Show me your… in car bike racks!

Having recently had two bike nicked off the back of the car (don’t need any more ‘advice’ about that thanks…) I am keen to get organised with an in-car rack system.

Looking to transport 2 large size enduro rigs. I have in mind 2 fork mounts attached to a piece of wood but I’m keen to see if anybody has come up with a nice homebrew solution.

Hopefully this will work in a large estate car but would like to see any ideas folk have for any car (not vans at the moment, not sure I want to go that big).

Also, being out with the bikes a lot I don’t want to be taking both wheels off of two bikes and sliding the in upside down, or laying them on top of each other every time!

Edit: I currently have a Mk2.5 Focus estate, although I will be considering changing that. I can get a bike in, with front wheel off and the bike sitting somewhat diagonal. Have yet to experiment with 2 bikes.

Cheers folks.

I have a vectra estate and it’s massive. Despite that there is not the height to accommodate my bikes upright.

It’s a front wheel off and lay the bikes down job.

What are you driving and what height have you got to play with?

I would check that you have enough height to fit the bikes with the seat dropped/post removed before getting too far down the planning stage – depending on bike/car it can be tricky getting them in upright.

aftet that look for pick up bike mounting solutions – there’s usually a bar across the floor and a fork clamp. Personally, I’d want to secure the frame too (maybe a standard roof bar mount that you can slide in and out with the bike attached) as the whole bike pivoting agsinat the dropouts the whole time would make me worry about bush etc wear because it’s not what they’re designed for.

My Brother-in-Law has one fitted in his Skoda – seems a good one that clamps his forks in place, but its for his road bikes. Not sure if they can cope with through axles and he still has to take the seatpost out.

Go onto the Skoda website for pictures. Looks like it could fit other cars.

Have added an edit to the original post, but will repeat here:

Current car is a mk2.5 focus estate. I will (already have?) consider(ed) changing that to accommodate a rack solution more easily.

I can get a bike in, with front wheel off and the bike sitting somewhat diagonal. Have yet to experiment with 2 bikes.

I had one, well 2 as it happens years ago in a Renault scenic it was made by Renault. You clipped out the seats in the back and the mounts just clicked in. And then you removed the front wheel and locked the forks into the qr bracket.and slid the wheels down the side
Mine fit perfectly but my mate had to put his saddle down to clear the roof
It was an xl spesh endure or somesuch thing. Great bit of kit sadly no pics tho

I now have a berlingo which is ace 😉

Seasucker mounts attached to the floor

Sea sucker side by boardinbob[/url], on Flickr

Bike in side view by boardinbob[/url], on Flickr

Bike in behind by boardinbob[/url], on Flickr

I suspect you’ll always need to remove the front wheel & seatpost to get them in upright, unless you go for something like a Galaxy.

I made a board to mount my bike on for the boot of my car – mainly so it left space around it for kit bag, Dirtworker etc. and kept the whole boot a lot neater than having the bike laid down in the back.

It was basically a board with a block for the front QR to pass through & two posts at the back for the chainstays to sit on. A small webbing strap kept the back end in place.

It was meant as a trial to see if the idea worked. I was then going to re-do it with a sliding rail for the front QR that I could secure the fork to, before sliding the bike into the car & clamping the back end down. But, in reality my test board worked so well I still use it, even though it looks a bit shit.

I’ve used it for carrying two bikes to, by bungeeing one bike frame to the other with some pipe lagging in between.

In my car I have to take both wheels off & the seatpost out, which has resulted in a knackered looking seatpost. But it’s only a small Ibiza so might be a bit easier in something larger.

Old Photobucket pics…..

Firestarter, Berlingo looks nice and big. Does it take two full bikes with the wheels on?

BoardinBob, Seasucker mounts were the ones I had seen on my casual search round the internet, they look good. What vehicle is that you’ve got in the picture?

