Cycling tourism is one of the fastest-growing areas. It allows every family member to play sports and, at the same time, explore our beautiful planet. In addition, this way of spending time is relatively safe not only for the participants themselves but also for the environment. Its only drawback is the difficulty of transporting bicycles to the event site. Optimizing your existing vehicle and adapting it to the features of MTB Tours will help correct the situation.
How do you optimize your car for transporting bicycles?
Transporting bicycles is a challenging task. To solve this problem, you can use the services of transport companies or try to optimize your car. The first option is expensive and inconvenient, so most cycling tourism lovers choose the second. In this case, it doesn’t matter whether you are using a new vehicle or one you purchased at a vandalized car auction and restored to perfect condition. You can still achieve the desired result and eliminate problems with transporting bicycles forever.
Folding and removing seats
The easiest way to transport any bicycle is to place it in the car. To perform this task, you must fold the rear seats or remove them altogether (if the design allows it). After this, even a relatively small car can easily fit a children’s and an adult’s bicycle. You may also have to remove the front seat if the vehicle is tiny. In this situation, there will be no space left for passengers. In cases where you need to place several bicycles in the cabin, you must first remove the wheels from them.
The main advantage of this method of optimizing your car is the absence of any financial costs. Among other positive aspects, one can highlight the reliable protection of bicycles from theft and environmental factors negative impact. Among the disadvantages, in addition to the previously mentioned lack of passenger seats, one should also mention the likelihood of dirt remaining on the wheels after a bike ride getting into the car’s interior.
Installing the trunk
Using an external rack is a good transportation option if your bike doesn’t fit in the cabin or you want to leave room for passengers. It is often installed on the car’s roof and supplemented with special racks. The latter makes it possible to secure the bicycle and prevent it from accidentally falling while moving. In addition, the racks allow you to avoid contact between fragile elements of the bicycle structure and various parts of the trunk or accessories installed on the car’s roof.
This method of optimizing your vehicle has many advantages. The key is simultaneously transporting several bicycles (usually at most four pieces). This is ideal for families who can only imagine their life with cycling tourism. Also, a significant advantage is the large amount of free space in the cabin and trunk. There, you can place many other valuable items that will be useful during your trip. This method also has disadvantages. In windy conditions, roof-mounted bikes will create a sail effect, making the vehicle more difficult to control. Also, with bicycles on the roof, you may not fit in low tunnels and entrances to underground parking.
Fixing the bike rack in the trunk
Not the most popular, but quite a suitable transportation method is installing a unique bicycle rack. It is fixed directly in the car’s trunk but placed outside. The resulting structure becomes something like an external trunk placed not on the vehicle’s roof but behind it.
This option has both pros and cons. The positive aspects include versatility (suitable for any car), ease of installation and bicycle removal, and low additional air resistance, so the control process remains as comfortable as before. The negative becomes noticeable in cases where you need to move away from the car. In this case, the bicycles remain unprotected and can be easily stolen. You also block your access to the trunk, which often becomes a problem for fans of cycling tourism.
Installing a towbar
A towbar is a modern device that will allow you to optimize your car quickly and make it suitable for transporting bicycles. It is often used by families or groups of friends involved in cycling tourism. This becomes possible thanks to the design of most towbars. They allow you to install and firmly secure 2 to 4 bicycles, which will be protected from contact with each other throughout the trip.
Among the many advantages of this device, it is necessary to mention the ease of removing and installing bicycles, gaining free access to the trunk of a car, and more reliable protection against theft. The primary and only significant disadvantage of towbars is the high price. This option is suitable exclusively for people who plan to participate in MTB tours repeatedly and want to make cycling tourism the main hobby of their lives.
Tips for preparing your car for MTB tours
Only some cars are initially suitable for transporting bicycles. This is due to many factors that prevent this task from being completed. However, if you properly prepare your vehicle, you can optimize it for your current needs.
The first step is determining the number of people participating in the MTB tour with you. Based on this, you can choose the best option for transporting bicycles. If you eat alone, the right solution would be to use the free space in the car. In cases where your friends or relatives are participating in an MTB tour, it is advisable to use devices suitable for transporting several bicycles. At the same time, it is essential to consider the car’s design features. Installing an external trunk or tow bar on it is not always possible.
Another important recommendation that will help you properly prepare your car for an MTB tour is to consider the nuances of the route to the event venue. The capabilities of your vehicle must meet the requirements of a particular road (for example, if you need to drive off-road for a long time, it is not recommended to hit the road in super sports cars).
If you are a fan of cycling tourism, then you need to upgrade your car and make it suitable for transporting bicycles. This process requires minimal time but allows you to eliminate a complex problem forever. If everything is done correctly, the transported bicycles will always be safe, and your participation in any MTB tours will become an actual holiday for every family member.
