Ok, I’m going to be blatantly honest here. I love to bike — or maybe better, I love the idea of biking. I always say to myself, “I’m going to wake up early tomorrow and go for a bike ride!” But when the next morning comes, guess what? I’m not pressing the gear shifters but rather the snooze button on my alarm clock.
One of my main reasons for not following through on my plans is I don’t want to ride to where I want to bike. Too much work, not interested. But then I realized I can eliminate that problem with a few simple options for transporting my bike. These options work whether you are moving to a new home, taking a trip in a new park across town, or taking your bike with you on a family vacation.
Trailer Hitch/Bike Rack
A bike rack like this one sold by U-Haul allow for transport of up to four bikes.
One of the most foolproof and easiest methods of bike transport is a bike rack. They require very little maintenance, are usually portable and can fit on most cars with a standard trailer hitch. Follow the individual instructions for each particular bike rack for proper loading instructions.
Pickup Truck
Bikes in theory are narrow and one may think that they don’t take up that much space — but to be honest, they are actually quite bulky because the are long, as well as wide (don’t forget about the handle bars!) If there isn’t room in your vehicle and you are just making a short trip, a pickup truck is a viable option. There is very little instruction needed. Load bike in, secure standing up or laying down and drive away. It’s that simple.
Utility or Cargo Trailer
For the same reasons above, a trailer can make a lot of sense if you’re moving across town or across the country with bikes. They take up a decent amount of space in the moving truck and bikes can be difficult, if not fragile items to pack. The good news is every moving van comes with a hitch pre-installed, so a trailer makes for a very easy solution to your bike predicament. And don’t forget, even if you’re not using a moving truck you can still connect a trailer to any other vehicle with a hitch weight permitting.
Have you ever transported a bike around town or across the country? Are there any tips or tricks that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