I think the early replies are correct in saying that height is one of the main issues. To get bike bike in with the front wheel off, I can leave the dropper post in (but dropped) but I have to roll it in at a ~45 degree angle and then sit it back upright again. Not sure how easily a second would roll in once the first was there. Will do some experimentation later.

Any more homemade racks? Particular interested to see if folk have managed to get two upright in the back of something mondeo/octavia sized?

my berlingo (RIP) took 3 DH bikes with wheels on, though I removed the double rear seat and left the single in place.

I managed to transport myself and 2 friends, with 3 4x bikes and 2 DH bikes (all wheels off) with little effort.

What vehicle is that you’ve got in the picture?

Fiat Doblo

Short wheelbase van

I can (just) get a Large fatbike in my C-max with the seats folded up and the front wheel off, IIRC I could get a 29er in with the wheels in, but it was on it’s side.

No need for a rack as it’s got attachment points for hooking bungee cords into.

I considered a ‘rack’ but it took up too much space when I mocked it up, I’d rather be able to fit a bike and an airbed in the back than have the bike bolt upright (and almost in the middle).

I’ve never tried two bikes in it but I can’t see why not it’s got loads of room

Ben, I’ve emailed you an idea,posting a pic here is beyond me at the moment! 3 large enduro bikes will easily fit in your focus tho, front wheels off and droppers down.

Thanks for mail!

Interesting seeing some handlebar first suggestions, I had always assumed that wheel first was the way to go. I’m going to get a couple of bikes out tonight and try some combinations!

If there was a bit less trim in the boot it might make things even easier….

This originally came out of a Volvo V70 but adapted it to fit my S-Max by shortening it a few cm. It bolted into the magnetic floor flaps.

If you’re making your own cradles just make them to fit around the boot trim, alternate the bikes as they go in and turn the bars to suit.if your cradle holds the back wheel tight enough it doesn’t matter how the forks sit on the floor. The fatbike just sits like that because I don’t have to fit any others around it. You could even make a proper job of it rather than using up all the crap that lies about in the shed!

Minoura make a rack like the thule one shown in the Volvo above (I think the Thule one is discontinued)

Right… Further experimentation proves that 2 bikes should easily go into the back of my focus if I put them in forks first.

rankbadjin’s setup shows a wooden tyre cradle holding the rear wheel which looks like a go-er.

Next question is what to do with the forks. rankbadjin, you’ve suggested the forks will be fine if the back wheel is held tight enough. I’m not sure, I think I would feel more comfortable knowing that there wasn’t too much bending stress going through the fork legs, or that they weren’t bouncing off the bottom of the car as I drive along.

What do folk think? Just a big cushion for the fork legs and leave em loose, or try and fix them to something?

rankbadjin, how have you fixed the wooden cradles to the bottom of the boot so they don’t slide around?

Anyone else have any similar methods?

One of these would keep the forks and bars straight with minimal fuss

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TOBSART91/bicisupport-handlebar-holder

I use one when working on the bike and it’s great

+

Neat version I saw once for road bikes and wheels off…..

Used old front hubs bolted into a mdf clamp bolted onto an mdf board. The eat trick was the board had ratchet straps threaded through. The straps were on the left and right side and we’re also threaded through the front and back load secure eyes on both sides of the boot. This was in a Megan.

Ben, no bending stress or load going through the forks, they’re only supporting the front of the bike, no matter which way they’re turned I’ve never had a bike fall over! They don’t slide about on the carpet due to the tyre offcuts wrapped around the ‘feet’. I did say they were made from shed fodder! I’m only across the water from you if you need a hand with anything.
Cheers
Steven

Not strictly answering the question as it isn’t a rack but when the need arises, I put 2 bikes lying on top of one another in the back of my estate. First one in, old blanket over it, couple of pool noodles and the other bike on top and facing the other direction. The odd kit bag or camelbak wedged in where needed can help too.

Doesn’t rattle, no scratching and fairly simple to do. The worst part is lifting the second one in on your own as you cant slide it. I tend to only use the above when the car will be parked up for a while and I don’t want to leave the bikes on the rack.