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A different way to carry your bicycles inside

13479 Views 33 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  Blackpointe, 
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I used plus nuts to attach a product called velo hinge made by Feedback Sports sold at Performance Bicycles on both the D pillars. Then, I bolted fork mounts to the velo hinge and now I am able to hang my bikes and take up very little room. The handle bars and pedals fit just inside the door. You will have to push your seat post in all the way or take the seat post out if you want to hang both bikes at the same time. My photo only shows one bike but I can hang two. The best part is that the velo hinge allows you to swing the bike 90 degrees when you open the door so that you can access your stuff in the rear of the van. We also ran L-track front to back recessed in the floor and then two more L-tracks side to side so that we can carry additional bikes and strap down stuff while traveling. Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to rotate the photos but the first two may not be oriented correctly.

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Yeah most mountain bike forks are going to thru axles now. I'm thinking about something that locks one wheel down and at least a track for the other wheel...like a kuat rack does but on the van floor. It would work with all wheels (mine are 27.5 mountain and 700c road)
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fargy483 said:
Cool thanks for the info... have you ever seen a fork mount mounted vertically instead of horizontally? For me a vertical mount that allows the handlebars and fork to be turned perpendicular to the frame would be the easy solution. but i've never seen it done and also wonder if there is any issues with it being done that way.
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I don't know that I've seen a skewer mounted verically but it's not a problem. I'd just secure the rear wheel so it doesn't bounce the headset around too much.
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djbikeman said:
That's interesting. I secure the rear wheels to keep the bikes from swinging into each other. Hadn't ever thought about the headset. Are you worried about it getting damaged or coming lose?
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I have to snug my top caps down occasionally on my road bikes. I ride 200-250 miles/week and after a while (months), they develop play (felt when tapping front brake). It's not a big deal but I wouldn't want my bikes bouncing vertically on the headset for long. More importantly, like you said, the bikes will swing all over if not secured.
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djbikeman said:
I wouldn't worry about the headset when they are hanging in the van at all. The forces applied to the headset while hanging in a van are negligible compared to actually riding them. Resetting your headset adjustment has way more to do with the mileage you put down than hanging them in the van when driving.

The things to think about when hanging a bike are more suspension, dropper post, and hydraulic brake related.
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Suspension and brakes are not a concern. Hydraulic systems can hang upside down or be thrown off a cliff as long as no air is introduced. Jangling a headset up and down for hours at a time will be the ONLY potential problem.
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rondo said:
This is solidly 180 out from the truth. Suspension does not do well when hung upside down. The upper dust seal on your fork does a poor job of keeping oil in when upside down for long periods. Also, Headsets see an order of magnitude more force when ridden as when hung on a hook. I would wager that never in the history of modern headsets has one come out of adjustment from hanging. The frames touching something combined with the vibration of the vehicle is the big threat. Your paint should be way more scared of your van than the headset.
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Fox recommends storing the fork upside down to keep the foam ring lubricated. The dust wiper does not keep the oil in, the oil seal does. Also, when riding, the bearings are pressed firmly into the race. Not so when hanging and BOUNCING.
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I don't know what you do in the industry, but I hope you don't work on bikes!
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"Technical value"? Yours has all been made up in this thread. Forks and shocks can be run upside down...or horizontally in the case of my old anthem. Shock is mounted between the down tube and rear linkage. USD forks? Yeah we have that too. The rs1 is a good example. Frame rubbing while hanging? How and on what would it rub? Problem with hanging the hydraulic brakes vertically? Huh? It's like you have no experience with ANY of this stuff. Or you just need to argue? You are not "in the industry".
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