How To Transport A Bike

Most people don’t spend the money on a bicycle just to ride it a few miles around where they live.

The majority of people enjoy taking their bikes on camping trips, vacations, or simply transporting to new bike paths or mountain areas on a longer drive some distance from home.

Having one or more sturdy bike racks for cars is the simplest and easiest way to transport a bike from one place to another safely and in great shape.

A bike rack is specially designed to hold your bike on the roof, the hitch, or the trunk of your car.

However, not everyone owns a bike rack for their automobile and there are a number of other ways you can transport a bike until you can afford a quality car rack.

You do need to keep in mind that bikes take up more room than it may seem like they would, so you need to ensure that however you transport your bike you have plenty of room for the bike to sit or lie and be secured.

Here are some bike transporting options that people have successfully used:

Carrying Kid’s Bikes In The Trunk Of Your Car

Many people carry those smaller kids bike’s in the trunk of their cars, especially if they only have one or two very small bikes to carry with them.

Unfortunately, carrying bike’s in the trunk of your car often results in wasted time if you have to remove the wheels.

And then there’s a lack of space for packaging other items, such as beach items and even luggage if you are planning on traveling a long distance.

But if your bike child’s bike can sit well in the boot of your car without having to dismantle any part of it, then this could be a viable option.

In The Back Of Your Van, SUV, Or Camper

Some people carry their bikes in the back of their vans, SUVs or campers.

Carrying bikes this way can work well as long as you secure your bike, and you are not carrying a lot of extra luggage and other items with you that need to go into the space that the bikes are taking up.

If you are used to traveling light, then this may be a good if not ideal way to transport your bike.

Use A Trailer

If you are taking a trailer either open or a closed utility type trailer on vacation or when traveling, then packing that bike into the trailer securely with other items that you are taking with you may be a way to transport those bikes to your destination.

When packing your bike in a trailer, you want to be sure that your bike is securely fastened so that it can’t bounce around which will result in damage to your bike that can be extremely costly.

In fact, if you are traveling with an open trailer, it is also a good idea to secure everything down and tie a tarp over the top to protect it from the weather and from being blown out of the trailer as you are going down the road.

Bed Of A Pickup

If you are just taking your bike a 100 miles or less from home and don’t have a rack for that bike but have a pick up truck, then securing your bike in the bed of your pick up can work well for those shorter trips.

While many people secure their bike in an upright position, if you have plenty of space in that truck bed, then it is best to secure it lying down.

This cuts down on the wind resistance and may result in less chance of securing ropes or bands snapping and you losing your bike on the road way.