Asian woman professional cyclist taking down her bicycle from the car trunk. Stock photo by Edwin Tan/istockphoto.

Bringing Your Bike with You – Let Us Count (and Compare) the Ways: Inside the Vehicle

Carrying guide: Inside | Carrying guide: Truck bed | Carrying guide: Trunk rack
Carrying guide: Hitch rack | Carrying guide: Roof rack | Carrying guide: Spare tire rack

Are you considering taking your bicycle with you on a trip? Whether that trip is to the next town over to check out some greenway trails or hundreds of miles away, there are multiple ways to bring your bike along with you. Let’s explore carrying it inside your vehicle.

Carrying Methods

1. Inside the vehicle

Pros: Won’t fall off or out of a bicycle carrier
Cons: Takes up space; impractical for multiple bikes or longer/larger bikes; will need specific tools for bolt-on or bolt through axle wheel removal

By far, this is the safest way to carry a bicycle.

No need to worry about an accessory carrier failure when driving highway speeds; the bike won’t get wet or otherwise weather-damaged; and typically one only needs to remove the front wheel to place it in the backseat or trunk (with back seats folded down). In a cargo van, you can set up a hook to hang it and a strap for the rear wheel to prevent movement.

Unfortunately, unless you drive a Tardis, there’s a limit to the amount of space inside a car. You may wish to have other humans, your dog, or gear with you – this option is very limiting in that case. However, for many returning solo adult bike riders, it’s a solution that saves money (by not having to purchase a carrying system) – until you weary of removing wheels or returning a dirty or wet bike into the car.

Here’s a product from Québec that keeps your bikes upright when carrying inside. Not sure if it’s available in the US but an interesting device.

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