Visit our Popular Forums

Antique Pedaler · 10-02-2012, 03:27 PM

Not wanting to transport our valuable custom fit tandem bicycle out in the open, we opted for the inside of our pickup with topper. What we have is a regular fork mount Yakima designed for pickups. But instead of putting it forward atop the truck sides as designed this is mounted aft at floor level. The tandem requires a long bed. With 2 bikes inside there'e still plenty of space for equipment.

Wayne&Sam · 10-02-2012, 03:30 PM

That's what I've always done with my bikes. I carry them either in the vehicle of in the AS. They'd be tempting to thieves.

Skater · 10-02-2012, 07:12 PM

That's how I carry my bike, too. I mounted quick-release brackets on a piece of wood. It's kind of a pain to get in and out, especially if I have to get it over other stuff, but I like having it out of the rain and locked.

Big C · 10-02-2012, 07:50 PM

We carry ours inside our AS. Paid mucho bucks for triathlon bikes to be put on a rack on the front of the truck. Could put them in the back of the truck on a rack as shown, but we carry our kayaks or canoes on the top rack and the generator and other outdoor equipment in the covered area. Had to build one for our extra long bed F350.

Silverbee · 10-02-2012, 08:14 PM

We carry our Dahon folding bicycles in the bed of our tow truck (Ford F-250). We use a bicycle cable lock to chain them to the hitch when we are not using them. We don't travel with this one, but I thought you vintage bicycle fans would like to see my restored 1948 Western Flyer Super.
Mrs. Silverbee

KathrynOKC · 10-05-2012, 05:48 AM

Love the vintage bikes. I'll be placing mine on the back when I get to that point. Thanks to all the postings they are life savers.

Protagonist · 10-05-2012, 06:00 AM

I carry an electric bike worth quite a few bucks. To safeguard it in transit, I carry it on a Swagman bike rack, like the one shown below:

The curved portion on the vertical post clamps down on the bikes, and can be locked into place with a padlock. Then I supplement that lock with a cable lock, that is snaked through both bike tires and the frame, and through one of the safety chain padeyes welded onto my recever. They're not getting my bike without a cutting torch.

I live in a metro area known for its crime rate; paranoia is merely pre-emptive self-defense.

Antique Pedaler · 10-05-2012, 08:55 AM

Speaking of vintage bikes, this perfect '64 Schwinn Varsity matches the Bambi II. For short outings such as this trip to a Tin Can Tourist rally we didn't take the pickup with topper to transport the bike.

Ag&Au · 10-05-2012, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skater

That's how I carry my bike, too. I mounted quick-release brackets on a piece of wood. It's kind of a pain to get in and out, especially if I have to get it over other stuff, but I like having it out of the rain and locked.

Me Too.

Pillow · 10-05-2012, 09:30 AM

Is bike theft really that big of a concern at campgrounds?..

There are plenty of semi-valuables that are ripe for the picking at campgrounds already and we have never had a problem so far. knock on wood!

Basically I see campgrounds as an "honor system" of be respectful of other peoples stuff.

... Plus only bike people know what high end bikes are worth.

purman · 10-05-2012, 09:31 AM

If I had a truck I would carry them like that, but I have locking mounts on the roof of the TV. Don't want my custom mountain bike walking off...

Ag&Au · 10-05-2012, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillow

Is bike theft really that big of a concern at campgrounds?..

There are plenty of semi-valuables that are ripe for the picking at campgrounds already and we have never had a problem so far. knock on wood!

Basically I see campgrounds as an "honor system" of be respectful of other peoples stuff.

... Plus only bike people know what high end bikes are worth.

Theft at campgrounds are not my biggest concern, although I always keep the bikes locked when we are at a campground. If theft was the big concern, I have external bike racks that are more secure than the lock on my truck canopy door. My biggest concern is wear and tear from exposure to weather and road conditions. If you look at my profile picture, you can see how we used to carry our bikes. We took a trip to Californian a couple years ago. On the way back in the mountains in Utah we encountered snow. It was warm enough that there was a lot of liquid water, magnesium chloride, and salt flying around in the air. When we got home the bikes were absolutely trashed. They were not expensive bikes. They were ones we bought to take camping. However, they were messed up so badly that we cleaned them up as best we could and donated them to a charity. Since I bike for exercise and fun and put many more miles on a bike than most who take them camping, I decided I would find a way to protect my good bikes and take them with me. So I got a canopy for the truck and carry them in there.

Your remark about only bike people knowing good bikes is not at all correct unless you consider bike thieves to be bike people. Yes there are kids who steal bikes and may not know what they are stealing. However we live in Boulder County, Colorado and it is a very bike active area. There are plenty of thieves who know what type of bike will bring the most money.

Ken

vswingfield · 10-05-2012, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillow

Is bike theft really that big of a concern at campgrounds?..

