quick transport-on-minivan-roof question

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Howdy. My relatives are coming up to visit, and they're
bringing up two bikes with them ("teen/regular" sizes).
They've got a Dodge Caravan with factory roof rails.
They'll be driving about 350 or so miles from Virginia to
NYC. The route will be almost totally on the big
interstate highways (relatively smooth roads), about 7
hours or so (passing through Washington DC just to glance
at the sights).

The minivan will be full inside, so we were wondering if
anyone has just tossed a couple of bikes on the roof
(front wheels removed, of course) and just tied them down
with bungee cords. This is not a regular

Use rope, not bungee cords, and put down an old blanket or
something to protect the top of the vehicle, and they
should be fine. You could even leave the front wheels on
if you want.

The other day I saw a *pile* of bikes on top of a
minivan going down the interstate. Must have been 3 or 4
bikes there, but they were so entangled that I couldn't
tell for sure.

...

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(clip) we were wondering if anyone has just tossed a couple
of bikes on the roof (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^ After doing
this, a friend of mine suggested removing whichever
pedal is on the down side. If the bike rests on the
pedal over bumpy terrain, there can be damage, bot to
the bike and to the roof.

David Kerber said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Howdy. My relatives are coming up to visit, and they're
bringing up two bikes with them ("teen/regular" sizes).
They've got a Dodge Caravan with factory roof rails.
They'll be driving about 350 or so miles from Virginia to
NYC. The route will be almost totally on the big
interstate highways (relatively smooth roads), about 7
hours or so (passing through Washington DC just to glance
at the sights).

The minivan will be full inside, so we were wondering if
anyone has just tossed a couple of bikes on the roof
(front wheels removed, of course) and just tied them down
with bungee cords. This is not a regular

Use rope, not bungee cords, and put down an old blanket or
something to protect the top of the vehicle, and they
should be fine. You could even leave the front wheels on
if you want.

Don't use those cheap, discount store bungee cords.
Otherwise, stretchy is preferable to non-stretchy. A bit of
stretch keeps everything tight as the load shifts, and keeps
knots from loosening. Use nylon or dacron rope with a bit of
give to it, or dacron tie-down straps. Heavy duty marine
bungee cord is excellent, but it requires a trip to the
marine hardware store.

Quoted message said:

The other day I saw a *pile* of bikes on top of a minivan
going down the interstate. Must have been 3 or 4 bikes
there, but they were so entangled that I couldn't tell
for sure.

I've done this too, and it works fine. To protect the top
of the car, a heavy blanket will work, especially a movers
blanket made for this kind of thing. Even better is dense,
thin, ensolite foam, like sleeping bag pads for camping
(not foam rubber). Best of all are rubber bath mats with
the suction cups on the underside. These give great
protection, and stay perfectly in place -- which prevents
chafing the paint.

Matt O.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

David Kerber said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Howdy. My relatives are coming up to visit, and they're
bringing up two bikes with them ("teen/regular" sizes).
They've got a Dodge Caravan with factory roof rails.
They'll be driving about 350 or so miles from Virginia
to NYC. The route will be almost totally on the big
interstate highways (relatively smooth roads), about 7
hours or so (passing through Washington DC just to
glance at the sights).

The minivan will be full inside, so we were wondering
if anyone has just tossed a couple of bikes on the roof
(front wheels removed, of course) and just tied them
down with bungee cords. This is not a regular

Use rope, not bungee cords, and put down an old blanket
or something to protect the top of the vehicle, and they
should be fine. You could even leave the front wheels on
if you want.

Don't use those cheap, discount store bungee cords.
Otherwise, stretchy is preferable to non-stretchy. A bit
of stretch keeps everything tight as the load shifts, and
keeps knots from loosening. Use nylon or dacron rope with
a bit of

Good point. I use nylon for practically everything, so don't
think much about it.

....

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in
the newsgroups if possible).

Henry said:

Howdy. My relatives are coming up to visit, and they're
bringing up two bikes with them ("teen/regular" sizes).
They've got a Dodge Caravan with factory roof rails.
They'll be driving about 350 or so miles from Virginia to
NYC. The route will be almost totally on the big
interstate highways (relatively smooth roads), about 7
hours or so (passing through Washington DC just to glance
at the sights).

The minivan will be full inside, so we were wondering if
anyone has just tossed a couple of bikes on the roof
(front wheels removed, of course) and just tied them down
with bungee cords. This is not a regular occurrence, so
spending a pile of money for a "real" rack is something
we'd like to avoid. I figure i can buy a cheap tarp and
wrap it over the front/top of the bikes to keep out any
major downpours, and use duct tape and/or bungee to keep
it all from flying away. The minivan will only be
unattended during rest stops, and I can also u-lock them
to the roof rails (these are just cheapish $300 bikes).

Advice, anyone?

Go ahead and do it. Use toestraps (ah, memories...) for
more secure attachment. I always secure each bike in two
places. Those racks have cut-outs on the metal piece
that runs the length of the car, and you can thread the
strap through it if the cross-strut is not convenient. A
bonus: makes the car easy to find in a parking lot. HTH
--Karen M.