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Every year I drive a van and trailer with 6 - 8 bikes from Scotland to the Alps. For the last few years we have been putting the bikes in the rectangular, caged trailer on their wheels and then putting large sheets of carpet in between them - and then binding everything tight so that things don't vibrate against each other
In previous years we didn't do this and the trailer journeys did more damage to the bikes than the Alps riding!
The problem with carpet is that:
[list]
[*]- It gets crappy when wet[/*]
[*]- It polishes the metal bits on the bikes and the paint comes off[/*]
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So the big question is: what material should we use instead to protect the bikes from each other?
Top thought so far is 10mm+ thick "Yoga Mat" - but they are a bit expensive and I can't find where to buy a big roll of the stuff.
Pipe insulation ....
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Economy-Pipe-Insulation-15-x-1000mm-Pack-5/p/210451
I use this when transporting bikes on the back seat and then use bungees to keep them firm against each other and the seat...
We use four of these in the garage of the camper, easy to load and secure against each other, we did pack between them with the interlocking floor tiles from Halfords but they kept comming apart even with ductaping them together.
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Pope insulation, but tape / cable tie it on so it doesn't move and hence rub. Also make sure bikes are secure.
[url= http://www.thefoamshop.co.uk/product/11-9/CMF35-FIRM-BLUE-FOAM-Half-Sheets120cm-x-200cm-aprox ]Foam sheets[/url]
Have used this stuff before when trailering stuff bike-shaped items and equally as damageable. Got it cheaper than that from an upholsterer who gave us off-cuts and old, damaged rolls. You want it a few inches thick so that it flexes a bit between each bike, reduces the rubbing.
Tracey, what are those? Link?
Thanks.
9/10mm carpet underlay?
Yeah - I should have said that we do use pipe insulation as well. What we find is that the bikes need something to completely stop anything touching. One year we had a crank touch a frame for 1000miles of fast motorway driving and it went right through the frame.
Tracey: what is that?
And here's the pic of the towing operation.
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Ages back, we went to a sofa cushion cutting place and bought a big load of offcuts and odd sized chunks of foam. They don't abrade like carpet.
I've not used it, but if you go to a big Tesco you can buy [url= http://cpc.farnell.com/yellowstone/sb017/campink-mat-foil-insulated-180x50cm/dp/LH04447?mckv=sGAKR8BP3_dc&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-GEN-SHOPPING-YELLOWSTONE-Recreational-LH04447 ]these sleeping mats[/url] for peanuts. They're only about 10mm thick, mind.
*edit* the foam was like Milky's link above, blue, about 3" thick.
The carpet is too hardwearing on the frames and polishes the paint off them. We're thinking Yoga Mat type material but wondering if there is a way to buy a roll of it rather than actual yoga mats.
Can you fit a pole across the trailer and strap the bikes so they can't touch each other or is that going to take up too much space? What about sticking old car tyres (clean ones) between them to really space them out and then strapping them together?
also worth noting we don't use bungees anymore either because even the slightest movement would wear through pipe insulation etc. Everything is ratchet strapped now.
andyl: takes up too much space. 7 bikes in 6ft 6" only just fits and no more.
You can see that the top edge of the trailer is lined with Panaracer tyres - the hardest wearing substance known to man. We have hooked bikes *using forks) over the side but that only really works for short uplift type trips.
Bit of a different approach but how about getting a sheet of ply wood and making some wooden fork axle mounts (like the ones you buy but DIY) and fixing all the bikes upright into the axle mounts. Then attach some strips of wood as rear wheel guides but leave a little slot in the middle to run a small strap under to secure the wheels.
Alternate them backwards and forwards and then make some kind of uprights to secure the front wheels to.
edit: you could get them pretty close but not touching like this.
They are bike shrouds. Saw quite a few on the Enduro circuit for bike protection in vans but couldn't find out who made them. Specialized UK had a batch made for their demo fleet and finally managed to track down who made them. They were made by RB Sails who are based on the South coast. Turn round was a week from order to delivery. Just in time for our Alps tour. They have done around 15000 miles in the camper since we got them and still look as good as new and no transit damage to the bikes
Ta. Thread saved for future use although I suspect cheap yoga mats will be a far more affordable, if less stylish, solution for me.
a quick update:
We used 16mm thick yoga mats (bought in bulk on ebay) between the 8 bikes in the trailer to the alps. We had no scratches on the bikes and all the yogamats stayed intact. During the 1950 mile journey we went through heavy rain too; the yoga mats are waterproof and didn't weaken when wet (unlike some other solutions)
Pope insulation
further info:
http://time.com/4046511/pope-francis-us-visit-the-meaning-behind-the-popes-clothes/
Carpet underlay. Mate on the trade always brings copious amounts and works a treat.