For example, if you are only going to use the rack for a single time, then it would not make sense to spend the money on a whole rack. However, many people prefer not to let their bikes hang out in the open for various reasons, including the fact that they are unsafe. I don’t mean to be judgmental, but maybe you are just too stubborn to get a rack (hey, I am not going to judge you).
This article is here to tell you that there are ways in which you can easily and without any risk transport your bikes without rack as there are ways in which you can do it.
Depending on the scenario that I am attempting to cover, I will be considering a variety of bicycles and vehicles. Let’s get started with this.
The Case for a Rack-less Life
There may be some of you that wonder if you can carry a bike without a rack at all. In my opinion, it is something that is quite possible to do.
Let us take a look at the story of the poor fellow who bought a roof rack to keep the back of his car free from obstruction, and then drove into a tunnel without a care in the world. You already know what happened next.
Alternatively, let’s discuss trunk racks. If you haven’t spent a lot of money on them, they can end up damaging the paint finish on your car or bike. These are not uncommon occurrences, but they must be taken into consideration.
It’s also understandable that some people do not want to invest in a bike rack since they will only be carrying their bike a few times a year. On top of that, throwing their bikes in the back of the car is more convenient for many people, and it’s not hard to figure out why.
In my opinion, for all of these reasons and more, it is not a bad idea to want to transport your bike without a rack. At least as long as you do it right – and that is what I am going to tell you about in this article.
Carrying Bikes without Racks
We certainly do not want the bike or the car to end up with a bunch of dents if we carry them. One of the first things to consider when carrying a bike is security. Considering all that, there are only two realistic places where you can mount your bike within the vehicle, as well as on the roof, without having to purchase any significant accessories.
As a starting point, let’s take a look at the former.
The Best Way to Transport a Bike Inside Your Car
I believe that getting your bike inside the car is an ingenious solution. It keeps your bike safe, you don’t have to worry about a rack, and you still get to save some money on the way.
For this solution to work, we need to consider a few pre-requisites. To begin with, you need to make sure your car’s back seat has enough space in order for the bike to fit. While some vehicles, such as station wagons, have ample room to store the bike, many cars do not (even without the front wheel removed).
The bottom line is that you may be out of the race before you even get in. If you are not, then let’s move on and examine how you can make your way into the game.
In order to fit a bike into an comparatively smaller car you will first have to fold down the rear seats. Doing so may be the only way to get a bike to fit inside a comparatively small car. If that is not the case, this step is optional as well.
In the following step, you will need to get the bike out of its box and then lay it down in the back of the car. When you do this, ensure you are putting the bike in its drive side up. When you do this, you should make sure that the bike’s gears are facing up so that the weight does not rest on them.
If you do not keep the pedals at a 12 o’clock position, then the chances of damaging the gears during movement are greatly reduced, and if you keep them there it will improve the stability, especially when you are moving.
In my opinion, this is enough for an average vehicle to provide a safe journey, but what if you have a smaller vehicle or more than one bike? What if you have other things to carry in your car, but can’t afford to have the bike take up all the room?
What If
There is another possibility that you can take the front wheel off if you have a small vehicle, and laying the backseats down is not working. This method allows you to save a lot of space, as well as making things a little safer. It is definitely worth taking into account if you have a smaller vehicle.
You’ll want to use wheel bags if you can, or the trunk will work just fine if you can’t. Be sure that the rear wheels are always left cog-side down, so the spokes aren’t interfering with the gears. Otherwise, the spokes may end up messing with the gears.
As a matter of fact, even if you are traveling long distances, it might be a good idea to just take your pedals off (if the bike allows you to do this) as it will allow you to travel more comfortably as well as to lay your bike flat, improving overall stability.
Also, the boot floor doesn’t have a gaping hole in it, so that’s one of the advantages.
As another option, you can remove the skewers from the wheels as well. However, you should ensure that you do not damage the spokes or rims of the other wheels by having them come in contact with them.
In order to take full advantage of the extra benefit during transit, you’ll have to devote more time to assembling the bike back. You can decide whether that is worth the extra time spent assembling your bike back.
The following words of caution should be taken into consideration
If you decide to put your bike inside your car, make sure that it is clean enough. I, too, thought that this was a trivial step, but I later regretted it. You may end up getting everything from dirt to dung along the way, which is not desirable.
Additionally, make sure the chain is placed on the smallest ring to avoid getting greasy stuff on the parts around the transmission. Putting a piece of cloth beneath the pedals is another way to keep the car clean. If you want to avoid this issue altogether, you could even put a sheet underneath the bike.
In addition, if you are trying to slide your bike into the car, be aware that the chain rings are often able to catch on the side of the car. Therefore, it is wise to avoid being too hasty when sliding your bike in.
Besides moving quite a bit on bumpy roads, the bike could also damage your car if it is not tied down tightly enough. If you have more than one bike in your car, you might want to use a bungee to secure it down tightly enough and prevent that from happening.
It is even possible for the tires of your bike to pop out if it is particularly hot outside, so there are many possibilities (pardon my crudeness). In short, you should be as cautious as you can.
There are a number of ways in which you can transport your bike without using a roof rack on your vehicle
I will discuss our second option for carrying a bike on your roof. It is possible to strap the bike up on your roof so that it can be carried on top. There are a few complications and risks involved, but if done right, this can be a decent solution.
