Hauling bikes

[maggiemayday]

How do you keep the rack from scratching the paint? Does the front wheel spinning make a difference or should it be bungeed down? Tell us how you do it!

Stuff falls off bikes on the way.... bells, lights, pedals, seats, batteries. Take them off if possible.

And fake flowers? Ha! At least all the moop will be scattered over Donner Pass, not the playa.

[jpstiffin]

There is only one solution. Install a trailer hitch and use a bike rack that inserts into the hitch. Every other bike I have tried has had the scratch problem - even an expensive bones. The hitches are cheaper than a new paint job and once you have one, you will use it over and over.

[portaplaya]

There are different transport options for bikes depending on what sort of vehicle you are driving.

If you are in a compact, like a Honda or something, a rack is probably your only choice. Try to bungie a hand towel around the inside pedal and handlebars, if you are concerned about the car being scratched by the bike. If you think the rack is going to scratch, then you probably bought the wrong rack; good ones and padded with non-slip cushions.

For a larger vehicle, vertical mounted roof racks are great. Surely you've seen a Subaru with a bike standing on top of it where you live, haven't you? Or you can get a tow mount for a few hundred, as explained in the previous post.

[Captain Goddammit]

If you aren't pulling a trailer, then a rear hitch-mounted rack is the way to go!
One big reason is you can use that same rack on any vehicle... your next/other vehicle, your friend's, whatever. You'll only have to buy it once and be done buying racks. It's way easier to put the bikes on a rack that's down low too.
And - I had a friend... he and his wife were really avid mountain bikers, with really expensive bikes, that they carried on a rooftop carrier. They came home from a long trip one night... pulled into the garage... crunch!

[mudpuppy000]

I have an internal bike rack in my suv, so I usually keep it in there. If not, I put it on a trailer hitch rack. The roof rack is another option but seems like you'd get a huge amount of drag from that and dead bugs all over your bike, lol.

[Elorrum]

I have an internal bike rack as well. Well, I take my bike apart and put it in the car. Chopper frame is very low profile with the wheels off, so no problem. Came to the solution the year I found out the bike rack I was borrowing went to college with my nephew. Seems a lot less to worry about this way. Looking forward to my next vehicle, truck or van, where I don't have to take the bike apart.

[robotland]

Homebrew Bike Rack For Honda Element:
-Wedge two 2x4s under top rack
-Raise back ends with wooden wedges (and surplus Bic roofrack component from thrift store)
-Affix 2x4 crossbar to back end with bolts, washers and wingnuts
-Screw in two large garage hooks
-Hang bike on hooks, secure with rope or bungee

The crossbar unbolts for easier rear-hatch access while at the event, since the hooks hang low enough to keep it from opening all the way otherwise. Aside from making a slightly annoying whistling noise on the highway (turn up radio) I'm pretty happy with it! No more heaving crap topside and roping it down, and I can get to the bike for short jaunts around rest stops and tourist traps during the 2,100-mile trip!

[baconqurlyq]

For transport to the playa, my bike more than likely will be in the RV.

However, I've been transporting it around on my Scion xB using a Hollywood rack my boss gave me. I haven't noticed any scratching issues, but then again, I'm not one to own a car I mind having a scratch or two on. I've bungied the lower tubes to the rack in addition to the top tube ties the rack provides, but even with my husband's bike pushed all the way in towards the back of the rack, I haven't had any problems with the pedal even coming near to touching my car. A properly designed rack will keep all bits from hitting your car.

I generally take the lights off when transporting my bike on a rack. I'm waiting to decorate it - either while we're driving to the Playa in the RV, or I'll do it while on the Playa itself. I'm not doing anything particularly moopy to it, so that should work. If I were furring it, I'd do it pre-transportation.

[teardropper]

I got a Yakima hitch mount rack that the bikes rest on their tires on the rack, not hanging from the top tube. The bikes are always level and it doesn't matter if the top tubes are different. I don't care for the roof mounts. Not only for the above reason, but I hate lifting them. It has an adapter that fits both hitch sizes and works on the motorhome, the car and the teardrop trailer. I agree, bite the bullet and get good, convenient, secure and safe bike carrying. You can use your locks on the back. And you'll have it, then, and not have to think about it next year.

[Pink Daddy]

Ok, here's my nightmare story this year. All revolving around how I'm getting my bike to Burning Man. My first year I took a bike and it was put in my friend's trailer. My second year I didn't take one (and really missed it). So, here's my story...

I didn't want to spend a crapload of money on a hitch bike rack, so I snagged one for $50. I figured that if I tightened down all the bolts, how bad could it be? On the way home from snagging the rack, I stopped at Autozone to get a locking hitch pin (to help prevent my bike from walking away when I stopped for food). I took the pin outside to test and see if it fit my hitch. The pin was the correct size, but it was then that I realized that the hitch pin holes didn't line up on my hitch. I installed the hitch myself a year earlier and never used it. Kind of a bummer.

I drove to Uhaul to find out that there was no cheap fix for the hitch. If I tried to drill out a hole, it would not only greatly weaken the connection, but the two holes would connect, creating a large hole on one side. They also told me that the electrical connections, that I installed didn't work either. So, I made an appointment for the following day to have my hitch and electrical replaced.

Luckily, the only thing wrong with the electrical connections was a missing fuse. The hitch was replaced and installed for $200. So, I went and bought that locking hitch pin and it fit perfectly. I got home to hook up the hitch bike rack, only to find out that the hole going through the bike rack was considerably smaller than the hitch holes. It included it's own pin, so I tried using that. There was way too much movement with the smaller pin. The bike would move over 6 inches in every direction while driving. So, I decided to drill out a larger hole on the rack.

Luckily, the same friend that had the trailer, also had a drill press. I went to purchase the 5/8" drill bit from Home Depot, but they were out of stock. I found one at another Home Depot the following day and we were able to drill out the bike rack.

There is still a little movement with the bike rack, but I plan on using some good old duct tape to help fix that.

[kman]

Homebrew Bike Rack For Honda Element:
-Wedge two 2x4s under top rack
-Raise back ends with wooden wedges (and surplus Bic roofrack component from thrift store)
-Affix 2x4 crossbar to back end with bolts, washers and wingnuts
-Screw in two large garage hooks
-Hang bike on hooks, secure with rope or bungee

The crossbar unbolts for easier rear-hatch access while at the event, since the hooks hang low enough to keep it from opening all the way otherwise. Aside from making a slightly annoying whistling noise on the highway (turn up radio) I'm pretty happy with it! No more heaving crap topside and roping it down, and I can get to the bike for short jaunts around rest stops and tourist traps during the 2,100-mile trip!

Now if only I had a roof rack. Damn OEM things cost over $200! Cheaper to have a towing hitch installed and buy a bike rack from CraigsList.

That's next year's problem, fortunately... a buddy with an RV is transporting my bike this year, so that's one less thing to worry about!