like the idea of an exterior hitch and rather utilize my cargo space inside my Jeep. Any suggestions? What kind of internal latches or hooks are available or recommended?


Can make one yourself or buy the fancy model. 
http://www.rackattack.com/exdsaris-TRK14.asp?id=1018


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## Allez Rouge (Jan 1, 1970)

*It doesn't have to be rocket science.*

Dave beat me to one thing I can going to say, which is that unless you ride a smallish frame, your bike may not fit standing up. As large as SUVs appear on the outside, many are surprisingly tight on space inside, especially vertically.

And djg beat me to the other thing, which is that removing the front wheel and placing the bike in however it fits best is probably all you need to do. You may need a couple of towels or similar to place at strategic points between the vehicle's interior and the bike (you don't want to risk those nasty plastic car parts scratching up your gruppo!).


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## Thorn Bait (Feb 3, 2004)

That's what I was wondering...


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

*standing up*



djg said:


> If it's just one bike . . . well, not to be facetious but can't you just pop off the front wheel and stick the thing in the back? It's not clear why you'd need special straps or hooks.


I've done that before lots of times (just threw it in), and had chainring tattoos all over the back of the car. I also had gouging from the large chainring teeth, and if you remove the rear wheel, you worry about the rear derailleur getting banged up. 

If you make a "rack" that the forks attach to, you can put several standing up side by side, with no worries about them bashing each other up. If too tall, might have to pull out the seatpost (or push it down, but that can scar up the seatpost).


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## wheedler123 (May 18, 2004)

I have been taking off the front wheel of my bike and can stand it upright, but I have to place a heavy large object against the side of the bike so it doesn't fall over and I have to block the window so that the handle bar doesn bang into the window. That's why I am looking for some sort of bike rack for inside the cargo area. THANKS FOR THAT LINK! Any other models available?


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

wheedler123 said:


> I have been taking off the front wheel of my bike and can stand it upright, but I have to place a heavy large object against the side of the bike so it doesn't fall over and I have to block the window so that the handle bar doesn bang into the window. That's why I am looking for some sort of bike rack for inside the cargo area. THANKS FOR THAT LINK! Any other models available?


Saturn sells an interior bike rack that should fit in any SUV: http://www.saturnaccessories.com/sf6/vue_interior_bike_rack.aspx

I have it, but I only use it when I need to transport two bikes. Really, it's just a much fancier version of bolting fork mounts to a block of wood. It has straps to tie it to the cargo area, but I never use them. Seat height can definitely be a problem. 

If I only have one bike, I just toss it in without the rack. I don't have to remove any wheels, either.


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## Cory (Jan 29, 2004)

*Not much utility in that sport-ute?*

I love it! I can carry a 64cm Atlantis in the back of a Honda Civic, and you can't get your bike in an SUV the size of my first apartment?
Actually everybody else has pretty well covered this: Fold down the back seat, take the wheels off the bike and jam it in there. If you need the back seat for something else, you'll have to work out an alternate solution.


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## Mel Erickson (Feb 3, 2004)

You can mitigate the seat height issue by mounting the traps at a 45 degree angle. When you mount the fork in the trap the bike tilts to the side, giving you a bit more clearance vertically. You won't get alot but it might just be enough. Rhode Gear sells this http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22692&item=3680341830&rd=1 You can also get Rhode Gear traps on Ebay for $5 each http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=22692&item=3680817949&rd=1. I got 4 and made a rack for my pickup.


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## stratoshark (Feb 2, 2004)

*upside down*

All good ideas above. I have a tall frame and have done this in SUVs and rental vans: removed both wheels and placed bike upside down on the cargo floor. Used a Pedro's Chain Keeper (or can make one from an old hub/quick release) to secure the chain. Secured the frame with bungees, tie-downs, etc. Can also place luggage and other soft stuff around the bike for stability/cushioning. Like was previously said, biggest weakness is the rear derailleur and hanger with this idea.


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## T-Doc (Apr 4, 2002)

*I agree...*



Cory said:


> I love it! I can carry a 64cm Atlantis in the back of a Honda Civic, and you can't get your bike in an SUV the size of my first apartment?
> Actually everybody else has pretty well covered this: Fold down the back seat, take the wheels off the bike and jam it in there. If you need the back seat for something else, you'll have to work out an alternate solution.


I have a suburban which is nice for transporting the tandem, but totally unnecessary for my road bike...I see lots of people take off one or both wheels and nicely stow the bike in the trunk of even small sedans, wrapping it in protective towels or old blankets.


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## Turtleherder (Feb 3, 2004)

*2 x 4's and fork locks.*

I used two 2 x 4's and two fork locks to hold two bikes for my SUV. I cut and screwed together the boards so as to make a capital "I", put the fork locks on either end on opposite sides of the horizontal parts of the "I". This way you can carry the two bikes side by side with a width of only about one foot of space.


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2004)

Personally, I Use a Yakima rack and can carry five bikes on the roof.

No Problems.


