Trolley thing for sliding bike into car

Anyone made something like this?

My bike goes on its side in the back of the car, rear seats down. I’m just about strong enough to get it into place, but it’s a bit of a pain and I always get dirty or wet trouser knees from leaning on the rear bumper. Hurt my back a few times not being careful too, and also popped something inside the rear bumper. I definitely wouldn’t manage it with any type of ebike.

So I was thinking of building something that runs on 2 or 4 scooter wheels, just a piece of wood with a strap on it to attach the rearmost part of the rear wheel to it. You’d lift the bike from the middle, put that in the boot, then step round to be in front of the forks, and roll it back as far as it needs to go.

Fair idea? Or suggest something better. Buying a towbar/rack, van, or lighter bike are not options, neither is hitting the gym.

Bit of lino in the back works wonders. Slidey to get the bike in, keeps the car clean

One of those little trolley things for putting heavy plant lots on maybe?

It’s not going to be that easy unless you start bolting stuff to the car.

Have a look at how all the camper van/van solutions work

The simplest solution would be a big piece of wood in the boot and just slide it in ? But then you would possibly need to anchor it to stop it sliding around.

What about repurposing a slide trainer.

They are essentially a sheet of hardish plastic that rolls up when not being used. Attach the bike to it and slide.

<edit> didn’t read the op fully!</edit>

I carry my bike I a similar way. The boot is line with an old plastic shower curtain. 8 don’t slide the bike in as such. Back end in first and roll it back on the rear wheel. It still takes a bike if strength wrangling it by the bars but it does eliminate the leaning over reaching into the boot which it was really risks the back. Never make contact with the boot either, even though I’ve got a pretty high lip.

That’s the other think, what car is it? A lower boot lip and higher roof line (relative to the floor) makes this much easier.

More faff, but easier to wrangle, is both wheels out. Take a yoga mat or similar to flip the bike on for reassembly if you can’t manage it right way up

Lifting a bike from one end and trying to post it into a boot is always going to be difficult and risk hurting your back.

Have you tried putting it in halfway and then going to rear door to pull it into the car fully?

I tend to remove front wheel and put the front in first which also removes some weight.

Another option could be a rope between the rear passenger grab handles, then clip a longer rope to it with a karibiner, back to the bike and clip to the end of the bike with a karibiner or hook. This would allow you to lift it off the floor without straining.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-61300-Three-Wheel-Castor/dp/B001S4QJYI/ref=sr_1_17?crid=2O42CL20E5241&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._WdDqCpJuNceHJzfXp6HKBTO6I3nXXWwVkLGJ8lgWCRwz-a-vuphvSvukc9hXogEWOtdwY8bWQJ6G-b05YlevnyLg5IFSRi-GnCxaRfFseOgPfUhv0redUZjM5lgSavXQs_1jNiWTZbI9uADMpqEzow6CE_ovFJWCYUCAzZf3nsNw-25S5qdqzebSqhTHgevgcVtxIMwthgyV5SWNp3l6TC1wrIfc–FvU9jrw6Y9UdoHAZZ2_SrhkYAAt0QzhCeywrYV88E_G3copYX1ddtz-UyWymge8T95sy1hncACpY.FnDwePGXO9Yhq5-5LzwO0G1Tp9NL8WGf4MnHBh77Cuk&dib_tag=se&keywords=silverline+dolly&qid=1712471264&sprefix=silverline+dolly%2Caps%2C139&sr=8-17

I think you’d be better off swapping your car for a van / van-based vehicle, maybe an estate with a low/non-existent boot lip, if this is a significant issue for you. The idea of creating some sort of Heath Robinson, bike-loading device – ‘Cracking cheese Gromit’ – is kind of amusing, but how do you get the bike out again if it’s not an integral part of the car? Surely that’s just as problematic as getting it in there?

Removing wheels before loading makes things less cumbersome, putting something on the boot floor to raise the effective height of it, ditto. Do you have issues that genuinely hamper core exercises, because in all honesty, that seems a better solution with the handy side-effect of making your stronger and more resilient all round.

How about a piece of wood the size of your boot?

Pull it out and leave one end in the car ,one on the floor.

Secure bike to wood , maybe toe clip straps screwed to wood , then push wood into car.

