Transporting Your Bike

Do you travel with your bike? I don’t necessarily mean abroad/by plan, however, I have written a post about travelling abroad with your bike that you can find here.

When it comes to travelling within the UK, or the same country that you live, there are many options to consider, and the below are some that I have experience of to share:

Roof Bars/Racks

For our old car we had the Thule roof bars added to transport our bikes on the roof of the car. For this you need both the roof bars and then also the bike bars. We upgraded when we changed to carbon bikes so swapped from the system that leaves both wheels on to the one where you remove the front and connect to the front fork mount as certain frame clamps are not recommended for carbon bikes.

Just don’t forget your bikes are on the roof and go under a height restriction – it happens!

Wheel Bag

When we moved to the front fork mount we got some wheel bags so that we can store the wheel safely inside the vehicle. These tend to be padded, have internal accessories pockets if needed, carry handle and for double wheel bags also have extra internal padding to protect the hubs.

Tow Bar Rack

For our camper van we decided to invest in a tow bar and Thule tow bar bike rack so that we could maximise space inside the vehicle for when travelling. We did need to get the tow bar added by a specialist and we do not leave on permanently. I would say this rack is heavy and can be a little awkward – it can definitely be a one man job but easier with two people!

Inside Rack

We found this rack advertised for storing your bikes inside your vehicle shortly after we purchased our camper van. We thought that this might make a good addition for when we were travelling with the bikes without an overnight stay and so didn’t need the space inside the van. This rack is from Bike Inside and is so easy to use – you literally extend to the right length, secure in place and connect your bike to the fork mounts. It is super easy to store and there are options for different lengths, adapters, extenders and other straps and accessories.

Thule Carrier

To go with the transportation, and this is an add on for the Thule tow bar bike rack mentioned above, we also invested in the Thule carrier and this is an awesome piece of kit! It attaches and locks onto the tow bar rack, is waterproof, lightweight, packs down when storing, and you can add a bike rack with this too.

Chuck It In

There was no fancy technical way of saying this, but let’s face it, we all do it and it is always an option to literally just put your bike in your vehicle! I know I still do sometimes. We have a connector in our camper van to tie the dog lead too and sometimes (minus the dog) I use this to literally put my bike in and secure with the dog lead. No judgement here – it works a treat!

Trains

There are of course booking tickets on trains for your bike, however, I have never (believe it or not) used this so cannot comment.

As you can see we are big fans of Thule items – they can be a bit of an investment but the quality is amazing and we’ve found their stuff lasts forever (maybe not literally forever but for a long time)!

How do you travel with your bike?