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## innergel (Jun 14, 2002)

*It's easy*



wheedler123 said:


> What options does one have to transport a road bike with a SUV? I don't like the idea of an exterior hitch and rather utilize my cargo space inside my Jeep. Any suggestions? What kind of internal latches or hooks are available or recommended?


Fold the back seat down, place bike into back cargo hold with the drive side facing up. No strapping necessary. If you are really anal retentive, you can buy a removeable cargo liner and maybe wrap the cassette and rear der. with a towel. I have a 63cm frame so the fork mount bracket does not work for me. 

Come on dude. It's a truck and it's made for hauling stuff around. It may be a really nice truck, but it's still a truck


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## nembamike (May 28, 2004)

*another idea*

I have a mini-van and had great luck with my thule rack. I took an old load bar and cut it
down to about 2 feet or so in length (the wider the bar the more stable) with my hacksaw. Then I attached the front of the tray to it and throw it in the back. Bike mounts by the front fork and the back wheel just lays in the tray like normal except it is not strapped down. Bike is very secure and fits perfectly inside. I did take the 3rd seat out for more room but bike fit inside with it in or out. Good luck.

Mike


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## lange79 (Mar 28, 2004)

*This is what i did with my Xterra...*

I have my road bike in my SUV 90% of the time ... the stock Xterra rack costs $199 and it only works for mtb, this was $20 and it can go either way.

<img border="0" src="https://www.nathanlange.com/webgallery/albums/userpics/rides/Xterra/normal_rbike.JPG">


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## TypeOne (Dec 28, 2001)

wheedler123 said:


> What options does one have to transport a road bike with a SUV? I don't like the idea of an exterior hitch and rather utilize my cargo space inside my Jeep. Any suggestions? What kind of internal latches or hooks are available or recommended?


I broke down and my wife and I bought the VW Toureg. Not quite a big road hog, yet still has the lousy gas mileage. (I'm pretty anti-SUV, but that's a different story, different RBR thread.) My wife's argument was that with a larger car we wouldn't need a Yakima rack. I should have checked up on that. I dropped it off for a free routine checkup at the dealership a month ago and rode back on my bike to pick it up at the end of the day. To my surprise, we bought what must be the only SUV on the market that can't fit a road bike (even without the front wheel) comfortably. I stood in the parking lot trying to angle the bike in, all the while some prospective buyers were watching me get frustrated. Rather than drop the seats (I have a baby carseat that takes forever to install) I had to take both wheels off and cover the side panels with a blanket. I don't think the salesman made the sale.


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## SOP_E (Feb 19, 2004)

*No Problems here....*

Shamelessly, nothing to contribute other than to gloat about my vehicle. As my forum name suggests, I have one of those loud Orange Honda Elements. Sometimes I wish I had a real car, like when I arrive to work and both my CFO and CEO are getting out of their German sedans.  
However, I CAN stand up my bike with front wheel attached!!!

I considered the fork mount and 2"x4" board approach, but someone here recommended just raising the jump seat and bungy cording the bike in place. To my suprise, this has worked perfectly. I didn't even bother with the bungy cord, although I should.

My Element may be the ugly duckling of the SUV world(won't count the Aztrek, b/c am not sure I'd even count that as an SUV), but its like driving a mini-cargo van with better gas mileage. 

I'd suggest the fork mount solution as this seems most reasonable and cost effective. Besides for the cost of a decent hitch mount bike rack, including the cost of a trailer hitch, you could obtain a decent set of wheels, upgrade your groupo, new helmet and saddle, latest team kit(a la Fred), or get a coach for your summer season!!!!

Best of Luck!



wheedler123 said:


> What options does one have to transport a road bike with a SUV? I don't like the idea of an exterior hitch and rather utilize my cargo space inside my Jeep. Any suggestions? What kind of internal latches or hooks are available or recommended?


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## Thommy (Sep 23, 2003)

*Carrier Options*



wheedler123 said:


> What options does one have to transport a road bike with a SUV? I don't like the idea of an exterior hitch and rather utilize my cargo space inside my Jeep. Any suggestions? What kind of internal latches or hooks are available or recommended?


Have you ever heard of Saris Bike racks??? They work pretty good and are multi-positionable. I love mine; this particular one holds two bikes. I used to own a small pick-up that I used to throw my bikes into. After a while I got tired of the bikes sliding around so I took a peice of 4x4 and cut it to fit inside the bed parallel to the back of the cab. I mounted a couple of quick-release anchors (don't know the technical name) onto the 4x4 and used this to transport my bikes to and fro (usually mtn, biking). I used an old toe-strap to hold the front wheel next to the frame while the bikes were in place. The little anchor doo-dads are sold at Performance and I'm sure other places. Don't mount them to the upper front portion of your truck bed unless you plan to chemically treat the bed around the holes you will need to drill for mounting, they will rust after time and you won't see it until it's too late. I'm an ex-painter, so metal prep is wayyy important. Besides, cars and trucks cost too much today. Better to spend your hard earned green on bikes and bike related acessories! Hank Hill would be so proud. Have a great day!


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