Depending on the car ,if you rotate bars backwards with front wheel out ,they can fit sideways in a car with rear seat squab lifted up. Certainly worked on our mondeo.

I bought one of the from the Roofbox Company   I got the full length one to use with the rear seats folded down. A bit pricey but wanted something to protect the interior for other things as well as the bike.  The get the bike in I have the back end sticking out of the tailgate a bit which makes it easier to lift the bike onto the liner. I can then slide the liner forward and pull the bike further in from one of the rear doors….  if that makes sense.

https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php/boot-liners-mats/carbox_yoursize_how_to_choose/Qx%40w%2C6M41V_VndbVhpeetSUTPXqxJK%7D3K4P01KgvTD.DsModROmf9S.Alj8R3DrKwwfBvlr%2CUuG.Mkdhv

Stretching and practice is probably easiest option…unless you are really unfit and not lifting properly (bend knees not arching back), then the 10 seconds of lift and drop shouldn’t be too difficult. An old towel over the bumper to save dirty knees.
Aware that isn’t what you asked for.

Yes, I did this but the sliders are Unistrut and the rollers are bearings that run in its U shaped profile. If you want a close up of that bit, shout up. Needs a lip-less boot though.

I’m assuming that this is a car with the back seats down & you’re trying to put the bike in with one wheel still in place? I do this but my car has a high roofline so with the dropper down I can roll it in & then lay it over but even that isn’t as straight forward as it could be. If you need to lay the bike down first due to low roofline then the trouble with most cars with the seats down is that the floor isn’t actually flat so to get something to slide all the way in you’re probably going to need to have 2 bits of board cut, one to give you a flat surface with no joins or bumps & another to slide over the top of the first.

Can you go got it in the back semi-upright and then move round to the back passenger door and help it down? Might also be less strain.

This is getting far too complicated for how much it’s bothering me right now. I think I’ll do something inspired by tthew’s rail system when it becomes necessary i.e. when I get an eMTB. I have a high boot lip and the boot floor through to the front seats has gaps and bumps, so possibly something like a small carriage that runs on two rails.

But then you would possibly need to anchor it to stop it sliding around

Hadn’t thought of that.

A lower boot lip and higher roof line (relative to the floor) makes this much easier.

I have neither, so can’t roll it in.

Have you tried putting it in halfway and then going to rear door to pull it into the car fully?

Current method is to get it halfway while stood between the downtube and fork, then go the other side of the fork (very front of the bike) to get it the rest of the way in. Pulling from the other end won’t work as I need a hand to get the handlebar controls over the boot lip.

I think you’d be better off swapping your car for a van / van-based vehicle, maybe an estate with a low/non-existent boot lip, if this is a significant issue for you.

Not significant enough, but always appreciate excuses to upgrade to a van!

how do you get the bike out again if it’s not an integral part of the car? Surely that’s just as problematic as getting it in there?

I seem to be able to slide it out already, as the tyre edge knobs don’t grip when being pulled whereas when being pushed they resist and try to move the bike sideways.

Do you have issues that genuinely hamper core exercises

No. Not a big problem now and I’ve managed for years. But as it stands I’ll need something different if I get even one of the light eMTBs.

How about a piece of wood the size of your boot?

Nice, like one of those ramps for old dogs. But this would be huge.

I’m assuming that this is a car with the back seats down & you’re trying to put the bike in with one wheel still in place?

Yes.

Something like a Hatchbag boot liner with an old throw over the top works for me. The former is pretty slippy material so you can put the bike halfway in on the throw and then slide it forward. You can get a version with a drop-tail that folds out over the bumper to save your trousers.

If you have the headroom and the money

https://www.veloboy.com/products/bike-racks

How are you doing it now and how big is the car? If it was a hearse then I’d get the issues, but surely you remove front wheel and turn handlebar. Grab handlebar on top tube and seat stay and left bike up off ground and that gives you all the space you need to get bike pretty much in…
I’ve never had a problem doing it this way (and I can’t do a single press up, so I’m definitely not claiming I’ve core or upper body strength).
I’m clearly being thick as I can’t work out how you do it for this to be an issue now (and I suspect it wouldn’t be a huge issue with an ebike as the lift and move isn’t above your waist and not a long stretch – unless you are very short, then it could be more of an issue.
Sorry, trying to cook dinner and I’ve realised I’ve messed up my timings so dinner won’t be until almost 8pm tonight and I’m now grumpy…so this post is probably sounding argumentative and it isn’t meant to be.