There are plenty of semi-valuables that are ripe for the picking at campgrounds already and we have never had a problem so far. knock on wood!

Basically I see campgrounds as an "honor system" of be respectful of other peoples stuff.

... Plus only bike people know what high end bikes are worth.

I guess that means it would be comforting to think that whoever stole the valuable bike didn't know how much it was worth.

Not to me, anyway.

KathrynOKC · 10-05-2012, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Protagonist

I carry an electric bike worth quite a few bucks. To safeguard it in transit, I carry it on a Swagman bike rack, like the one shown below:

The curved portion on the vertical post clamps down on the bikes, and can be locked into place with a padlock. Then I supplement that lock with a cable lock, that is snaked through both bike tires and the frame, and through one of the safety chain padeyes welded onto my recever. They're not getting my bike without a cutting torch.

I live in a metro area known for its crime rate; paranoia is merely pre-emptive self-defense.

I have the same one and had it loaded with two bikes and 1600 miles with no issues. I recommended it as well.

BAAMbi7 · 10-05-2012, 03:29 PM

We've taken our mtn bikes for a quick weekend, but we're taken them out for a week. One usually goes in the back seat of tv and the other had been in the flatbed with the front tire "hooked" over the tailgate with a carpet remnant and bungeed. After hearing that some of you have put them in the AS, I'm wondering....how have you secured it in there? Once we get to our site, I'm not that worried - we lock them up or we can always put them in the vehicles. (after major cleaning!)

I'd love to see a picture of it inside the AS!

Ag&Au · 10-05-2012, 03:52 PM

One of my earlier posts got me thinking. We have a very nice quality canopy(cap,topper, etc). However I have accidentally proved that it is very easy to pull hard and open it when it is locked. I believe I will give that some serious thought. Has any one run across a system to keep the canopy door and/or the tailgate from being easily forced open?I am wondering if I need to start locking the valuable stuff in the bed with these of which I have several.

http://yakima.com/shop/racksystems/s.../9ft-sks-cable

Ken

Skater · 10-05-2012, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pillow

Is bike theft really that big of a concern at campgrounds?..

There are plenty of semi-valuables that are ripe for the picking at campgrounds already and we have never had a problem so far. knock on wood!

Basically I see campgrounds as an "honor system" of be respectful of other peoples stuff.

... Plus only bike people know what high end bikes are worth.

Campgrounds aren't usually a problem in my mind, either. That said, I don't see any reason to take unnecessary chances, and like I and others said, having them out of the elements is nice.

But even if you completely trust the campground, you never stop anywhere on the way to the campground?

SteSpot · 10-05-2012, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BAAMbi7

We've taken our mtn bikes for a quick weekend, but we're taken them out for a week. One usually goes in the back seat of tv and the other had been in the flatbed with the front tire "hooked" over the tailgate with a carpet remnant and bungeed. After hearing that some of you have put them in the AS, I'm wondering....how have you secured it in there? Once we get to our site, I'm not that worried - we lock them up or we can always put them in the vehicles. (after major cleaning!)

I'd love to see a picture of it inside the AS!

I don't have a picture of the rack Uwe designed for us to carry the bike inside the AS but I can take one if anyone is interested. Basically it is a flat T shaped piece of wood with a quick connect fork bracket mounted on the wood. The top part of the T fits between the bench seats in our 68 Ambassador. He put some little rubber feet on the bottom but it really doesn't go anywhere. The table stops it from moving forward and it has never moved backwards.

Now we have a Denali tow vehicle and the rack fits in the back of that vehicle as well. You remove the front wheel to mount on the fork bracket.

On our 11,340 mile trip across the US, my carbon fiber bike rode in the open bed of our Tundra with a cable bike lock that locked the bike to the bed of the truck. No one stole it in 3 months. My husband's bike was carefully carried inside the trailer. I am not as particular about my bike and, in fact, only rode it once when we went to Machinaw Island.

That said, having the bike in the Airstream when we were parked at a campground was not so much fun.....It took up most of the open floor space. I found if the bike was in the way, I didn't cook. Paula

71_safari · 10-06-2012, 10:00 AM

Like others, I have a canopy on the truck and lock my two bikes (road & mtn) at the front of the bed, with cable locks. They are mounted to a fork mount plate at the front of the bed. Pain to get out but same for thieves.

Ag&Au · 10-06-2012, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w7ts

One of my earlier posts got me thinking. We have a very nice quality canopy(cap,topper, etc). However I have accidentally proved that it is very easy to pull hard and open it when it is locked. I believe I will give that some serious thought. Has any one run across a system to keep the canopy door and/or the tailgate from being easily forced open?I am wondering if I need to start locking the valuable stuff in the bed with these of which I have several.

Yakima 9ft SKS Cable security Rack System

Ken

After some searching, I discovered tailgate locks. That will be a good start.

Vehicle Lock Tailgate Lock Locks | etrailer.com

Ken