Using this method, the first thing at risk is the top of the car. It may seem strange that this should be the first thing to be concerned about, but you will see why we are.
How to Strap a Bike to the Rack Using Different Types of Straps
Let me start by telling you a bit about the type of strap you can use to make sure that the bike is properly strapped before I go into the how of getting the bike strapped. There are quite a few variables to take into consideration when you are choosing a strap, such as strength, consistency, elasticity, and so on.
Ratchet Straps
There is no doubt that ratchet straps are the most effective and reliable option when it comes to the safety and rigidity of your bikes. Forget the bikes; these straps are even used in rescue missions due to their excellent reliability.
A typical 1 inch ratchet strap has a breaking range of over 3000 pounds, which is undoubtedly more than we’ll need for our use. These straps minimize the likelihood of them loosening up as the vehicle moves and vibrations occur at the same time.
This is particularly important because we do not have any other way to secure the bike. Furthermore, these bike racks are not as costly as a car rack. You can usually find them for less than ten freedom bucks, which makes them very affordable for the majority of people.
You still need to be certain that the straps you purchase are strong enough to withstand the weight of your backpack. There is no sense in leaving anything to chance.
Bungee Cords
There are many reasons to use bungee cords to secure your bike during transport. However, I suggest using them in conjunction with ratchet straps to get the best results. For example, many people use them to keep their bike’s wheels in place and prevent them from moving during transport by using them with ratchet straps.
In my opinion, tying a bike down using these cords as the primary method is not the best, since they might not be as secure and are more difficult to use. It is better to use the ratchet straps first if you have to choose just one. The bungee cords can be used after the ratchet straps for better results.
Ropes
In my opinion, using ropes is not something I’d recommend to use but I do understand that situations don’t always go how we want them to. In such situations, ropes may just be what you need to use.
Choosing ropes may seem like a great idea, but you need to be very careful if you choose them. Unlike ratchet straps, ropes can vary significantly in quality, so you should inspect them even more carefully than with ratchet straps.
Additionally, it’s important to know how to tie a knot, since that’s the only thing that keeps your bike from laying dead on the ground. It’s also possible to use various lengths of rope to make the bike more sturdy and to ensure security over a longer distance.
The steps to follow are as follows:
We are now going to move on to the tie-down part of the process now that you have (hopefully) obtained your straps.
One of the biggest reasons people don’t decide to carry their bikes in cars like this is that they often end up ruining the finish of the car when they do so (or worse, leaving dents and dings in the paint). The first step is to place a blanket or sheet on the roof to prevent any damages from happening.
As a bonus, it can even absorb some of the vibrations that occur as a result of movement (how much it absorbs will depend on the quality of the cloth or sheet, however).
There is a huge difference in the way you can lay your bike on your roof depending on whether it has crossbars or rails. If your roof does not have crossbars or rails, you do not have to do this, but if it does, you will have to do this step.
The crossbars also have defined weight limits. It is likely that you will be under the limit, but you should refer to the manufacturer’s instructions to make sure your weight is under that limit.
This way, you are not losing sight of what’s going on behind you, and it also prevents updrafts from blowing in on you. This way, you won’t lose sight of what’s going on behind you and you won’t lose sight of what’s going on behind you.
It isn’t that difficult to remove the front wheel from the bike and throw it in the back of the car if the bike still blocks your view of the rear. This doesn’t take too much work and keeps you safe while you drive.
The first step in getting the bike on the car’s roof is to make sure that you take a moment to read the instructions that came with the straps or cords. Ratchet straps and bungee cords both function differently, and they both come with manuals (of course, ropes do not come with manuals).
The webbing on a ratchet strap, for example, must be threaded through the slot in the middle spool of the ratchet strap in order to thread it. After you have the straps around the bike, secure them tightly and make sure they are tight. It is not a good idea to have the car’s finish too tight because it could damage it.
Furthermore, I advise you to run the straps or ropes through the doors of the vehicle instead of the windows. In this way, you are guaranteed an extra layer of safety and is also possible to give them a few good twists to prevent them from moving or making noise during the journey.
As far as straps and cords go, make use of their respective methods (like attaching hooks, for example) to set things up properly after all the straps and cords are set up. If you are using ropes, make sure they are set up according to your liking.
It shouldn’t be too difficult for you to transport your bike on a vehicle’s roof from now on. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind when you do so.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
The safest way to move your bike on a car’s roof is to make sure that you do it right the first time. The first tip is to make sure that the ropes and straps aren’t over-tightened since it can damage the car and the bike.
You should also tie down all of the bikes up there so that they cannot move while you are traveling so that you can make sure that none of them move during your travel.
Additionally, I would recommend covering your bike with a sheet or tarp to keep it protected from dust and rain as well as to keep it dry.
Do a test run before using the new straps. Put them through situations that could arise during transport, such as sudden braking, twists, and keep your ears and eyes open for any movement or unwanted noises. This will give you a better understanding of how the straps will perform.
I would like to conclude by saying the following.
In this article I will be providing you with all the answers to the question of how to transport a bike without a rack, so I hope that you now have all the answers you need. Although all these solutions are perfectly reasonable, they can also pose some risks if you are not careful.
I am sure that there are many people who use these methods to transport their bikes. Although I can see why an individual may make use of these methods, if you plan on taking your bike along on a regular basis, I would recommend getting a car rack. The amount of work you’d have to go through with the above methods may become quite tedious over time. Otherwise, you do what you want.
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