I have a Octavia hatch, that whilst with the seats down it is quite large, there is a 3 inch height difference between the boot floor up to the folded rear seat back.

The boot lip is also high and both these make lugging a full fat ebike into it a bit of a fight.

Normal bike, no problem – front wheel off and just pick it up over the lumps and bumps.

To help with the ebike, I am going to look at raising the floor with some wood or similar under the main boot carpet so it is flat to the rear seats.

Then use something like a tea tray with a cushion stuck to it. Lift the back of the back onto the cushion and push it to slide the whole lot over the floor and up onto the seat back.

Get a nice slippy tea tray and I think it should be a simple and easy fix.

Can always take it out from under the bike if it moves too much when driving.

I have a boot liner in my car that I put the front of my bike on and then just push/slide it further in. I just have to make sure the furthest edge of the liner is over the lip of the folded down rear seats. So, front wheel off, turn bars 90 degrees, lift and and pop it flat onto the boot liner… then just push it in (gotta lift the bike a bit to stop the pedal snagging on boot lip/carpet etc).

It’s not the most graceful procedure but perfectly manageable. Nomad branded ones on Amazon look to be the same sorta thing I have.

Bit of plywood a couple of feet wide as a kind of gurney for the bike, upside down skateboard in the car to roll it on?

Kind of works in my head, might be crap in reality

If it was a hearse then I’d get the issues

An old herse would make an awesome bike waggon. Has anyone ever tried this?

I did a bit of digging around on them and they are expensive to buy second hand and have terrible mpg. However, take out the woodwork and you’d have plenty space for bikes and accommodation for 1…it could be excellent – a lot of glass though so could be a sweat box and easy for anyone to see what you are moving.

I did a bit of looking at this a while ago, before I found a method of getting the bike in that works quite well.

My sub 15kg 29er full suspension trail bike goes into the back of my Octavia estate with relative ease now.
Front wheel off. Lean bike over so the front of the forks are against my thighs. Lean forward as much as I need to grab the suspension linkage and lift bike. At this point I am reasonably well balanced with the bike in the air – so can just walk it into the boot, one knee on the boot lip to get it in the final foot.

Probably a poor explanation, happy to try and video if it would be of use.

(Next car is still going to have panels and a high roof)

How are you doing it now and how big is the car?

Yes, front wheel off and turn handlebar. Then as I said: Current method is to get it halfway while stood between the downtube and fork, then go the other side of the fork (very front of the bike) to get it the rest of the way in. It just fits lengthwise.

Get a nice slippy tea tray and I think it should be a simple and easy fix.

Can always take it out from under the bike if it moves too much when driving.

This sounds perfect.

. I have a high boot lip and the boot floor through to the front seats has gaps and bumps, so possibly something like a small carriage that runs on two rails.

&

The boot lip is also high and both these make lugging a full fat ebike into it a bit of a fight.

Low tech solution.. I have this in my Yeti, and found that an old bike bag (I couldn’t give away) works a treat at making it easier to slide the bike in (ontop of the whole bag not into) and protects it from the metal work the car seats attach to.

Hippo megabag. Best £20 you can spend for something to put your clean/dirty bike in and slide it into your car. Also brilliant for all other recycle/dump trips to keep your boot clean.

I have a tarp in there already so the now obvious solution is to not lay out the tarp fully to the front before putting the bike onto it. Tarp will slide on the upholstery.

I slide my EMTB along sheet of plywood with a tarpaulin underneath and an old thick coat hanging over the bumper.

I might put some wood under the back section so it’s level with the seats.

Front wheel off and bottom pedal removed.

New car for me so experimenting on what works best.

Liking the hippo bag idea though to keep everything cleaner.

Taking pedals off makes the bike easier to slide in my experience, and makes it lie lower. Just don’t forget them…

I took some laminate flooring to the tip yesterday.

The bits of laminate that were on top of laminate slid out beautifully and made me think of this thread.

The bits that were on top of my tarp slid out no where near as easily.

So get some laminate flooring. The bike will slide on that no problem. My cars got little clips for lashing some bungee cords to if the bike slides about too much. Maybe you have similar points.