Bringing your bicycle out of town travel can save you a lot of inconveniences. As an avid cyclist, you would not want to leave the bike in your garage while you embark on an adventurous trip. You will probably bring it along with you, and stuff it inside your car.
Fitting your bike in a vehicle is the best possible way to carry your bike to a distant place. You can take it to places without worrying that your bike might get damaged. But how to fit a bike in a car properly?
Read on this guide to know more:
Table of Contents
- 10 Easy Steps to Fit a Bike in a Car
- Step 1: Assess the car loading capacity
- Step 2: Prepare the car storage space
- Step 3: Make sure you clean the bicycle
- Step 4: Remove the wheels
- Step 5: Pay attention to your bike braking system
- Step 6: Determine which part of the bike face upwards
- Step 7: More cushioning
- Step 8: Do not forget to cover the pedals and bike chain
- Step 9: Proceed to the dropouts
- Step 10: Store the bicycle in the car and cover it properly
- Conclusion
10 Easy Steps to Fit a Bike in a Car
Step 1: Assess the car loading capacity
Cars have various sizes and storage capacities. Before deciding whether to carry bicycle on car during a trip, inspect the storage capacity of your vehicle. Without a rack, it is important that the car has enough storage space to accomodate the bulk of your bike.
Are you going to load your bike inside your car trunk? Or is the inside of your car more capable to accommodate your bicycle? Does your bicycle fit in a car? Will your equipment get damaged if you load it inside a very limited space?
These are the questions you should ask yourself before you put bike in car. If you are confident that your car has enough space to carry a large equipment, you are ready to proceed to the next step.
Step 2: Prepare the car storage space
After assessing the storage capacity of your car, make room for the entire size of your bike without taking it apart. Meaning, clean the trunk or the inside of your car and free it from unnecessary load. In this way, you can put the bike in back of car or your trunk.
For instance, the car trunk at the rear seats need to be pushed to the front before you attach bike to car interior. Also, you need to cushion the space around the boot to protect your bike from any bumps when the car is moving. With the right cushioning, your bike will not get hit harshly when the car moves up and down.
Step 3: Make sure you clean the bicycle
For this step on how to fit a mountain bike in a car, you need to take the cleanliness of your car into consideration. Oftentimes, you use your bike outdoors where dirt, mud, and debris can get into the surfaces of your bike. It is vital that you remove any dirt and particles before you load the bike in your car.
In this way, the dirt from your bike will not be transferred to your car. It will save you time and resources for cleaning the car. Make sure that you clean the bike frame and the wheels before putting it inside the car.
Step 4: Remove the wheels
To make your equipment less bulky, you can disconnect any large components from your bike like your bicycle wheels. Wheels can take so much space inside your car, and disconnecting it from the frame can save you a lot of store space.
Without the wheels on, you bicycle can fit perfectly in your car’s chamber. You can keep the wheels inside your car trunk and put it back on once you reach your destination. Make sure that you store your wheels properly to prevent any damage.
Step 5: Pay attention to your bike braking system
Another thing you should not forget is the brake. This component of the bike is very fragile, and you want to secure them before loading the bike in the car. You can use brake plugs to protect brake calipers.
Place them carefully on the upper side of the storage area and cover them with a cloth or rug to provide cushion or pad to them. It will protect the brake from unnecessary shock when the car is moving.
Step 6: Determine which part of the bike face upwards
After you secure the brake, determine how you will position the bike inside car. The handlebars should be placed upwards with enough space around them.
Make sure that the chain, brakes, and derailleurs are also facing up. These bike components are prone to damages and securing their position is very important. Ensure that the chain will not spill grease and the derailleurs are not bent to prevent them from breaking.
Step 7: More cushioning
If you want to make sure that your bike will not get any damage during the transport, you should add more cushion around the storage area.
You should add extra layer of cushion after you placed all the bike components inside your car. You can use rugs, newspapers, and foam as cushions. These are great shock absorbers. Make sure that you properly place the cushions, wherein the wheels are stabilize and unable to move.
The bike should not rock around, move up or down, and side by side once you place the right cushioning. The more cushion you put, the more stable the bike placement will be. This will avoid dent and scratches coming to your equipment.
Step 8: Do not forget to cover the pedals and bike chain
Besides cushioning, it is equally important if you provide coverage to the pedals and bike chain. Since these two are greasy in nature, you can avoid any oil spillage if they are properly covered. The right cover can also protect your car from any unnecessary dirt.
Step 9: Proceed to the dropouts
In order to avoid damaging you car, you should also cover your bicycle dropouts. Bike dropouts tend to be sharp, and they can cause dent and scratches to the car. You can use rug or padding on the dropout.
But ensure that the rug you use is thick enough, so that the dropouts cannot pass through the pads. A well-cushioned dropout can also lessen the noise, especially when the car is on the move.
Step 10: Store the bicycle in the car and cover it properly
Carefully place the rest of the bicycle in your car. Avoid hitting the frames on the inside of car to prevent bike paint from chipping off. Every part of the bicycle should be handled with extra caution to avoid damaging it.
After you carefully placed the bike inside your car, get a huge piece of cloth or bike cover to place on the top of the whole equipment. You can also choose rugs, towel, or newspaper. The materials you use should be enough to cover your whole bike.
Conclusion
Traveling long distance with your bicycle can be a huge hassle if you are unaware on how to place it. You should carefully put it inside your car to prevent unnecessary damage to your bicycle. There are steps you must follow to ensure the stability, balance, and protection of the equipment.
Luckily, this step-by-step guide about fitting bike in car gave you a detailed procedure on how to fit a bike in a car. We provided ways to properly store your bike in the car without damaging it. May you find it helpful when you transport bike in car during your long distance ride.
“I ride my bike to work for years, but is that enough? Our carelessness towards our surroundings has taken a toll on the environment. And now, everyone is responsible for changes; even the most minor contribution is counted. With this hope and spirit, I started with my partner to establish Biketoworkday to help more individuals commute to their work sites on their bikes.”